Lightroom File question

It's taken me a while but I think I finally worked out the LR Catalog concept.

 

For years I used Mr Porter's style stucture but now use Catalogs.

 

The problem was I was used to the Adobe Bridge style and just couldn't figure out Catalogs and Collections.

 

If you are like me and have 50,000 plus images split over say 10 main catagories (Catalog in LR speak) then start

planning now and move away - slowly - from the date hierarchy.

 

It may take a while but it will eventually make sense.

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<p>move away - slowly - from the date hierarchy.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>This may make sense for you, but it is hardly a good strategy for everyone. I shoot a lot of events. A lot of events and participants have the same name over time. I get a lot of requests for photos I've shot, and all I have to do is ask the date. I use Collections to span categories, names, places, and events. That's what they are there for.</p>

<p>Date hierarchy is important, no question. And its easy to gather this in so many ways outside using it for folder structures and the like. The date created and modified is burned into the document, you can search for this easily in LR, build smart collections, sort via a finder window etc as Jeff suggests. </p>

<p>Having multiple catalogs makes this all so much more difficult to track. </p>

<p>One thing to bear in mind here, for me at least, is that I'm archiving about 15 years of negatives and the date isn't a readily apparent piece of information.</p>

<p><em><strong>One thing to bear in mind here, for me at least, is that I'm archiving about 15 years of negatives and the date isn't a readily apparent piece of information.</strong></em></p>

<p>I was in the same boat and I just guessed and got it in the ball park, Andrew. I really like my files appearing in chrono order.</p>

 

 

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<p>One thing to bear in mind here, for me at least, is that I'm archiving about 15 years of negatives and the date isn't a readily apparent piece of information.</p>

</blockquote>

 

 

<p>But you scanned them right? The date created should be part of the metadata that LR can use to sort by date. </p>

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<p> I really like my files appearing in chrono order.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Super easy to do in LR without having to organize them that way in the Finder. You can sort within the Grid of all or some images in date Capture Date, Date imported, and Date Range (from X to Y) with Smart Collections as well. </p>

The import function has options. You can copy the original files to a new location or leave them where they are.

Output goes wherever you decide when you Export a file.

 

 

You mentioned scans and clean scans. How do you clear the scans? Do you import after cleaning or before?

 

 

You can use snapshots in the develop module to tag various stages of the development process.

 

 

Whatever you do, make backup copies of your original files onto another disk before you start. Also, back up your Lightroom catalog periodically onto another disk drive.

<p>So I think I'll stick to having a "raw file" for each topic. Then I'll have a file where I'll put the files as they are cleaned (if they are scans) or converted to dng if they are digital files. Then I will tell Lightroom to put print files in the print files folder and web files in the web files folder. All the while bearing in mind I want Lightroom to retain control over the print and web files also. And I can tag the photos as "unprocessed" in some way so when I'm done archiving (SOME DAY!) I can work my way through various folders. Sound good?</p>