Lightroom 3 Library help

dan_yorkshire

dan_yorkshire

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Dan
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Hi All,

Brand new to lightroom and hit a problem.

I have just imported lots of photos that were already on the computer plus some off a memory card into a folder on my desktop.

I am using the Scott Kelby book and following his guide.

Within the folder I know have folders, for instance called

- Football Shots
- So & So Wedding
- Bike Ride
- Spain Holiday

etc
etc

However when I view the library in the 'Collections' tab on the left they are sorted by these folders

- Coloured Red
- Five Stars
- Past Month
- Recently Modified

etc

How do i get this to show the folder names I have called them.

Probably just a quick setting but struggling.

Cheers in advance.

Dan
 
Look at the tabs on the left,
The options you see are under the 'Collections' tab, just above that is the 'Folders' tab. Click that and it should give the folders/file tree where your photos are.
Or are you looking to create a new collection so they are listed here?
 
Thanks for your reply Andy, my original post was misleading.

I am now looking in the Folders tab and all my photos are correctly under there..... however, when I sort 'Root Folder Display' by 'Folder Name Only' it sorts them by the year....

- 2009
- 2010
- 2011

Which are the folders underneath the main folder name.

I.E

- Spain Holiday
------ 2010
--------- 26th June

How do I get it to point to the top level and not the year?

Dan
 
Last edited:
Do you have a small triangle next to the folders? Clicking should expand/collapse the subfolder list leaving the top folder. Is that what you mean?
 
Yes there are small triangles but the top level is the year.

With traingle closed its

- 2011

When I open the triangle it shows

- 2010
--- 26 07 2010
--- 28 09 2010
--- 14 10 2010

Its basically sorting by year and not by the name I have given to the folder.

Maybe I have imported them wrong?
 
One more thought,
Folder A
-Folder B
--100 Photos
-Folder C
--34 Photos

Is it only showing Folder B & C and you want it to show Folder A as well?
If so, I'm not sure if it's the proper way to do it, but drop a picture in the top folder and import it to Lightroom. This will tell it there is a folder above the ones with the photos in. Lightroom only adds folders with imported pictures in them. This may be why you're missing the named folders.

HTH :)
 
Last edited:
Look under Folders NOT Collections!
 
Thats pretty much the problem I am having Andy yes. It only shows folders with photos in them. So how do you sort them by the top level name?

I have just changed the date format slightly but still the same problem.

This is the way I now have the folders arranged in windows is, and I think I am doing it right from Scott Kelbys book...

Folder A
--- 2010 Feb 13 (10 photos)

Folder B
--- 2011 Mar 23 (14 photos)

Folder C
--- 2009 Jun 02 (34 photos)

etc

But in my Library Folders all I see is

--- 2010 Feb 13
--- 2011 Mar 23
--- 2009 Jun 02

Which will make it so difficult when I have many more folders to find photos. I want to see them by folder/theme name, not the date they were taken on.

Cheers for your help
 
Last edited:
Sorted guys. It was the way in which I was importing them causing the confusion.

I wasnt importing them 'into one folder' but by date, I followed the book to robotically and used the organise by data section even though I didnt want/need to.

Cheers again Andy.
 
Glad you got it sorted :)
Now just look up the section on 'key words' and you can find them which ever folder they hide in ;)
 
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