MemoryLaneMemoryLane guides
Guides to caring for a photo archive.
Practical, unhurried notes on organizing large collections, preserving privacy, and finding your way back through years of photographs.
Organize
Practical guide
How to organize a large photo library without moving the originals
Build a useful index around the folders and drives you already trust.
External drivesHow to organize photos on an external hard driveGive an existing drive a stable structure, fast visual index, and backup plan.
Network storageHow to browse a photo library on a NAS or network driveKeep originals on shared storage while previews and search remain responsive.
Mixed mediaHow to organize photos, videos, and Live Photos togetherPreserve one chronology without separating stills, motion, and companion files.
Keep private
Privacy guideWhat private and offline photo management really meansUnderstand what stays on your computer, when an internet connection is used, and what still needs backing up.
AI guideLocal AI photo search without uploading your libraryLearn how local search, tags, similarity, and face grouping work, including their limits and hardware costs.
Choosing softwareHow to choose an open-source photo managerA practical checklist for folders, metadata, privacy, maintenance, and the kind of setup you actually want to run.
For photographers
Metadata guideExplore a photo archive by camera, lens, and EXIFUse the metadata already in your photographs to understand your equipment and changing habits.
RAW guideBrowse and organize a large RAW photo archiveMake RAW files easier to revisit with previews, metadata, pairing, and sensible grouping.