Feb 2008: Organizing your own layouts

[SgD DESIGNS]

Feb 2008: Organizing your own layouts

How do you organize your own layouts? I am not talking about the kits that you purchase, but the actual layouts that you create with them. Do you take the time to save your layer layouts on their own directory, so you can easily find them later? Do you separate the JPEG layouts that are ready for printing and the JPEG layouts that are ready for a website gallery? Do you separate the layouts that you already printed from the ones that you have not been printed? I do.

There are many different ways to organize your layouts, the most important thing is to organize them in a way that make sense to you and it will make it easier for YOU to find them. The above method works for me. I have a directory called "A FAMILY SCRAPBOOK", a called like that because 1- I want to make sure that this directory always shows on top of all of my other directories. And 2 - Because it is after all, a family scrapbook! Under that directory I have: PRINT, GALLERY and TEMPLATES.

In my "PRINT" directory I put all of my 12x12 @ 300 dpi layouts that are ready for printing. I normally don't do many 8.5x11, so at this point I only have 12x12 in. there. In my "PRINT" directory, I have two subdirectories: "ALREADY PRINTED", "READY FOR PRINT". Once I order prints of a layout, I move the layout to "ALREADY PRINTED". I only print layouts like 3 times a year, since I have to order the prints online and they normally take about a week to get back to me. Thru the year, I accumulate the layouts that I want to print and save them in my "READY TO PRINT" directory. Once I am ready to order prints, I just zip the files in that directory.

MY "GALLERY" layout contains the same layouts, but the resolution is different. This layouts are created at 500 pixes @ 72 dpi, much smaller and designed for website galleries.

And finally my "TEMPLATES" directory has all of my layouts saved as Photoshop or GIMP template format. Whenever I create a layout I always save it as a template and save it on this directory. This way, when I show my sister my layouts and she says: "oh... can you make this one for Brianna?", I just pullout my original template, change the photo and the journaling and I am done!! I think in the long run, saving all my new layouts as templates saves me lots and lots of time.

As you can see, the same layout is saved in three different places with three different purposes. All important to me.

---How do you do it?

[JayhawkRN]

I'm fairly new to digital scrapbooking and couldn't figure out how I was going to keep all my layouts organized. Thanks for your great ideas...I've already started cleaning things up. I love your blog! Stephanie

[SgD DESIGNS]

You are very welcome!!

[Pixel Princess]

You have some great ideas here, Norma! I organize my layouts very similar to yours; however, I don't keep the layered templates because they take up so much room on my computer although I admit that there are times I wish I had. Only recently, if I really like a layout and think I might use it again, I've started keeping template files and I've placed them in a .PSD folder with thumbnails of the original layout. Hope that makes sense . Does someone have an idea of how to organize the templates without using so much computer space? That's my dilemma. I'd welcome suggestions so please feel free to share them!

[nifty]

A lot of the digi scrappers I know use an external hard drive to back up their system and to store the 'extra' stuff that won't get used much. So they save the unflattened version only on the external hard drive. I don't bother to store the resized images, I find I rarely use them after I upload to a gallery, and in ten seconds I can have a new copy if need be. The external drive is supposed to be more stable, there is a chance you lose the layers, but you can weigh that against how often you will actually go back to it. I guess the same could be said for LO's hat you have already printed.

I just need the $$ to buy one lol that and a tablet.. sigh.. and I spend too much on paper scrapping... yup, I'm a bi-scrapper, I just can't give up the feel of stuff in my hands, the texure.