File management flow for sharing images

[aringer]

Update: For clarification (based on responses so far), I have plenty of storage and use both Dropbox and OneDrive. My question is about the "Thought Process" when creating the saved folders and images to find them easily. I'm looking for suggestions on how to better organize them, not what software to use.
I just got back from Costa Rica with over 10,000 images. I have a good system for culling and processing the RAW images, which will whittle down to a few hundred images. My question is for suggestions on storing and managing the processed images after exporting them as jpg's to share. Between social media platforms using different sizes and resolutions, website, forums and a personal album to share with people, I end up with a bunch of duplicates that are in multiple folders. That's the part that gets messy for me. Any suggestions? I use Lightroom Classic. Thanks!

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[AlainCh2]

I use Dropbox for many automated tasks:
a) it renames & downloads all pictures directly from cameras when I connect them to a Laptop or to a Phone
b) all the image goes to the Download Picture Folder locally AND in the cloud and are reflected in all my Windows devices
c) from there I move the originals and the processed files into organized Folders
d) Folders are uploaded in the Cloud by Dropbox and kept synced automatically

Sharings:

e) I can share single pictures or full folders ... whatever I want ... using the links Dropbox provides me.
f) Flickr - allows me to have images permanently online, managed in folders and galleries. That's for the photos I want to stay online
G) Postimg - for whatever else I need to post in forums. At the cost of an upload in https://postimg.cc for free you get all sorts of hot links

 

[Dinusaur]

I use Microsoft OneDrive as 1 TB of space comes with my O365 subscription and then share as I wish.

 

[StarTracker50]

Space is cheap. I have different folders where I put pics I share on BCG, or FB, since they are different formats. Full size images for printing or sharing go into a different folder.

Since most emails now allow huge files, I share everything except videos via email. Videos I provide a link.

EVERYTHING gets backed up to a remote site every night.

If I ever run out of hard drive space (probably never, can always buy another drive), I may re-think. But right now, this works.

 

[Archibald]

...

Since most emails now allow huge files, I share everything except videos via email. ...

I'm not very fond of 30mb emails because they create space and backup problems. So I separate them out and delete them as soon as is appropriate.

 

[lisam]

I just got back from Costa Rica with over 10,000 images. I have a good system for culling and processing the RAW images, which will whittle down to a few hundred images. My question is for suggestions on storing and managing the processed images after exporting them as jpg's to share. Between social media platforms using different sizes and resolutions, website, forums and a personal album to share with people, I end up with a bunch of duplicates that are in multiple folders. That's the part that gets messy for me. Any suggestions? I use Lightroom Classic. Thanks!View attachment 87317

Amazing photo. I've started using Lightroom for managing and Teleguard Messenger for sharing.

 

[aringer]

Space is cheap. I have different folders where I put pics I share on BCG, or FB, since they are different formats. Full size images for printing or sharing go into a different folder.

Since most emails now allow huge files, I share everything except videos via email. Videos I provide a link.

EVERYTHING gets backed up to a remote site every night.

If I ever run out of hard drive space (probably never, can always buy another drive), I may re-think. But right now, this works.

Eddie, thanks for the info. What I'm wondering is how do you organize the various folders so you can easily find them. I have multiple folders already, but with different drives, Dropbox, One Drive, etc. I'm taking too long trying to find where I saved something (except for my RAW images, those all go in one place).

 

[aringer]

Amazing photo. I've started using Lightroom for managing and Teleguard Messenger for sharing.

Thanks, I'll look into Teleguard

 

[lisam]

Thanks, I'll look into Teleguard

My teleguard ID is U246DSQ6Z if you want to add me on it and say hi.

 

[John_DE]

I see the OP uses Lightroom Classic as do I. I use LR Classic to manage my photos and I have created export presets in LR for my various uses (Smugmug, camera club competitions, emails, etc.) My original image files (cataloged in LR) live on an external 10TB drive and are backed up to two other external drives. The original files include RAW, PSD and TIF files created while editing. I create collections in LR for images used in various settings so that I can easily find them. The exported image files are just that, exports. The exported files are deleted from my system after they are used (emailed, printed, etc.). I can easily recreate any exported image from the original (RAW or PSD or TIF) if the need arises. There is no need to store them.

 

[aringer]

I see the OP uses Lightroom Classic as do I. I use LR Classic to manage my photos and I have created export presets in LR for my various uses (Smugmug, camera club competitions, emails, etc.) My original image files (cataloged in LR) live on an external 10TB drive and are backed up to two other external drives. The original files include RAW, PSD and TIF files created while editing. I create collections in LR for images used in various settings so that I can easily find them. The exported image files are just that, exports. The exported files are deleted from my system after they are used (emailed, printed, etc.). I can easily recreate any exported image from the original (RAW or PSD or TIF) if the need arises. There is no need to store them.

The collections make sense and excellent point about deleting them after using them! I sometimes look for the jpg to use again, but it's much easier to do a new export than trying to remember where I stored the particular image. Thanks!

 

[StarTracker50]

Eddie, thanks for the info. What I'm wondering is how do you organize the various folders so you can easily find them. I have multiple folders already, but with different drives, Dropbox, One Drive, etc. I'm taking too long trying to find where I saved something (except for my RAW images, those all go in one place).

I see the OP uses Lightroom Classic as do I. I use LR Classic to manage my photos and I have created export presets in LR for my various uses (Smugmug, camera club competitions, emails, etc.) My original image files (cataloged in LR) live on an external 10TB drive and are backed up to two other external drives. The original files include RAW, PSD and TIF files created while editing. I create collections in LR for images used in various settings so that I can easily find them. The exported image files are just that, exports. The exported files are deleted from my system after they are used (emailed, printed, etc.). I can easily recreate any exported image from the original (RAW or PSD or TIF) if the need arises. There is no need to store them.

@aringer : Pretty much what John said. I keep the jpg files in the folders specific to the export for a while. When the become cumbersome, I just delete them since I still have the originals in LightRoom. Also, when I share something to a specific group, I put that "Keyword" in with my picture, so I don't accidentally share it more than once.

Also, as I said earlier, I have everything in one large drive, backed up every night. So, if I have to search, it just in that one drive. Keywords are your friends. I probably have over a hundred that I can search on. And often, one picture might have several Keywords.

 

[aringer]

@aringer : Pretty much what John said. I keep the jpg files in the folders specific to the export for a while. When the become cumbersome, I just delete them since I still have the originals in LightRoom. Also, when I share something to a specific group, I put that "Keyword" in with my picture, so I don't accidentally share it more than once.

Also, as I said earlier, I have everything in one large drive, backed up every night. So, if I have to search, it just in that one drive. Keywords are your friends. I probably have over a hundred that I can search on. And often, one picture might have several Keywords.

Thanks

 

[dabhand16]

My question is for suggestions on storing and managing the processed images after exporting them as jpg's to share. Between social media platforms using different sizes and resolutions, website, forums and a personal album to share with people, I end up with a bunch of duplicates that are in multiple folders. That's the part that gets messy for me. Any suggestions? I use Lightroom Classic. Thanks!

Thing is that this is something that depends on how your brain works. What works for me might well be a nightmare for you to even get your head around. My folder structure is based on years and each year has some folders that appear in every year for the things that I do/shoot regularly. Special projects that will be ongoing over several years have folders outside of the year structure. How to subdivide will then depend on how you think. Some will do it in strict date order, some have folders for every place that the visit (not for me) and some have a bit of both.

I suggest that you adopt one structure that suits the way you think and apply it to every platform. Then you can use each platform for specific subjects.

 

[Bikeman]

You mention that you export multiple versions of the same Images at different sizes or resolutions for different platforms. Just wanted to mention that you could export using the option to use multiple export presets at the same time in LR Classic. If you set the destination folders correctly for each of the export presets into a nested set of folders you could just select the export presets for the platforms you will be using for that set of images and then export them all at once. Once they are all exported you could just change the top level folder name for that set of exported images. it will pretty well automate an organized structure for each group of images exported.

 

[aringer]

You mention that you export multiple versions of the same Images at different sizes or resolutions for different platforms. Just wanted to mention that you could export using the option to use multiple export presets at the same time in LR Classic. If you set the destination folders correctly for each of the export presets into a nested set of folders you could just select the export presets for the platforms you will be using for that set of images and then export them all at once. Once they are all exported you could just change the top level folder name for that set of exported images. it will pretty well automate an organized structure for each group of images exported.

Thanks! I didn't know that, I'll look into it.

 

[Patty]

Update: For clarification (based on responses so far), I have plenty of storage and use both Dropbox and OneDrive. My question is about the "Thought Process" when creating the saved folders and images to find them easily. I'm looking for suggestions on how to better organize them, not what software to use.
I just got back from Costa Rica with over 10,000 images. I have a good system for culling and processing the RAW images, which will whittle down to a few hundred images. My question is for suggestions on storing and managing the processed images after exporting them as jpg's to share. Between social media platforms using different sizes and resolutions, website, forums and a personal album to share with people, I end up with a bunch of duplicates that are in multiple folders. That's the part that gets messy for me. Any suggestions? I use Lightroom Classic. Thanks!View attachment 87317

I did model calls last year for my pet photography course. I had lots of images and I gave the model call clients their pick from a gallery of images where they could pick five. I used my Smugmug account to set up the galleries. It was easy. I could password the galleries so only the clients could see their own galleries. I know some photographers who do photoshoots of Fast CAT (100 yard dash for dogs, AKC event) and they have thousands of images to share. Most all of them use Smugmug. There is no limit to the jpegs. I like that. When my clients were done with the galleries I could delete them. Yes, there is a yearly subscription fee but it's not bad.

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

I use LR as well and have specific Export presets for various output types. But I don't use LR Collections (or at least, not for this kind of organization) because that's internal to the LR catalog and doesn't change the file / folder structure.

For me, the folder structure is how I keep things organized and I do that outside of LR, before Import. Make a set of rules and naming conventions that you use for everything, so when you go to a specific folder location for a shoot, all of the subfolders are familiar. Here are some rules I use:

1. Always have your photos under a single parent folder at the root of your drive. This makes it easy to move in LR, for one thing.
2. Under the parent, have folders for Categories of shots (landscape, wildlife, studio / portrait, astro, sports, etc.)
3. Under Categories, you can have a folder structure such as Country-or-state \ Year \ Date \ locale-park-city
4. Under the structure of #3, there are the local folders. This is where you define a system and keep to it. I keep all original raws in a SRC folder. You can keep other folders here for other outputs, such as one for social media, one for site publishing (Smugmug, etc.), one for work files (PSD/PSB, though you wouldn't have this if all your development work is in LR, which is stored in the LR Catalog), one for intermediate files (TIFF files that you export, but do not need to keep, since you can re-generate them from your LR export presets).

So for example, the folder structure for a shoot could be:

F:\Photos\Landscape\California\AlabamaHills\2022\10-01-22​

And under that 'local' structure, you can have these subfolders:

..\SRC​

..\PS​

..\FB​

..\SM​

..\TIFF​

If you're the type to export XMP files from LR, those would life in the SRC file along with the original RAW.

I also sometimes keep subfolders under the SRC folder for various personal organization (brackets, timelapse-sequences, infrared wavelengths, etc.)

BOTTOM LINE: if you use a system that makes sense to you and stick to it, it should not get messy. If you decide to change one of your rules / names, change all the existing folders to reflect that so you don't have one system in some places, a different system in others (don't even make the change until you can set aside the time to change/migrate all the existing folders).

Chris

 

[aringer]

I use LR as well and have specific Export presets for various output types. But I don't use LR Collections (or at least, not for this kind of organization) because that's internal to the LR catalog and doesn't change the file / folder structure.

For me, the folder structure is how I keep things organized and I do that outside of LR, before Import. Make a set of rules and naming conventions that you use for everything, so when you go to a specific folder location for a shoot, all of the subfolders are familiar. Here are some rules I use:

1. Always have your photos under a single parent folder at the root of your drive. This makes it easy to move in LR, for one thing.
2. Under the parent, have folders for Categories of shots (landscape, wildlife, studio / portrait, astro, sports, etc.)
3. Under Categories, you can have a folder structure such as Country-or-state \ Year \ Date \ locale-park-city
4. Under the structure of #3, there are the local folders. This is where you define a system and keep to it. I keep all original raws in a SRC folder. You can keep other folders here for other outputs, such as one for social media, one for site publishing (Smugmug, etc.), one for work files (PSD/PSB, though you wouldn't have this if all your development work is in LR, which is stored in the LR Catalog), one for intermediate files (TIFF files that you export, but do not need to keep, since you can re-generate them from your LR export presets).

So for example, the folder structure for a shoot could be:

F:\Photos\Landscape\California\AlabamaHills\2022\10-01-22​

And under that structure, you can have these subfolders:

..\SRC​

..\PS​

..\FB​

..\SM​

..\TIFF​

If you're the type to export XMP files from LR, those would life in the SRC file along with the original RAW.

I also sometimes keep subfolders under the SRC folder for various personal organization (brackets, timelapse-sequences, infrared wavelengths, etc.)

BOTTOM LINE: if you use a system that makes sense to you and still to it, it should not get messy. If you decide to change one of your rules / names, change all the existing folders to reflect that so you don't have one system in some places, a different system in others (don't even make the change until you can set aside the time to change/migrate all the existing folders).

Chris

Thanks, I appreciate the details and examples.

 

[BobK]

Thanks, I appreciate the details and examples.

Update: For clarification (based on responses so far), I have plenty of storage and use both Dropbox and OneDrive. My question is about the "Thought Process" when creating the saved folders and images to find them easily. I'm looking for suggestions on how to better organize them, not what software to use.
I just got back from Costa Rica with over 10,000 images. I have a good system for culling and processing the RAW images, which will whittle down to a few hundred images. My question is for suggestions on storing and managing the processed images after exporting them as jpg's to share. Between social media platforms using different sizes and resolutions, website, forums and a personal album to share with people, I end up with a bunch of duplicates that are in multiple folders. That's the part that gets messy for me. Any suggestions? I use Lightroom Classic. Thanks!View attachment 87317

Because each platform requires different parameters, when I export pictures to post on a platform, I use a master folder "Pictures-Publishing" with different a folder for each platform, then create subfolder within as needed. For example

P:\Pictures\Pictures-Backup\ (auto created backup upon download from camera, folder structure same as Picture-Master)
P:\Pictures\Pictures-Master\ (then subfolders however you organize your original, this is where I edit pictures in LR)

I then export to these folders as needed
P:\Pictures\Pictures-Publishing\20 GoogleDrive\
P:\Pictures\Pictures-Publishing\21 Max Preps\2023-02-21 GBB V (lot of photos here, so these have subfolders by by date then sport)
P:\Pictures\Pictures-Publishing\21 Max Preps\2023-02-28 GBB V (example of naming)
P:\Pictures\Pictures-Publishing\22 iNaturalist\
P:\Pictures\Pictures-Publishing\22 Instagram\
P:\Pictures\Pictures-Publishing\23 eBird\
P:\Pictures\Pictures-Publishing\24 Facebook\

Hope that helps...

 

[aringer]

Because each platform requires different parameters, when I export pictures to post on a platform, I use a master folder "Pictures-Publishing" with different a folder for each platform, then create subfolder within as needed. For example

P:\Pictures\Pictures-Backup\ (auto created backup upon download from camera, folder structure same as Picture-Master)
P:\Pictures\Pictures-Master\ (then subfolders however you organize your original, this is where I edit pictures in LR)

I then export to these folders as needed
P:\Pictures\Pictures-Publishing\20 GoogleDrive\
P:\Pictures\Pictures-Publishing\21 Max Preps\2023-02-21 GBB V (lot of photos here, so these have subfolders by by date then sport)
P:\Pictures\Pictures-Publishing\21 Max Preps\2023-02-28 GBB V (example of naming)
P:\Pictures\Pictures-Publishing\22 iNaturalist\
P:\Pictures\Pictures-Publishing\22 Instagram\
P:\Pictures\Pictures-Publishing\23 eBird\
P:\Pictures\Pictures-Publishing\24 Facebook\

Hope that helps...

Thanks, it sure does.

 

[Replytoken]

Amazing photo. I've started using Lightroom for managing and Teleguard Messenger for sharing.

Not to go OT, but I had not heard of Teleguard before your post. I read the site and it seems that the program will work with many messaging apps and is free to use other than for phone calls. Is this correct, and do you know if it compresses images shared with recipients?

--Ken

 

[SMB]

I’m a big fan of Collections in LRc. I will organize very specific folders there and you can easily have the same image in several folders.
When I go to Export I have format/size presets for whatever media the images are going to, so that it is easy to send one image or a folder of images to FB, IG, email etc.

 

[dabhand16]

I use LR as well and have specific Export presets for various output types. But I don't use LR Collections (or at least, not for this kind of organization) because that's internal to the LR catalog and doesn't change the file / folder structure.

For me, the folder structure is how I keep things organized and I do that outside of LR, before Import. Make a set of rules and naming conventions that you use for everything, so when you go to a specific folder location for a shoot, all of the subfolders are familiar. Here are some rules I use:

1. Always have your photos under a single parent folder at the root of your drive. This makes it easy to move in LR, for one thing.
2. Under the parent, have folders for Categories of shots (landscape, wildlife, studio / portrait, astro, sports, etc.)
3. Under Categories, you can have a folder structure such as Country-or-state \ Year \ Date \ locale-park-city
4. Under the structure of #3, there are the local folders. This is where you define a system and keep to it. I keep all original raws in a SRC folder. You can keep other folders here for other outputs, such as one for social media, one for site publishing (Smugmug, etc.), one for work files (PSD/PSB, though you wouldn't have this if all your development work is in LR, which is stored in the LR Catalog), one for intermediate files (TIFF files that you export, but do not need to keep, since you can re-generate them from your LR export presets).

So for example, the folder structure for a shoot could be:

F:\Photos\Landscape\California\AlabamaHills\2022\10-01-22​

And under that 'local' structure, you can have these subfolders:

..\SRC​

..\PS​

..\FB​

..\SM​

..\TIFF​

If you're the type to export XMP files from LR, those would life in the SRC file along with the original RAW.

I also sometimes keep subfolders under the SRC folder for various personal organization (brackets, timelapse-sequences, infrared wavelengths, etc.)

BOTTOM LINE: if you use a system that makes sense to you and still to it, it should not get messy. If you decide to change one of your rules / names, change all the existing folders to reflect that so you don't have one system in some places, a different system in others (don't even make the change until you can set aside the time to change/migrate all the existing folders).

Chris

This is similar to what I do and as you say whatever way you go, be consistent.

 

[ccirelli]

Late reply but I'll chime in with my approach (bird's eye view). I use Lr (Classic) and I have my primary catalog sync'd for sharing. When you share collections, it doesn't count towards your allocated Adobe cloud server space. Makes it very easy to share collections of any size with an unlisted url, or by direct invite (I never had a need to use the latter).

If you want to go further, you can set up a full website using Adobe Portfolio, including a custom domain if you like. Portfolio is included with the $10 monthly Lr / Ps subscription (someone tell me again how Adobe subs are too expensive... it's a bargain for what we get). It's not as robust as say, Squarespace or similar... but there are plenty of features to build a very functional and nice looking site. So easy to use.

For socials, I export everything at 2048 on the long side, highest quality jpg. Anything above that (at least for FaceBook and Instagram) greatly affects the quality with a higher level of compression. I save a temp export folder of jpg's to be uploaded to my Desktop. Once they're uploaded, I delete that temp folder. If I ever need to re-export, no big deal, especially since I leverage the power of organizing events / projects using Lr collections and collection sets.

Hope this helps!