Uploading images

[geetey]

I have been playing around with my new Rebel XT - taking lots of shots at different settings, while reading the manual and Understanding Exposure. Here is my really dumb question...

What do you do with your images? I have just been viewing them by looking at my F drive. I have the Canon software that came with the Rebet XT as well as Photoshop Elements 4. I don't want to mess up the images but I also want to be able to see what I am doing right or wrong. Counting down the days until our Disney trip and I need all of the practice time!

Is there a standard way to view/handle/save images?

Thanks for any help!

 

[fitzperry]

When you alter an image in PS Elements 4.0, the software defaults to saving it as an edited copy. Then it will ask you if you want the edited version to be layered on top of or next to the original in the organizer.

I save all my images on my hard drive and periodically back everything up on cd. It's a good idea to store back-up copies in a fire safe or somewhere other than the place where your computer is located. Also, cd's don't last forever, so if you really want to keep everything, you need some other kind of back-up storage method. I keep telling my dh to take care of that (he's the technical geek), but evidently it's not a priority for him .

 

[geetey]

Thanks for the reply, Jen.

So it is safe to just upload everything into PSE4 and then save to my hard drive or CDs from there. I am just trying to figure out the best routine for handling my images. With 35 mm, I just put the packet of film in the correct box. For scrapbooking later, of course! SOME year my good pics will be in albums. SOME year!

 

[tigger795]

One thing I like to do immediately after offloading my pix is to select them all and change attributes to read only. I try to never underestimate my ability to make unwanted permanent changes or to accidentally delete my originals.

Just my $0.02 worth of useless advice.

--
Randy

 

[WillCAD]

First thing you have to do is to change your way of thinking.

I digital photo is a file, whether it's on the camera, the computer, or a CD. Files can be moved, copied, renamed, or deleted, without regard to whether they are images or not - the computer only see files.

If you want to get a file from one place to another, the absolute worst thing you can do is to "open it up in XXX and save it out to..." What you want to do is to use something like My Computer (also known as Windows Explorer) to copy the file to a new location.

Most digital cameras come with software that lets you copy image files off of your memory cards onto your computer, but many times you don't even need that software.

If you have a card reader, you simply plug your memory card into the reader. The card reader will show up as a drive in My Computer, and you can then copy the files onto your hard drive.

If you don't have a card reader, you can plug your camera into the computer with its USB cable, and the camera itself will show up in My Computer as a drive, and you can copy the files to your hard drive that way.

Getting your files from the camera to your hard drive is step one. Step two is having a logical, consistant system for organizing your pics.

My system is pretty simple. I organize my pics by date.

Under My Pictures, I have a folder for each year (four digit). Under each year, I divide the pics up into rolls (this is left over from the days when I shot film - 1 roll was 24 pics). Since I shoot digital these days, each roll is simply one day. I rarely shoot more than 100 pics in a day, even at WDW, so each folder is a small group of files that I can look at, instead of having to sift through hundreds of photos all at once.

 

[fitzperry]

Thanks for the reply, Jen.

So it is safe to just upload everything into PSE4 and then save to my hard drive or CDs from there. I am just trying to figure out the best routine for handling my images. With 35 mm, I just put the packet of film in the correct box. For scrapbooking later, of course! SOME year my good pics will be in albums. SOME year!

I used to use Nikon's (and before that Canon's) software to download my pics and save them in folders, but I recently started using Photoshop because I like the organizer (and they're still saved in folders like WillCAD described). I have PS set up to create a new folder each time I download pictures, and the name of the folder is the download date. I used to name the folders based on what was in them (i.e., Disney, New York, somebody's birthday, etc.), but I've recently decided I like the tagging system in PS, so I just use that (took me awhile to get the 12,000 other pictures on my hard drive tagged, but I did it).

If you haven't spent much time playing with the PS organizer and tags, you should try it--it's pretty cool. I have tags for various people and places, so if I want a picture of my dh and the kids at WDW, I can just click on those tags, and it will show me every image that meets my search requirements. You might find it useful for scrapbooking if you don't get prints made right away (or tend to give them away like I do and then wonder where they all went ). If you take a lot of pictures (and really even if you don't), I think it's important to have a good system so that you can keep track of everything.

Have fun!