Choose a purpose and a bounded collection
Define who will use the digital material and what they need to do with it. Access, inventory, conservation, research, insurance, and publication can require different image quality, metadata, rights review, and handling procedures.
Pilot the workflow on a varied sample. Include large, small, reflective, fragile, flat, and poorly documented items so time estimates reflect the actual collection rather than the easiest objects.
Connect every image to a stable identifier
Decide the identifier and filename pattern before photography begins. Keep master files, access derivatives, and catalog records linked by that identifier. Avoid filenames based only on camera sequence numbers or staff initials.
Record the photographer, capture date, equipment or method when relevant, rights, and the view represented. These details support accountability and later reuse.
Build quality control into each batch
Check focus, exposure, colour, framing, scale placement, file naming, and metadata while the object is still available. Repeating a photograph immediately is much cheaper than retrieving and handling the object again.
A batch should not be marked complete until the expected views, required fields, and file counts reconcile. CurioAI can guide view coverage and draft metadata, while a person confirms the record.
- Image opens and is sharp at useful magnification
- Object number matches the catalog record
- Required views and details are present
- Colour and scale references are used consistently
- Rights and sensitivity restrictions are recorded
- Masters and derivatives follow the storage plan
Preserve masters and export the relationship
Keep preservation masters separate from web or working derivatives, with backups in more than one location. Document transformations so future users know which file is original and which is derived.
Export metadata and images together with stable filenames and a manifest. A ZIP package with records, media, and a machine-readable mapping is easier to audit and migrate than a folder of unexplained images.
Review checklist
- The project has a defined audience and outcome.
- A representative pilot informs time and cost estimates.
- Identifiers connect objects, images, and records.
- Master and access files are distinguished.
- Quality control happens before objects are returned.
- Rights and restrictions travel with the record.
- Backups and export tests are documented.
Where AI fits
Technology can accelerate capture, transcription, field suggestions, and consistency checks. It cannot establish provenance, legal title, cultural authority, or conservation conclusions from an image alone. CurioAI keeps generated fields editable and requires a person to review the record before saving it.
See the guided cataloging workflowSources and professional guidance
These sources inform the workflow above. Institutions should also follow their own documentation policy, legal requirements, community protocols, and specialist standards.