What is your System for managing/storing your files?

[Kelemvor]

Hi,

My wife is getting more into photography and we want to figure out the best way to store and manage all the image files. I'm hoping some of you wouldn't mind sharing the process you use from getting the files off the SD card, where you work on them, where you store them when you're done, how you back them up, etc.

I know some people use USB hard drives, Cloud storage, NAS devices, or a combination of all of those. We don't want to experiment and find al the way that don't work well, so we're looking to learn from others who have a good system.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can share what you do!

 

[Leonard Migliore]

I'm not claiming that what I do is good, but here it is:

I save all my images (Nikon raw files) on my NAS, which is a QNAP RAID that currently has a capacity of 8TB. I put them in folders whose names have some relation to the images (like "Santa Cruz County Fair 2013"). I then import the images into Adobe Lightroom. I'm fairly diligent about keywords so I can look up anything that I've ever done quite easily.

Then at some later time I open up Lightroom and evaluate the images to see which ones I want to edit. I don't throw anything out. I do actual editing when I have open time and am relaxed. I export the finished images to my computer for sending them out.

I back up the NAS as well as my computer regularly to local hard drives. I don't have anything in the cloud.

 

[grsnovi]

My simple system on a Windows PC:

1. I create a folder for a year
2. In that folder are folders for each month
3. Each month gets a folder for each date that I go out and shoot
4. The date folder will have a folder for raw files (I keep the jpgs at the date level)
5. I have a separate folder where I copy "keepers" by subject
6. I back up weekly and I >ADD< new folders to an external drive which mimics the year/month structure
7. I back-up the keepers on an as needed basis
8. It is easy for me to find images by subject by browsing my keeper folder using FastStone

Year/Month/Date structure


Keepers structure

Like Leonard, I don't keep anything in the cloud.

I have three external "My Passport" drives. I rotate two every other week and keep one in a bank vault that I swap into rotation ever 6 months or so.

I usually don't keep raw's around, I process them to jpg and dump the raw.

--
Gary
https://www.flickr.com/photos/193735606@N03/

 

[Boris22]

I put all the images that I deem unworthy of viewing in a box. That leaves only a few pics to deal with.

 

[zerored]

I shoot RAW files and process the RAW files.

I use two USB external hard drives to store the files. One is always connected to my PC and the other is only connected when I back up image files to it.

I name file folders, to store the image files, based on the event. Such as 2025 John's Birthday or 2025 Columbia River Vacation. While downloading the image files I have the download software name the files: 2025 John's BD_0001 or 2025 CRV_0001. Putting the year first avoids confusion such as John's BD 2025_0001 or CRV 2025_0001 which can be more difficult to read.

I have two major file folders: One is named Family Photographs and one is named Photographs. All family stuff goes to the Family Photographs while the non-family goes to the Photographs. Having the year on the file folder and on each image file helps when seeking certain images and reduces the levels of subfolders.

I often convert RAWs to JPEGs so friends and family can view on their TVs. I never delete the RAW files. If I want to keep the JPEGs I created a new file folder with names like 2025 John's Birthday JPEGs or 2025 Columbia River Vacation JPEGs. I like keeping the JPEGs and original RAW files separate.

I do not hesitate to delete obviously bad shots.

Hope this helps you develop your method.

 

[ishwanu]

I process photos in temporary working folders on a local SSD. When processing is done, they get moved to permanent storage on a NAS so they can be accessed by other devices in the house. The folder structure is by year and month. I use a standalone DAM to apply keywords automatically or manually, and also run face recognition. The DAM can then logically classify and search all photos in any ways I want without disturbing the chronological folder structure. The computers and NAS are periodically backed up to portable drives that are kept both onsite and elsewhere.

 

[ROUSSEL_Photographer]

Everything get copied into a specific folder by

YEAR MONTH DAY CATEGORIE - SUBJECT OR NAME - CAMERA - ALL

that folder get copied to a back up SSD

then using Photo Mechanic ; i choose, tag, rename and caption the best ones, who get added to the back up folder, If needed RAW or jpeg get processed but 99 % of the time SOOC cameras are fine, maybe need a little cropping or convert to B&W

BEST Edited go into a specific folder by

YEAR MONTH DAY CATEGORIE - SUBJECT OR NAME - BEST

the best folder also get uploader to my server + a hard drive

i try to have one hard drive per year with all the best edited and original jpeg and raw + all original jpeg

so its all in chronological order on drives - ssd

and keywords searchable on my server

i try to have 2 physical copies + 1 cloud

If i had a better internet connection : i would upload all the shots to my server like before

ps : I shoot with Canon 5Ds = huge raw and clunky version of DPP

 

[biza43]

I use 3 hard disks for backup.

 

[ajscullard]

Look in the Retouching and PC Talk (or Mac Talk) forums for many previous threads on this, but basically:

Copy your card files onto your computer and rename them so that they all have unique names, even when your camera restarts after 9999 images. I keep all raw files - after 25 years of digital photography I have learned the value of this.

Use catalog (Digital Asset Management - DAM) software or the catalog function in your favourite editing software to keyword your files.

Unless you are a professional photographer storing in project-named folders, the folder names do not matter if you use good keywording techniques. However, I do have separate top-level folders for all raw files and all final processed files.

Use backup software on a regular schedule to automate the copying of any file changes to your backup drives.

I use an SSD as primary image file storage, an internal HDD as one backup, a NAS for second backup and external, normally disconnected HDD drives as removable backups for storage in another location. These are backed up manually as needed.

 

[Philip Eihuyar]

Hi,

My wife is getting more into photography and we want to figure out the best way to store and manage all the image files. I'm hoping some of you wouldn't mind sharing the process you use from getting the files off the SD card, where you work on them, where you store them when you're done, how you back them up, etc.

I know some people use USB hard drives, Cloud storage, NAS devices, or a combination of all of those. We don't want to experiment and find al the way that don't work well, so we're looking to learn from others who have a good system.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can share what you do!

To share my 'method' of catagorizing the hundredes of images collected over the years - I use a basic 'subject matter' folder and then sub catagorise it further. Here is a screen shot of my basic file system.







I'm not a professional photographer so my system is only for personal use in finding an image later. I would recommend , since you and wife are starting out, a good personal system or DAM application you follow with each photo session with KEYWORDS including dates names Camera model and location of images taken. The issue many or most have is just downloading all images without keywords or system pre-planned and the result is a disorganized mess of so many images you can't sort it out in finding a certaiin image. I'm guilty of that and it takes me way too much time later to try to organise it when I finally get around to it... so, start with a good system and stick with it...

 

[Myles Baker]

I use a Synology NAS configured to Raid 1 with 2 x 10 TB Toshiba N300 pro hard drives (I would always recommend going with NAS spec. storage, they cost a bit more but are better quality).

I create folders by year / month to store my raw files. Edited files (jpegs) I store in a separate folder & use Synology photos which automatically sorts by day / month / year based on the meta data & I create albums in the app for specific groups of photos, eg. Japan Trip 2025.

What I like about that is I can access those photos to view directly on my TV & can access them anywhere with an internet connection on a phone, tablet, computer (you don't have to enable that if you are worried about on-line security).

I also back-up the raws in the same folder format on my computer & a portable drive. I don't have any cloud storage nor do I have physical back-ups in another location, that is something to think about if you want an extra layer of back-up / security.

I do a similar thing with video files.

 

[Guy Parsons]

I use FastStone Viewer to download all cameras used, mine and my wife's to a strict dated folder structure YYYY/MM/YYYY-MM-DD/ with filenames suitably set in cameras to keep intact which camera did what.

The camera JPEGs and any video clips go into that folder and suitable text is added to the dated day folder to make it easy for Windows folder search to find places and names.

The raw files go into an identically dated folder set and the JPEGs from any raw conversions go back into the JPEG folder set.

Syncback Free (also paid Syncback) is used to do regular backups to USB HDD and also to a NAS, nothing much is in the cloud. There's maybe 5 copies of everything so plenty of backup safety.

 

[a_c_skinner]

I put the SD card into a card reader and copy all the files to my laptop.

I put the card to one side untouched.

I look at the files on my laptop and delete the ones I don't want.

I then copy the files to my long term storage where they are arranged in hierarchical folders like this:

finished/places/scotland/dumfries and galloway/garlieston/harbour buildings

Then I have two copies and format the SD card and move the files on my laptop to a folder called "Delete when backed up".

Then I back up the data store fairly soon (two backups) and can safely delete the files on the laptop.

So once I've copied the files from the SD to the laptop I am never reliant on a single copy of the files.

With hindsight I should have gone to the trouble to add descriptions to the EXIF of the files themselves.

My long term store is a Synology NAS. This has its own software that makes backup easy. The cost of a NAS isn't huge over the cost of the HDDs themselves. I'd recommend a NAS. I've not gone in for cloud solutions despite a 900 Mbit/s upload speed. I do have an off site backup.

Edit: I've not culled my files as ruthlessly as I should have. Being serious about what you need keep and discard makes everything loads easier, quicker and cheaper.

--
Andrew Skinner

 

[Vlad Perez]

In my opinion, such photos are better stored in cloud storage services like Google Drive or Apple iCloud. However, if you need to sort your personal family photos, I recommend Tonfotos, Digikam, or ACDSee.

 

[Svein Eriksen]

I don't think one system is right for anyone, but there are a couple of things that I do that generally is a good idea.

1. Wherever I decide to store the images I always create a folder called Pictures/Images or similar. The goal is to have all images in one folder structure so it's easy to copy everything (and search everything). If you use Lightroom (which will work for any way you store the images) or other software to organize and process the images there is always the chance that you'll switch or stop using the programs and then it's convenient to have your own structure of folders.
2. Then I create a new level of folders "below" the root folder. I use years for the next level, but it could be any grouping that feels natural/logical to you.
3. I don't want folders with too many images, so I'll make at least one more level of folders below the year level. Here I don't have a fixed system. One folder could be a date only, a date+description or a location or simply a description of a holiday, trip or other event.

There are many ways to do backups, "manually" or with some backup program. The key is regardless to have the images in more than one place, ideally one at home and one backup in the sky or away from your house.

Personally I prefer to use USB-drives for both storage and backups although I like to keep files I expect to work on internal drives. Setting up a NAS require more knowledge than using direct attach storage (DAS) like USB. I also don't use RAID, but it can be a good solution - just remember that RAID is fault tolerant for hardware errors, but not user errors (like deleting a file or folder).

 

[Cherry_F]

That really depends upon your wife's favorite themes, and how many images she expects to accumulate in the long run :-D

I believe the most important thing to decide upon is the categorization system. One can use the image processing software to tag the images, but I found it cumbersome. I simply use folders/sub folders instead (I stopped using the date in the folders name, due to the fact that it also appears in the EXIF). My root structure is as follows:

- Family

- Location (for France, the country where I live)

- Country (for abroad)

- Flora & fauna

- Public events (exhibitions, shows, etc...)

- Projects (e.g. architecture, minimalist, glass, ...

As a result, I rarely have more than 200 pics in any folder.

I shoot RAW+JPEG and keep both files in the same folder. In a few cases I append a description to the name of the JPEG file (e.g. the name of a flower).

I cull a lot. I connect my camera to my computer in order to scrutinize the images and I transfer only those I consider worth to keep (sometimes less than 10%).

As for backups I use two SSD drives that I keep in different locations.

I hope your wife will enjoy photography and I look forward to see some of her images here!

___
Photography is so easy, that's what makes it highly difficult - Robert Delpire

 

[BertIverson2]

I process photos in temporary working folders on a local SSD. When processing is done, they get moved to permanent storage on a NAS so they can be accessed by other devices in the house. The folder structure is by year and month. I use a standalone DAM to apply keywords automatically or manually, and also run face recognition. The DAM can then logically classify and search all photos in any ways I want without disturbing the chronological folder structure. The computers and NAS are periodically backed up to portable drives that are kept both onsite and elsewhere.

Sounds like a winner to me.
What DAM? Do you keep Metadata in the individual files and in the DAM?
I have used Thumbs Plus for about 20 years but it is currently gone. :-(


Bert

 

[jrkliny]

My procedures are very simple and totally manual.

I make a new file for each year's photographs and download to that file. The download automatically creates a new subfolder for each date.

Next I cull and post process the best images. When I complete the post processing, I store in tiff format and add "fix" to the end of the file name generated by the camera. For each date file, I add a description such as location or event.

I back up to hard drives. I have one next to my desktop computer. It is off and unplugged except when backing up or accessing. I can get a bit sloppy on backup frequency but will back up every few shooting sessions or after an especially important session. I have another backup hard drive that is stored in a basement safe. I back up to it a few times a year. I have a third backup in my detached garage. That is probably overkill but I still back up to it probably twice a year.

At the end of each year, I copy all the "fix" images to a separate folder. Most years that averages about 600-800 images. I might also make an additional copy of some of the very best and put them in a prospective portfolio file.

There are a couple of processes I totally avoid. First absolutely no automaticed backups. I had issues with that sort of software years ago. Next, no cloud backups. That can get expensive and is slow. I do not attempt keywording. That can be slow and doesn't work well unless you are totally consistent in selecting keywords. Finally, absolutely no Lightroom or proprietary software that hooks you in for life and has a mind of it's own.

I have found that digital management systems are really not necessary. I have worked on and viewed my best images numerous times. They are old friends, easy to find. If I want to go back and look at the more unprocessed work from an event or location, those are also easy to find.

 

[Michael Fryd]

Hi,

My wife is getting more into photography and we want to figure out the best way to store and manage all the image files. I'm hoping some of you wouldn't mind sharing the process you use from getting the files off the SD card, where you work on them, where you store them when you're done, how you back them up, etc.

I know some people use USB hard drives, Cloud storage, NAS devices, or a combination of all of those. We don't want to experiment and find al the way that don't work well, so we're looking to learn from others who have a good system.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can share what you do!

You may want to look at this thread: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4783496

There are multiple, somewhat independent questions here:

1. What metadata you want to have in order to find historic images?
2. How are you going to search your historic images?
3. How to store the image files?
4. How to backup your images?

Metadata is simply information about the image. It can be something simple like the date the image was taken and the subject. it can be quite complicated including names of people pictured, shooting locations, captions, keywords, copyright information, how to credit the image, and even the status of model releases.

At the simplest level, just name a folder with the date and a short description of the shoot. For example "2025-08-04 Atlanta Zoo family visit", or "2025-07-23 John Smith corporate headshot". Inside the folders name the files with a date and sequence number. You can take a look at the above linked thread for more on this.

If you are simply naming the images without embedding additional meta data, then you can search by filename to find what you are looking for. For more complicated scenarios, see the above linked thread.

Your master copy can be stored on a local hard drive. All hard drives fail at some point, so you might want to consider a RAID enclosure. This can reduce down time when the drive fails.

As to backups, that's another long discussion. The guiding principle is that you want to minimize single points of failure that can cause you to lose your data. For instance, if your only copy is in a RAID enclosure, then a failure of the enclosure (or something as simple as it being stolen) can cause you to lose your data.

Generally, you want multiple copies of your data, stored in multiple locations. There really is no limit on how carried away you can get. Personally, I am on the paranoid side. I keep my master copy on a RAID. I have a live copy at another location. I keep two more copies on optical, write once media (also stored at different locations), and I have another copy on portable hard drives that are usually offline. There are a number of off the shelf programs that can keep everything synced to your master copy.

If you really want to get carried away, then don't use the same brand of hard drive for all copies. If there was a bad run of hard drives, it can affect all your copies if they are from the same production run.

 

[yardcoyote]

I get 'em off the SD card either with a card reader or by plugging the camera into the computer. Which way depends on the camera, but mostly I use a card reader with a full sized card and plug the lil cameras that use micro cards straight into the computer. I download the files directly into files I create in the file manager on my photography drive-- never into a software package. For everyday, I sort by camera and date, sometimes with a note about where I was shooting, Occasionally, for big events where I carry more than one camera, I open one big file for the whole project, then put the files in different folders inside it, sorted by camera (and lens if I change lenses).

I shoot jpeg only, so my workflow consists of opening each folder in FastStone, looking at each one, trashing the junk (usually 50% if not more) looking at the better shots again, picking the keepers out of each bracket, trashing the rest of the close but no cigar shots, then doing my little edits on what remains, making my Instagrams and posting shots, and saving the best of on the HDD, backing up to the household shared NAIS and occasionally to a portable HDD.