Best way to organize digital scrapbooking "supplies" in organizer

[1access]

What's the best way for a newbie to set this up? Is there a way to make the photos separate from the supplies? Should supplies be tagged or put in collections or??? Thanks!

[troush]

You could put your scrapbooking stuff in a collection (or collections). I just have a "Scrapbooking" category, and then tags for different things under that (background papers, mats, borders, word art, buttons, charms, tiles, ribbons, bows, etc.)

-Trish

[mom2bandc]

I created 2 separate catalogs - 1 for photos & 1 for scrapbooking stuff. I find that (and a lot of tagging) a very easy way to find exactly what I need.

[SharLamb]

The biggest help for me was buying Patty Debowski's book and Organizer Catalog DVD ("Digital & Hybrid Scrapbooking & Card-Making with Photoshop Elements"). Patty provides an awesome tagging/organizing system that is super-easy to just plug into. (This is also my favorite book for learning PSE. It is all "flagged up" and highlighted, and I drag it from my bed [where I read it in the mornings] to the computer room, where it is always at my left hand.)

The other thing to remember is to save your goodies somewhere else on your hard drive, not just in the PSE catalog. The PSE catalog is just a LINK to where your stuff REALLY is. I lost a lot of goodies before I realized this.

I have 2 catalogs, as Kelly described. The only problem with that is remembering which one I have open. For instance, if I'm saving a new layout and want to include it in the Organizer, it will put it in whichever catalog is open. I like to keep my layouts in the Photo catalog, not the catalog with all my supplies. It's sort of a pain to move them to the correct place if I've done it wrong, but not fatal. I still like having them separate for some reason. I know that is a personal thing, and as Trish said, Collections and Tagging are a fine method.

Shar

[SharLamb]

PS:

I should explain my 2nd 'graph above. When I first started out, I organized my supplies in My Documents, with files for each kind of element (paper, ribbons and bows, brads, etc.). But there were tons of catagories of elements, and I felt like I was duplicating my efforts since I was also having to tag them in the Organizer. Now when I download supplies, I put them in My Documents, but in a file called "Sources." The subfiles are the names of the people/stores from which I got them. I immediately copy them into the PSE Organizer, and if necessary, making a new sub-catagory for the artist. That way I have an easy time giving credit if I put a LO in the gallery. Hope this is clear. Four months ago I wouldn't have been able to make any sense out of what I just wrote!!! This forum has brought me a long way in a short time.

Shar

[JobaScraps]

Shar, could you explain in detail how you copy them into organizer.Then you have two files of each supply?? The original & the copy? How this this work when backingup to CD/DVD?

[SharLamb]

I'll try. LOL...I'm not good at explaining that sort of thing. I'll physically do what I do, and try to write it down:
1. Open up PSE (including organizer, and in my case, the Supply Catalog which I created).

2. Open up My Documents/Scrapbooking Supplies/Sources/Ms.Artist (the name of the artist)/name of specific collection (if more than one collection for that artist/supplier). At this point there should be thumbnail sketches of all the goodies I downloaded for that artist.

3.Select all the goodies (I do them all at once by selecting the first one, clicking SHIFT, then clicking the last one), and drag them over to the PSE Organizer.

4. In the PSE Organizer, I tag everything...color, what the element is, and once again, the artist/supplier. Some goodies will have many tags. For instance, if I have a paper or photo corner, or flower that has 3 colors, I will tag it with all 3 colors.

5. As to backing up: When I used my EHD and DVDs, I just selected which files I wanted to back up, and always chose My Documents\Scrapping Supplies as well as Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop Elements 5.0\Organizer Backup. This may have been overkill, but if you have ever lost everything as I have . . . well, enough said.

BUT, now I'm converting to Carbonite, an on-line back-up system. I'm in the middle of my free trial of that, but already plan to purchase it. It's less than $5 a month for virtually unlimited backup. It took about 4 days to get my original back-up done, but not it just happens automatically in the back ground. I don't ever have to worry about being behind with my back-ups, although I still plan to put things on DVDs from time to time as well as save to my EHD once a year or so. Nothing is foolproof, so I want my bases covered.

I hope this is understandable. I'd do better if you were sitting next to me at the computer and I could SHOW you!

Shar

[SharLamb]

PS: As I mentioned in an earlier posting, what is "in" the organizer, really isn't physically there. When you see something in the organizer, be it supplies or photos, or layouts, that is really just a link to where the file REALLY is. That was a hard concept for me to get.

Also, as to Carbonite...although it took 4 days for the original back-up, it was all going on in the background. I was never aware of anything happening. It didn't even seem to slow down my cpu.

Shar

[1access]

Thanks for all this helpful info!

[mcmama]

I'll try. LOL...I'm not good at explaining that sort of thing. I'll physically do what I do, and try to write it down:
1. Open up PSE (including organizer, and in my case, the Supply Catalog which I created).

2. Open up My Documents/Scrapbooking Supplies/Sources/Ms.Artist (the name of the artist)/name of specific collection (if more than one collection for that artist/supplier). At this point there should be thumbnail sketches of all the goodies I downloaded for that artist.

3.Select all the goodies (I do them all at once by selecting the first one, clicking SHIFT, then clicking the last one), and drag them over to the PSE Organizer.

4. In the PSE Organizer, I tag everything...color, what the element is, and once again, the artist/supplier. Some goodies will have many tags. For instance, if I have a paper or photo corner, or flower that has 3 colors, I will tag it with all 3 colors.

5. As to backing up: When I used my EHD and DVDs, I just selected which files I wanted to back up, and always chose My Documents\Scrapping Supplies as well as Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop Elements 5.0\Organizer Backup. This may have been overkill, but if you have ever lost everything as I have . . . well, enough said.

BUT, now I'm converting to Carbonite, an on-line back-up system. I'm in the middle of my free trial of that, but already plan to purchase it. It's less than $5 a month for virtually unlimited backup. It took about 4 days to get my original back-up done, but not it just happens automatically in the back ground. I don't ever have to worry about being behind with my back-ups, although I still plan to put things on DVDs from time to time as well as save to my EHD once a year or so. Nothing is foolproof, so I want my bases covered.

I hope this is understandable. I'd do better if you were sitting next to me at the computer and I could SHOW you!

Shar

Thanks for this info, it is great! I am just starting. I never really wanted to scrapbook but purchased elements since I'm buying a new camera so have been playing and learning how to use it and have found I love playing and editing pictures. I think digital scrapbooking is for me where where paper would not be. I've sunk a lot of hours in the last couple of weeks into PSE and love it. So now I'm on my way. Thanks so much!

Jodi

[mcmama]

Shar, do you know if the book and DVD is appropriate for version 7? I'm thinking of getting it.

Jodi

[SharLamb]

There are a few differences from V 5 to V7, of course, but I'm thinking the basics are close enough. You should contact Patty directly. I think she may belong to this forum, so you might be able to PM her.
Shar

[mcmama]

Thanks! I've contacted her.

[Marcie]

The biggest help for me was buying Patty Debowski's book and Organizer Catalog DVD ("Digital & Hybrid Scrapbooking & Card-Making with Photoshop Elements"). Patty provides an awesome tagging/organizing system that is super-easy to just plug into. (This is also my favorite book for learning PSE. It is all "flagged up" and highlighted, and I drag it from my bed [where I read it in the mornings] to the computer room, where it is always at my left hand.)

The other thing to remember is to save your goodies somewhere else on your hard drive, not just in the PSE catalog. The PSE catalog is just a LINK to where your stuff REALLY is. I lost a lot of goodies before I realized this.

I have 2 catalogs, as Kelly described. The only problem with that is remembering which one I have open. For instance, if I'm saving a new layout and want to include it in the Organizer, it will put it in whichever catalog is open. I like to keep my layouts in the Photo catalog, not the catalog with all my supplies. It's sort of a pain to move them to the correct place if I've done it wrong, but not fatal. I still like having them separate for some reason. I know that is a personal thing, and as Trish said, Collections and Tagging are a fine method.

Shar


I too have my layouts in a separate catalog. I actually do not check to have it save it to the organizer when I save. Since I also keep them in a separate folder, I just open the correct catalog in organizer and import them manually that way. I usually wait and do a couple of them at time about once a week. I also keep my catalogs for my photos and layouts by year. I do a book each year. So when I'm done creating, I make a full backup of the photo catalog for that year and another one for the layouts. This is an extra on and I keep it with the book. :) The other one is stored elsewhere. That way when in the future I need to reaccess those, it is all there, I don't have to go through all my disks. Unless of course something happended to those disks. :)

[Marcie]

Mcmana, I see you don't have a way to pm. I'm not sure I can post this in the forum, but here goes. I wrote a tutorial for the organizer and it is located at Digital Design Den. Here's a link to it...http://www.digitaldesignden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1810. It is free to join and I hope it helps clear up somethings.

Marcie

[mcmama]

Shar, I heard back from Patty and her book and dvd will work with version 7 so that is great. I set up a new catalog last night to start putting my stuff and set up a folder of sources like you suggested as that makes a lot of sense to me. Actually, I was really confused on how to install kits etc. but now am seeing how people are doing this and it is making much more sense. I so love working with elements. I wonder when I'm going to get back to getting my knitting projects caught up. By the time I get home from work and spend some time with the kids, it seems I am lucky to get one of these activities in an evening.

Thanks Marcie, I will go check it out.

Jodi

[SharLamb]

I wonder when I'm going to get back to getting my knitting projects caught up.

Jodi[/QUOTE]

I doubt you ever will! My sewing/quilting has taken a hit for the past year since I started digi-scrapping. However, my DH isn't too unhappy about that. Fabric and thread is WAY more expensive than this hobby! And I don't see an end to this for the rest of my life, as right now, even as I'm typing, DH is in the middle of gathering all our photos from before we were born. We are going to have the digitized, and then the REAL work for me will begin! Telling our lives' stories since before the beginning!

However...a couple weeks ago I started a small wallhanging quilt just to have someplace to go to give myself a break from the computer. I would sit here all day if I didn't have something else to draw me away....and the monsoons have arrived in my neck of the woods, so no more golf for a few months!

As Red Green would say, "We're all in this together!"

Shar

[Marcie]

Your welcome, Jodi.

[mcmama]

LOL! You are probably right, but I do love knitting too so will have to make some time for that too and I do work in front of a computer all day at work so probably not good for me to be in front of the computer too much. Problem is it is fun!