Create a Tempoary Holidng Folder on your computer desktop or in your Pictures folder

After each photo occassion or at least every 2 weeks download your camera or phone memory card onto your computer in a temporary holding folder named “photos to sort “ on your desktop.  Be sure to double check that they have sucessfully imported, then delete the photos from your card to avoid duplicating photos on your computer the next time you download. 

Edit, Edit, Edit

If you have time now, start to edit and select your favorites.  If not, these can be held here until you have a chance to  edit , rename and file in a permanent folder or software program.

Keep the best ones!

Eliminate the clutter; delete photos that are  too dark, or the photo that is  unflattering, is too far away, or are really just slightly varied from all the others. Quality is ALWAYS better than quanity.. Even though digital photos take less space than photo albums, you still want to control the flow.

Rename your photos

Be descriptive and consistent!

If you have the dates, use numbers to replace the written month.  It's faster and more effective then actually writing January or November and your folders can actually be sorted chronologically,

Ex.. 2009-11 Disneyland/Sara

Move the photos to their permanent home

Now that the photos in your holding folder have been edited and remained you can move them.

There are many photo organization software programs out there, and that is another article  But for simplicity sake, the most common and simple progam to use is your Windows Pcitures Folder system.

My Computer >My Docs > My Pictures.

Or newer versions: Computer> Libraries> Pictures.

Setting up a good system up front is important for future additions and retrieval.

Create detailed  folders and subfolders:

The easiest way is to create Folders  under My Pictures. Then decide on the structure based on how you would usually look for them. Would you try to look by year, by event, by location, etc? I recommend themes. People really get hung up trying to remember the EXACT date. Examples may be :

Trips>  and then subfolders with trip locations and then dates if you have them.

Family> and then subfolders for each child or family portraits

Friends> and then possibly childhood, school, name if there are many of that person and thier family, location they live etc

Holidays> Christmas> and then years if you have them >2009 Christmas

                > Halloween> 2009 Halloween

Moving time!

Once the folders are created, just move the pictures into the cooresponding folder.

Other tips:

Keep a folder on your desktop that is labeled “to be printed.”  Place “copies” of digital photos in this folder, so you can track those photos you would like a hard-copy of. Once you have printed. Delete these photos.

Finally, ARCHIVE or LOSE! Burn CD's or DVD's of your photos once you downloaded them. and schedule monthly back-up of your files onto an external hard-drive. Also, you can back up your photos to online website storage.