Maybe I'm the only one who is not very organized on the site. There are times when I download tutorials and tips or techniques, then I forget about them, or I forget how to find them. So I was thinking there has to be a better way! If I make a new folder called "Images", I should be able to put everything pertaining to images in this folder and it's sub-folders. This would include tutorials, "Word" documents, or anything else. You can see in the attachment what I had in mind. These sub-folders are not necessarily the ones I'll be using, but I put them there to spark ideas from others. What do you think of the idea? If you have other ideas of what might be included, please indicate what it might be. I'm sure those of you who are into art would have different things to include.

Ed

Maybe I'm the only one who is not very organized on the site.
There are times when I download tutorials and tips or techniques, then I forget about them, or I forget how to find them.
Probably yes, Ed .... something like that never happened to me ever ... honest injun! :D :bawling: :D :bawling:

I forget just about everything ....I remember once, tired of looking for things, I decided to get organized for once in my life and wrote everything down on a small notebook which I kept in a safe place.... well .... I forgot where the 'safe place' was, and my precious little notebook re-appeared while unpacking our staff after moving to a new home!!! (Much use it was to me then!!!! :o: )

I'm just as organized for what my downloads is concerned .... I started well ... meaning... I created a folder named 'Photoshop Works' and several sub-folders for different categories ... well ... I ended up having sub-folders like 'Tips', 'More Tips', 'Last Tips', 'Latest Tips' etc. ... and still had to search for hours ... and even more so when the name of the downloaded file resembles this: Flrv_2TTR.zip ... (I had forgotten what it was about 5 minutes after downloading it!!!!)

So, my little contribution to your wonderful tip.... take a few seconds time and save what you are downloading with a recognizable name .... It will be easy to find and archive in the right folder even later ...

Thanks for the Tip, Ed ...

Take care.

I'm hopelessly disorganized with things I download. I try, but rarely do I go back to something and use it after I download it.
To compensate I've stopped downloading most stuff and and have become really good, well, sort of good, at searching. It's easier for me to find things I remember seeing than it is for me to organize them in a way I can use them for reference.

Chip

Thanks for the replies. As long as people reply, I'll see it as a new post. Then I won't forget where I posted it!! :D

Ed

I suppose I'm an anomaly based on the other replys to your thread; but I think you have the right idea.

Your folders and subfolders are much more technical than mine though what I have works. I have one folder for written tutorials that is subcategorized by subject (i.e. sketching, masking, painting, channels, masking, etc.). I have one other folder for more "active" files. In it are subfolders titled Patterns, plugins, shapes, styles, brushes, etc. Also in that folder is the section that usually get the most action...titled Actions of course. Without my handy dandy system what little that is left of my mind would be totally gone. I detest having to look for things. :) :)

When I download something, it goes into a general folder until I've tried it out once and determined whether or not it worth keeping. Believe me, I toss lots of stuff.

By keeping the stuff in this manner, I can make a backup cd for the next time my computer crashes. Been there done that. Don't ever want to do it again.

Now for the sad story: I WISH my home was as well organized. Sigh.

Janet

I'm sort of semi organised, I have a folder for works in progress or to do, a folder for work completed, and I'm good at keeping both current. However, tips and tutorials tend to be in one big folder, although I rename them to make things easier to find, I usually just dont remember I've got them in the first place. As a consequence of this I've sometimes got more than 1 copy of some tutorials. Really must clean some of them out.

I'm sort of semi organised, I have a folder for works in progress or to do, a folder for work completed, and I'm good at keeping both current. However, tips and tutorials tend to be in one big folder, although I rename them to make things easier to find, I usually just dont remember I've got them in the first place. As a consequence of this I've sometimes got more than 1 copy of some tutorials. Really must clean some of them out.

That's exactly what my problem is, and that's why I decided to make the sub-folders.
Thanks Janet and Gary for the replies.

Ed

I think it was Einstein or some other smart guy who said "I don't need to know everything as long as I know who to ask" - so my way of organizing Photoshop tips is to always keep the link to RetouchPRO on my Bookmarks Bar where I can't forget about it :wavey:

Doug has done such an amazing job of organizing this site that it's all I need to keep me in Photoshop heaven for many years to come. When I read a post about a subject that has been particularly problematic for me or is about something that I want to be sure to remember for the future or a new technique that I want to try, I make sure to post to the thread. Then when I want to find that thread again, I do a search for all posts by me and then I can scroll down the list and find the one I'm looking for.

I tried downloading all the hints that I found all over the place, but then by the time I wanted to use them, I couldn't remember what they were called or if I followed a link, the site had moved etc. so I gave up and now I use RetouchPRO as my source for all things graphic - and if any of you remember some old broad approaching you in the book store and suggesting that you log on here instead of buying that expensive magazine, that was me :lmao:

Take care, Margare

Great idea Margaret, I too have RetouchPRO's Bookmark on my tool bar, but I'd never thought of using my replies as a search index before, but I will from now on. Thanks very much.