Caf's question about our unfinished chops made me think of this. I've gone through a couple different attempts at organizing both my chops and my external pics libraries and I was wondering how everyone else organizes their's.

I originally had a folder for each chop's working file. Then I had an "externals" folder with subfolders for each category of picture (people, objects, animals, etc.). Now I just have each chop and it's related externals in a folder named for that contest. But I also have a folder for externals that I find with the idea that they may be useful later on (either for submitting as sources or as future externals).

All of these methods make it sometimes difficult to find pictures that I want to use in other chops. I've tried Picasa and other picture organizers but I just don't like them.

So let's hear it. How do YOU organize your chops and externals?

Hey, Tofu, good question! (And good answer on my TP-chops thread! ) On my desktop is a folder "Photoshop Contest". Within that are now dozens of folders, one for each contest source. Whether or not I've finished a chop and entered that contest, the next contest source I download gets the next number in sequential order. Ie, 001 Pocket Watch, or 063 Stone Silo. Every outside source or file generated gets kept in the folder with the original source. And I keep it all, too... butt () I've rarely gone back for any of it.

Also inside the desktop folder is my avatar folder and 000 Scavanger Hunt folder and a bunch of miscellaneous loose files and graphics... Then I have another desktop folder called "easy to find"... and, um... well THAT folder is "easy to find" but the innards are not nearly as well organized. Just so you know I'm rather human... a human packrat, that is!

pictures say a thousands word

Regulary saved on dvd-rw

also a psc_bs for non-contest images (add 1 thing to image, avatars, chat :sniff: , tlapd (woohoow ) etc..)

I tried Picasa and a couple of other programs...didn't like 'em. Too tidy.
Now, I have one folder I use for external sources, one folder for source images and one folder for works in progress/completed chops.
Ones I don't finish, I usually trash.

That's intense, Grefix!

good question....
i wonder how you people with few hundred chops find anything... i've got less then 50 and its already a mess...
i got one folder for original sources, one folder for PSDs, one folder for final chops and another folder for externals that has subfolders for each contest...
maybe it would have been smarter to orgenize the externals according to subject not contest.... that way there would be one folder for skies one for animals one for dancing mutant vegetables...

{bumpage}

('cuz I'm still curious that's why!)

well I used to keep all my psd's but since the well known super mega crash last month I only have a couple on my system now.

My externals however I salvaged, I have them in 35 anal-tastic-retentive folders. 1 to 9 for numbered externals, and every letter of the alphabet for all other externals with names etc.

do I win something for that..... like a smack in the gob

Ok..... Thats a LITTLE bit neater than me.
I save all of my sources, externals and PSD's on my desktop.
When my desktop is full to the bursting point I create a folder for that month and put all the images into it. When that month is over (or when i get around to it) I put it into a folder on my desktop called "imaging".
After looking at this topic, I think I might organize a little better.

I have 3 folders

1. PSC--I toss my psd and final jpg into this along w/ any of you guys/gals pictures I find (heaven only knows why)

2. Possible Sources--duh

3. PSC Sources--I'm lackadaisical about this...mostly I delete the daily sources.

it aint, i got a folder called "THINGS TO COME", i shove all my .psd's in there incase i want to use them again, everything else gets deleted, i one month old .psd file is a very old file,

OK, this is a subject that I am kind of on top of, I have thousands of shots contained in lots of folders, the images that I shoot, go directly into a monthly folder from when they were shot, then whenever I use one of those pictures for whatever reason, PSC post, or Image Shack, Submitted contest shots, etc. I put them in a designated folder for that subject, if I find that I have a lot of pictures with the same subject, such as flowers, or fire, or surfing, etc. I create a folder for that subject, this way whenever I look for a picture, I go to the subject I'm thinking about, and Whalla! it's usually there, there is one thing that I do not like about Adobe Bridge in CS2, when you look at all your subfiles, they do not show thumbnails on the folders, this takes extra time to look in and see what's there, but overall that's the only gripe I have about the Bridge.

Allover desktop..once too much clutter into folders marked 'new folder thru new folder 37' plus some extras like 'hands' bodies''people''landscapes''tifs'pngs'.
images saved on desktop total 67gigs.
randomly saved to dvdisc.

Right on! thats what a desktop is for!

I recently started using picasa for my pics and have never looked back since!

I've always felt that my desktop is on a par with my life in general and my stuff has always been all over the place.

I've managed to organise my 30,000+ photographs into picasa. PSC, however, always remains a mystery to me. No matter how much I try and organise it, it's always a mess:



I even made a special 'dodge' folder for the dodge viper contest. Never actually got round to submitting anything though. Perhaps JMH could create a picasa style file organisation type thingymebob for psc users?