Photo organizing + Editing

[jakey]

Hey All,
I am looking for a basic but well functioning program that will allow me to:

Import my pictures to my Windows Vista PC - ideally to a folder from my canon camera, then let me run the application and have it automatically put the pics in folders by the "date" taken - or even the month/year of the date taken and do this all automatically?

Then auto red eye would be great as opposed to the one click per eye on thousands of pictures.

Yes - Newbie to this, so thanks for the help!!

[Jerry Skrocki]

The Canon software that came with your camera (EOS Utility, Image Browser) will do the import and categorize by date.

Auto red eye correction? I don't know of any program that can do that without user input. This is best avoided before taking the picture by separating the flash from the lens axis or by using red eye reduction (preflash) of built in flash units.

Jerry

[jakey]

Hi,
Thanks! how does that compare to picassa or elements? I just want to touch up some photos using the auto adjustments as I am not a photo pro yet, and also want to download them from my camera, and ideally get put into folders on my pc that are titled by the month within a year folder.

I also want the date of the picture taken as part of the picture name?

i am looking for some help on a naming scheme for the pictures, and then how to get the pics from one month/year into a folder on my pc that matches that scheme.

[ChrisPerry]

I just use a card reader and copy the files over manually.

2008
01_January
02_February
etc
(or by subject such as Wedding, Portrait, Football, etc)

You need the 01,02, etc or else windows will sort alphabetically and you'll get a year like April, December, February, etc.

The date taken is part of the EXIF in the file itself. You can see that in Vista and sort on it so IMO, it's not needed in the filname.

Check out Lightroom - it can do all this and a hell of a lot more.

[David_Buzzard]

One of the great things about digital photography is the many ways that you can file and catalog your work.

Filing by date is as good a method as any, but if you want to be able to lay your hands on specific photos, then you really need a cataloging program like Microsoft's Expression Media. With that, you can apply captions and key words to the photos, and then search the catalog based on that.

Most photo editing software has red eye reduction, but I don't know of any that will do it automatically. It's always easier to fix problems in-camera, but if you're using a point and shoot, or the little pop up flash on your camera, you're going to be stuck with the red eye.

David Buzzard

[jakey]

Great, thank you. As for Red Eye - editing software, any thoughts? I know of picassa, photoshop elements, and so forth.

I haven't heard of the Microsoft product yet, so I will look at that.

I want to try to have just one program for all editing and organizing.