files/folders

[Boomer]

I just got a new PC and am about to convert over all my files. Right now I have folders & sub-folders EVERYWHERE with my pictures in on my laptop. Is this a good time to consolidate them all into ONE folder?? It sure would be nice to have them in one spot. Your thoughts? Thanks :)

[JonE]

First off, please read this thread:
http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36341
Do not move the photos from one PC to another without following those instructions or you will lose all your tags and collections/albums. Second, be sure the photos are organized just as you want them on your original PC before moving to the other PC. Finally, if you do want to organize your photos better on your original PC, that's up to you, but be sure to do it using the Move function within Organizer or Organizer will lose track of the photos and the Catalog entries will show as disconnected. When you have all that done, then follow the instructions for backup and restore of the catalog to the new computer.

[dj_paige]

I can't think of a single advantage to having photos in a single folder, if you really are using the Organizer to manage your photos. The Organizer simply doesn't care. It is not faster nor is it slower for the Organizer to have files in many folders compared to a single folder.

Therefore, I think that moving everything to a single folder is a complete waste of time, if you are using the Organizer to manage your photos.

[Codebreaker]

I think Paige is correct if all you're going to do is use Elements Organiser.

While Elements can provide you with the actual location of your image files, you should think about the times when you may need to use another application to do things with them. In this case it may be easier if you do consilidate your images into a more structured folder system while you have the chance. Of course its also possible to do this from within Elements Organiser using the Folder View.

Colin

[dj_paige]

While Elements can provide you with the actual location of your image files, you should think about the times when you may need to use another application to do things with them. Colin

When I need some of my photos for some purpose outside of PSE, I use PSE to select the photos I want, and then I do a File->Export->As New Files to a new folder. Now I have copies of those selected photos in a new folder for whatever non-PSE use I might have in mind. Once I'm done with that non-PSE use, I would delete those copies.

[Karin Sue]

I think upgrading to a new computer is a great time to think about how you want your harddrive organized. All of your files not just images.

While folder organization is not required with Organizer it doesn't hurt it any. I like to have a basic organization structure. Don't make it too complicated though. Use Organizer for the complicated stuff.

I prefer a system that makes it easy to know where to put images as I add them to my drive. Major folders: photos & photo projects. Under photos I have family & work categories. Under those categories I have year/month folders. I may have event and or photographer folders in the year/month folders. It is easy to pop images from a photoshoot into the correct folder. Then they never need to move though it is simple to use Organizer to move them if I happen to have dropped them in the wrong folder.

One advantage of using a date folder in your folder scheme is that if your camera does not have the correct date set or your date info becomes corrupt you at least know the month & year of your image by its folder placement.

Under photo projects I have cards, calendars, collages, etc. with subfolders for specific projects.

If you do reorganize, first decide on your scheme, then move from within Organizer. Do a file>catalog>recover and a reconnect all missing files followed by another file>catalog>recover before you do your backup and restore on the new pc.

A pure year/month system (or even decade/year/month) is simple to do with Organizer. Just find by date range, select all, file>move to your month folder.

If you use more than one catalog I recommend having separate master folders for each.

[Boomer]

Thanks for the feedback - I appreciate it!!

[JonE]

I can't think of a single advantage to having photos in a single folder, if you really are using the Organizer to manage your photos. The Organizer simply doesn't care. It is not faster nor is it slower for the Organizer to have files in many folders compared to a single folder.

Therefore, I think that moving everything to a single folder is a complete waste of time, if you are using the Organizer to manage your photos.
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One folder, no, but Boomer does have a point because if you do have photos in various folders scattered all over your file directories, and you backup and restore them onto a new computer, it will recreate each and every one of those directories for the images. So there is a point to consolidating and cleaning up the folder directories before moving to a new computer. Just do it from within PSE so you don't lose any connections to the images. GL