Organizing Screenshots

[JudesSims]

How do you keep screenshots organized when taking them for stories? Do you go to the file manager a rename them right away? Now that I have two stories going at the same time, I sometimes forget what was going on when the screenie was taken. Any tips?

[samoht04]

How do you keep screenshots organized when taking them for stories? Do you go to the file manager a rename them right away? Now that I have two stories going at the same time, I sometimes forget what was going on when the screenie was taken. Any tips?

There is not an automatic way to sort them that I know of other than moving them manually. I have three folders inside my Screenshots folder - Jade, Ravensgate and Misc. Need to add a Character one for my Life State Dynasty though. Then sometimes after or a day or two after playing I will go in and select the best ones and move them to the right folder and then the ones that are left out are either unsorted or ready to be deleted as I don't want them.

As for remembering what was going on in the picture I tend to have a good enough memory for it but I also take a lot of screenshots and tell a story as I take them so the memory gets lodged in, that or I work it out from memory and using chronological order. Sometimes I do forget but I know something happened so then this photo must be that etc.

[Ricalynn]

I do the same as Samoht when it comes to the basic picture organization but if it's a big event that I'm worried I'll forget I will sometimes alt tab out of the game to rename the picture.   Examples would be ArtieAineLongChat, MysteryCliffhangerShot, and UnicornStrategySession.

[JudesSims]

Thanks, you guys!

Folders inside the screenshots folder is a good idea. As for remembering what was going on, sometimes my older brain takes a hiatus. LOL

[Ausette]

It all depends on what works for you  . Some people work really well within an organised system, and others find it stifles their creative flow. Much to my own surprise, I've been using an organised method and it works really well for me.

I have a Sims 3 folder in My Pictures that contains a sub-folder just for my story. Inside that folder are further sub-folders for each seperate chapter of the story. So it goes "My Pictures > The Sims 3 > [Story Name] > [Chapter Number]". When I'm ready to post a chapter, I copy-paste the pictures I want from the Screenshots folder into the chapter's folder and rename them to a set format (e.g. "JTJ C04P08" is for "Jones Town Jump, Chapter 4, Picture 8").

To remember what's going on, I take notes. When I play (in non-fullscreen mode) I have Microsoft word and my Screenshots folder open in the background. I'll write a screenshot number in the Word document and write a potential caption under it. When I have enough material to publish, all I have to do is decide which screenshots to keep and how to make the chapter flow nicely.

[dtaymoore]

I follow what Ausette does, but on pen and paper. I keep a notebook and just write down quickly the notes like "12, Bday for X" and then later I'll go and group them together.

If I come up with a good line, I'll jot it down underneath my Screenshot description.

[JudesSims]

Thanks for the good ideas!

I do my writing, such as it is, on my iPad while I'm playing the game. I never thought about putting the screenshot description there too. Duh! It would take a little more "fiddling" to remove them when I post but it might be worth it. Once I get enough written for a post I email it to myself and copy and paste from the email into the post. it saves on typing time.

[JudesSims]

I've figured out a system that seems to work for me. I play one game, and take screenshots, until I have enough material for a post. I'm not allowed to play my other game until I've posted the first one. So, day before yesterday I posted the Sargeants and today I posted the Lovings. Now, I won't be able to play the Lovings again until after I've finished the next post for the Sargeants.