Gary Schenk wrote:Organize?

I have a file folder for each country.

Then each country file folder has folders for regions/states

Then each region/state file folder has subfolders for peaks

Then each peak subfolder has a folder for dates

Each date has two folders - original images and edited images

For instance:

USA > CALIFORNIA > SIERRAS > PALISADES > MIDDLE PAL > O-MP-071477

I download the original images from the camera to a dated subfolder, such as O-HUXLEY-062510. O is for ORIGINALS.

Then I immediately copy the orginal subfolder to another folder, such as E-HUXLEY-062510. E is for EDITED.

I never touch the original subfolder again.

The EDITED subfolder is where I perform all color corrections, cropping, sharpening, etc. If I ever loose an image (or really screw it up), I can always go back to the ORIGINAL subfolder and copy it back over to the EDITED subfolder.

I never do any manipulations to the original photos.

I find it useful to use O and E as the starting letter, because I know I should never be saving a file to an O subfolder (as this would mean that I am over-writing the original image, which is a no-no).

In the EDITED subfolder, I also create WEB and PRINT subfolders. Once I have fully edited a photo and corrected the color, contrast, etc., then I copy it to the WEB and PRINT subfolders.

In the WEB subfolder I change the resolution to 72 dpi and change the dimentions to 1024 x 768 pixels (to match computer screen resolution). I save it as a maximum-quality JPEG. This way you have a copy of a photo that is suitable for websites. You can always re-save a copy as a lower-quality JPEG if you need a smaller file.

In the PRINT subfolder I change the resolution to 300 dpi, which is the minimum resolution suitable for making prints. The other dimentions of your photo (Length x Width) are determined by the megapixels of your source photo. There are calculations available online for this. This way you have a copy of the photo that is suitable for making a print.

I don't go through all of the WEB and PRINT manipulations with every single photo that I shoot, just the ones that I need converted to WEB and PRINT versions.

A final word about processing and through-put. Once you go through all of the trouble to edit an image, save it at appropriate steps in the process. For example, let's say that you make a WEB version of your original print without saving it except at the end (72 x 1024 x 768). Later, when you want to make a PRINT, you've got to start with the original version, and go through all of the time and trouble to crop and color-correct all over again.

You can buy a 200GB external hard drives for $100 that plug into a USB port. Very useful for full back-ups of your images.