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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Help with Lightroom/archive workflow
Russell Rinn, Photographer
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Georgetown | Tx | USA | Posted: 10:59 PM on 11.21.09 |
->> I think there must be a better way to catalog my images and I am looking for some advice.
Briefly, my workflow: 1) I download my cards to my laptop, 2) I import those photos from my laptop drive into Lightroom, 3) I 'develop' the images in Lightroom and then 'Export' the images
for my customer into a subdirectory, (eg. Newspaper, Parents, etc) of my original import directory. My main focus is the images for the newspaper. My secondary focus are images for sale
to parents.
Here's where it gets messy: In a perfect world after I send my images to my customer I move my the images from their working directory on my laptop to an external archive drive.
Since this isn't a perfect world I usually end up an entire season of a sport on my laptop. Then I go through all the games and post them to my sales site for the parents. I like to edit off the laptop directory
since it's faster than editing off my external drives.
ok, organization: After I copy all my image folders to my external drives the folder names from the original import still show up in Lightroom, but they are in RED. I guess that means the images
are no longer there. Makes sense.
However, now, if If I want to get to those images again I have to read them in again from their external drive source. I'm also left with all the 'shell' folder in RED in Lightroom which I have to delete
if I want to clean things up.
Is there a better way to manage things both from a working/archive standpoint. I know this may sound convoluted and if you can't follow it please ask me questions.
(Note: I also don't really have a firm grip on the Lightroom structure of Catalogs and Collections.)
I realize everyone has a different method. I'm just looking for some options that work better than this. |
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Jon L Hendricks, Photographer
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Robert Seale, Photographer
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Houston | TX | USA | Posted: 9:52 AM on 11.22.09 |
->> I highly recommend Seth Resnick's D-65 workshop. There is also a book "The Photoshop Lightroom Workbook."
Jon is right....you are disconnecting the database by putting hem on the external drive. You have to let Lightroom know where you've moved the files....hence the right-click thing.
Ideally, you should keep another copy of your Lightroom catalog on another drive, too. |
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Steve Violette, Photographer
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Gulf Breeze | FL | USA | Posted: 11:15 AM on 11.22.09 |
->> There is a much easier way to do this in lightroom. You mention both exporting and moving the files to a working directory.
After you have finished editing your images you should make a smart collection set for the images you want to save for later. I sort mine by keywords Boys Varsity GAME NAME date etc most of which are tagged on the import step. Once you make a smart collection from the main catalog you can select a single image or multiple images and make a new folder. In the Library module on the left side panel there are the headers "Catalog" "folder" and "Collections" click on the "Folder + sign and make a new folder. Drag and drop one or multiple images into this folder. Lightroom will recognize where the images are and you will not have to go through and "find missing image again"
if you google "how to organize complete chaos" there was a recent video/tutorial on how to do this. the video date is 10/22/2009 or the link is
http://odeo.com/episodes/25347119-How-To-Organize-Complete-Chaos
Good luck
steve |
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Keith Coward, Photographer
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Lincolnton | NC | USA | Posted: 10:42 AM on 11.23.09 |
->> Here's another thought...
I carry a Seagate Free Agent Go, a 500 gb USB powered external HD(small and lightweight). Use your same work flow, just add the LR catalog to the external.
Now, whether you're processing on your laptop or your desktop, as long as you have a copy of LR installed on both, you can open the library on either machine. BUT to open LR, you just click on the LR catalog on the external.
Hope I've interpreted your question properly and hope this helps.
Keith |
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Darren Whitley, Photographer
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Maryville | MO | USA | Posted: 10:48 AM on 11.23.09 |
| ->> Why don't you keep a catalog for your newspaper stuff and a second catalog for your e-commerce stuff? I don't use the smart collections since I've begun keeping separate catalogs. |
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Russell Rinn, Photographer
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Georgetown | Tx | USA | Posted: 9:49 AM on 11.24.09 |
->> Thanks for the replies.
I do make smart collections, but once I move the images off to a new drive then I have the folder disconnect. I clearly need to better understand catalog and collections. Given that I have to ultimately archive photos off on external storage I'm not really sure there is a seamless solution. having multiple external drives, ie about 5TB worth (with the biggest being about 500GB), it is very clunky.
Thanks again. |
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