Tips & Tricks > Keeping images files straight
9/24/2007 9:27:04 PM
I’m somewhat an “image” freak in that I save all the interesting pictures that I think might be used as backgrounds or to make some point or another. I haven’t counted, but I suppose I have one or two thousand. Keeping them organized so that I can find what I want on four different PC’s is difficult (our machines aren’t networked). In the past I have overwritten some pictures by copying all pictures from one PC to the others. The following has worked well for me and is the only way I have been able to keep all 4 “images” directories the up-to-date & the same. I share it so others might be helped.
1) Under the “Images” directory I have 20 major subdirectories such as “backgrounds,” “clouds & sky,” “fields,” “people,” etc. – major categories that suit our situation and my personal preferences.
2) Most of these major subdirectories have minor subdirectories as well as individual pictures. For example “people” has minor subdirectories of “just faces,” “just hands, “just eyes,” “babies & children,” and “internationals.” So now the images are well organized.
3) Whenever I find new pictures, I always add them to a “new pictures” directory on my thumb drive; never onto one of the PC’s.
4) When I need the new pictures or when I get 10 or 20 in the “new picture” directory, I use PaintShop to crop (if necessary) and save as 1024x768 JPEGs when possible.
5) Once the pictures have been correctly formatted, I then move them individually to another directory on the thumb drive called “ready_to_download.” This directory has the exact same file structure as my SongShow “Images” directory. That structure was made using XCOPY/T/E.
6) I have a command file on the thumb drive called “copy images.bat” which contains the following (all on one line):
xcopy "ready_to_download"/s/d/v/-y "c:\documents and settings\all users\documents\r-technics\songshow plus\images\"
This copies all files to there respective folders on the PC and will ask if you want to overwrite any with one of the same name and with a newer date.
7) Now and then I will have a file named the same as one already existing. In that case I don’t replace the existing file, but go back and change the name of the one on the thumb drive, and rerun the command file again.
8) Every few months I will back up the entire “Images” directory to a DVD and reform the “ready_to_download directory to its original empty state.
If someone has an easier method, I’m all ears!
1) Under the “Images” directory I have 20 major subdirectories such as “backgrounds,” “clouds & sky,” “fields,” “people,” etc. – major categories that suit our situation and my personal preferences.
2) Most of these major subdirectories have minor subdirectories as well as individual pictures. For example “people” has minor subdirectories of “just faces,” “just hands, “just eyes,” “babies & children,” and “internationals.” So now the images are well organized.
3) Whenever I find new pictures, I always add them to a “new pictures” directory on my thumb drive; never onto one of the PC’s.
4) When I need the new pictures or when I get 10 or 20 in the “new picture” directory, I use PaintShop to crop (if necessary) and save as 1024x768 JPEGs when possible.
5) Once the pictures have been correctly formatted, I then move them individually to another directory on the thumb drive called “ready_to_download.” This directory has the exact same file structure as my SongShow “Images” directory. That structure was made using XCOPY/T/E.
6) I have a command file on the thumb drive called “copy images.bat” which contains the following (all on one line):
xcopy "ready_to_download"/s/d/v/-y "c:\documents and settings\all users\documents\r-technics\songshow plus\images\"
This copies all files to there respective folders on the PC and will ask if you want to overwrite any with one of the same name and with a newer date.
7) Now and then I will have a file named the same as one already existing. In that case I don’t replace the existing file, but go back and change the name of the one on the thumb drive, and rerun the command file again.
8) Every few months I will back up the entire “Images” directory to a DVD and reform the “ready_to_download directory to its original empty state.
If someone has an easier method, I’m all ears!
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