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Introduction |
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Having a system for organizing your photos can make searching through your photo library a whole lot easier.
Start with these basic practices, and then customize your own approach.
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Edit your library |
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Simplify your photo-sorting process by eliminating pictures you don't need. As soon as you download images,
delete the shots that are unusable-whether they're overexposed, underexposed, duplicates, or pictures where
your thumb got in the way. But be sure to keep the ones that a little image editing can improve.
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Name your photos |
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Using the following techniques, you can easily name all your photos. Giving your photos clearly identifiable
filenames will help you find the images you're looking for quickly and easily.
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Name as you download
Name your photos as a part of your download routine. Chances are, if you wait, they won't get named.
After you download your photos from your camera, rename your files individually (if you only have a few)
by simply clicking the file name once to highlight and edit.
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Add descriptions
Digital cameras assign pictures alphanumeric names. But who remembers that JX1000054 was that
wonderful sunset shot from your honeymoon? Giving pictures descriptive names as soon as you
download them will help you remember what they are and who's in them. Name files consistently
and add descriptive details within the title for easy retrieval later on. For example:
"Pismo_as_a_puppy.jpg" and "Pismo_at_beach.jpg" rather than "dog_at_beach.jpg" or "dog12.jpg."
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Rename existing photos by batching
It's easy to automatically rename many files at once (called "batching") with the Windows XP
operating system.
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Open a folder of images you want to rename. Highlight all the images in the folder by
selecting Edit and Select All from the menu bar.
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Right click the first photo in the folder and select Rename.
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Enter a name that can describe every image in the folder. For example:
Becky's_birthday_2006.jpg. Be sure to add the file type
(.jpg is the most widely used for images).
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Windows XP will then automatically rename all the files in the folder and number them in order.
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Use HP photo-editing software
The Photosmart software that comes with many HP cameras and photo printers
also allows you to rename and re-date specific image folders and photos.
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Create descriptive folders |
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Because adding dates to each individual picture can make for unwieldy file names, you may want to use the
month and year to label each folder and subfolder. Once again, consistency is key.
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Use either the name or the number of the month throughout, and either two or four digits for the year.
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Create a master folder for each year, and subfolders for categories and individual events within that
year. For example, within the folder "2006," create a subfolder for "Events," with folders for
"Birthday parties" and "Sarah" inside.
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Add keywords |
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Both HP Photosmart Premier and HP Photosmart Essential
allow you to software add keywords to your photos. Simply click on the thumbnail in the View area to see the details
of the selected file and add a memorable keyword (like the names of people in the photo). Later, you can search
by those keywords to quickly track down the photos you want.
Explore the possibilities |
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Once you've organized your photos, learn quick tips for storing them.
Learn more |
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Award-winning support |
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