Spring Cleaning: How to Organize Your Camera Roll

The season of spring cleaning is one that some treasure and others dread. Either way, we’re getting a head start on it this year.

Spring cleaning encourages us to get rid of what no longer serves us, refresh our everyday spaces, and make room for something new and different. Many will be taking a page from Marie Kondo’s book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” as they part with the things that no longer speak to their hearts.

With the accessibility of smartphone cameras and digital file storage, we have yet another space that likely needs some—or a lot of—attention. If you are planning to do some purging this spring, you should also consider your digital clutter.

Our digital world is also a very visual one. There is a relatable feeling of, “If I didn’t take a photo or video, I can’t show that I was there.” This can lead to a very cluttered camera roll. Most can agree that life is quite beautiful, and worth photographing. If you find magic in the little things, then we all probably have a certain type of camera roll. 

But if you’re getting increasingly frequent “your storage is full” notifications, it’s time to organize and purge. It can feel as overwhelming as spring cleaning your garage, but a little planning will go a long way. Consider these tips when you’re getting ready to dive into digital decluttering.

Make a list of criteria for photos in your camera roll

I had over 12,000 photos and videos on my iPhone at one time. It’s a bit much, yes, but it’s likely a relatable horror story. With so much to sort through, how can you expect to categorize all of it?

When it comes to spring cleaning your camera roll, set your own expectations. Now that you’ve taken inventory of everything you have, plan how you will decide what to delete, what kind of folders you’ll create, and what you’ll print and share. 

Here are a few best practices to follow:

• Get rid of the happy accidents. This can include accidental photos and videos, screenshots of your lock screen or home screen, and overly blurry photos in a set. These are generally easy to pick out. 
• Let go of the screenshots. Receipts, old tickets, and the “I’ll save this for later” moments that you never returned to are good candidates for the trash folder. If you haven’t looked at it in more than a month or two, it can go.
• Process of elimination. If you took five or more of the same photo, try to pick one or two and let go of the rest. Allow an exception to this rule if you plan to print a set of similar photos as decor. 
• Pick your best photos and print them. Once you print them, consider deleting the digital file. A Kool-Factory print is one that will stand the test of time, so you may not need the digital file.
• Delete social media duplicates. If the photos have already been posted to social media, you can delete most of them from your camera roll since they are archived elsewhere. Sometimes, you may want to save the digital file for high-resolution printing or re-sharing.

Put your criteria on pen and paper and stick to it.

Put your proudest photos on display

Now that your camera roll is clean and organized, you can create tangible mementos for the photos you love the most. Keep in mind, this is never limited to just family photos. If you love the photo you took of a flower on a walk in June 2017, turn it into tasteful home decor with Kool-Factory prints on Glass, Canvas, or Aluminum.