Can't create parent folder

[mar8314]

Lightroom Version Number

Lightroom version: CC 2015.9

Operating System

I am about to migrate over to a new iMac, and want to clean up my folder structure before I do. I went to look more closely at my folder structure (kind of a disaster even though I thought I had a method to my madness), and can't seem to figure out how to create a parent folder, and then create top folders for each year (starting at 2015 which is when my photos in library go back to). What appears to be my parent folder (with the 26,590 photos) is something that just looks like "/" which resides directly on my hard drive if I navigate to Show in Finder.

Backstory to where all my files are...my existing iMac is from 2009 and has been running out of storage space over past few years, so at the end of each of past 3 years, I have moved all of the actual image files to external hard drives. Clearly I didn't do this correctly, but I have always been able to 'find' the broken links manually and point to correct images when I have needed to access images from 2015-2017 in LR.

Ultimately, how do I create a parent folder and top level folders by year, so that:
1: I can more easily navigate to older (2015-2017) images (understanding this may be a little painful while I point them to correct place on EHD, but would rather incur this now and have a tidy system going forward!) and
2: in the future, when I need to move files from my hard drive to an EHD, it's easy peasy with them all being in a logical date-focused structure?

I would like to end up with top folders for each year, and then subfolders by month in each of them.

Thank you so much!!! I am at a total loss after lots of searching online, and really want to figure this out so I can be organized before moving to my new computer.

 

[Dan Marchant]

You already have a parent folder for your image on your internal drive - it is your Pictures folder. Just create a bunch of year dated folders in that and arrange images as desired. Then, if you want all your images on an external HD, just drag the pictures folder to the external HD (using LR).

 

[Johan Elzenga]

You already went too far with 'Show Parent Folder'. As a result, your disks are now shown as folders. After you've right-clicked on the '/' folder, choose 'Hide This Parent'. Then do the same with the 'Volumes' folder. Then restart Lightroom.

Then, like Dan said, you do not have to create parent folders, you'll have to create subfolders in the 'Pictures' folder.

 

[mar8314]

Thank you to you both! SO much! But still have questions...

OK, so I did what both of you suggested...

1. I "hid the parent' of the '/' folder, and then the 'Users' folder, so at the top I see the parent 'Pictures' folder-got it! But I don't understand why to hide the 'volumes' folder as well. Those are where I can see all the images that are stored on my EHD. ?

2. I created a bunch of year folders and arranged images from 2018. (and disregard the '2018 Raw Files folder, I I know what to do with those images once I move over to new computer) However, I am not sure what to do with the 2015 (created new), 2016 (created new) and 2017 folders (has been there, but files have moved to EHD), since those photos are stored on an external HD. If I move them in the parent 'Pictures' folder in their specific years, won't that want to move them back to my hard drive where I don't want them all? And because they are 'not found' unless I manually link them up to their location on my EHD, it seems like it won't work?

Attached photos of new structure.
Thanks again!

 

[Johan Elzenga]

The ‘Volumes’ folder is a hidden MacOS X folder which contains the information of all the connected disks. If you make this folder visible in Lightroom, then your disks will not show correctly as disks, but as folders. That is why you should hide it.

To create new parent folders on the external disks, you can act the same way. Create subfolders inside the current top folder on the disk. You can remove the earlier created folders that you don’t need.

 

[mar8314]

OK, I can create a new structure on my EHD similar to what I just did under 'Pictures,' but still not clear on where I will click within Lightroom to view the photos that are on my external drives? Where will they show up once I hide 'Volumes'? Do I have to go to 'All Photographs' and scroll to find them that way?

 

[Johan Elzenga]

When you hide the Volumes folder and restart Lightroom, the disks will show as disks again. That means you will still see everything in the folder panel, but now the way it should be.

 

[mar8314]

Johan, many thanks! I am all neat and tidy and ready for transfer Really appreciate the help here. Now I will be so much better off going forward!