10 Tips to Organize & Edit Photos Efficiently with ACDSee
Written by  Daisie Team
Published on 8 min read

Contents

  1. Use Batch Editing
  2. Take Advantage of Presets
  3. Organize Photos with Categories
  4. Use Keywords for Easy Search
  5. Rate and Label Your Photos
  6. Create Smart Collections
  7. Use Face Detection Feature
  8. Backup Your Photos
  9. Use Light EQ Tool
  10. Edit Multiple Photos at Once

Imagine having thousands of photos, each unique and special in its own way, but scattered and unorganized. It's a mess, right? Don't worry. You're not alone. Thankfully, we have a powerful tool at our disposal to help us out—ACDSee. This handy software is not just a photo viewer; it's a photo manager that allows you to organize and edit your photos with ease. So, let's dive into how you can organize and edit with ACDSee to bring order to your photo chaos.

Use Batch Editing

Batch editing is a neat feature in ACDSee that can save you loads of time. Instead of editing each photo individually, you can make the same changes to multiple photos at once. Here's how it works:

  1. Select the group of photos you want to edit. It could be a set of vacation snaps, family photos from a reunion, or a series of shots from a recent photoshoot.
  2. Go to the 'Tools' menu and select 'Batch Edit'. A new window will pop up to let you choose what kind of edits you want to make.
  3. Here's where the magic happens. You can do all sorts of things like resizing, renaming, or converting file formats. You can even rotate your photos if they're not in the right orientation. The best part? All these changes will apply to every photo you selected.

So, the next time you have a heap of photos to organize and edit with ACDSee, remember the batch editing feature. It's like having a magic wand that can do all the work for you. Plus, it gives you more time to focus on the fun part: taking more photos!

Take Advantage of Presets

One of the best things about ACDSee is its ability to make your photos look professional with just a few clicks. How? With the help of presets. Presets are predefined settings that adjust the look of your photos instantly. They're like filters, but even better. They can transform your photos from ordinary to extraordinary in no time at all.

  1. Open the photo you want to edit in ACDSee.
  2. Find the 'Presets' tab. It's usually on the right side of your screen.
  3. You'll see a list of presets to choose from. Don't be afraid to experiment with different ones. You might be surprised by the results!
  4. Once you've found a preset you like, simply click on it. Your photo will change instantly.

Presets are a great way to save time when editing your photos. They can give you a consistent look across all your photos and make them stand out from the crowd. So next time you're organizing and editing with ACDSee, why not give presets a try? They might just be the secret weapon you've been searching for!

Organize Photos with Categories

When you have a vast collection of photos, finding a specific one can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. But, not when you organize and edit with ACDSee. ACDSee gives you the power to categorize your photos, making them easy to find. Here's how:

  1. Open ACDSee and navigate to your photo library.
  2. Right-click on a photo and select 'Set Categories'.
  3. A dialogue box will pop up with a list of categories. You can choose one or create your own.
  4. Click 'OK' and voila! Your photo is now categorized.

Now, when you need to find a specific photo, you can simply search by category. Say goodbye to endless scrolling and hello to efficient photo organization. It's like having a personal assistant for your photos — and who wouldn't want that? So roll up your sleeves and start categorizing. Your future self will thank you for it.

ACDSee is not just a photo editor, it's also a powerful tool to help you organize your photos. One feature that can really save you time and effort is the keyword function.

Think about it: How many times have you spent more time searching for a photo than actually editing it? With ACDSee, you can assign keywords to your photos, making them easy to find. Here's a simple step-by-step guide:

  1. Open the photo you want to add keywords to.
  2. On the right side, you'll see a panel. Click on the 'Keywords' tab.
  3. Type your keywords separated by commas. They could be anything from 'birthday' to 'Paris' or 'sunset'.
  4. Press Enter to save the keywords.

Now, whenever you need to find a photo, you can just type a keyword in the search bar. No more wasting time scrolling through hundreds of photos. It's like being able to teleport directly to the photo you need. Pretty cool, right?

Using keywords to organize and edit with ACDSee is like having a secret code for your photo library. So why not give it a try? Your photos are waiting.

Rate and Label Your Photos

When you're dealing with a heap of photos, it can be a real challenge to keep track of which ones are your favorites or need further editing. That's where ACDSee's rating and labeling system comes in handy.

With ACDSee, you can rate your photos from one to five. This is a quick way to separate the wheat from the chaff. To rate a photo, just select it and press a number key from 1 to 5. It's that simple.

But ACDSee doesn't stop there. You can also label your photos with colors. For example, you could use red for photos that need editing, yellow for those you're not sure about, and green for those that are ready to go. To label a photo with a color, right-click on it, go to 'Label', and select the color you want.

By rating and labeling your photos, you can sort them out easily and work more efficiently. Now, instead of spending time figuring out which photos to edit, you can focus on making your photos look their best. That's how you organize and edit with ACDSee like a pro.

Create Smart Collections

Have you ever wished you could make a collection that updates by itself? ACDSee has you covered with its Smart Collections feature. This is a powerful tool that can save you major time when you organize and edit with ACDSee.

Smart Collections are dynamic. They update automatically based on criteria you set. For instance, you could create a Smart Collection of all photos rated 5 stars. Whenever you rate a new photo 5 stars, it'll automatically join the collection. Cool, right?

To create a Smart Collection, head over to the Folders pane, right-click on 'Smart Collections', and select 'Create'. You'll see a dialog box where you can set your criteria. There are plenty of options to choose from, like rating, label color, or even camera model.

So, the next time you're drowning in a sea of photos, remember: Smart Collections can be your life raft. They take a lot of the work out of organizing, so you can get straight to the fun part: editing with ACDSee.

Use Face Detection Feature

Imagine you've just come back from a family reunion, and you have hundreds of photos to sort through. Wouldn't it be nice if your software could recognize Aunt Sally or Cousin Joe and sort the pictures for you? Well, with ACDSee's Face Detection feature, it can!

When you organize and edit with ACDSee, you can use the Face Detection feature to automatically identify and tag individuals in your photos. This means you can search for "Mom" or "Dad" and find all the photos they're in. It's a fantastic time-saver, especially when dealing with large collections of photos.

To start using this feature, simply select a photo in the Manage mode, and then click on the "Face" button in the "People" pane. ACDSee will start scanning your photo for faces. Once it detects a face, it will prompt you to name it. Don't worry if it doesn't get it right the first time—you can correct any mistakes manually. Over time, ACDSee will learn and improve its accuracy!

So, the next time you're faced with a mountain of photos to sort through, remember: with ACDSee's Face Detection feature, you've got a secret weapon to help you organize and edit with ease.

Backup Your Photos

Whether you're a professional photographer or just someone who loves capturing moments, losing your photos can feel like losing precious memories. That's why it's always a good idea to back up your photos. And guess what? Organizing and editing with ACDSee makes this process a breeze.

ACDSee offers a straightforward and efficient way to back up your photos. In the 'Manage Mode', you can select the photos you want to back up and then click on the 'Tools' menu. From there, select 'Database' and then 'Backup Database'.

Now, you can choose where you want to save your backup—be it an external hard drive, a network location, or even a cloud storage service. Just make sure it's somewhere safe and separate from your main photo storage. This way, even if something happens to your computer or hard drive, your photos will be safe and sound.

Remember, hard drives can fail, and accidents can happen. But by regularly backing up your photos with ACDSee, you can rest easy knowing that your precious memories are protected.

Use Light EQ Tool

Have you ever taken a photo that you thought was perfect, only to look at it later and find it's too dark or too bright? And let's not even talk about those pesky shadows that can ruin a good shot. But don't worry, the Light EQ tool in ACDSee is here to save the day.

This feature is pretty much an equalizer for your photos. Just like how you'd adjust the bass or treble in a song, the Light EQ tool lets you tweak the lighting in your photos. And the best part? It's super easy to use.

After you open your photo in Edit mode, just head over to the 'Tune' tab and you'll find the Light EQ tool. It's broken down into 9 different zones, each representing a different level of brightness. Now, all you have to do is move the sliders around until your photo looks just right.

So, whether you're dealing with a dark background or a glaringly bright sky, the Light EQ tool in ACDSee has got you covered. Just a few tweaks here and there, and you'll have a photo that looks like it was taken by a pro. So go ahead, give it a shot and watch your photos transform.

Edit Multiple Photos at Once

Do you find yourself often stuck in a never-ending loop of editing photos one by one? Maybe you took a hundred shots at a family gathering, and you need to fix the lighting or adjust the color balance on all of them. Doing this individually can be a real time-sink. The good news? ACDSee has a solution for you.

ACDSee allows you to edit multiple photos at once. Yes, you heard that right. No more going through each photo one by one. Just select all the photos you want to edit, and apply the changes all at once. It's a real game-changer when you have a pile of photos waiting to be edited.

Here's how you can do it: After selecting your photos, navigate to the 'Batch' menu at the top, then click on 'Batch Edit'. From there, you can apply all sorts of edits—adjustments, filters, effects, and more—to all selected photos at the same time. Think of all the time you'll save!

So, next time you're faced with a mountain of photos to edit, remember this tip. With ACDSee, you can quickly breeze through your photo editing tasks and have more time to capture new memories. Isn't that something worth trying?

If you found these tips useful and want to learn more about managing your photography projects, check out Benedetta Ristori's workshop 'Editing and Publishing Photography Projects.' In this workshop, you'll gain valuable insights on how to efficiently edit and publish your photography projects, taking your skills to the next level.