Describe your keywording workflow

[Jukka Vuorinen]

After two year hiatus I'm trying to get back to keywording my images. Now I'd like to hear how do you do your keywording in practice. So how are you adding keywords to images?

First keywording workflow that comes to mind is that one browses images one at time and applies suitable keywords to current images. But this would be slow, if there are more than few images to keyword.

KrisCarnmarker described his workflow on "Keywording Strategies" thread:

-During import, all images automatically get assigned the "Workflow States/New" category.
-Do a search to show only images with the category "Workflow States/New"
-Start at the top of the list of images returned by the search and select the first image.
-Choose a category/keyword this image belongs to but do not assign it yet.
-Go down the list of "new" images and select all other images that also fit this category/keyword (e.g. using Ctrl-Click).
-Now assign the category/keyword to all the selected images in one go.
-Deselect all images except the first one.
-Choose the next category/keyword that the first image belongs to.
-Go down the list of "new" images and select all other images that also fit this category/keyword (e.g. using Ctrl-Click).
-Now assign the category/keyword to all the selected images in one go.
-Deselect all images except the first one.
-Repeat until there are no more categories/keywords left to assign to the first image.
-Select the first image and all other images that also have no more keywords to be assigned to them.
-Assign them the "Workflow States/Reviewed" (or Final).
-Refresh the search (for "new" images)
-Select the first image and repeat the process.

I'm have found out that even though Kris's style is the best I have found out yet, it's kind of laborious, because I have so many images to keyword. I have neglected keywording for so long and I keep too many images.

Thank you.

 

[Sandrine Bascouert]

I usually get my images from my camera with Photo downlader in Bridge where I assign a new title to every shot by custom naming alongside with date of shoot (custom naming is always the place). then I transfer them in a folder called "lightbox" that I open with bridge, I sort them, rate them If I got time, stack them if they need to and keyword them... All of the above is made quite simple with Bridge (custom naming with date, copy as DNG, applied my copyright infos, backup in another HD, have been automated in Bridge)

My keywords are
Place:
France or GB
>brighton
>london
>etc
By environment :exterior interior, beach, streets, countryside>etc
By color
By material (wood, metal)>etc
By composition (square, diagonal)>etc
By "architectures" (churches, public buildings, houses)>etc
By Objects (Tableware, objects of worship, statues)>etc
By person (me, my husband, others persons, male female)>etc
By animals (birds, mammals, special keywords for cats and cows, because there's a lot)

The "mandatory" ones are: place, color, environment.

I do a lot of multiple selection with the ctrl+click to apply keywords to multiple photos, as well as the custom naming > I select all the ones that have been shot at the same place (I don't bother about the date, it's sorted out by Bridge with the camera info)

Then I dispatch them on my hard drive, sorted by : landscape, people, objects, special effects (images that I use as backgrounds for example) etc... Once my lightbox's empty, it's ready for another set... Takes me about 1/2 hour for 50 to 100 shots, most of the time the idea of it is more boring that actually do it