It is rare when a complex problem can have a simple solution. Most of the times however, a complex problem can have a simple solution that only works well for some of the times. This is the case with folder based method of organizing your pictures. So, how do you know when folders are not enough?

Most people believe that tags and folders exclude each other, but this article will show that if used together they can create a simple yet powerful organization structure for your pictures.

Creating a strong folder structure is the best way to start organizing your digital pictures. Such a structure can be expanded with the use of tags if needed. I also believe that folder names should follow a certain naming convention that should be followed consistently. In this short article, I will outline the folder naming convention I use.

There are quite a few software programs that allow you to mark your favorite pictures through some kind of sign (a star, a colored square). Then this kind of software allows you to locate your favorite pictures by adding labels to these groups of pictures. The problem with this approach is lack of portability. If you want to give a whole folder of pictures to your friend but he’s not using the same software then all your favorite pictures will not appear on as favorite on his software.

Popular opinion on the internet suggests that the Tags and Folders based methods for picture organization are mutually exclusive. This means that if you decide to use Tags then you will not be using folders. Or if you’re using Folders to organize your picture, you cannot use Tags. This is very far from reality and in fact Tags and Folders are…