File structure ideas?

The goblin

The goblin

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Marsha
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Hi

I've been using LR since June last year and finally feel comfortable with it! But my catalogue is still a bit of a mess! I was wondering what sort of structure you peeps use?

I am a bit OCD so quite like the year/ month thing. But not sure whether to keep it as year/ month. Or do year/ sub category such as landscape/ macro, then do monthly within the sub category's! Then I have to go away and have a brandy or something!!! I do use the collections and smart collections, but probably not to their full benefit.

So I was hoping you lot would tell me what you do so I may be so rude as to steal/ borrow/ merge any ideas!!!

Ta muchly.
 
I wrote a reply to a similar question recently but it got no replies. I will find it when I get to work and paste it in here for you as it's a pain to do on a Phone.
 
I use a [year / month / shoot] file structure and keyword my images for smart collections generally based on a root of [people / places / things] with unlimited extra keywords such as macro, long exposure, wildlife, abstract. I also keyword for specific projects such as the '52.

My only "qwerky" thing is I don't keyword images until I have finished the processing, that way I can find them all easily when I have a processing session.

Despite the above best intentions, I am not always as diligent as I would like and my catalogue is in need of a bit of a sort out right now!
 
Stu Blackpool said:
I wrote a reply to a similar question recently but it got no replies. I will find it when I get to work and paste it in here for you as it's a pain to do on a Phone.
Click to expand...
Thanks.

Brian_of_Bozeat said:
I use a [year / month / shoot] file structure and keyword my images for smart collections generally based on a root of [people / places / things] with unlimited extra keywords such as macro, long exposure, wildlife, abstract. I also keyword for specific projects such as the '52.

My only "qwerky" thing is I don't keyword images until I have finished the processing, that way I can find them all easily when I have a processing session.

Despite the above best intentions, I am not always as diligent as I would like and my catalogue is in need of a bit of a sort out right now!
Click to expand...

I think half of my problem starts with the finishing the processing! I get half way through then take more photos and forget about the previous ones!!! This is why I'm never likely to set up a photography business!
 
The goblin said:
I think half of my problem starts with the finishing the processing! I get half way through then take more photos and forget about the previous ones!!! This is why I'm never likely to set up a photography business!
Click to expand...

I need to be in the mood to get on with the processing... or I do a poor job.
 
LR's biggest plus point for me is its file management capability.

For me.
  • Insert compact flash card. Light-room opens.
  • Tell it to copy all the files from the CF card to XYZ drive and place them in a folder called "XYZ"
  • Tell it to also rename the files as follows - "Shoot name, dd/mm/yyyy/h/m/s_frame number"
  • Add all metadata, IE: Lake district, sunrise, brothers water, jetty, etc
  • Hit import.
  • It will now do what you instructed above while you make a brew.

Once its done, you can then view the images in LR.

Now I go through them all quickly using left/right arrows on keyboard and all the ones with potential as keepers I "Flag" with the "P" (pick) button.

Once I am happy all the potentials are flagged with a "Pick" I hit the "Flagged" filter. (the three ghosted flags above image thumbnails and next to the stars) This slims down all the images to show me only the ones i have "Picked" and leaves out the junk from my view.

Now i go through and do some editing (I have created presets that always give me a good starting point. IE: camera correction, =15contrast, -40 highlights, +10 clarity etc)
When your finished editing and are happy with an image, you have lots of other "Tagging" options.

Personally I tag all landscapes "green" and all finished images with "5stars".
Any HDR images are red and anything imported back from PS CC as a Tiff are tagged as yellow.
Started, but unfinished stuff is given 4 stars. this allows me to filter any folder down to whatever I want.

For Example: Select relevant shoot folder, and then...
  • Want to see picked images with potential? - Click the white flag
  • Want to see final processed images? - click 5 stars
  • Want to see started but unfinished processing jobs? - Click 4 stars
  • Want to see only finished landscape images? Click green and 5 stars.
You can go on forever and make it as easy, or complex as you like. You can obviously apply the above to ALL your images by clicking "All images" and then going into search and using metadata along with the flags/colours/stars to say perhaps "Show me all lake District images, with jettys in that I gave 5 stars" - boom, every jetty image you have ever shot in the lakes and finished processing on in the last 30years appears before your eyes.

Search through folders for that jetty I know I shot 15 years ago at sunset but cant remember when?
No thanks... those days are long gone! LOL

Tip of the day.
Remember, if you have a lot of images almost the same, get one processed bob on, then right mouse on it, choose "copy settings" select the settings to copy (You may want to leave out grads for example) and then right mouse and paste those settings onto the next unprocessed similar image and you will have those images almost ready to go in 3 seconds flat by pasting all your hard processing work from the other image directly into the new one... tweak and done.

Smart Collections:
A quick example of how to utilise these.
I have one called "Ullswater 5star collection". Its created as follows:
  • Add new smart collection.
  • Tell it that any images tagged with the name "Ullswater" AND applied with "5stars" should be added to this collection.
Thats it, from now on, every time you finish an Ullswater image and tag it five stars, it will automatically be added to this folder.

Thats a VERY brief idea of how I work with LR... But I hope it gives you food for thought.
Once you have LR there is no real reason to ever look through folders in windows EVER again.
 
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Stu Blackpool said:
LR's biggest plus point for me is its file management capability.
Click to expand...

Yep think its great too...

Stu Blackpool said:
For me.
  • Insert compact flash card. Light-room opens.
  • Tell it to copy all the files from the CF card to XYZ drive and place them in a folder called "XYZ"
  • Tell it to also rename the files as follows - "Shoot name, dd/mm/yyyy/h/m/s_frame number"
  • Add all metadata, IE: Lake district, sunrise, brothers water, jetty, etc
  • Hit import.
  • It will now do what you instructed above while you make a brew.
Once its done, you can then view the images in LR.
Now I go through them all quickly using left/right arrows on keyboard and all the ones with potential as keepers I "Flag" with the "P" (pick) button.

Once I am happy all the potentials are flagged with a "Pick" I hit the "Flagged" filter. (the three ghosted flags above image thumbnails and next to the stars) This slims down all the images to show me only the ones i have "Picked" and leaves out the junk from my view.
Click to expand...

I used to do this but now just copy everything onto the desktop (import folder) then open them in a File Viewer (FS Viewer) & delete anything I don't like. The rest gets imported into LR following pretty much the above process.
Then I DO NOT use the PICK button.

The reason I do this is that the file size on the D800 is large - lol - this method means that only the potential files that pass the first hurdle get imported into LR - makes the workflow faster...

Everything that is not flagged as a DELETE is therefore a PICK.
 
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Hope you move the images off the desktop. As anything located on the desktop just slows the PC down
 
Thanks Stu for that reply. I do use the x and p when I go through them initially. Although I've just stumbled on the ctrl backspace short cut (was that said in here?) for deleting the ones I don't want, short cuts are definitely the way ahead in LR!

I also do use the batch process tip of the day for similar shots, just wish I had more similar ones :lol: For example yesterday at a birthday party there are lots of different situations, shaded in the bouncy castle, outside bright sunshine, inside darkness, inside with a bit of light!!!! It would be a lot easier if I could pin the kids to the floor!!!! Only 116 shots to edit!

CharlotteM said:
Year/Month/Date Keywords
Click to expand...
Thanks, I do do this on import, I just need to keyword a lot more! But then i wonder about sub folders for different things!

But looking at the other thread the OP says this:, as I have been
phildaintith said:
I was looking at something similar. Scenario for what you suggested, what happens if you shoot for example HERE at night with a light trail and you decide to also get a few trails in

Does it go in the landscape folder, light trails or star trails?

I know i seem like a pain but want to try and get a real solid structure before i start hahaha
Click to expand...

I think this sums me up! But maybe I should just keep it as simple as possible?

Diving Pete said:
I used to do this but now just copy everything onto the desktop (import folder) then open them in a File Viewer (FS Viewer) & delete anything I don't like. The rest gets imported into LR following pretty much the above process.
Then I DO NOT use the PICK button.

The reason I do this is that the file size on the D800 is large - lol - this method means that only the potential files that pass the first hurdle get imported into LR - makes the workflow faster...

Everything that is not flagged as a DELETE is therefore a PICK.
Click to expand...
You keep everything on your desktop?

I go through my photos for the initial cull on the import box, then I go through them again using the compare view for similar shots and pick as necessary!

Jayst84 said:
Plenty of talk about this previously; thread here should get you started: http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/organising-all-your-folders.513231/#post-5898729 (y)

But basically, as Charlotte says is the simplest and most future proof way to organise I find.

Reverse date so it stays in chronological order. Then add keywords to each shoot as you import it.
Click to expand...
I never thought about reverse date!
 
Copy CF Card onto UDMA2 Hyperspace (done on site) then this is copied to the Import folder on desktop.
Make initial cull, using FS viewer then Import the rest into LR, keyword & rename to: ie. 28 Feb Owl Day 01.NEF. They at import, also get moved into the Feb folder, - folder structure is 2014\ Feb, then file names.. & 1:1 previews added..

I don't now worry about creating folders inside the Feb structure as every file is named correctly - although I may revise this later in the year.
If you start with 01, & end with 28 - 28 days in Feb mostly!.. (like this: 28 Feb Owl Day 01.NEF) the files will ALLWAYS be in order.

These are worked on & once completed then the files are copied to my NAS server - they are then after copying, DELETED from the local drive & the UDMA 2. This is then every 3 months also copied onto another drive / s..
If you MOVE the files after completion you risk losing them. At all times they are at least 2 sets of the images.

I have only started doing it this way due to the file size of the D800 as on one day I took 89Gb & my wife 21Gb..... OUCH....
 
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Hi Marsha

I file all of mine under year/month/date format and keyword.

I tried doing it by "theme" but if you've got a photo of the kids in some stunning scenery is it portrait? Landscape? What if it has some horses inthe background? Is it then wildlife? Quick examples but that's why themes don't work for me. The only exceptions that if I take any textures or pure sky shots [for blending] then these go into a folder called, you guessed it, "Textures" or "Sky".

If you are a pro or semi-pro that shoots a wedding, portrait set, etc then I think this is where descriptive folder names such as "Andrew and Tina's Wedding 20/04/12" or "F1 Brands Hatch 6 June 2013" can work well


Also, Stu's post above is very good and there are lots of good habits in there that we can cherry-pick from
 
Folder name is

date-TLA-shootname

Where TLA = "wed" for weddings, "com" for commercial, "per" for personal. Etc.

But really it doesn’t matter. Finding things by folder name would be a last resort. That would be like finding something by remembering where I put it.
 
I file mine in subject matter/name order. I can easily filter in date order if I need that using Lioghtroom.
 
Does anyone use multiple catalogues? I started by having one for everything and then filtering into collections. However after ending up with a confusing amount of collections, now I have set up multiple catalogues. I currently I have 1 for wildlife and 1 for family ie general days out. When I open LR I get a dialogue box which asks me which catalogue I want
 
The goblin said:
I have looked at this, but I can't organise one catalogue let alone lots of them!
Click to expand...

It's actually easier than having just 1. For a start it don't have to worry about generic "wildlife tags". There's also less images in each one. I have all the catalogues under the "Pictures" folder on the computer so all I have to do is back up that folder to my external and cloud drives. The only other stuff I have on my PC is music and that's all either on CD or ITunes so easy enough to get again if everything crashes.
 
I do what Hugh does.

The downside to this is that if you have a raw file on your hard drive and want to see the edited version, you need to know what Lightroom Catalogue it's in. Usually that's not hard but it's something to keep an eye on.
 
One catalogue - the catalogue is just the LR database. Include everything and that's just one cat to back up.

Hard drive folder structure is my organisational tool for storage, and the LR cat references this. Folders by date (&/or whatever you find personally useful). Within that structure I keep my imported RAWS (which can thus always be revisted) and processed full-res tiffs exported from those RAWS.

Tags, keywords & ratings etc are a separate layer on top of the above basic structure and provide a different means of access.
 
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Jayst84 said:
Out of interest, why do you do that? Assuming they're from lightroom, and not further edited in PS or whatever.
Click to expand...
Just as a handy, easily-inspected resource for any further processing I want to do outside LR.
 
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