How does everyone keep track of their digital photos. I feel all discombobulated with our family pictures these days. Some are still on the camera, some in boxes, some in a file on the computer, etc. How are you keeping everything organized? I need help?

Pretty much the same way you are!! It just takes so much time, and I guess it hasn't been a priority for me.

IF I were to spend time with it, I would go the scrapbooking route where you choose just a few of your favorite photos from each batch and make special albums. Then I'd put the rest on a CD or DVD, label it, and keep them for future. The DVD would be good, because then you could browse it on your TV if you wanted.

Kathy

PS: Dots, do you have more time on your hands now that the kids are off to college?

I have a sister who sells Creative Memories products. So she introducted me to their digital file system and I have to say, I really like it.

You download this system and then when you take pictures, you can transfer them off your camera chip and into the system. It allows you to either use their system of organizing or to make up your own system. I generally file my pix chronologically, but you can use other ways, such as special events (Katie's Wedding), types of pix (Family Photos, Travel Pix), anything you want.

You can simply use the system to store your images (and then back them up on CD's at intervals), or you can use the system to edit your photos and print them out.

What I do, is whenever I've taken some photos, I leave my camera next to my computer to remind me to download the photos.

Then I 'file' them digitally by year and month.

When my camera chip is full, I make a CD, and label it by the range of dates that the photos represent (like, Spring, 2006). I keep the CD's with my scrapbooking supplies. I also get one of those index prints of the photos when I make the CD (at WalMart or CVS).

Then, when I'm ready to print the photos, I can either print a whole lot at once (after editing), and order them online from the Creative Memories folks (easiest route, not cheapest, but quite fast). Or if I just want a couple of photos, I can get them off the CD by going to CVS or Walmart.

I only print the photos I want, at any time, never the whole CD, because some are just not worth saving. And I try to print a season's worth at one time, for scrapbooking purposes, and because the per print cost is cheaper if you're ordering, say, 50 or more prints.

Sounds complicated, by by being able to sort and edit my prints at home, rather than going to Walmart or CVS and standing in line, I can do it in my so-called free time - fifteen minutes here, fifteen minutes there. The Creative Memories software is easy to learn.

Now, I'm not a saleswoman for CM, and there are probably lots of other digital photo sorting software systems, but the biggest point is being able to sort and edit the photos digitally before I print them, at home and on my own time.

I have a lot of the CM stuff, but I don't use the digital software. I do edit, crop, etc., my photos (and I take tons of them) on my own, transfer them to a CD and take the CD to Wal-Mart and print the ones I want. I usually print the whole CD because I've only put the ones I want on it. It does beat standing there trying to crop and edit at the machine. When I go on vacation, I take anywhere from 200-400 pictures, so I don't print them out much anymore. I may print out some of the ones I like right away just to see them, but I'd rather have them done professionally than use up my time and ink.

Louisa

I do exactly what I did with old photos. Print some, download some, forget some and know that half of the fun was just in the taking of the photos.
The more things change, the more things stay the same.

I can't even get my camera back into the computer after the last crash!

I keep mine in my computer in folders, usually by month or event. I've also copied many of them onto CD, which is good, since my hard drive keeps getting wiped out.

Dots, a lot of digital cameras come with software now that automatically organizes by date when you download them into the computer. That's the only way I can keep track of mine.

Kelly

I've decided to print all the pictures, unless they are awful. That way I can keep trackc of them the old fashion way. I'll let Ross be in charge of keeping them organized on the computer. I guess that's a cop out, but it works for me.

I don't have a color printer or else I would do that, too. If my computer dies, I'm in real trouble! :-)