studio|detro

This is the $100 million question, right? (Except that stock photographs are not so valuable anymore, so to adjust for industry changes, it’s probably a $75 question … )

It’s all about organization of digital files. If you’re organized already, you’re probably not feeling a huge pinch until you’re up to 1,000+ images. If you’re in an unorganized situation, you are either extremely frustrated or have already given up hope. Is there an easy answer? Is there a one size fits all answer?

Following are a few options at various commitment levels and price points.

1. Picasa – for the unorganized or organized using one computer. Great free software that doesn’t re-organize your hard drive, I hate it when my files are moved around among folders without my involvement – it’s scary! This program is free and not scary.

2. Being Organized – for the organized using one or multiple hard drives. This is great if you don’t really like going outside ever. You have to have a browser application if you’re doing photo organization only in folders, otherwise getting thumbnail previews is a pain. I think that having a system of folder organization is pretty critical. I think that what your system actually is (by event type, date taken, original file type, or a hybrid of any of these) can be hotly contested. This process is important.

3. Uncommitted Part A – I’ve organized in folders (#2) and then viewed them via Adobe’s Bridge application. It came with Adobe’s Photoshop CS3 and I love them both. These two processes (organization + Bridge viewing) are not cutting it for me with the thousands of photos I’m going through.

Here’s a screenshot of Adobe’s Bridge peering into my folders.

4. Using a software system only – for anyone who loves long term commitments. This option is my main slipping point, as I’m personally swamped in indecision and not getting any traction. This decision is important and is a pivotal point in your photograph capture process and continued organization.

iPhoto is great and all inclusive. It moves your files around on the hard-drive and makes it’s own directory structure and that scares me. Gotta be committed to it.

Lightroom is great and couples really well with my current loves, Bridge and Photoshop. You have to buy in and can use it to manage your photo library locally on your machine and on multiple external hard drives and/or servers. Gotta be committed to it.

Aperture is great and streamlines stuff for me as a Mac user. Since the rest of my family are shutterbugs and Apple users, this program makes sense for me to commit to – since they’ll be calling me for IT support on it (which is much preferable to calls about iPhoto!). Gotta be committed to it.

5. Uncommitted Part B – I think this is the way I’m going next … it seems like the logical next step in resolute uncommitment. There’s a program from iView (now Microsoft) that’s a bit like Adobe’s Bridge – they call it Expression Media. I’ve got the trial version going and I’ll see if it’s a good buy for me over the next month.

I’m hoping to organized in folders (#2) + manage all these hard drives of images + and then viewed them via Adobe’s Bridge application (#3) OR Microsoft’s Expression Media (#5). Then, no matter what software I need to spend the most time in, Aperture or Lightroom or next generation photograph organization and manipulation software or Photoshop, I’ve got a jumping place. We’ll see.