NO!!! picture project.... ew. i used it once, it sucked.

just download 'em all with the synch cable from the camera into folders that you create and sensibly name yourself. or use a multi-card reader.

here's what i do (you'll have to create some folders, but it's easy, seriously)

go to 'Pictures' directory

go to '2007'

'create New Folder' --> 'rename folder' and i call it something like '06-11 three sisters ride' -- this way you have both a date AND an evocative name to remind you which week it was that you actually DID that particular shoot.

looking at my recent folders, i have stuff like: '05-01 big city team shoot'; '05-19 NoBo criterium'; '06-05 hash run' ... you get the idea. now, not only are they in chrono order, but i can also now tell at a glance exactly which folder the North Boulder crit shots are in. does that make sense?

there you have it. you can break out years into 12 'month' folders if you want.

after i've downloaded all the photos into their home folder, i then go postprocess them with a combo of nikon capture and photoshop.

every six months or so, i archive older folders off onto my external hard drive. oh, yea, make backups, too.

oh and on review - the 'Pictures' directory and the '2007' directory are, obviously, directories that you create yourself within your own directory structure. me, i stick 'em straight onto the desktop.

once i start postprocessing within a folder, i make a subfolder in it called 'workups' that is where i toss all the processed shots i upload to flickr. at that time i think up titles for the shots - it's a good way to make sure i don't save over the original full-res cap with my low-res web processed shot, for onesies.

Blast! You mean I have to ::gasp:: name the folders myself! That does it, I am returning this infernal machine.

:P

Alrighty. Thanks lfr. It didn't seem to want to transfer the photos when I first did it but I think thats because I forgot to format the card before I started using it. Live and learn.

Good idea on the description thing too. I hadn't thought of doing that.

And yeah, I place all my photoshopped pics in "Edited."

Thank you!

oh not only did you have to format the card, you also have to change the setting in the menu (read the manual i had to) to allow it to recognise the download as being a 'straight to pc' or whatever download.

the camera SHOULD come up and be recognised simply as an external USB hard drive / device, and should show a 'nikon D40' directory when it pops up in your desktop or wherever.

Picasa is free. Go to google.com to download it.

I'm with LFR, there's no substitute for doing your own folder management. If you let an application do it for you, you end up tied to their structure and will have difficulties migrating to new software...

A lot will depend on if you decide to shoot RAW. RAW images take more screwing with, but you can do so much more with them. If you decide to go that way, then it's Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom, or some cheaper alternative.