Can I keep my Folder organization strategy with Lightroom ?

[Bun0]

Hi all !

I am planning on using Lightroom as my all-in-one software for organizing and editing my pictures. I only do some basic editing (WB, contrast, sharpening, etc.) and do not use yet a keyword system. I am starting to struggle finding my pictures and am in need for a keywording and categorizing solution.

My folder structure looks like this :

My pictures
. . |___YYYY
. . . . . . |___YYYYMM_EVENTNAME
. . . . . . . . . . . . |___originals (.NR2 or .JPG)
. . . . . . . . . . . . |___weblog (.JPG)
. . . . . . . . . . . . |___.\(.JPG)

I currently put my final images directly in my YYYYMM_EVENTNAME root folder to be able to access them fast from my TV Media Center software or print them. I tried Adobe Bridge with PhotoShop. It works great to preserve my folder structure but it just seems too buggy and real slow to search or simply modify pictures. That is why I'm seriously considering LightRooom.

My concern is the database of Lightroom link with the disk folders. I am not sure it will allow me to manage folders the way I am doing it right now ??

If not, is there a way I could change my strategy to work with lightroom and at the same time, have an easy way to find pictures in my folder organization from an external basic software (my tv media center) ?

I hope my question is clear enough.

Thanks a lot in advance,

- Bun'

 

[neelin]

The short answer is yes (everything you want to do with the added ability of LR features, works seamlessly within your existing dir structure, and you're not taking any penalties for retaining it).

One of most confusing parts for me learning LR was that in the Library panel, the "Folders" drop down didn't look like my directory structure (nested) on my hard-drive. UNTIL I put dummy .jpg (or other image) in the all "more root" parts of a directory tree that were not showing in the "Folders" heirarchy (and imported it). This causes the roots to appear in the Folders drop down that will start to look exactly like your HD directory structure. You can delete the dummy file & the structure will remain visible.

Now you don't have to do that, but for me it's familiar to work with. That's the looks part of your nested structure scheme. Others can comment on the technical searching, etc.

robert

 

[Bun0]

Just want to add an idea to my post after reading another similar thread http://www.lightroomqueen.com/community/showthread.php?t=235')

So far, I think the solution would be to use the same hierarchy

My pictures
. . |___YYYY
. . . . . . |___YYYYMM_EVENTNAME

Put in the base folder my originals RAW or original JPGs, tag them as Rejected or Keep, and export the Keep in a subfolder called JPG for display on my media center or any fast access from another computer system (my laptop or my girlfriend's laptop). I also use PicasaWebAlbum and flickr, so I guess I could just filter my originials by Keeps and upload them using the plugins available.

Would that be the best option ?

 

[Victoria Bampton]

When you import photos into Lightroom, there's an option in the Import dialog - you can either copy or move to a new location, or you can reference them in their existing location.

If you reference them in their existing location, they don't move - they stay in your current folder hierarchy, so everything will still be where you're expecting.

If you want Lightroom to show the full hierarchy as a hierarchy, rather than just a long list of folders, put a temporary file in your top level folder (My Pictures) and import it. Once it's imported, you can delete it again, but you'll notice the folders panel now shows the hierarchy nice and tidily. There's a bit more explanation here: http://www.lightroomqueen.com/lightroomqueen/141samples/141FolderHierarchy.pdf

 

[stasber]

Just want to add an idea to my post after reading another similar thread http://www.lightroomqueen.com/community/showthread.php?t=235')

So far, I think the solution would be to use the same hierarchy

My pictures
. . |___YYYY
. . . . . . |___YYYYMM_EVENTNAME

Put in the base folder my originals RAW or original JPGs, tag them as Rejected or Keep, and export the Keep in a subfolder called JPG for display on my media center or any fast access from another computer system (my laptop or my girlfriend's laptop). I also use PicasaWebAlbum and flickr, so I guess I could just filter my originials by Keeps and upload them using the plugins available.

Would that be the best option ?

The 'best option' is ultimately the one you arrive at which you think doesn't need any more tweaking as it suits your needs perfectly! Took me ages to find what suited me, with a huge help from Peter Krogh's DAM Book. The best way to read it in my opinion is to see where he's coming from, then see how you can adapt it to your workflow on those principles.

I now have a similar directory structure to yours (i.e date based), except that my master files and their derivatives are under separate trees and there's no mistaking which folders or file versions I'm looking at.

If you're accessing your JPGs from a remote device then it would likely be faster to navigate a tree that doesn't contain subfolders full of large heavy raw files as well, esp if you accidentally click a folder of masters and have to wait for it to load before backing out of it again. You also only access the pictures you know have been processed and finished.

If, however, you would like to quickly access both master files and derivatives remotely then keeping them both in the same set of folders might work better.

In my derivatives folders, I prefix an export with the application that produced it, that way I know the source application used to produce them if I wanted to return to re-edit, for example YYYYMM_EVENTNAME > LR-MEDIA would be media formatted jpgs processed in LR, or YYYYMM_EVENTNAME > DPP-PRINT-CLIENT would be jpgs formatted for printing for my client, processed in Canon DPP (sometimes several groups of people may request images from a shoot in my case). This is a suggestion if you want to keep track of your Lightroom work, or Picassa work etc.