UGH- ACDSee, HELP!

L

Laura_A

New member
OK, it's time for me to get stuff organized. I've penciled out on paper how I want my files to be set up, but darn it if I can't even get started with ACDSee. I've been looking through the tutorials at Digi Scrap Info, but I'm not seeing a the dummy's guide to getting started. Here are the basic things I need to know to get started..,

-How to set up my own Categories and Sub Categories
-How to get the kit preview to show as the folder's thumbnail
-How to unzip a kit and start tagging elements and filing them away

Also, another question... if I file an element in multiple folders, does it take up extra space on my hard drive?

These are the things I want to know right away so I can at least get stuff organized. Then I can worry about learning how to use all the features.
 
hey - yep, ACDSee takes some getting used to, and I'm by no means an expert, but here's what I did:

1. Scroll through the preset categories to see if one closely matches what you have in mind and load it into your database.

2. In the Properties|Database tab, right click on a category, select new cateory to add sub-categories

3. I created an Zip Files folder. I download into this folder, then unzip through ACDSee into other folders. Right click on the zip file, select extract to folder, then select the folder you want the kit unzipped to, or create a subfolder in the command window.

4. Run a search with the following after you have downloaded and unzipped, I'm using "button" as an example:

Files and Text
Search for files or folders named: button
With the text: (leave this blank)
Search in: specific folders and categories
Categories and Folders
Categories and Folders: (I add the main folder of my scrapbooking supplies here, you can select include subfolders using the "play" button next to the add command)
Properties
Search file properties for: use the add command to file properties|accessed date, then use the drill down box on the main search screen to list your parameters so that you are only looking in the kits you just added

Hit Start.
When your search results come up, hit Ctrl+A to select all, deselect where needed with the Ctrl key, and check the box next to the category you want the "button" assigned to in Properties|Database tab.

5. I usually run this search for buttons, swirls, ribbon, flowers, frames, etc. when I unzip new kits, then go through each kit and tag by color, subcategory, etc.

Hope this helps, Laura, and is not clear as mud! would love to hear from some more ACDSee users!
 
Oh - and the only way I am able to get the preview to show up on the thumnail folder in ACDSee is to rename the file, adding a 1 or 0 to the front.

Hopefully someone will chime in with a better way!
 
Thank you so much for the start. I think I can get my categories set up from this. But, it seems like kindof a long process having to search for each type of element that might be in a kit. I had these grand ideas of just opening a kit, tagging each paper/element in the kit, then adding them to their correct categories. Is it not that simple? lol
 
Laura_A said:
it seems like kindof a long process having to search for each type of element that might be in a kit. I had these grand ideas of just opening a kit, tagging each paper/element in the kit, then adding them to their correct categories. Is it not that simple? lol
Click to expand...

Yep - you can definitely do it this way! If you are adding more than one kit, I like to use the search method to tag all the buttons at once, if I can. It takes a long time, going kit by kit!
 
You can't see the preview folder in ACDSee like you can in explorer, if that's what you are used to. ACDsee doesn't read it that way. So to get it even 1 of the little 4 previews you have on the screen - do it as mentioned above.

There is a speed tag tutorial by Kaylaugh at there at the site that you might want to check into...I don't have the link, but she's got it there somewhere that helps with doing the tagging a little faster as you open things up.

But, it is an intensive thing to get started. But once you've gotten everything set up, tagging goes pretty quickly if you keep on top of your new stuff. But I do just open the kit, and tag things. I don't search for stuff. I just go in, tag the things I know I'll want to tag and move on. I don't always tag everything with specifics (like ribbons I knew I won't want to use since I'm not a ribbon girl, or flowers that are so specific to the kit I can't see using them generically ever (I'm not a flower girl, either), but I at least tag every element with the designer name in case I need to use bits from a particular designer for something. Say... I get a kit from Heather, and since I'm on her CT, I make sure to at least tag everything with her name so I can search a little more easily for products by her for layouts).

Tagging items into various folders does not use up anymore hard drive space at all. If you copy them into various folders, yes that would, but tagging them into various does not.
 
OK, so when you say "tagging"... you mean, open a kit and click on an element, then check all the different cats & sub-cats you want it to be found in? That's not the same as copying to the files right? :o

I'm such a visual learner, so I was struggling until I found some video tutorials... WOOT!!! So, now I'm working on setting up all my categories. Going well so far... knocking on wood.

Thanks again for everyone's help... I hope to be able to pay it forward to the next ACDSee newbie.
 
good luck Laura :) I think I'll tag tonight when I get home. I haven't done it in forever. I like to tag everything by one designer all at once (which is probably why I never tag, cuz that's a LOT, LOL!). I just go kit by kit, element pack by element pack, and tag away. I tried to do the search for "buttons" or whatever, and it just wasn't my style. My way takes longer, but it works for me, lol.
 
If you go to the digiscrapinfo site, there is a method for "speed tagging"...it's hard to explain, but easy to do when you get used to it...that's the method I use...also, when I tag, I go into the properties and fill in the caption with the kit name, and the author with the designer name. This lets me search by author, and then when I am tagging, I tag my SSD stuff as SSD, so if I want a paper from the store, I can find it pretty easily. I hope this makes some sense, once you get used to it, ACDSee is really helpful, but it takes a lot of upstart.
 
So, do you think I need a "Designers" category if I put the Author in the properties?

I'm all done with my Categories and Sub-Categories... I'm so excited to get everything in there. I'm starting to figure this thing out a bit... but we'll see once I start opening files to tag stuff. lol
 
Yea once you actually tag stuff, your categories might change. I know mine have a little.

I have a designers category, so that's how I tag them.
I'm also one of the weirdos who tags colors as well, lol.
 
The important thing to remember is to tag the way you search. My categories have gone through such a transormation once I realized that I didn't search for elements the way I had them set up, kwim? I tag by color, but only for my papers, cuz that's how I scrap. I had started tagging my elements by color, but realized that is not how I scrap. I go looking for buttons, not green buttons, KWIM?

The other great thing about ACDSee is it eliminates the need to have an item stored in multiple folders, since you can tag an item multiple times.
I try to tag when I unzip. That makes it a lot less daunting.
 
I don't have a separate category for Designers, since putting the author in there and searching by author serves pretty much the same purpose. Also, you may want to create a category for previews...I find this helpful when I am looking for a specific kit, I can click previews, find the preview, and then right click it and select "go to file" and it brings me right to the kit...

Oh and here is the link for speed tagging:
http://digiscrapinfo.com/wordpress/2008/01/22/speed-tagging-with-kristi/

Good luck!
 
if I file an element in multiple folders, does it take up extra space on my hard drive?
Click to expand...

I didn't see this one answered anywhere, so here goes. If you actually copy/paste a file to a different folder on your hard drive, it DOES take up extra room. But if you meant if you are tagging it with different categories, then the answer is no - ACDSee doesn't actually move or copy your files like Picassa did/does, it just adds info in the database.

And here's a tip...if you DO move files around, make sure you move them around while in ACDSee. If you do it outside of it, it won't know where you put them and, if you say...delete the files after doing a backup, it will remove them from the database and they'll lose their tags. But if you do a backup through ACDSee, then it just updates it's database to reflect the changes in location.
 
Oh, thanks for that tip Bree... I do need to move the files on my EHD once I get all the zips opened and organized... so that could have been painful.. lol

I can see that the tagging process is going to take me quite a while... especially since I've gotten pretty in-depth with my categories. Oh well, it's going to be SOOOOO nice when I'm done! :thumbup:
 
Yea! Congrats on starting to get this all organized. I tag each kit as I unzip it. Well, ideally, that's what I do! ;) Sometimes if I have several kits from a single designer, I will select all of those folders in the left top window. That will pull up all the items that are in those folders. Then I click on the file size and it will semi-organize the files into what kind of files they are. Png files are typically smaller than jpgs. That gives me more items to tag at once. I also tag the TOU file by designer & TOU tag as well. For alphas, don't try to tag each letter. Just tag the alpha preview OR a single letter if they are all the same style. Or you can create a contact sheet from within ACDSee and just tag that. I do that as well with kits that don't come with previews.

Good luck and have fun!
 
I keep thinking of different hints as I go and work within ACDSee...what I do to stay on top of unzipping is I have a _ToBeUnzipped folder, and that's where my downloads go. Then, when I extract them, I send them to the _ToBeTagged folder, and then I move the zips to my _Zips folder...it keeps stuff moving, and I have a certain place to go when I have a few minutes to tag...

Also, I read somewhere that people were putting the date on the items as they download them, that way, they could search by date and see what their most recent purchases were...I am not doing this now, but thought I would mention in.
 
I wondered if putting the date in there would be beneficial. lol

I have a "New DLs" folder but it's prolly a good idea to also have a "Need to Tag" folder. BUT, if I do that, I won't be forced to tag as soon as I unzip. teehee
 
MelissaL88 said:
The important thing to remember is to tag the way you search. My categories have gone through such a transormation once I realized that I didn't search for elements the way I had them set up, kwim? I tag by color, but only for my papers, cuz that's how I scrap. I had started tagging my elements by color, but realized that is not how I scrap. I go looking for buttons, not green buttons, KWIM?

The other great thing about ACDSee is it eliminates the need to have an item stored in multiple folders, since you can tag an item multiple times.
I try to tag when I unzip. That makes it a lot less daunting.
Click to expand...

This is basically exactly what I do. It works great for me because I mix kits a lot and search in this way.

Another thing I think is really cool about ACDSee is that when you are viewing the preview of an element/paper/etc. you can right click and select 'go to file.' That will take you to the folder that contains the entire kit so you can find coordinating elements and papers. I use that a LOT. :thumbup:
 
So, I'm rethinking my Alphas tag. I started tagging the whole alpha, but now I think I'm going to go back and just tag the preview or create a contact sheet... cuz I could be scrolling forever. lol

These tips are helping me so much! Thank you!!!
 
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