# Workflow after the photo is retouched?



## bcshort (May 22, 2019)

Hi All,

I am curious to know how you handle a "Final Product" - that is a retouched, finished image. Do you?

Leave it in a digital album with the rest of the photos?
Create a special digital album for "Finals" and put it in there?
Export the image into a special file location so you don't do anything 'bad' with it?
Do you clearly differentiate between "working" images and "final" images?
This question comes about from having taking a heap of photos in a day, but only having a small number of those being something I would be happy to show publicly.


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## tirediron (May 22, 2019)

The images I'm happy with are kept in a separate folder as image files and also a gallery for sharing.  If I'm not happy with the images, NO ONE else sees them.


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## Jeff15 (May 22, 2019)

I agree with tirediron..............


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## Soocom1 (May 22, 2019)

As a rule of thumb: 
I multi-copy everything. 
Then each revision is kept in a diff. folder until the final is created and then that IS kept in a seperate folder with multiple copies.


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## dennybeall (May 22, 2019)

I use Windows File Manager, Bridge and Photoshop - make multiple copies at every step and the finals go into a folder. That's copied and goes into a folder marked for the client. But then I am an old retired part-timer now so keep that in mind.............................


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## 480sparky (May 22, 2019)

I import each shoot to a dedicated folder.  Edit and save in the same.  All edits are saved with a different name, so original file is never over-written.  The new name includes the 4-digit number the camera saved the file as originally.  For instance, _DSC_1234.NEF_ gets edited and saved as both _Sample Image 1234.NEF_ and _Sample Image 1234.JPG_.  

If need be, I send the jpeg over to GIMP for minor adjustments that Capture NX2 isn't capable of.

I save both as raw and JPEG.  I then copy the edits to another folder that contains all my edits.  Both folders are included in my robust, automatic back-up system using 5 external drives.  When I import all images, I import to two locations.... the aforementioned dedicated folder, and a small 80gig internal drive for 2-3 year recovery purposes.


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## Original katomi (May 23, 2019)

Like everyone else I have multiple copies on different drives. On my pc I have a folder called Darkroom where I edit, then the final image is exported to year&month folders each is saved twice one each as final with layers and the other flattened.
If I am using images for a club comp or display I then make another folder and store a Copt there as well


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## Derrel (May 23, 2019)

i like to append the file name before doing my Lightroom exports...._Spencer, _Star 2018, _Lincoln City, _Sekiu, etc..


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## JBPhotog (May 25, 2019)

Considering this topic is in the "Business District" I'll offer my take on workflow.

- I break down my workflow into several folders with a parent folder named Clients.
- Inside the Clients folder are additional folders with client names.
- Inside a specific client folder are additional folders with docket folders given the names as YYYY-MM-DD-client-job, client and job are abbreviated.
- Inside the docket folder are additional folders, 8_Bit, 16_Bit, Billing, Proofs, Raw, Raw+JPEG, Set-Up, Video, Watermark, Web_Rez. Not every assignment needs all these so unused folders are not kept.
- On import all files are renamed with the docket number-client-job_fileno. into the Raw or Raw+JPEG folder.
- Once selects are made those get processed accordingly with either an _8b plus extension or _16b plus extension, pre-processed files get either a .tif or stay in the native .NEF for Camera Raw if desired, any file that goes into PS gets a .psd extension.
- After post processing the finals stay in .psd, JPEG's get processed and placed in the Web_Rez folder.
- Once done, the next stop is billing, estimates are stored in the Billing folder and an invoice is generated and sent to the client. Unpaid dockets get colour coded for quick view, once they are paid the colour coding gets removed.

Although that is detailed, it is an overview of my workflow with paid gigs.


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## Original katomi (May 25, 2019)

Re post 9. Sounds good and that it speaks from experience.


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## 480sparky (May 25, 2019)

Get a copy of _The DAM Book_.


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## Derrel (May 25, 2019)

*Keywords attached in metadata* are one thing, but since Mac OS has (and has had for 20+ years) incredible file search capability, I think it's well worth appending a descriptor or two, to at least a few files per folder...for example, DSC_3701_arrowhead.JPG made it DEAD-easy to find a gorgeous photo shot on March 11,2002.


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## JBPhotog (May 25, 2019)

Original katomi said:


> Re post 9. Sounds good and that it speaks from experience.



Been doing it that way since I went with MacOS back in the 1990’s, before that the old file folder way in a cabinet nearly 40 years, every job gets a docket number.


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