PSE 6 - How do I open just one pic folder?

[mackwork]

Hi. Downloaded PSE 6 a couple days ago, and I can't figure out how to open just one hard drive folder of pictures at a time, rather than having to drag them them all into one huge, hard to use catalog. I download pictures into date folders on my hard drive, and it's too difficult to locate anything if I put all of my pictures into one huge catalog. PSE help isn't really telling me what I'm looking for. Do I need to create a new catalog for each folder of new pictures? There must be an easier way - I just haven't had the free time I need to figure out some of these things. Thanks.

[Rusty]

Hi mackwork, welcome to the forum,

You do not have to use the Organizer to open an image. Many of the people on this forum, myself included, do not use the Organizer at all.

I download my pictures exactly the way you do - they are in date-folders. I am using PSE5 and am going to assume that PSE6 is unchanged. When I start Elements it goes right into Edit. The screen is blank.

Click: File > Open (top menu bar)
You will then see the typical Windows Browser screen. Navigate to the folder where your images are and highlight the file(s) you want to open.

Elements is smart, when you finish editing and save your file, it will be saved right back in the folder from which it was opened. Follow usual cautions when saving edited files and use "save as" and a different filename if you don't want your original overwritten.

Rusty

[mackwork]

Hi Rusty and thanks. That much I've been able to figure out. I'm used to using ACDSee, which will let me see thumbnails of all of the pictures within a selected date folder, so that I can easily see which picture file I want to open and edit. It sounds like there's no way to do that in PSE? As the original downloaded file names don't give me much of a clue as to what the picture is, I suppose I could have ACDSee open to identify the original meaningless (to me) filename with a picture, that I want to then edit in PSE, but that seems like double duty to me. Some things I like about PSE, and I'm finding some I don't.

Using the method you mentioned, can I highlight all of the filenames in a folder and pull them into the empty section? I'm not at home, but I'll try that tonight. I have a feeling it's only a one filename choice, but I 'll have to see.

Thanks,
Terry

[douglas m scott]

Terry,
You can Shift + Click first and last to select all then open or you can Ctrl + Click on any number of files then open. They will show as thumbnails in Photo Bin at bottom of work area.
doug

[mackwork]

I figured it out now that I'm home. I started in Editor with as blank slate, and opened all of the files in a date folder that had both RAW and JPG files it it. The JPG show up as thumbnails in the bin on the bottom, and the RAW files in a separate window that will let me scroll through thumbnails on the left margin. I may be dumb, but I can be taught! And with enough time I can usually figure things out. :)

Edit - Douglas - that's what I just did and got the above results - pretty cool! Thanks all for the help.

Terry

[douglas m scott]

Terry,
I also find it easier to just Double Click in the Editor work area to get to the Windows Folder system.

doug

[Brob]

Thanks Doug!
Your double click tip is a good one!
Bridget

[Rusty]

Double-Click in work area...
What a great shortcut!!!

That's probably written down somewhere, who knows. I learn more from the Forum than any book :D

Rusty

[mackwork]

Douglas - thanks for the double-click tip!

Terry