Keep images organized and easy to find with the File Browser

Keeping track of your images is by no means an easy task. When working on an image-editing project, it's easy to place images in numerous folders without using proper naming conventions, folder structures, or any other organizational tactics. However, with a little help from the new and improved File Browser in Photoshop CS, you can find images with ease, batch process them directly to CDs, rename them in seconds, and drag and drop images within the display pane, and all the while the File Browser can stay open and readyeven as you workto help you organize and find images quickly and easily. Once you start using the File Browser, you'll probably find yourself wondering how you ever managed without it.

Looking at the window

To access the browser, press [Ctrl][Shift]O ([shift]O on the Mac) or choose File Browse. When you first open the File Browser, youre presented with a free-floating window. In the Folders tab on the left side of the File Browser, select a folder or drive to contain the images displayed in the File Browser's Thumbnails pane on the right, as shown in Figure A.

Figure A.

The File Browser has a multitude of features and functions. Listed below are brief summaries of the different components within the File Browser:

• Desktop View. The Desktop View lists all the folders and subfolders on your computer, making it easy to find specific files. Once you click on a folder, Photoshop updates the thumbnails to display the contents within the selected folder.

• Thumbnails. The Thumbnails pane displays your images within a selected folder, disk, or CD. Here you can select, open, rename, move, and copy files.

• Preview. The Preview pane displays a larger version of the image selected in the Thumbnails pane. You can make the preview larger or smaller by dragging the right side and bottom edge of the Preview pane itself.

• Keywords. The Keywords pane is a nice addition to the File Browser. Here you can assign descriptive words to your images to make searches easy. Click on the Keywords palette's pop-up menu to create new keywords and new sets of words.

• Metadata. The new and improved Metadata pane allows you to view and edit non-pixel information oryou guessed itmetadata. The Metadata pane is divided into sections, the most commonly used being File Properties, IPTC, and Camera Data (Exif). Digital cameras typically use EXIF to store information about a specific image, such as when it was taken, the flash setting, and the focal length.

If you really want to know the nitty-gritty about an image, just click on the Metadata pane's pop-up menu in the upper-right corner. Then, choose Metadata Display Options from the resulting dropdown list. This opens a dialog box containing dozens of fields for information, as shown in Figure B. Just click on the items that you want displayed in the File Browser and click OK.

Figure B.

Automating tasks

In Photoshop CS, the File Browser has its own menu bar. This is convenient because you can automate tasks right from the File Browser. For example, open the File Browser (if it isn't already) and choose Automate from the menu bar to display the list of features, as shown in Figure C on the next page. You can make web photo galleries and contact sheets, rename multiple files, and more.

Figure C.

"Caching" up

One of the benefits of the File Browser is that you can rotate image previews, rename files, and rank them. However, if you're sharing these images on a network, all of your changes are invisible to everyone else. This is because there's a cache file for each folder that contains images, and this folder is located in a system folder on your computer.

To preserve all of your hard work and allow others to see what you've done, you have to export the cache. Although this may sound complicated, Photoshop makes the process easy. Choose File Export Cache from the File Browsers menu. Upon doing so, Photoshop exports three cache files to the folder itself containing the previews, thumbnails, and metadata.

Note

When burning image archives to CD, you should export the cache as well. If you don't, you'll lose any modification you made in the File Browser.

Seeing is believing

The File Browser is a timesaving, helpful feature that will make your workflow more organized and efficient. Don't waste time choosing File Open; instead, use the File Browser and preview your images with the ease and convenience of a sophisticated image-management system. Now that you know how to organize your images, lets take the next step toward becoming an image-editing master.