Software to review and organise photos

[GorgeWalker]

Hi All,

Just a quick one. My scenario is as follows (much like the rest of us I assume). I head out for a few hours, take many photos.

Come home with about 500-1000 photos.

Is there any software out there that will help me quickly review each image (preferably blown up) and either retain or delete (Both JPG and RAW file)?

Windows gallery is so slow and I need to delete both the JPG and Raw file, which is seemingly doesn't always do properly.

Cheers,

Brendan

[Boo53]

I think the number 1 program that most of us use, which does just that, is Lightroom.

It imports the Images into it's database, sorting by date, initially, at least that is the way I have it set up.

Once imported the photos are displayed in the largest size that fits your screen but can be toggled between that size and "thumbnail" using just one key.

Those you want to delete are done by hitting the delete key. Alternately you can rate them yourself by either assigning a star rating or a colour code rating and whilst the lower quality images are not deleted they are not displayed when you set LR to only display stars above a certain rating.

It also allows a fair amount of editing as well.

Key words cay be attached to each image (recommend you start this early - I didn't and its a pain having to go back and do it years later), then you can also search by key word.

You can do lots more but thats further down the track

[ameerat42]

Yes, LR if you have it (which I don't, btw).

A "free-for-all" is also available in the form of FastStone Image Viewer (https://www.faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm) (among others).

But if you take BOTH RAW+JPG as separate files, then you will still have to delete each one.

And so, why take both raw and jpeg? With this program (and others) you can see the embedded jpeg
in the raw file. You can then delete any non-keepers in one file.

Do you use Capture NX to develop your raw files, or Lightroom?

Note that although FastStone called an image viewer, this can also do a fair bit of editing of jpegs and other
formats.

If you also need free raw conversion programs there are a few out there.

- - - Updated - - -

Adjunct, after re-reading Boo's post: Faststone leaves your images in place in whatever folder they're located.
(I'm not sure what LR does in this regard.) Everything else, like tagging and other cataloggery is done by using
separate program files. (I don't use those features much anymore.)

[Tannin]

For the JPGs, the small, powerful image viewer of your choice. There are dozens, and if you can't find one you like, you are not looking. (PMView, XNView, IrfanView, Thumbs Plus, ACDC, and lots of others.) Any of them is vastly faster and easier to use than the slug-like Lightroom. Just organise the JPGs. When ready, use a Windows batch file to mirror what you have done with the JPGs with the raws as well. (I have provided example code for the batch file here before, but can easily do so again.) Dedicated image viewers like those mentioned are designed to do one job and do it well. They don't carry vast overheads of bloated code like Lightroom, and it shows. Nor does any of them require the time-consuming and clumsy process of importing files before you can view them.

[Hawthy]

FastStone Image Viewer is pretty good, as AM noted. I also use a program called Search Everything to find older photos because sometimes I forget to change default folders when saving image files and they wind up in odd places. I have to remember at least part of the file name though.

Adobe Bridge is another photo file manager but I find it confusing and a bit slow.

[GorgeWalker]

I think the number 1 program that most of us use, which does just that, is Lightroom.

It imports the Images into it's database, sorting by date, initially, at least that is the way I have it set up.

Once imported the photos are displayed in the largest size that fits your screen but can be toggled between that size and "thumbnail" using just one key.

Those you want to delete are done by hitting the delete key. Alternately you can rate them yourself by either assigning a star rating or a colour code rating and whilst the lower quality images are not deleted they are not displayed when you set LR to only display stars above a certain rating.

It also allows a fair amount of editing as well.

Key words cay be attached to each image (recommend you start this early - I didn't and its a pain having to go back and do it years later), then you can also search by key word.

You can do lots more but thats further down the track

So perhaps, as a newbie, my process isn't the best.

However - what I have been doing is:

1. Go out, take photos
2. Come home - dump photos to laptop from SD Card on local drive
3. Format SD card so it's ready for another days photos
4. Look through the local copy of photos and delete undesirables...

I do have lightroom, however, the issue is (perhaps I have this wrong however) is when I delete a file/image from lightroom, it only deletes it from the LR library, not from my hard-drive.

I want to avoid keeping images I don't want, if that makes sense.

[GorgeWalker]

Yes, LR if you have it (which I don't, btw).

A "free-for-all" is also available in the form of FastStone Image Viewer (https://www.faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm) (among others).

But if you take BOTH RAW+JPG as separate files, then you will still have to delete each one.

And so, why take both raw and jpeg? With this program (and others) you can see the embedded jpeg
in the raw file. You can then delete any non-keepers in one file.

Do you use Capture NX to develop your raw files, or Lightroom?

Note that although FastStone called an image viewer, this can also do a fair bit of editing of jpegs and other
formats.

If you also need free raw conversion programs there are a few out there.

- - - Updated - - -

Adjunct, after re-reading Boo's post: Faststone leaves your images in place in whatever folder they're located.
(I'm not sure what LR does in this regard.) Everything else, like tagging and other cataloggery is done by using
separate program files. (I don't use those features much anymore.)

So hang on. I was scratching my head for a sec looking for the option to embed a JPEG in the NEF/RAW file in FastStone then I re-read what you said.

So you're saying to only shoot RAW and use Fastone to view my images right? I like that solution...

And FastStone seems exactly what I'm after too - lean and snappy (but seriously, who came up with the name?!?).

[Tannin]

Why would you want to give up the speed, convenience, and safety of having the JPGs as well as the raws? There are many good reasons to shoot raw + JPG, but prime among them are the much better classification/review options, and of course the security of having two copies of every picture. Even if some disaster happens, you always have at least one.

[GorgeWalker]

Why would you want to give up the speed, convenience, and safety of having the JPGs as well as the raws? There are many good reasons to shoot raw + JPG, but prime among them are the much better classification/review options, and of course the security of having two copies of every picture. Even if some disaster happens, you always have at least one.

I’m far from an expert. Still working it all out.

However. Must admit. This viewer using Raw is faster than using windows photo viewer with JPGs.

And coming from IT. Two files sitting in the same place won’t offer much protection at all - other than accidental deletion. But you can easily recover those. Best backup strategies are often 3 tier. Primary, secondary on another HDD for example and backed up offsite (cloud as an example)

[farmmax]

Faststone gets my vote all the time. It is fast, easy on resources, free and works. It does a surprising amount of editing too, but I don't use it for any editing. It batch renames, and resizes, which I do regularly. You can flag out images with the "backslash" key, then view all the flagged images by clicking the pink square in the tool bar at the top.
I view images directly on my card via a card reader. I then go through them full screen (or click on first image and set the slide show running "S") and flag out all the ones I want to delete. I then click to view all the flagged files and double check to make sure I want to delete them. I delete the unwanted ones. The images I want to keep, I batch rename (F4) on the card. If it is from one trip, all the images get a named with a few words to describe the trip. Faststone renames incredibly quickly. Then I drag and dropped the named files into the appropriate folders on my computer.

I shoot raw only. Most cameras have a full size jpeg imbeded in the raw file, so if I want the jpegs, I use IJFR (http://michaeltapesdesign.com/instant-jpeg-from-raw.html). It is very simple free software which has been around for years. When installed on your computer, you can right click on a folder full of images, and from the right click menu, choose IJFR and it will extract all the jpgs from the raw files and dump them in a folder in seconds.

Faststone converts file types and originally wasn't brilliant at it, but the lastest version is pretty good, so long as you set it up the right way. It would easily batch convert many raw files into jpgs, and put the jpgs in a folder where ever you choose.

[ameerat42]

So hang on. I was scratching my head for a sec looking for the option to embed a JPEG in the NEF/RAW file in FastStone then I re-read what you said...
No, AFAIK, all raw formats contain an embedded jpeg.


So you're saying to only shoot RAW and use Fastone to view my images right?...
And FastStone seems exactly what I'm after too - lean and snappy (but seriously, who came up with the name?!?).
Yes, and... - s-s-some-b-b-body with chattering teeth, maybe :cool:


Why would you want to give up the speed, convenience, and safety of having the JPGs as well as the raws? There are many good reasons to shoot raw + JPG, but prime among them are the much better classification/review options, and of course the security of having two copies of every picture. Even if some disaster happens, you always have at least one.
I usually don't disagree with you, but if I may reply to a begged question: primarily to save space by eliminating some redundancy.
Secondly, if you do lose a raw and are left with a jpeg version it's still not the same thing.

Of course, these are opinings of my own, ie. why I do/don't...

[Gazza]

Yet another vote for FastStone, quick-n-simple, and, I still haven't seen a convincing argument to shoot both jPeg & Raw? (Have I been missing something all these years?)

[Bensch]

So perhaps, as a newbie, my process isn't the best.

However - what I have been doing is:

1. Go out, take photos
2. Come home - dump photos to laptop from SD Card on local drive
3. Format SD card so it's ready for another days photos
4. Look through the local copy of photos and delete undesirables...

I do have lightroom, however, the issue is (perhaps I have this wrong however) is when I delete a file/image from lightroom, it only deletes it from the LR library, not from my hard-drive.

I want to avoid keeping images I don't want, if that makes sense.

For Lightroom;

As you go through your images, press the X key on the keyboard for each one you want to discard, it will flag the image as rejected. (I find that using the x and the arrow key is the fastest, x to reject and right arrow to move on to the next photo).
At the end of sorting your images, look for the three little filter flags on the bottom filter bar (RHS) and press the flag with the cross on it (or click on the library menu > filter by flag >rejected photos only)
This will show only the photos that you have as flagged as rejected.
Select all photos, right-click remove photos and then when it asks, select delete from disk.
Turn off the filter by clicking on the clear filter toggle (or library menu > reset this filter)

Sounds like a fair bit, but once you're used to doing it, it will only take a second to do.

I find that using this process I can review, rate and reject all photos from a daytrip (anywhere from 300 - 2000) in minutes.

[ameerat42]

(I wrote this post this morning... - and then (must have) hit the Cancel key. I was re-reading the thread
and wondering where the post was :confused013 Well, I managed to Restore Autosaved Content. Anyway, that
spin-off story is continued in the other thread - link below.is :o )

And now for a CAVEAT!

As much as I :) Faststone for downloading images from cameras and USB-connected memory cards,
there is ONE THING it cannot (seem to) do:

It CANNOT SEE a connected phone for downloading files of any sort, let alone images. So, when I
want to download images from any phone I have to use Windows(10) File Explorer. OR - I can use
IRFANVIEW, which sees the phones (ph)antastically (as drives, like Windows does).

Vide the variety of captured views which I have put into this thread...
http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showthread.php?164423-Fast-(but-Loose)-FasStone&p=1512255#post1512255

[Boo53]

So perhaps, as a newbie, my process isn't the best.

I do have lightroom, however, the issue is (perhaps I have this wrong however) is when I delete a file/image from lightroom, it only deletes it from the LR library, not from my hard-drive.

I want to avoid keeping images I don't want, if that makes sense.


As Bensch said you batch delete by marking photos as rejected at the end of a session, or you can delete them individually or in a small group by highlighting.Simply highlight the ones you want to delete by clicking command - (control on windows, etc:) on the first one and then each other one that you want to delete. Then hit the delete key and a box will pop up asking if you want to "delete from disk" "cancel" or "remove".

Delete from disk does just that and if you shoot raw + jpg both those files are off to the trash file. I don't know about the other programs but you've instantly got the database (sorting) you wanted and any adjustments you make to the image are written a sidecar file so the image file stays the same file.

I transfer my files from the sd card using LR with the import - copy command, then check they've transferred ok. Once I've checked that I delete them from the card in camera. This gives me a little breathing space. The last time I formatted straight away was in 2015, something went wrong, no chance of recovering from the sd card. Must get back to Borroloola one day. :(