Collections query

[AlexR]

Lightroom Version Number

LR Classic v12.0

Operating System

1. macOS 12 Monterey

Hi - I'm hoping to reorganise my catalogue by date - a simple folder for each year. Is there a way to do this that will retain the current subfolder structure? For example, I have a folder for a particular client with a number of subfolders inside it, one for each job I've done for them spread over a number of years. I'm trying to make this into a collection so that the job subfolders and hierarchy can be viewed intact, even if a particular job might be located in two separate year folders. Again for example, job no. 57 might have taken place over 2012 and 2013, so the files will appear in both the 2012 and 2013 folders, but hopefully the original job no. 57 folder would still be visible as part of a collection.
Possible or not?

Many thanks,
Alex

 

[AlexR]

And a further question - Adobe says 'In the Folders panel, you create a collection set from a folder that contains subfolders. The collection set created in the Collections panel have the same hierarchy as that of the folders and its subfolders.'

However when I try this with a folder containing a subfolder, nothing happens at all - control-click on the parent folder to create collection set, but no result.

Alex

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Folders and collections are two entirely separate things. So yes, it is possible to create a collection or setup a smart collection that shows all the images of a particular job, regardless in which folder these images are. Create the collection and drag the images into it, or create a smart collection that searches for these images, using the folders as criteria and/or other criteria.

 

[AlexR]

Thank you - I can see how to move all the images into a collection or smart collection, but I can't seem to make a collection containing the subfolders in their original hierarchy (see my second question above)

Alex

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Thank you - I can see how to move all the images into a collection or smart collection, but I can't seem to make a collection containing the subfolders in their original hierarchy (see my second question above)

Alex

You do not move images into a collection, you add them to a collection. Images can be in multiple collections. A collection cannot contain subfolders as a hierarchy, because collections cannot contain a hierarchy, but it can contain the images of all subfolders. A collection set can contain a hierarchy of ’subsets’ and then collections.

 

[Jim Wilde]

And a further question - Adobe says 'In the Folders panel, you create a collection set from a folder that contains subfolders. The collection set created in the Collections panel have the same hierarchy as that of the folders and its subfolders.'

However when I try this with a folder containing a subfolder, nothing happens at all - control-click on the parent folder to create collection set, but no result.

Alex

You say that "nothing happens at all" when you control-click on a parent folder. Do you not see the standard context sub-menu when you do that? What about if you right-click using you mouse or trackpad?

 

[AlexR]

Hi Jim - I get the sub-menu 'create collection set' which gives me the collection name and the option of a location inside a collection set (smart collections). If I then click 'create' nothing happens at all.

 

[AlexR]

You do not move images into a collection, you add them to a collection. Images can be in multiple collections. A collection cannot contain subfolders as a hierarchy, because collections cannot contain a hierarchy, but it can contain the images of all subfolders. A collection set can contain a hierarchy of ’subsets’ and then collections.

Got it, I think - thanks for your help

 

[clee01l]

You do not move images into a collection, you add them to a collection. Images can be in multiple collections. A collection cannot contain subfolders as a hierarchy, because collections cannot contain a hierarchy, but it can contain the images of all subfolders. A collection set can contain a hierarchy of ’subsets’ and then collections.

A Collection Set is a collection of Collections. You could for example create a collection Set named for the year and then Add collections for under this fro each job number.