My process for uploading photos to Flickr Mar12 '07

My process for uploading photos to Flickr.

Synopsis:

1. Extract from digital camera.
2. Open preferred upload tool.
3. Drag similar photos one batch at a time.
4. Remove blurry or bad photos, and fix orientation.
5. Apply meta-data to each photo.
6. Upload to new or existing set.
7. Change the set "cover photo" to something appealing.
8. Add geotag (map) information.
9. Add notes to photos.

Breakdown with explanations:

(1) Extract from digital camera

Using my latest digital camera, the Nikon Coolpix S7c, I can either physically or wirelessly transfer the photos to my computer.

Wireless transfer has been pretty fast and reliable, so lately I've been using this approach. While holding my camera anywhere in the house, I can quickly transfer the photos to my MacBook, residing in another room.

The photos end up in a folder on my hard drive called "Wireless Transfer." Using the Mac OS X Finder, I can sift through each picture.

An alternative is a physical (wired) transfer, using Mac OS X Image Capture. I've mentioned this topic on Pain in the Tech.

(2) Open preferred upload tool

There are many different ways to get your photos from your hard drive to Flickr's servers.

My preferred upload tool lately is Flock. With Flock, I can do many useful things with my photos before they actually get uploaded.

Note: I change my upload tool quite often based on new features, pricing, etc. Flock may not be my favorite in a month's time.

If you use Windows to upload photos to Flickr, Andy recently compared Flickr Uploadr with jUploadr.

(3) Drag similar photos one batch at a time

Uploading dozens, or even hundreds, of photos at once can be quite overwhelming, if you take the time to apply meta-data to each photo.

Various meta-data includes (but is not limited to) the following:

• Title
• Description
• Tags

To help ease the burden of applying meta-data to lots of photos - I try to visually organize similar photos. For example, if I take two shots of the same building (perhaps at different angles), I tend to apply the same meta-data to those photos.

First I'll select groups of photos that are somehow related. These photos will all receive the same meta-data.

Rather than uploading everything at once, this approach is much more organized.

(4) Remove blurry or bad photos, and fix orientation

At this point, I'll go through and remove bad or blurry photos, and fix the orientation (rotate) for the photos that need it.

(5) Apply meta-data to each photo

Once I've visually organized my photos into groups (see step 3), I apply meta-data with my upload tool.

Many upload tools (see step 2) allow you to apply meta-data to groups of photos at once, which saves a lot of time.

It's important that every photo receive meta-data.

You'll want to avoid posting photos on Flickr with titles such as: DSCN1475.JPG, blank descriptions, and no tags. This makes it hard for others to find your photos on the web, if there's no data to describe it.

(6) Upload to new or existing set

The majority of your photos on Flickr should belong to a set. A set is simply a collection of photos that are grouped under the same premise.

Your upload tool should allow you to add photos to a new or existing set. This makes it easy to consistently append photos to an existing set.

(7) Change the set "cover photo" to something appealing

Sets on Flickr allow a single "cover photo," which is visible when previewing the set:

You can change this photo to one that encompasses the entire set. I try to pick a photo that stands out (at such a small thumbnail), so the set looks appealing.

(8) Add geotag (map) information

As an example of further meta-data, Flickr allows users to apply geotag information for each photo. Geotag is short for "geography tag." In other words, it's where you took that photo, ie: latitude and longitude.

Most upload tools do not allow you to apply geotag meta-data before you upload. Therefore, I use Flickr's Organizer tool, after I upload the photos.

(9) Add notes to photos

Finally, I go through each photo and apply notes, if it enhances the "photo viewing experience." Notes are simple boxes that you overlay on top of your photos, with a textual notation attached.

Here is an example of notes, on a recent photo from me.

Your photo visitors can also apply notes to your photos.

Categories: Flickr , Workflow

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