Organizing supplies??? Need Help!

[WyldCat]

I have 3 TB (terabytes) of digital supplies (aquired over the last 5 years) and photos. I am currently organizing in folder trees but am looking for database type organization. I have both PSE 9 and PS CS 5.5 but would be willing to add Lightroom or ACDsee, but need opinions on what program is the best (and perhaps easiest) way to organize with tags for a huge amount of supplies. I am worried about program crashes with indexing 3TB of supplies.

Tell me your experiences or give me advice on what you think is best.

Thanks

[AliSarah]

I have about that much stuff as well... I have tagged every single commercial use item in at least one category, and only tagged the previews of the personal use items. I use ACDSee Pro. I leave my computer on and ACDSee Pro running all the time, but it does crash about once a week, more often during high tagging times. For instance, if I open 3 windows of ACDSee Pro and start tagging and moving folders, it will crash after about 2 or 3 hours of intense work.

I'm very happy with the program and don't feel at all bothered by the crashing. I usually take the program crashing as a sign that I should take a break. My husband likes me to restart the computer when it crashes if it's not during the intense usage times. He says I need to restart more often and that things would crash less if I restarted as often as he instructs me to... lol...

I haven't found that the size of the database has interfered with the effectiveness of the program at all. It is as strong and steady as it was the day I installed it...

Huggles!!
~Sarah~

[violetsnana]

I know I'm in the minority, but I really like the PSE Organizer! I use it for only my scrapping supplies, keeping my photos in Lightroom. I find it easy. And, you already have it!
I would try to keep your tags and categories under a 100 or so, but with cross tagging, ie, red AND ribbon, not "red ribbons", you can easily do that.
The important thing to remember is that it's a catalog, not where your actual files are stored.

[SWJenn]

I use Windows Live Photo Gallery, but I don't have near as many supplies as you do (about 1T). I like that I can scroll through my stuff easily, and can change the size of the thumbnails as needed easily with a slider. I also like that I can load only the folders I want, so I can ignore my template folders or photo folders and just concentrate on kits if I want.

[wen2tap]

I have used ACdsee for over 5yrs, being scrapping for 7yrs. I have upgraded twice and other than having the odd crash its very reliable. I have a downfolder, after unzipped I tag all items, then move the kit into designer file.
my tree is as follows, its extensive but it works for me as I can find anything in my stash quickly even spread over two HDs.
.
alpha
preview kit
preview elements
Under Various -
- brushes
-craft - bows/ribbons
...........lace /fabric
...........stitches
...........string/metal
...........elements- borders
...........cardboard
...........charms/hearts
..........doodles/flourishes
..........flowers/leaf/tree
..........splatters/masks
..........shapes eg stars, sun, clouds etc
..........stickers
fasteners
......... buttons/brads
..........hardware
..........screws/pins
..........staples/ tape
journaling
..........dates
..........journaling papers/mats
..........stamps
odds/ends
..........animals
..........art / craft/ music
..........baby
..........cartoon
..........clothing
..........food/party
..........home
..........kids
..........seaside
..........vintage/stamps
overlays
papers
photo accessories -
...........frames
...........mat/tags
...........photo corners/turns
quickies
word art
xmas

I hope this helps
cheers

[WyldCat]

Thank you, I think I will try the PSE organizer Thanks for all the help!

[schrades]

I have used ACDsee for years and have an immense database. I love the program and it does crash occasionally, but my biggest problem is when I have to update to a newer version. The database NEVER transfers 'automatically' as it should. The last update (to version 14) took me nearly 20 hours of manually copying and pasting the database into the new version, with really awful tech support to get to that point. Has anyone else had any trouble transferring the database to a newer version?

I have four main tagging sections - backgrounds by color, alphas, elements by numerous categories, and a short section on themes - including previews of all my kits. It makes finding what I want so, so simple.

[violetsnana]

Originally Posted by WyldCat

Thank you, I think I will try the PSE organizer Thanks for all the help!

I've written a little tutorial on how to set up PSE's Organizer, I Know I had it Here Somewhere. If you'd like to get it, send me a PM and I'll give you a 50% off coupon.
I just upgraded to PSE10 from 6 and had NO problems carrying over the catalog. Worked like a charm.

[MerylBartho]

I too have an enormous database and use ACDSee (I have Pro, but only because when I got Win 7 only Ptro was compatible) I love it, cannot work without it! I have found one of the secrets to avoiding too many crashes is to back up and optimise the database (in that order) frequently.
schrades I have never had a problem transferring the database?
There is a great set of tutorials (most with digiscrappers in mind) here - it is an archive, not in original form, but well worth looking through.

[nanscraps]

My organization method seems to be a "flavor of the month" type.....still looking for the perfect way. At first I ripped all my kits apart and put them into folders according to what each embellishment was. Then when I began putting LO's in galleries, I needed to know what designer it was, so I tried filing kits by designer. The problem is I mix kits. So now I just have all my kits in a "kit" file by title and make sure the designer info remains in that file. Then I search Picasa by key word. I started with Picasa because it was automatic on my PC and it is just too much trouble to change. Tried PSE Organizer, spent hours on it, but it is so slooooow on my crochety PC that I had to abandon it. I like that I can drag and drop elements straight to PSE workspace from both my windows file and my picasa file. I like quick methods.

I do still rip up some of the little mini kit freebies and scatter them into individual embellie files.