Tagging System for Mac Users

Most of my digi-supplies are organized in a way I understand and can use, but templates are one thing that I haven't really been able to figure out a good system for. There are so many things I look for in a template when I am selecting one: number of photos, room for journaling, clusters to guide me etc. So the question comes up "Do I organize by number of photos, by designer, by style or some other way?"

With this, I started researching some tagging systems for my templates - and then realized that there is one built right in. No additional software needed, no opening another program to find what I'm looking for - just a little effort up front to get it all organized.

I'm sure all of you Mac users have used the search feature before - it's handy, and I love that it's built right into each Finder window that I have open.

When you search, it searches the file name as well as the file information to help you find what you are looking for. You also have the option to search the entire computer or just a single folder, or drive. I use an external hard drive for all of my scrap stuff, so I am usually just searching within Scrapmania, what my husband so cleverly named my EHD. For this method, I will be working within my Templates folder. 

So, now that you are re-familiar with the search method, let me show you the tagging method I have just started using. Before we begin, a few tips for you. 

1) Remember, it will be searching the file names along with the keywords you are assigning, so be specific with your terms - spell out numbers, use abbreviations you'll understand and be consistent to make your searches easier. 

2) I am in the process of converting all of my templates to Tiff files, I have found that they are about half the size of PSD's and just recently fell in love with them. Also, the Tiff files put the thumbnail of the image instead of the photoshop icon as the default image for each file, which is very helpful when looking through my folders! 

Alright, I've built this up, but it's super easy! 

Right click on the file you want to tag, and select "Get Info" from the options. The long skinny window above will open. In the Spotlight Comments at the top, add your keywords. For this template I have added the following words "one-photo, PU, template, TDF"  and I will be adding journaling, I must have missed that one. When you are finished adding your tags, simply close the window! Done! 

Now, when I am looking for a great 1 photo template, I can type "one-photo" into my search bar and this template will be in the list, along with any others. Or, if I wanted a one-photo template from The Digi Files, I could add one-photo, TDF and it would only show the ones tagged TDF! 

See, easy! 

(Ignore a lot of the extra stuff in my screen shots, I am working on re-organizing, so things are a mess right now!) 

One more of my little organizational tips - the items that are highlighted in green are products I have purchased, non-highlighted things are freebies I've collected. I like marking my purchases so I can remember to make sure to use them since I paid for them! 

Alright, back to tagging for me! Enjoy!