Strugging with Lightroom workflow

[AndrewNYC]

Before I started using lightroom, I had my files in categories and then subcategories, with a folder template like this:

1. Raw Files
2. Master Files
3. Print Files
4 Web Files

I am getting all turned around trying to use lightroom and the catalogue. I need some help on workflow. Would it be better to simply have all my raw files in one folder, then all the master files in one folder and rely on keywording?

Any general advice would be helpful. I've recently lost the catalogue anyway, so I have to start from scratch essentially anyway.

 

[Richard G]

I am still learning. I bought Martin Evening's book as an ebook and have read half of it. The core principle with Lightroom is that there is one file. You can make a virtual copy in your library and still there is really only the one file. The new files are the exports into LR Exports, where I put jpegs for the web etc. The concept of the master and the raw files is meaningless in Lightroom as I understand it. The originally imported raw file, either copied or converted is the master. Full stop. Whatever you do subsequently that original file is retained in pristine condition and all the edits etc are non-dectructive software add-ons. Lightroom's default is to save by date and I saw no reason to depart from that. Keywords help with sorting and finding. I have yet to get on top of that.

 

[AndrewNYC]

Thanks....

Thanks....

another questionis, then, if there is a file that I take to Photoshop for some reason....how is that handled?

 

[gavinlg]

Umm okay... So lightroom acts as the catalog for you. You don't need to have raw/master/print/web as the way that it works is through 'non destructive editing'. Basically that means that when you import RAW files into light rooms catalog using whatever system you like (I use date e.g. year -> day/month/event with keywords to tag the images and pull them up quickly if I need to), lightroom will keep those raws untouched. Any editing you do is done to a little sidecar file that it attaches to those raws on your hard drive. So in effect when you edit the files, the original file is untouched, it's just referencing those changes within the library, and then the resulting edited file in your library is simply sort of a copy of the original. So your original structure isn't needed as your file can be all those things at once (raw/master/print/web). You can even make little copies of the file at whatever stage you like to be shown next to it by right clicking on it in the 'filmstrip' and selecting 'make copy' or something similar (don't have lightroom open right now to refer to. When you want to utilize your file for something outside of lightroom, you 'export' it - and you can select a million options upon export like size, file type, quality, output sharpening, filename etc etc. These exported files are physical copies of the original file in lightroom.

A good idea is to structure your library based on dates, followed by events. Perhaps you might want to watch some tutorials on youtube or similar as well - get a feel for what lightroom actually is - the file referencing is the whole point of it.

 

[gavinlg]

another questionis, then, if there is a file that I take to Photoshop for some reason....how is that handled?

It will ask if you want to edit your original file (eg - the raw format file) if you haven't edited it, or if you would like to make a copy and edit it in photoshop if you have already edited it. Always best to make a copy.

 

[AlexanderR]

Par of the beauty of Lightroom is to free you up from having multiple image versions hogging up drive space and managing folders. Here's my technique--maybe it'll be useful to you.

1. Import RAW files into lightroom in their native format (I don't convert to DNG). I dump all the files into one folder based on project, trip, etc. For snapshots and random shooting I use a random folder for each year. (ex. Random 2012). My entire archive sits in a folder called photographs.

So it looks ilke this: Desktop > Photographs > Year > Project folders
Example: Desktop > Photographs > 2012 > 20-30 Jan Australia (or Random 2012)

STEP 2: Once the images are in the folder, I browse through them and identify the Picks (shortcut P) or the Rejects (shortcut X) and tag them appropriately

STEP 3: Apply filter to hide rejects.

STEP 4: Process files that are keepers

STEP 5: Print or export for web output. I have a separate folder labeled Web Exports that has my web images in it.

I don't export "Masters" from lightroom. They remain there. I suppose if you really wanted to create a Tiff Master you could create a Masters folder, but that seems unnecessary to me. If you do that the beauty of key wording and filtering based on stars, etc, is lost unless you add the master folder to the LR catalog as well.

If you have keepers from multiple folders that you want to browse together, just create a collection of them. This way you don't duplicate files on your computer but can organize them as you like. Collections also work wit the print module, so if you're printing contact sheets or multi-image pages just browse from the collection in the print module.

I back everything up with Apple's Time Machine and I also back my Photographs folder up to externals using Chronosync. The Catalog itself also resides inside the photographs folder (Desktop > Photographs > LR Catalog > catalog filename) so it gets backed up by both time machine and chronosync in addition to the native catalog backup feature that LR has.

Hope that's useful.

-A.

 

[willie_901]

LR is a huge comprehensive data base. LR keeps track of all modifications you did to the original file (LR calls these Master Files). There is only one original. To render a modified version LR looks up the changes you made and recreates the rendered version. These modified files are called virtual copies. The original is never modified.

So here is one useful workflow outline.

1. Import to LR

2. During import: back up the files to an external drive; add keywords; rename the files as desired; create a new folder or let LR make one itself structed by date of capture; apply a set of processing parameters including lens corrections (the original file is not modified, but it's rendering in LR is).

3. Make virtual copies as needed. Each virtual copy can be completely different. This is where you process the image to suit your needs and aesthetic purpose. When finished you can add more keywords and rate, color label and/or flag the virtual copies.

4. Add the image to Collections. Collections are how you organize your work independently of your hard drive's file structure. LR's Collection structure is just another part of its massive data base.

5. Output. Each virtual copy (or original) can be exported to any number of file formats and virtually any size you wish. Because it is trivial to create and save a large number of export profiles, the files exported from LR are not saved within LR. You can print directly fom LR as well.

6. External editors. When you want to edit a file (master or virtual copy) in PS or a third-party plug in, LR makes a copy and loads it into PS. Your work in PS then replaces that copy when the file is automatically imported back into LR as an original (master) file. You can make virtual copies just like you would for any master file.

7. Legacy images. You would import you raw and master files into LR. As far as LR is concerned they are both master files and neither will ever be modified. You should keep your print and web images, but I would not import them into LR. I suggest you switch to using LR for all images exports. You could use keywords that indicates a legacy print or web version exists.


The easiest way to get your head around LR is to realize everything is based on a powerful, flexible inter-related database. If you try to use LR as you would use a non-data base application, you could make yourself crazy.

 

[kzphoto]

Willie pegs it pretty well. I had to fumble my way through the original LR to get things working the way I want them. I use LR for both film scans and digital files.

Key wording really helps! It can take awhile to tag your photos but once you get familiar with the techniques, it's a breeze.

 

[Bob Michaels]

I struggle with Lightroom as well. Whenever I try to use it, we have a battle over using Lightroom's way of managing files or the way I have 10+ years of files managed. Neither of us will yield so we have reached an agreement: I won't launch Lightroom and it won't try to manage my files it's way.

 

[Bob Michaels]

That's a point I don't understand because in fact Lightroom has absolutely NO specific way of managing directories and files. It only uses the structure you define.

Tom: The problem may very well be "user error". I have ever thing organized in layers of subdirectories. I simply want to go to a subdirectory in Win 7 and have LR open all the files in that subdirectory or a file I specifically choose.

Yesterday I was trying to modify a slideshow I built in LR. All the JPGs to be included are in one subdirectory. But LR would only open the few new files. When I finally got all the files in LR, they were greyed out and I could do nothing else with them. I finally quit and decided it was a problem for another day.

 

[Bob Michaels]

I see, it's not a filename or directory problem. You want Lightroom to work like Photoshop or Photoshop Elements etc. But it's not the way it works. If you want to start all your actions from the Windows Explorer then Lightroom is not the way to go.

Tom, yes that is a good summary. I simply want to pick a file (or files) and work on it (them). Now, I don't mind opening LR first and then selecting the files I want to work on from within there. I am used to that from the old MS-DOS days. But my whole thinking does revolve around files organized by subdirectories. Those subdirectories contain TIF, PSD, JPG, Excel, Word, Powerpoint and PDF files.