When/how to rename/document

[RichB]

I ingested a memory card worth of family pictures.  There are basically 4 related settings/themes.  Would you recommend my renaming the four groups to indicate the nature of them?  If so, should I keep the original sequence number or begin each group with 001?  The pictures will not necessarily in the original sort order, since the new file names can resequence them.  Or would you recommend my using the most main theme?  I'm starting to get to the point where I have a boat load of pictures that will be getting difficult or impossible to post-document.

Also, in order to identify the various family members and settings, should I use just the caption or some other field which can eventually be used by an archival system?  It would really be nifty if I could list the family members in a field and then checkmark the ones that are in a given picture.

Thanks, Rich

[Kirk Baker]

Rich,

I ingested a memory card worth of family pictures.  There are basically 4 related settings/themes.  Would you recommend my renaming the four groups to indicate the nature of them?  If so, should I keep the original sequence number or begin each group with 001?  The pictures will not necessarily in the original sort order, since the new file names can resequence them.  Or would you recommend my using the most main theme?  I'm starting to get to the point where I have a boat load of pictures that will be getting difficult or impossible to post-document.

You could use Ingest to copy your photos into folders arranged by date, like so:

Into the Folder Name put:

{year4}/{month0}

Then all of your photos will be put into a year folder (likely 2006) and then a month folder, probably 05, 06, and 07.  This will give you some organization.  You can still make subfolders in each month related to each event and then move your pictures into them.  This organization is entirely up to you.  Photo Mechanic is just flexible enough to let you do just about anything you can come up with and does not enforce any particular layout on you.

During the Ingest Folders you can apply an IPTC stationery pad, and add only those fields that are in common amongst all of the photos.  Often this is just the Photographer and Caption Writer field.  You can use the power of Photo Mechanic's image variables to automatically copyright your photos.  Just put the following into the Copyright field:

Copyright © {year4}, your name

The correct copyright will then be created for each photo even if your card/folders have photos taken in different years.

Also, in order to identify the various family members and settings, should I use just the caption or some other field which can eventually be used by an archival system?  It would really be nifty if I could list the family members in a field and then checkmark the ones that are in a given picture.

The caption field is useful for narrative.  You can use the Keywords field to list the people in the photos.  All of the fields should be able to be indexed by any good archival system.  Check marks are not necessary nor are they provided.

Use the IPTC Info dialog to look at the thumbnail and identify the persons in the photos.  The IPTC Stationery Pad is not really all that useful for details like these.  Version 4.4.3.2 will allow you to zoom up the thumbnail so you can really get at the details.

HTH,

-Kirk

[RichB]

The caption field is useful for narrative.  You can use the Keywords field to list the people in the photos.  All of the fields should be able to be indexed by any good archival system.  Check marks are not necessary nor are they provided.

Kirk,

I'm impressed with the new manual.  I noticed that the Keywords field does place checkmarks on the selected items.  However, when I want to check multiple items, I have to re-click on Keywords to redisplay the list.  Is there a way to keep the Keywords list open for multiple selections?

Thx,
Rich

[Kirk Baker]

Rich,

The caption field is useful for narrative.  You can use the Keywords field to list the people in the photos.  All of the fields should be able to be indexed by any good archival system.  Check marks are not necessary nor are they provided.

I'm impressed with the new manual.  I noticed that the Keywords field does place checkmarks on the selected items.  However, when I want to check multiple items, I have to re-click on Keywords to redisplay the list.  Is there a way to keep the Keywords list open for multiple selections?

I see.  I was confused by what you meant by check marks.  I thought you meant that you needed a set of check box controls to be added to the interface.  You're talking about the popup menu check marks to the left of the items.

There is currently no way to keep the Keywords interface open beyond a single session.  This is expected to change in version 4.5...

-Kirk

[RichB]

Kirk,

Don't you ever sleep or are you always hunched over the keyboard ready to pounce when someone posts?  You are a machine!

I am gaining on being able to really leverage PM effectively (for me).  I am confused on what to do about renaming vs. backing up.  Initially, I ingested to a work folder and an original backup DVD.  If I change the file names to be more descriptive and add IPTC information for searching, the original backup DVD will not match the renamed file nor will it contain appropriate IPTC info.  In addition to my original download work folder, I then edit with Nikon Capture NX and save it into an NX folder.  I also may edit with Photoshop and save them in a Photoshop folder.  I then create a jpg folder for uploading to the photo lab.

1.  How should I treat the original backup DVD?  Should I keep that as an original, even though the file names don't match? 
2.  If I do rename, do you recommend keeping the original sequence number to perhaps be able to match to the original filename on the backup DVD?  It seems there is also an advantage of renaming my various groups of pictures beginning with 001 for each group which might be easier to track where I am in the editing steps.
3.  Which folders should I archive?  Original ingested files?  Original folder after rename and IPTC update?  NX folder?  Photoshop folder?  jpeg folder?  All of them?  Any suggestion would be appreciated.

Thanks again, Rich

[Kirk Baker]

Rich,

I am gaining on being able to really leverage PM effectively (for me).  I am confused on what to do about renaming vs. backing up.  Initially, I ingested to a work folder and an original backup DVD.  If I change the file names to be more descriptive and add IPTC information for searching, the original backup DVD will not match the renamed file nor will it contain appropriate IPTC info.  In addition to my original download work folder, I then edit with Nikon Capture NX and save it into an NX folder.  I also may edit with Photoshop and save them in a Photoshop folder.  I then create a jpg folder for uploading to the photo lab.

1.  How should I treat the original backup DVD?  Should I keep that as an original, even though the file names don't match? 
2.  If I do rename, do you recommend keeping the original sequence number to perhaps be able to match to the original filename on the backup DVD?  It seems there is also an advantage of renaming my various groups of pictures beginning with 001 for each group which might be easier to track where I am in the editing steps.
3.  Which folders should I archive?  Original ingested files?  Original folder after rename and IPTC update?  NX folder?  Photoshop folder?  jpeg folder?  All of them?  Any suggestion would be appreciated.

Essentially, all of this is up to you.  What I can suggest is that during Ingest that you apply the IPTC Stationery Pad.  At the very minimum, you should stash away the original filename.  In the "Object name" field put:

{filename}

And set the checkbox next to the field.

When this is applied, the IPTC data will contain the original name of the file as it was when it came off the card.

Another useful thing is to fill in the Copyright like I described earlier in the thread.  Any fields that will be common among all of your photos on a card should also be filled in and their checkboxes set.

You can use the Secondary destination in Ingest to give yourself an immediate backup of what you ingested to your Primary destination.

As far as what to backup and when?  Well, that's entirely up to you.  I like to think of how much work would be lost if I didn't have a backup, and if that lost work would amount to much more time than it would take to make the backup then I make the backup.  So you may decide that the Secondary destination backup, while still on one of your hard drives, is good enough until you do some of those processing steps that you described.  Then you might want to do another backup to external storage like a USB or Firewire drive, or to a DVD-R.  When everything is done you would probably backup the PSDs and the final TIFFs or JPEGs.

Other users could chime in here too, please...

HTH,

-Kirk

[RichB]

What I can suggest is that during Ingest that you apply the IPTC Stationery Pad.  At the very minimum, you should stash away the original filename.  In the "Object name" field put:

{filename}

And set the checkbox next to the field.

When this is applied, the IPTC data will contain the original name of the file as it was when it came off the card.

Kirk,
That is a brilliant suggestion.  Am I correct that if I change the name (including the sequence number), I should be able to link back to the original via an archival program?

Also, I am curious as to how the Supp Cat 1-3 fields can be used/leveraged.  Any suggestions or where I can look?

You are awesome, Kirk, and your support here greatly enhances the value of PM. 

Rich

[Kirk Baker]

Rich,

What I can suggest is that during Ingest that you apply the IPTC Stationery Pad.  At the very minimum, you should stash away the original filename.  In the "Object name" field put:

{filename}

And set the checkbox next to the field.

When this is applied, the IPTC data will contain the original name of the file as it was when it came off the card.

That is a brilliant suggestion.  Am I correct that if I change the name (including the sequence number), I should be able to link back to the original via an archival program?

I don't know about linking back, but you should be able to look at that field again at a later date and see what the original filename was.

Also, I am curious as to how the Supp Cat 1-3 fields can be used/leveraged.  Any suggestions or where I can look?

Different organizations use them in different ways.  You can use them however you like.

-Kirk