How to set up Collection links between the Lr app and Lr on my computer

[mikecox]

Lightroom Version Number

11

Operating System

1. Windows 10

I exported a folder "as a Catalog" and lost the double arrow icons that identified a collection linked to a matching collection in Lr on my computer. '

It's been so long since it added those links that I forgot how I did it. Could someone refresh my memory?

 

[Jim Wilde]

It sounds as though you are talking about the sync icon that shows when a collection is synced with the cloud. In which case, those icons cannot appear in an exported catalog as only one catalog at a time can be the "synced catalog", i.e. the exported catalog is not synced with the cloud unless you specifically choose to make it the new synced catalog (but in doing that the current master catalog would lose its sync connection).

 

[mikecox]

It sounds as though you are talking about the sync icon that shows when a collection is synced with the cloud. In which case, those icons cannot appear in an exported catalog as only one catalog at a time can be the "synced catalog", i.e. the exported catalog is not synced with the cloud unless you specifically choose to make it the new synced catalog (but in doing that the current master catalog would lose its sync connection).

• Thanks for your much-appreciated response. I'm sorry it's taken so long to formulate my f/u.
• I will get to the behavior of exported "folders as Catalog" but I need to clarify the Collections vs Albums issue in the Library of the Pr app.
• When I ran "export this folder as Catalogue" I removed the folder from the default catalog. Things went south from there.
• At this point, the"Library", in the Lr app, lists three "Albums": Chair, current, and From cell. It is missing any reference to "Albums" or "Collections" that were associated with the exported "...folder as Catalog."
• My confusion stems from the terms: "Albums" and "Collections", in the app. I seem to recall that "collections" was the term used before I ran Export "... folder as Catalog.
• I am inclined to believe this to be the case because Lr, the app, instructions were to "create collections" to link images to so they could be synced with their namesake collections in Lr the program.
• Am I remembering it wrong, were they always called "Albums" in the app and "Collections" in the program? But how can you sync Albums with Collections? Doesn't an Album contain images while Collections contain links to images?
• Another odd thing is that, in the app, the "Chair" album now contains 525 items! It only contained 5 initially. How did over 520 images get added to the "Album"?

 

[Jim Wilde]

• My confusion stems from the terms: "Albums" and "Collections", in the app. I seem to recall that "collections" was the term used before I ran Export "... folder as Catalog.
• I am inclined to believe this to be the case because Lr, the app, instructions were to "create collections" to link images to so they could be synced with their namesake collections in Lr the program.
• Am I remembering it wrong, were they always called "Albums" in the app and "Collections" in the program? But how can you sync Albums with Collections? Doesn't an Album contain images while Collections contain links to images?
• Another odd thing is that, in the app, the "Chair" album now contains 525 items! It only contained 5 initially. How did over 520 images get added to the "Album"?

Albums and Collections are essentially the same thing, it's just that Adobe chose to use different terminology when developing the Lightroom app....so Collections in Classic, Albums in Lightroom are the same, i.e. a list of images assigned to a specific Collection/Album. The images themselves are physically contained in folders in Classic, which the user can see and access via the Folders Panel (along with the containing drives), and while they will be similarly stored on drives in the Cloud servers the user doesn't get to see those drives. Compounding the confusion even more is that the term "Folders" is used in Lightroom to represent the equivalent to Collections Sets in Classic, i.e. a "Folder" in Lightroom can only contain Albums (or sub-Folders) in the same way that Collections Sets in Classic can only contain Collections (or lower level Collection Sets). Neither Collections Sets in Classic nor Folders in Lightroom can directly contain image references.

Regarding your last bullet point, I would guess that when you imported those 520+ images into either Lightroom or LrClassic you had (presumably inadvertently) the "Chair" album/collection designated are the album/collection that the imports were to be added to. That's an optional import setting which you presumably didn't notice had been set. So check the import settings next time you import into whichever app you are currently using.

As you have a copy of the excellent Missing FAQ book, I suggest spending some time reading the "Cloud Sync" section, which will explain much more thoroughly how syncing works, especially when choosing to sync Classic with the Cloud.

 

[mikecox]

It sounds as though you are talking about the sync icon that shows when a collection is synced with the cloud. In which case, those icons cannot appear in an exported catalog as only one catalog at a time can be the "synced catalog", i.e. the exported catalog is not synced with the cloud unless you specifically choose to make it the new synced catalog (but in doing that the current master catalog would lose its sync connection).

Thanks for pointing that possibly out. I need to get into the weeds with how the Catalog really works. My catalog is a mess since I added a new drive for all my video material. Can you recommend a really good Catalog resource? I've been watching a lot of Youtube but it tends to be patchy., or tmi

 

[mikecox]

Albums and Collections are essentially the same thing, it's just that Adobe chose to use different terminology when developing the Lightroom app....so Collections in Classic, Albums in Lightroom are the same, i.e. a list of images assigned to a specific Collection/Album. The images themselves are physically contained in folders in Classic, which the user can see and access via the Folders Panel (along with the containing drives), and while they will be similarly stored on drives in the Cloud servers the user doesn't get to see those drives. Compounding the confusion even more is that the term "Folders" is used in Lightroom to represent the equivalent to Collections Sets in Classic, i.e. a "Folder" in Lightroom can only contain Albums (or sub-Folders) in the same way that Collections Sets in Classic can only contain Collections (or lower level Collection Sets). Neither Collections Sets in Classic nor Folders in Lightroom can directly contain image references.

Regarding your last bullet point, I would guess that when you imported those 520+ images into either Lightroom or LrClassic you had (presumably inadvertently) the "Chair" album/collection designated are the album/collection that the imports were to be added to. That's an optional import setting which you presumably didn't notice had been set. So check the import settings next time you import into whichever app you are currently using.

As you have a copy of the excellent Missing FAQ book, I suggest spending some time reading the "Cloud Sync" section, which will explain much more thoroughly how syncing works, especially when choosing to sync Classic with the Cloud.

Thanks! I need to get into the weeks with Catalogs, as I said to Jim. What resource would you recommend? I have the Lr Queen's books; though I just purchased them and haven't, yet, consult them.

 

[Victoria Bampton]

I have the Lr Queen's books; though I just purchased them and haven't, yet, consult them.

Focus on just reading the "Fast Track" sections marked with the red arrows to start with, that'll tell you everything you need to know in a hurry.

 

[mikecox]

Thanks, I'll do that.