New to importing in Lightroom-where to store?

[greg jansen]

I'm new to Lightroom 1.1, and have a few questions.

 

I have a couple of empty hard drives I can use for back-up.

 

I also have a drive that is loaded with images.

 

Should I use one empty drive for the LR files, one empty drive for LR back-

up? Or should I use my exsisting populated drive for the imitial LR reading

of the images, and an empty one for back-up?

 

If I understand it correctly, I need to have LR read my old files once to

build some kind of information file on it. Does that file have to reside on

the same disk? Any advantage to it on the same disk? Confused.

 

I want to make sure I do this right before reading all the image info on the

drive.

 

I do have my stuff BU to DVD.

 

 

Thanks!

[glenbarrington]

LR 1.1 is built around catalog concept. In order to use a photo with Lightroom, you need to import it into a catalog. You can import them in place, or you can have Lightroom move them to a new location on import.

 

You can also create more than one catalog. for instance, you could separate your personal photos into one catalog and your commercial photos into another. Again, because you can import the photos in place, the photos would not move from their current location. So theoretically, two photos could physically reside right next to each other in your current folder structure and each would logically reside in different LR catalogs. And each could ONLY be used when you are working in its LR catalog.

 

Since I have a file structure already in existence that I like to use. I imported the photos in place. And going forward, I offload the photos from my camera media with a 3rd party utility into that file structure. Then I import those photos in place.

 

I also use a 3rd party BU to DVD. LRs back up functions seem kind of primitive to me. Back-ups are never a bad thing!

[greg jansen]

Thanks, Glen. I think I'm starting to get it. I too have a file structure I want to maintain. When I import the images I already have, in place, does LR make a new copy of it? So when I open LR it is using that new copy, not the original?

 

If that is the case, then do I need to make sure I have enough space on my exsisting structure drive before importing. For instance, say I have used up 75 gigs on a 100 gig drive. When I go to import those photos for the first time, will I run out of room?

 

Last question! I would like to maintain my current workflow. Put CF card in computer, use Windows file manager to copy and paster them into a new folder that I made in my exsisting file tree.

 

Should I use LR to read the card, make an import; or should I load it with Windows (like I do now), and then go to LR to make its LR copies?

 

THanks Again!

[godfrey]

If you have structured your file system and tell Lightroom to import in place, it will use the

files exactly where you've placed them with no copies. That file structure is directly reported

and manipulable in the Folders panel of the Library module.

 

For pulling in new work from storage cards, you can use your current Windows import

procedure and then let LR import in place, or you can have Lightroom do both the import

from card to disk and import into the LR database at the same time.

 

Godfrey

[godfrey]

Oh yes, Lightroom backups:

 

Remember that, in LR's view, what's important to backup is the database. The Lightroom

backup is fast and small because what it's backing up is ONLY the database, not the

previews/thumbnails/etc. UNLESS you have it doing copies on import into a Managed file

structure.

 

I let Lightroom backup the database itself once a week, and do my own backups with an

external utility every day, which covers everything.

 

Godfrey

[fanta]

You should consider keeping the catalogue on the fastest hard-drive you have always on-line (or at least, always at reach when you need it). If you keep the catalogue backups on the same HD, it will protect you from a corruption in the catalogue itself, but not from a total failure of the HD. Consider to store the backups on a separate HD, or at least to copy them to a separate HD every often. The actual photos can spawn multiple drives, and you may leave them where they are should you decide to do so (during the import operation, direct LR to import them from current location). I hope you are backing up your photos too somehow.

 

Regards.

[godfrey]

I tend to keep the LR catalog/database on the same drive as the photos it contains

information for, and I also regularly save the metadata out to the files. If this is on an

external drive, I can swap the drive from machine to machine as needed without worrying

about having to synchronize things or having to reset the paths to the files.

 

My backup drives are completely separate from working drives. ;-)

 

Godfrey

[bob_johnson32]

If I have LR upload directly from the card via a card reader, where does it store the NEF and or JPEG files? I read the reply about catalogs and that's fine, but where are files?

 

I can't find them so I am considering uploading using Nikon PP and then using my own storage hierarchy, however, if LR has a place to put them, then I'd be duplicating and using more storage space than needed.

[godfrey]

Bob,

 

It puts the files precisely where you tell it to if you tell it to copy or move them. It imports

the files in place if you tell it to do that from a directory on your hard drive (that option is

not supported for imports from a flash memory card in a camera or reader device).

 

You can find any file that Lightroom has imported by clicking on it in the Grid view and

using the menu commands "Photo->Show in Finder" (Mac OS X ... I presume there is a

similar command for Windows users) or "Photo->Go to Folder in Library". The Folder panel

in the Library module is an exact map to the directory hierarchy you have on your hard

drive. Right-clicking on the folder name in the Library|Folders panel will also give you the

"Show in Finder" type of command.

 

Godfrey