Organizing images is one of the biggest problems for photography lovers. We've all been there! Some of you love snapping photos with your iPhone, and others do professional photography. However, proper organization is everything. First, you can recall those special moments that would otherwise get lost in the digital clutter. Next, finding the pictures you need is way easier. Are you looking for that stunning sunset photo in Bali? It can be available within a few taps.
Things are even more challenging if you love the old-school way; printed photographs. Having to go through all of them manually is time-consuming.
If you were looking for how to organize photos the easy way, you're in luck—you've just found the ultimate guide!
How do I declutter my photos?
You can't organize photos unless you declutter first. Why? Because we take 20 pictures to ensure no one blinks when taking that family photo. Go through your album and only keep the photos that have special meaning.
Decluttering photo prints
Gather your photos.
Go through all of them and get rid of blurry photos or those that bring bad memories.
Gift or discard the dupes.
Decluttering digital photos
We’re all guilty of taking a ton of pics to get the perfect one for social media. And if you don’t delete the repetitive photos instantly, your album is difficult to navigate through.
Access your photo folder.
Develop a habit of sorting photos right away to avoid clutter. For example, delete the screenshots from the Screenshots album.
Delete poor-quality and repetitive photos (bad lighting, focus, or angle)
How to organize printed photos?
Organizing printed photos isn't easy. You have a wedding and new home memorabilia from the 1990s, childhood photographs, and other memorable moments. These photos are your whole life story put on paper!
I know this sounds overwhelming, but let's break it down into simple steps
How to organize photos in albums
After decluttering, it is time to put the photos in albums. At this point, it is up to you to come up with your own method. You can categorize photos by person, year, or event. You can have a dedicated one for vacations, baby showers, holidays, weddings, and kids' birthdays.
Old photos may show signs of wear and tear. After all, this is a sign that they were appreciated and memories were recalled. Without intervention, these photos will continue to degrade, eventually reaching the point of no return. Luckily, there are photo restoration companies like Pixels Photo Art that can help you restore your photos and preserve these special moments. Professionals will use special photo editing software to restore them. Now, you can revive the old photo of your grandma and let it become a part of your keepsakes.
Label and Date Your Photos
Writing the date and event on the back of the photographs is very helpful. It is a part of the memories, and this step makes it easier to arrange them in chronological order.
Best Storage Solutions for Printed Photos
Are you struggling with a lot of prints? You’re not the only one. We all want to keep precious family photos for future generations. But it isn’t only about storage; consider protecting your memories to avoid damage.
Did you know that printed photos require proper storage? This certainly came to your mind when you saw those old photos becoming a snack for the rodents in the basement. With proper care, you can prevent pests from damaging your precious collection.
Photo boxes: Acid-free boxes that keep photos safe from dust and damage.
Photo albums: Acid-free pages to hold and protect photos.
Plastic sleeves: Clear covers to prevent fingerprints.
Cool, dry place: Store photos somewhere cool and away from sunlight to keep them from fading.
Digital backups: Scan photos to have a copy on your computer or phone.
Extreme temperatures and humidity can also affect the photos. Exposure to light can fade or make them look yellowish. Therefore, you should keep them in a special package in a dry and cool place.
How to organize digital photos
Does your camera roll look chaotic? Opening it and looking at photos of people, places, receipts, and miscellaneous stuff might feel overwhelming. If the process of organizing them scares you, we break it down into a simple step-by-step guide.
How to organize photos into folders
Before you start organizing your photos, you need to decide on categories. This is different for everyone, so find what works for you. For example, you can divide your photos into two folders: private and work-related. Then, you can add subfolders as you see fit. If you love to explore new places, make separate folders for different destinations.
Name photos by date and location to make it easier
Categorize folders by date, event, person, or location in the library.
Create subfolders
Tag with keywords
Get management apps that allow search by date, keyword, and faces
How to organize photos online
Backing up your photos on the cloud is a smart move. If anything happens to your smartphone, you can always access them. The good thing is that there are various applications out there. Depending on your needs, you can choose a subscription model or enjoy the free version.
Google Photos: Cloud storage with advanced search, backup, and sharing options. You get 15 GB of free storage but can upgrade if wanted.
IDrive: For iOS and Windows. It is a subscription-based model but offers 10 GB of free storage.
Dropbox: Available on iOS and Windows, you can upload your photos without quality loss. Up to 2GB free.
Backblaze: Unlimited cloud backup to organize photos. An automatic backup option is available.
How to organize photos on iPhone
Organizing photos on an iPhone isn’t much different. Pick an app that fits your needs and set things up. In addition, we list some of the best ones out there.
Google Drive: Easy to use, with a variety of features. Available for free and paid users.
iCloud Drive: Comes with 5 GB of free storage, and can be upgraded.
Sync.com: Easy syncing and accessibility with backup options.
Icedrive: Different storage packages and safety features.
How to organize digital photos on the external hard drive
Having your photos backed up on the cloud and on an external hard drive is the safest option. If anything happens to your account, all that hard work will be lost.
Connect your phone via USB or use cloud services like Google Photos, iCloud, or Dropbox to transfer photos to the computer and then the external hard drive.
Use a USB cable or memory card reader to move photos from your camera to the computer and then to the external hard drive.
Gather photos from different folders on your computer and copy them to the external hard drive.
Download photos in bulk from cloud storage and save them to the external hard drive.
Connect other external drives and copy photos to the new hard drive for easier organization.
How do I store thousands of photos?
What to do when you have thousands of photos? With the right tools, this is manageable. These are the available options:
External hard drives
Ample cloud storage
Network Attached Storage (NAS)
How do you organize your photos? Do you have a methods that works very well for you? Share them in comments!