|
|
Post by Andy on Nov 1, 2018 0:47:16 GMT
I'm finding my collection of textures and other overlays growing to the point it is a bit hard to manage. I'm currently using PSE Organizer to manage them, but I'm wondering if others have a better way? I'm looking for tips on how to quickly scan available textures and then open them in either PS or On1. Are people spending time tagging their textures?
|
|
|
|
Post by Tpgettys on Nov 1, 2018 3:35:01 GMT
Same here! As I scroll through my images in the organizer I come across blocks of textures, then more photos, then more textures, etc. Getting this under control would be a god-send.
|
|
|
|
Post by Sydney on Nov 1, 2018 4:10:04 GMT
I just have a folder called textures and then sub folders showing where they came from ie. French Kiss, Daily Texture, etc. I really need to spend some time further categorising them.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bailey on Nov 1, 2018 4:37:57 GMT
I rarely use textures myself, but if I did I would catalogue them in the Organiser just like I do all my photos and videos.
If the Organiser is your main catalogue/search application then in theory you could have all the textures in one folder on the hdd, but it would probably still be better to store them in appropriate different folders.
Regardless of how you store the textures on the hdd, I would suggest creating a root Keyword category in the Organiser called "Textures". Under Textures I would probably follow Sydney's workflow and create sub-keyword categories for each source of your textures and assign each sub-category to the appropriate textures. You can select a block of textures from the same source in the Organiser and assign the appropriate keyword sub-category to all of them in one go.
I don't know if "type" of texture is meaningful or not. But you could have further sub-categories for "type", or whatever, and also assign them to appropriate textures as part of the cataloguing process. Images in the Organiser can have multiple keyword categories/sub-categories assigned to them to make it easier to search and locate specific images.
How you catalogue your images basically depends on how you would like to group them in such a way that searching for specific images is easy. This can vary from person to person depending on their preferences and workflow.
|
|
|
|
Post by michelb on Nov 1, 2018 9:43:41 GMT
I rarely use textures myself, but if I did I would catalogue them in the Organiser just like I do all my photos and videos.
If the Organiser is your main catalogue/search application then in theory you could have all the textures in one folder on the hdd, but it would probably still be better to store them in appropriate different folders.
Regardless of how you store the textures on the hdd, I would suggest creating a root Keyword category in the Organiser called "Textures". Under Textures I would probably follow Sydney's workflow and create sub-keyword categories for each source of your textures and assign each sub-category to the appropriate textures. You can select a block of textures from the same source in the Organiser and assign the appropriate keyword sub-category to all of them in one go.
I don't know if "type" of texture is meaningful or not. But you could have further sub-categories for "type", or whatever, and also assign them to appropriate textures as part of the cataloguing process. Images in the Organiser can have multiple keyword categories/sub-categories assigned to them to make it easier to search and locate specific images.
I agree 100%. That's true for organizing all types of images, like patterns, backgrounds in the Organizer or in Lightroom.
Very true. As I see it, for many users 'organizing' is a synonym of managing images into a predefined dedicated storing space (like a folder tree). The item is linked to a location. For others, it means organizing in a hierarchical way, the way specialists in mineralogy or ornithology deal with species and so on. You also can try to associate the image with many words which can describe the image. That's what everybody does when using a Google search.
The advantage of considering textures as normal images and assigning many keywords is obvious. You can have a hierarchical view of keywords or albums. That makes visual search easier after you have first searched by the text search on multiple criteria.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bailey on Nov 1, 2018 10:04:42 GMT
Thank you michelb 
The features/functionality to catalogue images (textures, portraits, landscapes etc etc) and the power available to search and locate images in the catalogue make it a brilliant Organiser for me.
|
|
|
|
Post by Sepiana on Nov 1, 2018 14:26:07 GMT
I'm finding my collection of textures and other overlays growing to the point it is a bit hard to manage. I'm currently using PSE Organizer to manage them, but I'm wondering if others have a better way? I'm looking for tips on how to quickly scan available textures and then open them in either PS or On1. Are people spending time tagging their textures?
I used to do the same as Sydney . I just kept my textures in folders by the creator and, when appropriate, with subfolders. Then, I began using the Organizer to catalog them (following michelb ’s suggestions). I am still in the work-in-progress phase.
Having said this, I have to confess I am now wondering if I should use Lightroom. I have lots of textures by Pro Add-Ons. I purchased them via my CC subscription and when, textures are added to the original package, they get automatically downloaded to my computer. The package includes a "Control Panel" consisting of a .jsx and an .atn file. As I do most of my work in Lightroom/Photoshop, I believe my workflow would be easier if they were in Lightroom.
 |
|
|
|
Post by Andy on Nov 1, 2018 22:47:20 GMT
I just have a folder called textures and then sub folders showing where they came from ie. French Kiss, Daily Texture, etc. That is basically what I have. Except I have that folder structure imported into Organizer (a dedicated catalog, since I use LR for my photos). I don't know if "type" of texture is meaningful or not. But you could have further sub-categories for "type", or whatever, and also assign them to appropriate textures as part of the cataloguing process. Images in the Organiser can have multiple keyword categories/sub-categories assigned to them to make it easier to search and locate specific images. There are, but I'm not good at defining what those should be. A few are obvious - Paper, Stone, Metal - but most others I have just by the collection from where I bought them. The other issue is that you have to tag them in a way that helps you decide to use them (for example - I am working on this picture and it would look good with a texture that has tags A, C, and E). I'm not there by any means - it is mostly trial and error (which is tough with so many textures). |
|
|
|
Post by PeteB on Nov 2, 2018 17:35:13 GMT
Andy You could try the following to help with useable keywords and/or titles for sub-categories. Locate a site that offers textures ( inspirationfeed.com/free-photoshop-textures/) and check out what titles they give to their textures and groupings. I’m sure you will find bokeh, grunge, abstract, paper, cracks and a host of others. Select those descriptions that fit your needs. When it comes to textures, one of my most used label is Miscellaneous  |
|
|
|
Post by Sepiana on Nov 3, 2018 3:21:44 GMT
Locate a site that offers textures ( inspirationfeed.com/free-photoshop-textures/) and check out what titles they give to their textures and groupings. I’m sure you will find bokeh, grunge, abstract, paper, cracks and a host of others. Select those descriptions that fit your needs. Pete, great idea! Why didn't I think of that? I am on my way to those sites. Thanks!
|
|
|
|
Post by Bailey on Nov 3, 2018 3:39:16 GMT
Thank you for posting the link Pete.
I might have to start using textures more myself now . If they are already grouped/categorised then it will be a simple task for me to add them to my Organiser's catalogue.
|
|
|
|
Post by Sepiana on Nov 3, 2018 3:58:41 GMT
When it comes to textures, one of my most used label is Miscellaneous Pete, I am curious. Would you please elaborate on this? What kind of textures do use this label for? My corresponding label is Other. |
|
|
|
Post by hmca on Nov 3, 2018 15:36:12 GMT
I have the same concerns. One thing that I try to do that hasn't been mentioned is to delete textures from sets that I know I would never use. Invariably, every set I have seems to include textures that I know would never
work for the kind of look that appeals to me. I also have a folder with my favorites.
|
|
|
|
Post by BuckSkin on Nov 3, 2018 16:33:49 GMT
I'm finding my collection of textures and other overlays growing to the point it is a bit hard to manage. I hesitated to nose into this discussion; but, I have to ask; I may be missing out on something; what are you guys using these textures for ? |
|
|
|
Post by Tpgettys on Nov 3, 2018 18:30:18 GMT
I hesitated to nose into this discussion; but, I have to ask; I may be missing out on something; what are you guys using these textures for ?
Textures are images of just that, no subject or other features beyond the texture itself. They are combined with an ordinary image to add, well, texture, to give it an arty look.
I had a tutorial that was a good intro to texturing an image but can't find it now. This one is a pretty good quick&dirty intro: link |
|
