PhotoShop Elements ver 5 and 9 does have a group naming that could be used instead of the free one. I scan documents into a labeled scanned folder and then batched them over to my permanent folder with new names. I have used it many times. Do not have 11 yet, but maybe when I can afford it. Annette DeCourcy Towler Researching my family history... -----Original Message----- From: rootsmagic-users-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:rootsmagic-users-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Steven Niedermeyer Sent: Sunday, November 04, 2012 3:40 PM To: rootsmagic-users@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [RMagic] Picture Naming Convention For organizing my family archives, here's what I do: Serialize - using a serialized number "P000001, P000002" - write this number on the back of the photo in archival marker or pencil depending on the material the photo is made of Scan both front and back - add a or b for front and back "P000001-a, P000001-b" Tif file format - save them in the TIF format (large, but lossless compression) Resolution -Scan front at either 600 or 1200 ppi and 600 for the back of photos. - Difference between 600 and 1200 is chosen based on quality, size, and importance of original Tag the individuals - keyword tag the file with the names and RM ref numbers of all the individuals that appear in the photo. By adding the RM ID, I can search my photo collection by that number and return all the results I have for that person. It also unique identifies all of those John Smith type names that might be confusing for future generations to figure out who you were talking about. - add additional metadata know about the picture including sequence individuals appear in the photo Protect the original - when enhancing/restoring a photo, I make a copy to perform the changes to keeping the original (P000001-a-enhanced.tif) - I always keep the original scan untouched (I turn all of the auto everything off when scanning) - I place the original photo in an acid free photo sleeve (about $.05 USD each). They have standard 4x6, 5x7, and then full 8.5x11 sheets I use. - Label the acid free photo sleeve with the serialized number in a consistent spot, making it easy to store the sleeves in photo boxes and flip through them to find the original you're looking for by number. Create service copies - the original files can be anywhere from 20-200MB each in TIF format. So creating a service copy at a lower resolution in JPG format allows you to share them and use them in programs more easily. The keyword tagging automatically is included in copies as long as you tag the TIF original first before making a service copy. "P000001-copy.tif or P000001-enhanced-copy.tif" Tools - Adobe PhotoShop Elements for scanning, cropping, batch saving - Bulk rename (to rename a group of files - best renaming utility I've seen and it's free) http://www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk/Main_Intro.php - Adobe Lightroom: you can use Windows to manage your photos, but the thumbnail caching it does and the limited access it gives you to applying keywords and other metadata isn't quite enough for my needs. Lightroom also makes quick work for standard enhancements to photos. You can also generate a collection of photos that include an individual very easily and even autoformat them into handsome photo books you can print via an online service for a reasonable price. - Adobe PhotoShop full version is really only needed if you're doing all out photo restoration or want o use the Adobe Bridge software to manage the metadata of each photo. Steven Bellingham, WA -----Original Message----- From: rootsmagic-users-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:rootsmagic-users-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Jinny Angelis Sent: Sunday, November 04, 2012 12:35 PM To: rootsmagic-users@rootsweb.com Subject: [RMagic] Picture Naming Convention As you can tell, I'm on the trail of scanning images of various sorts. I'm trying out the new Photoshop Elements 11 for their 30 day trial. PSE assigns a name based on some convention that it has. I've not varied it except to rename to the "main" file image name and add an O for the back side. Guess I should change those to "R" . Be that as it may, doing it this way there is no correlation in the file name to the person's name. I think this is going to be a problem. It is not a big deal to change them or at least I don't think so at this point. Scanning is slow as I am doing previews, resizing the image, and then adjusting the grey scale histogram, and then rescanning for final. Input please. Thanks so much. I know we are all in our little houses at these keyboards going through the same decisions. Group think really helps sometimes! Jinny Angelis =================================== RM list Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ROOTSMAGIC-USERS/ http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search?path=ROOTSMAGIC-USERS WISH LIST: http://www.rootsmagic.com/forums/ BLOG: http://blog.rootsmagic.com/ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ROOTSMAGIC-USERS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message