The majority of photos are edited on my iPhone and iPad. But the big screen attached to my Mac is a siren song to view and edit photos. So, four possible edit locations, original and edited options and a handful of external storage devices. Oh, what a tangled web we weave ...
So to participate in the ACAI photo show this summer, I needed to dig into my archive mess. What a waste of creative energy! This is an opportunity to try something new and my stylized camellia photos stuck in my head as a three-tile series. Tile. This is a new concept for me, where no frame or mat is needed and has repositionable mountings. Sounds good. MPIX did not offer this format at the time of my Eureka! Archive Discovery so a new vendor was chosen, Happy Tiles. The 8" x 8" format is ideal for the show and the order of 8 tiles let me experiment with additional images. My disappointment is with the delay in free shipping, maybe because of holiday order time.
One of the additional printed images is of Alpine County mountains, a panorama of the peaks above Hope Valley with some afternoon light highlighting the forest taken from Hwy 88 on Carson Pass. Whew! This photo has been printed 11" x 14" but finding it again for tiling was mind boggling - a creativity numbing experience. Spanning one panorama across three tiles was an interesting challenge. Additionally, an iPhone photo comes to mind, sunset at Folsom Lake during drought years - spanning five tiles.
How much space to leave between the tiles? Maybe thinking about canvas wraps where extra margins are used for the sides. After Googling and YouTube searching, no space is needed for a first trial print. Discovered that photos can be printed on ceramic titles! Yikes! Another adventure!
Since this blog is my brain-trust diary for the future me to find past processes, let me report on ...
Finding Files - iOS/iPadOS 16.5
In the Photos app, use
- Captions feature to note print goals or archive locations
- Locations feature to find related photos to isolate remembered images
- Share button to identify metadata (file name) to help identify editing apps
In the Files app, use
- Search by file name
- Review contents by list or icon
- Review content in iCloud or device (individually on iPhone then iPad!)
- Browse by folders by app name
- Browse by Tags ("MPIX" or "printed")
In PhotoManager Pro app, on both iPhone and iPad, use
- Browse for folder and images better archived on external drive
- Rethink use of this app after upgrading to 1TB iCloud storage
- Return later to delete images or archive to external storage
- Evaluate star ranking, rename features for best use of app (stylizing, compositing, etc)
Tile Layout (watch for videos soon)
- iPad rehearsal using Graphic for iPad app from Picta, Inc for 3 tiles
- MacOS rehearsal using Flying Meat's Acorn app (cheap Photoshop alternative) for 5 tiles
Ah Ha! Next steps even though iCloud storage is at 1TB
- Need to review Files app and the folders where edited images are stored, duplicated, exported
- Need an archive plan and move image files ... where they can be found again!
- Need to track photos printed, gifted and on-display
- Need to make plans and tracking a monthly habit
- Need to re-read current process and revise periodically
