How to organize digital photos with AI
| May 31, 2024
Picture this: you’ve sat down, coffee in hand, ready to organize your massive photo library. However, it’s just too overwhelming to get started. There’s no official system in place. Instead of methodically cataloging and finding images, you just stare at the screen.
After an hour or two, you’re still looking at a disorganized photo library.
Perhaps you’ve tried organizing digital photos in the past, but no solution sticks long-term — others add files without following your system, and there’s no regular maintenance.
If that sounds familiar, it’s time to streamline your digital photo organization workflows. In this guide, you’ll learn the best ways to organize digital photos using a digital asset management platform and the latest AI features. With the right solution in place — and a clear understanding of what it can offer — you’ll be ready to handle everything from quick library cleanups to messy photo backlogs, including how to organize old photos digitally, all with minimal effort.
What is the best way to store and organize digital photos?
From storing your photos in one place to integrating your DAM library with the rest of your tech stack, here are some quick best practices for organizing your digital photos.
Centralize your photos: Store all your digital photos in one organized and searchable library (like a digital asset management platform) for easy access and management using digital photo organizer software.
Create a logical folder structure: Organize photo library folder structures based on criteria such as date, event, project, or category for easy photo navigation — a foundation of effective digital photo organization.
Organize photos with AI auto-tagging: Automatically add relevant tags to photos using AI-powered tagging capabilities, making them easier to search and sort through using the best AI photo organizer tools.
Find photos with advanced search: Quickly find specific photos based on tags or context — the latest AI can see and understand images, even if they aren’t tagged, helping with organizing digital photos.
Track image versions: Keep track of different photo versions using DAM software features like version control designed to streamline storage needs and keep old file versions tucked away.
Set up access controls: Configure security access controls within your DAM library to manage who can view, edit, or download your photos to keep your library tidy.
Review and update metadata: Review and edit photo metadata on a routine basis so it remains accurate and relevant for better digital photo management.
Integrate with other tools: Integrate your DAM photo library with the other tools and platforms you use for optimal workflows and increased productivity. This integration is key to digital photo storage and organization.
How to organize digital photos in 10 steps
From cataloging all your files in one place to folders, tags, and the latest in AI, here is how to organize your digital photos in 10 steps:
1. Store all your images in one place with digital asset management
For busy brands, a digital asset management (DAM) platform is the best choice for organizing digital photos into one central library. DAM platforms like Canto offer an intuitive and easy way to organize, find, and share your digital assets. With features like AI search, automatic sorting and tagging, facial recognition, and version control, organizing your digital photos becomes a cinch.
2. Create a folder structure
Before creating your folder structure, figure out each department’s search methodology. Discovering search patterns across teams will help you determine the folder categories you should create.
For example, you might create broad folder categories, including:
- Product shots
- Event images
- Marketing campaigns
- Team photos
Next, within each broad category, create subfolders to organize images further. For instance, under “Marketing campaigns,” you might have subfolders for each specific campaign, such as “Spring sale 2024” or “Holiday promotion 2023.”
Pro tip: Canto allows files to live in multiple albums without duplication. Smart Albums also let you sort files by type automatically, a valuable feature of any robust digital photo organizing software.
3. Develop a file naming system
Technically known as taxonomy, it’s important to decide on an easy to use, yet effective, naming system. Handle file naming similarly to folder naming, keeping future file retrieval in mind.
Develop a set of rules for naming your files. These rules might include:
- Using consistent date formats (e.g., YYYY-MM-DD)
- Project names
- Descriptive keywords
For example, a file name could be “2024-04-01_SpringCampaign_ProductPhoto.jpg.”
Remember that consistent file naming nomenclature is part of organizing your digital photos, but it can be challenging to maintain as you scale your organization. That’s where AI comes in to help you organize digital photos as your image library grows, using digital photo organizing software.
4. Tap into AI for better organization and discovery
Instead of trying to rely on accurate file names, folder structures, and metadata to find and access digital photos, it’s time to let AI power up your image discovery. Digital asset management platforms like Canto leverage AI to enhance organization and searchability.
For example, Canto AI Visual Search lets you use natural language to find the most relevant images very quickly, showcasing the strength of using AI to organize photos.
The tool visually scans media for contextual clues as to what the image portrays. Because it uses visual context to find media instead of reading photo metadata, it can sort through digital photos with inaccurate or no metadata — a capability typically not found in digital photo organizer tools.
Standard photo metadata searches require memorizing complex search terms or specific keywords to find the right media. AI Visual Search requires no training or memorization and finds the best media fast.
Canto can also automate routine tasks like resizing images and converting file formats, freeing up your time to focus on more strategic aspects of your work.
5. Use AI-powered auto-tagging software
It’s time to completely transform the most mundane aspect of organizing digital photos: photo tagging. After all, manually tagging thousands of image files is time-consuming and prone to human error.
Look for DAM platforms that include AI-powered auto-tagging. This AI feature automates metadata creation by analyzing images and applying relevant tags.
With accurate digital photo metadata, you gain additional ways to find images in your library by searching for specific objects and colors. Tagging automation is especially useful for large libraries where multiple departments search and access your digital photos. If you need the best AI photo organizer, this is one feature to prioritize.
6. Find people using AI facial recognition
Do you have many images in your library featuring people? Consider using a DAM system with AI facial recognition built in. Facial recognition technology automatically identifies individuals in photos, allowing you to easily tag, organize, and search through images of people faster. This is a must-have for anyone needing AI to organize photos efficiently.
7. Implement duplicate image detection
Duplicate images clutter your servers and cloud storage, making it harder to navigate, manage, or find the latest image version. Duplicates also waste valuable storage space.
DAM platforms often include duplicate detection to help you clean up the mess. This means you can check for file duplicates based on filename or MD5, helping streamline digital photo storage and organization.
When reviewing flagged duplicates, carefully review the images before moving or deleting them. Sometimes, what appears to be a duplicate could be a different version of an image with minor but significant differences.
Pro tip: Canto’s version control feature allows you to layer new image versions onto the same photo, greatly reducing photo duplication issues from happening in the first place.
8. Reduce metadata management using DAM and AI
Manually inputting metadata is time-consuming and tedious. While metadata can help you find images based on the author, date, and other specific bits of information, regular maintenance isn’t always practical. AI-powered DAM platforms solve this problem, effectively streamlining the process of managing metadata significantly.
AI tools like auto-tagging and facial recognition inside DAM platforms automatically generate and update metadata based on the content of your images, saving you time and effort.
Even better, features like Canto AI Visual Search eliminate metadata management around anything visually displayed in digital photos, so the creative team can focus on creating more strategic metadata that may be too nuanced for AI to capture.
Robust DAM platforms include custom metadata fields to capture all that strategic, non-contextual metadata. Custom metadata includes marketing campaigns, year, product ID, and product models.
9. Choose a DAM for automatic backups
When you choose a digital asset management platform like Canto, you take the guesswork out of backups. Canto automatically backs up your digital photos and other library files for you. Now, you won’t have to stress that your photos are secure or backed up ever again.
Do you need to scale up storage or archive files to make more room? With a DAM platform, you can always add more storage to archive files whenever necessary. It’s one of the best ways to store and organize digital photos, and an important part of your overall photo backup solutions.
10. Establish a regular photo maintenance routine
Remember to determine a regular schedule for maintaining your digital photo library. Depending on the volume of photos and when your team adds or updates them, this could be weekly, monthly, or quarterly.
Each time you add new photos to your library, take a moment to ensure they are correctly named, tagged, and stored in the right folder. A proactive approach prevents clutter and disorganization from accumulating over time.
Review your photos’ titles, descriptions, tags, and any other relevant metadata regularly to ensure accuracy and relevance.
If you work with a team, make sure everyone is trained on the maintenance routine and understands their role in keeping the photo library organized. Communicate consistently with your teams about the process you have established for photo organization.
Even if you sometimes forget to add metadata or it’s inaccurate, AI-powered DAM solutions like Canto can still help you find images and videos.
Organize your digital photos with Canto
Canto DAM is a leading DAM solution, designed to simplify the way you organize, manage, and find digital photos. With powerful AI-driven features like AI Visual Search, Smart Tags, Smart Albums, facial recognition, and text recognition, Canto minimizes the need for manual metadata entry — keeping even the largest photo libraries intelligently organized and effortlessly searchable. Want to learn more about how a DAM solution could help you? Download the guide below. 
How to organize digital photos: Frequently asked questions
Is there software for organizing digital photos?
One of the most popular software options for organizing digital photos is a digital asset management (DAM) platform. DAM software provides a central platform to organize, find, and share digital photos and many other file types. DAM software offers features like advanced search and filters, auto-tagging, and version control, making managing large collections of images easier.
How do I sort thousands of digital photos?
To sort thousands of digital photos, follow these steps:
Use a digital asset management (DAM) platform: This software can store large volumes of photos and provides tools for automatically sorting and organizing them
Create a folder structure: Develop a logical folder system based on criteria like month, event, project, and category
Bulk rename: Use batch renaming tools to give your photos consistent, descriptive names
Tag and categorize: Apply tags and categories to your photos. Many DAM platforms offer AI-powered tagging to add some contextual tags to your photos for you
Use advanced AI search: Leverage the AI tools and search filtering capabilities of your DAM software to sort and find specific photos quickly
Regular maintenance: Set aside time regularly to sort new photos and maintain your organization system
What is the best way to store photos digitally?
The best way to store photos digitally is to use a reliable digital asset management platform that includes cloud backup. A DAM platform allows you to organize, tag, and easily access your photos, while a backup strategy protects your photos against data loss. Some DAM platforms automatically back up your digital photos for you.
How to organize old photos digitally?
To organize old photos digitally, scan printed photos and upload them to your DAM system. Use tools like facial recognition, smart albums, and auto-tagging within your digital photo organizing software to categorize them effectively. This method makes digital photo organization ideas easier to implement and sustain long-term.