How do you organize your images?

[Emily4Pres]

Hi everyone!

I want to say first and foremost...I love photography! And I love DPS! This forum has been such a huge help and I have learned SO much (but still have a TON to learn)! Ok, so on to the nitty gritty...How do you all organize your images? Do you keep your original, unedited images and an edited copy of each image? Do you keep multiple copies of the same image in different formats? In my mind, I would like to keep an original unedited copy (in it's original format), one edited copy saved as jpeg and one edited copy saved as PSD (is that right?). Do you use bridge to organize? So many questions! So little time! Tell me what you do

[Rentham]

I keep one master RAW file for each image. If I have to take a file into Photoshop I save it as a maser Derivative file. I occasionally save JPEG exports if I feel like I'm going to use them in more than one place, but generally it is easier to re-export than to archive a ton of deliverable files.

[jdepould]

I use Lightroom, and keep the images on a pair of mirrored duplicate drives.

Inside LR, everything is organized in folders by date: 2011>(subfolder)20110708_description.

I also do a little bit of keywording so I can find stuff quickly.

[Izzy]

I use LR3 for all my organization and group management.

1. I normally keep the original in the same folder as my catalog. That way they are easily transported from one machine to another.

2. I make the jpegs from my images and use them for what they need to be used for and then delete the special use jpegs. UNLESS they are going to the web. Then I keep a folder with all the stuff I uploaded (200-300kb ea) in one folder. This keeps me from uploading the same picture twice. Or at least it is supposed to. Works pretty good so far.

3. I make special "print" images for most common size I will print (11x14) and store them on my flash drive for ease.

4. ALL original images are kept on a redundant hot swap file server that sends me an email if a drive dies. Have yet to get and email so far.