How to Catalogue Photos from Film

Finding past film photos can be made easy using the method outlined in this entry. Film poses different situations than digital and these tips may assist.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Scissors
• Felt tip marker
• Processing index print
• Processing envelope
• Tape or glue stick

1. When you have film processed, always ask for an index print and a CD in addition to any prints you want. These will be used along with the processing envelope to make cataloguing a snap.
2. When you get home, cut the flap from the processing envelope and pull out the index print and CD. For timely filing, always use the process date for your filing process. I use a series of numbers that reflect the date for both file storage and computer storage. (Example: 041308 for April 4, 2008. Really makes later recovery in both forms an easy task.
3. Use the felt tip marker on the CD, the index print and the very top of the processing envelope. Tape the dated index print on the front of the processing envelope and you can easily store these and be able to find them later when the occasion arises.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure the felt tip ink dries on the CD and other materials before doing anything else. The ink could damage your computer or smear leaving you with poor information. Plus, it just looks a lot neater.