Moving images with Explorer before importing into Lightroom

Apologies in advance for what is probably a silly question. I've photographed for almost thirty years but only moved to digital for my serious work this past summer. My workflow has been to shoot RAW-only files (Nikon D3200 and D7100 at the moment), then move the individual NEFs from the SD card to my laptop (which does not have Lightroom) using Windows Explorer. Then I copy those NEFs, also in Explorer, onto a flash drive for backup. When I return to my desktop computer, I usually just import (copy) the NEFs from the flash drive into Lightroom and then follow normal backup procedures (external drives, etc).

 

So my question is, is there anything wrong with this method of getting images into Lightroom (copying through Explorer rather than directly from the card)? The pictures look fine to me, the metadata seems to be there, and I can't imagine how any information would be lost. I have just an sRGB monitor and haven't made really large prints, though, and want to be sure I'm not losing anything. Again, a silly question, but some of my assumptions have been wrong before...

There is no problem saving images in a directory of your choice. I do that exclusively. Rather than allow Lightroom to import directly from the card, I store the images then import from that directory into Lightroom. You should use Copy, rather than Move. Copy keeps the original files, whereas Move erases the original file once it is saved in the new location.

 

Since I have a Mac, I use "Finder," which is functionally the same as "File Explorer" in a PC.

Copying before review keeps bad shots in a number of places.

Good question. Windows explorer treats image files as just 'files' so no visual image data is lost when copying/moving them. Exif data is embedded in the image files and is copied/moved automatically as part of the image files. As you say, if the Exif data is all there in Lightroom, that confirms that no data has been lost.

When people say "data is lost", for whatever reason, is it perceptible to any real degree in the photo.

Are the images changed in moving? No. Digital copies are either perfect or unusable, which is why you should verify before deleting. You can even copy a compressed version, like JPEG, without further loss. If you open a JPEG, edit it in some way and re-save it, the image will incur some loss due to expansion and re-compression, in addition to deliberate changes made to the image.

I usually just import (copy) the NEFs from the flash drive into Lightroom and then follow normal backup procedures (external drives, etc).

 

Do you mean that you leave the NEF files on the flash drive? If so, that is a bad idea.

 

There are two separate issues. First, does it matter whether you copy or move images in Explorer before importing into Lightroom? The answer is no: as has been noted, copying does nothing to the original image file.

 

Second, where do you want the images to be? Lightroom does not store images. Rather, it has pointers to whatever location you choose for storage, as well as pointers to a file of thumbnails it produces. So, you should not import from a temporary location. You should import from whatever location in which you want to store the image files.

 

For example, my working images are all on a 2 TB internal hard drive. I put the card into a card reader and copy (not move) from the card to the relevant place on the hard drive, using Powerdesk Pro (a much more capable alternative to Explorer). I then import into Lightroom from the hard drive. I have LR set to store its catalog and thumbnails in different locations on the same hard drive.

 

So, at this stage, as a failsafe, I still have the files on the original card.

 

I then back up the relevant parts of the hard drive to an external hard drive using a synchronization program. (I use the one in Powerdesk, but it doesn't matter). This gives me my first, local backup, but unlike a backup program, it keeps a mirror of my working files. At that point, I reformat the card in the computer.

 

My second, off-site backup, which is a true backup rather than a sync, I do with Backblaze, which runs silently in the background. This gives me a backup that is secure if something happens to the room where I have both hard drives, and since it is a real backup, I can recover photo files if I accidentally delete them (which I have never done, but...)

Copying before review keeps bad shots in a number of places.

And "bad" shots today sometimes turn into gems tomorrow. I save and backup all shots I take no matter what I think about them at the moment. I've gone back to many files I didn't appreciate at first and find more than I saw the first time. Glad I don't make snap judgments.

When people say "data is lost", for whatever reason, is it perceptible to any real degree in the photo.

Yes. Or at least, yes, it can be. The loss of information can very much affect the degree to which post processing can be effective. If a file has lost information, it can impact how much highlight retrieval or shadow depth retrieval is possible later. It can affect the application of curves and levels adjustments and whether they will show more or less pixellation and artifacting. It can affect how much color tweaking can be done without degradation. It can effect a lot of things, including how good a print will look even if the screen images passes muster. Will all people perceive these things? No. But some of us do and it can be very important and make the difference between a good finished product and a lesser one.

Thanks to everyone for answering.

Do you mean that you leave the NEF files on the flash drive? If so, that is a bad idea.

 

No. I import from the flash drive with Lightroom set to copy the images to an external drive, which is backed up by two other drives (one in a different location). The flash drive and laptop are used only as portable temporary shuttles. I like backing up onto a flash drive while traveling because I can carry it in my pocket in case the cameras (with cards) and laptop get stolen or lost. I realize Lightroom does not actually store the images, though it took me awhile to figure that out.

 

My only concern in all this was that by grabbing and copying only the NEFs I might be missing some sort of hidden files that also contain information, though everyone seems to agree that is not the case.

My only concern in all this was that by grabbing and copying only the NEFs I might be missing some sort of hidden files that also contain information, though everyone seems to agree that is not the case.

As far as I can find, neither the camera nor Lightroom creates auxiliary files corresponding to the image files. EXIF data is either embedded in the files themselves, or located in the Lightroom library, including thumbnails and "development" information. If you mix video with stills, they are stored in different directories on the card. You must be careful to find and copy them as well.

As far as I can find, neither the camera nor Lightroom creates auxiliary files corresponding to the image files. EXIF data is either embedded in the files themselves, or located in the Lightroom library, including thumbnails and "development" information.

 

Not necessarily so. Lightroom can store edits in two places: in the catalog, or in an xml "sidecar" file that has the same name as the image (other than the extension) and is stored in the same directory. It has been a long time since I fiddled with this, but I think the default is to store in the catalog. Personally, I think that is a bad idea, as if your catalog becomes corrupted beyond repair, you lose edits since the last backup. If you do opt for sidecar files, you have to make sure that the xml files are moved with the image files. One way to do that is to import one catalog into another.

The OP asked about using Explorer (Finder) to move files BEFORE importing to Lightroom, which makes sidecar files generated by Lightroom irrelevant. That said, you can move files inside Lightroom to a directory of your choice, which includes any edited information associated with those files. That is the best way to proceed if you wish to retain all edits and information. If you move files externally, you can use the function "Synchronize" so that the new location is recognized properly.

 

The fundamental issue is whether moving or copying files changes them in any way, and the answer is no. They are merely copied bit for bit.