Organizing Photos for Rando

Structure your photo collection for the best random selection experience.

Folder Structure Strategies

How you organize folders directly impacts your Rando experience.

Hierarchical Organization

Recommended depth: 2-3 levels maximum

Good structure:

Photos/
├── 2022/
│   ├── January/
│   ├── February/
│   └── ...
├── 2023/
│   ├── Vacation-Italy/
│   ├── Work-Projects/
│   └── Family-Events/
└── 2024/
    ├── Q1-Personal/
    ├── Q2-Work/
    └── Q3-Travel/

Why this works:

Easy to select specific time periods
Natural organization by recency
Can add entire year or specific subfolder
Good balance of organization vs complexity

Avoid deep nesting:

❌ Photos/2024/Q1/January/Week1/Monday/Morning/Camera1/

Problems:

Takes forever to navigate
Slow folder scanning
Hard to remember where things are
Overkill for random selection

Organizational Approaches

1. Chronological (Time-Based)

Photos/
├── 2020/
├── 2021/
├── 2022/
├── 2023/
└── 2024/
    ├── 01-January/
    ├── 02-February/
    └── ...

Pros:

Universal system
Easy to maintain
Natural discovery ("what was I doing in March 2022?")
Works with camera date stamps

Cons:

Multiple events mixed together
Hard to find specific projects
No thematic organization

Best for: Personal photo archives, family photos, general life documentation

2. Project-Based

Photos/
├── Client-AcmeCorp/
│   ├── Product-Launch/
│   └── Annual-Report/
├── Client-GlobalTech/
│   └── Website-Redesign/
└── Personal/
    ├── Portfolio-2024/
    └── Experiments/

Pros:

Professional organization
Easy client separation
Project-specific random selection
Natural for work

Cons:

Personal and work mixed
Photos belong to multiple projects
Time dimension lost

Best for: Photographers, designers, content creators, freelancers

3. Thematic Organization

Photos/
├── Nature/
│   ├── Landscapes/
│   ├── Wildlife/
│   └── Macro/
├── Urban/
│   ├── Architecture/
│   ├── Street/
│   └── Night/
└── People/
    ├── Portraits/
    └── Events/

Pros:

Organized by content
Easy to find specific types
Good for themed slideshows
Natural for curated collections

Cons:

Photos can fit multiple themes
Time context lost
Requires manual sorting
High maintenance

Best for: Curated portfolios, stock photo libraries, artistic collections

4. Hybrid Approach (Recommended)

Photos/
├── Work/
│   ├── 2023-ClientA/
│   ├── 2023-ClientB/
│   ├── 2024-ClientC/
│   └── Portfolio/
├── Personal/
│   ├── 2022/
│   ├── 2023/
│   └── 2024/
└── Archive/
    ├── Pre-2020/
    └── Reference/

Pros:

Separates contexts (work/personal)
Chronological within context
Natural boundaries
Flexible

Cons:

Need to decide context for each photo
Some overlap still possible

Best for: Most users - balances organization with usability

When to Use Separate Folders

Strategic separation for different contexts.

Work vs Personal

Separate folders ensure:

No accidental mixing during client presentations
Clear boundaries between professional and private
Different tagging systems for each context
Independent backups with different priorities

Structure:

~/Documents/Work-Photos/
~/Pictures/Personal-Photos/

Rando usage:

Work presentations: Select only Work-Photos
Personal browsing: Select only Personal-Photos
Never combine in multi-folder selection

Finished vs Work-In-Progress

Separate completed from draft work:

Structure:

Photos/
├── Final/           # Completed, published work
├── InProgress/      # Currently editing
└── Raw/             # Unprocessed originals

Benefits:

Random selection from Final - Only show polished work
InProgress protected - Don't accidentally share drafts
Raw preserved - Keep originals safe

Rando usage:

Portfolio slideshows: Final folder only
Review sessions: InProgress for feedback
Rarely touch Raw in Rando

Public vs Private

Critical separation for privacy:

Structure:

Photos/
├── Public/          # Safe to share anywhere
│   ├── Portfolio/
│   ├── Social/
│   └── Prints/
├── Shared/          # Share with specific people
│   ├── Family/
│   └── Friends/
└── Private/         # Never share
    ├── Personal/
    └── Sensitive/

Rando rules:

Public: Safe for presentations, screen shares
Shared: Only when sharing with those specific people
Private: Never select in Rando for public displays

By Device/Camera

Organize by source:

Structure:

Photos/
├── iPhone/
├── DSLR-Canon/
├── Drone/
└── Scans/

When this makes sense:

Different workflows per device
Different quality levels (phone vs DSLR)
Different uses (drone footage vs portraits)

Rando benefits:

Select by quality - DSLR folder for presentations
Mix devices - Multi-folder for variety
Device-specific tagging - Different organizational schemes

Tag vs Folder Organization

Understanding when to use each.

Folders: Physical Structure

Use folders for:

✅ Permanent, exclusive categories

Time periods (2023, 2024)
Projects (Client A, Client B)
Contexts (Work, Personal)

✅ Storage locations

Different drives
Network shares
Cloud sync folders

✅ Privacy boundaries

Public vs Private
Work vs Personal

Folders are: Mutually exclusive, hierarchical, physical

Tags: Virtual Labels

Use tags for:

✅ Multiple categories per photo

"Landscape" + "Favorite" + "2023"
"Client Work" + "Portfolio" + "Blue Hour"

✅ Evolving categories

"Needs Editing"
"Print Candidate"
"Client Approved"

✅ Cross-folder organization

Tag favorites from any folder
Build collections across years
Create themes spanning projects

Tags are: Non-exclusive, flat, virtual

Complementary Strategies

Using both together:

Folder Structure (Physical):

Photos/
├── 2023/            ← Organize by time
├── 2024/
└── 2025/

Tag System (Virtual):

Portfolio
Favorites
Needs Editing
Client - Acme
Theme - Landscape
Quality - Keeper

Benefits:

Folders: Easy browsing by time
Tags: Cross-cutting collections
Combined: Random from 2024, filtered to Portfolio tag

Decision Framework

Should this be a folder or tag?

Question	Folder	Tag
Does a photo belong to only one?	✅ Yes	❌ No
Is it based on file location?	✅ Yes	❌ No
Will it change frequently?	❌ No	✅ Yes
Cross multiple folders?	❌ No	✅ Yes
Privacy boundary?	✅ Yes	❌ No
Multiple per photo?	❌ No	✅ Yes

Examples:

Year (2024): Folder (exclusive, permanent)
Favorite: Tag (multiple photos, any folder)
Client name: Could be either (Folder for big clients, Tag for small projects)
Needs editing: Tag (temporary status)
Work vs Personal: Folder (privacy boundary)
Theme (Landscape): Tag (multiple per photo possible)

Migration Tips

Reorganizing existing collections.

Before You Start

1. Backup everything

Full backup of current structure
Verify backup is complete
Test restoring one file

2. Export Rando data

Tags → Manage Tags → Export
Save export to safe location
Tags reference old paths

3. Document current structure

Take screenshots
Note folder purposes
List what works and doesn't

4. Plan new structure

Choose organizational approach
Draw hierarchy
Define folder purposes

Migration Strategies

Strategy 1: Clean Start

When: Structure is chaotic, needs complete overhaul

Steps:

Create new folder structure
Copy (don't move) photos to new locations
Test new structure with Rando
Retag photos in new locations
Delete old structure when confident

Pros: Fresh start, no baggage Cons: Time-consuming, lose tags (need re-tagging)

Strategy 2: Incremental Migration

When: Current structure mostly works, needs refinement

Steps:

Create new folders alongside old
Move photos gradually (by year, by project)
Update tags as you go
Use both old and new in Rando temporarily
Retire old folders when empty

Pros: Less disruptive, test as you go Cons: Temporary mess, takes longer

Strategy 3: Selective Reorganization

When: Only specific areas need work

Steps:

Identify problem areas
Reorganize only those folders
Leave working areas alone
Update tags for moved photos

Pros: Minimal disruption, targeted improvement Cons: Incomplete solution, may need future work

Handling Tags During Migration

Tag data includes file paths - migration breaks associations

Option 1: Accept Tag Loss

Export tags (backup)
Reorganize files
Start fresh with tags
Use exported data as reference

Option 2: Update Paths Manually

Export tags
Reorganize files
Edit exported JSON (change paths)
Import updated tags

Option 3: Minimize Movement

Reorganize via folder renaming
Relative paths may survive
Less reliable, test carefully

Post-Migration Checklist

[ ] All photos accessible in new structure
[ ] Backups updated with new organization
[ ] Rando scans new folders successfully
[ ] Test random selection from different folders
[ ] Re-tag important photos if needed
[ ] Delete old folder structure (after verification period)
[ ] Update backup routines for new structure

Best Practices Summary

Key principles for organizing photos:

✅ Keep it simple - 2-3 folder levels maximum ✅ Use consistent naming - Same format throughout ✅ Separate contexts - Work/Personal boundaries ✅ Chronological base - Year or project as top level ✅ Tags for flexibility - Cross-cutting organization ✅ Regular maintenance - Clean up quarterly ✅ Backup constantly - Before and during reorganization

Don'ts

❌ Over-organize - Diminishing returns after 3 levels ❌ Mix contexts - Keep work and personal separate ❌ Rename constantly - Breaks tags and references ❌ Delete hastily - Keep backups during migration ❌ Duplicate files - One location per photo ❌ Ignore privacy - Always separate sensitive content

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Casual User with 10K Photos

Structure:

Pictures/
├── 2022/
├── 2023/
├── 2024/
└── Favorites/  (Symlinks or copies of best shots)

Rando usage:

Random across all years
Occasionally browse Favorites only
Minimal tagging

Scenario 2: Professional Photographer with 100K+ Photos

Structure:

Work/
├── Clients/
│   ├── 2023-ClientA/
│   ├── 2023-ClientB/
│   ├── 2024-ClientC/
│   └── ...
├── Portfolio/
│   ├── Published/
│   └── Candidates/
└── Archive/
    └── Pre-2020/

Rando usage:

Client-specific folders for presentations
Portfolio for personal review
Multi-folder for variety
Heavy tagging (status, quality, theme)

Scenario 3: Family Photos Enthusiast

Structure:

Family-Photos/
├── Events/
│   ├── Birthdays/
│   ├── Holidays/
│   └── Vacations/
├── Daily-Life/
│   ├── 2022/
│   ├── 2023/
│   └── 2024/
└── Special-Occasions/

Rando usage:

Random for nostalgia
Event folders for specific slideshows
Tag favorite moments
Share selected folders with family

Next Steps

Optimize your workflow: Workflow Optimization
Learn tagging strategies: Tagging System
Improve performance: Performance Tips
Ensure privacy: Privacy Best Practices