Have you ever been all set to upload a layout and realize you’ve used papers from 2 designers, elements from another and an alpha from yet another… and you don’t remember which 4 designers it was?
I think we’ll all been there at some point, even when we know that keeping track of product credits is so important.
There are many ways to do keep it all organized, but its up to you to find one that fits your routine. Simple Scrapper offers three options that just might work for YOU.
1. Use a Table of Contents – Create a new Word document and drag your web-ready images into it. Under each image, list the credits as well as where you’ve uploaded the layout.
2. Use Layers – In your PSD or other graphics file, label each layer with the designer and kit name.
3. Tag It – Use an image organization program, like Lightroom or PSE Organizer, to tag your final layouts with the designer and kit name.
What we don’t recommend is relying solely on one gallery to store your layout “metadata”. While big sites do have backups, nothing is foolproof. Make sure YOU have a backup.
It only takes an extra minute for each layout to keep your records up to date. No excuses! How do you keep track?
I use Evernote to keep track of my CT layouts and what I used. It’s a free download. You can copy links and clip stuff from the web in there too.
Christine (supertwinkle)’s last blog post..One Last Push At The End
Neat – I’ve heard of Evernote, but would have never thought of using it for credits. Great tip – thanks Christine.
I use ACDSee and it generates a text file for me. To see how this works check out the video tutorial at http://www.digiscrapinfo.com/joomla/acdsee-photo-manager/tutorials/111-tracking-credits
Kristi’s last blog post..Welcome to DigiScrapInfo!
I’m pretty plain and simple….I use a text document and just put the title I saved the file as, and then the credits for the layout below it. I keep them running by month, and just add new layouts to the bottom. I can look at the properties of the file to see when it was created, and then pick that month’s text file, and find the credits easily! It works for me, but I do like the Word doc idea…with a thumbnail image…..might have to try that one for my Feb LOAD layouts and see how it works!
Thanks!
OMG… These people are so organized… What I do to keep track: try to stick to one kit only! If I can’t help it, then I rely on the stuff I wrote wherever I posted the LO. The good thing, I usually post them to two or three of my galleries, so if one looses it, the other will save me 😉
Giovana (a.k.a. MsRed)’s last blog post..Alpha Freebie!
Good advice! I am always forgetting someone when I post my credits. LOL
I read on another blog (don’t remember where) about making a layer with your list of items and putting it behind your background layer. Of course this only works if you keep the layered file.
I use the “File Info” option in CS3. It’s found under the file menu. I’m getting in the habit of opening everytime I add anything to a page and putting the information in the “description” section. When I post a page online I usually copy the information directly from that box.
Great tip Shannon. I checked and “File Info” works in PSE too!
I find that just renaming the layer as I create to list the designer name and kit as the layer name is easiest for me. I don’t usually use too many things on a layout, so then I just compile them in a list and enter them using Windows Live Photo Gallery in the .jpg that I save.
Lots of good reasons to take this way….you can even find it using Windows folders….searching…..
http://blog.hummiesworld.com/2009/09/tracking-credits-in-digital.html There’s a video here.
I make a new text layer on my layout and post all the credits there. I hide the layer, of course, but can add to it as I work. I then cut and paste the credits into the galleries as I post.
As an editor and a librarian, I’m really good about giving credit where credit is due. And I’m grateful to designers who label each and every piece of their kits with their name or a well-established set of initials. However, every now and then, I encounter files in my stash that are labeled as “paper1” or “el1” or “ribbon1” and so on, with no other information.
This happened more when I first started digital scrapping last year and was in the habit of splitting up kits by category. Sometimes, individual pieces of kits that were part of thematic collabs or blog trains weren’t labeled properly, and I didn’t take the time to rename each piece, which I really shouldn’t have to do, right? Back then, I wasn’t participating in challenges, so it wasn’t all that crucial, but now I know the importance of keeping stores and designers and kits together, though that’s not always possible either since a lot of designers sell in multiple stores.
How can we consumers get designers to label their work to expedite their credits? It’s not always newbies either who are lax about labeling; I know some designers who’ve been in the business for a while, yet they seem blithely unaware that labeling a file “paper1” means not only do we not know who created it, should it get separated from the main kit, but also means that it can be easily overwritten. Several sites that offer daily downloads also persist in naming each day’s offering as “day1,” “day2,” etc., so even kits from the same site can get mixed up from month to month.
I don’t know about you all, but this is one of my biggest pet peeves, so thank you very much for letting me get this off my mind.
You’ve got some great points here. I do a lot of renaming of folders myself.. to keep everything consistent.