Organizing folder locations when importing??

[hilaryhood]

I'm having difficulty with the very first steps of using lightroom. When I import my photos from a memory card, I want them to import into a specific folder on my external hard drive and I want LR to show the same photo folder hierarchy in the folders section.

Instead the new photos show up on my desktop (i may have asked it to duplicate them there) and that is the heirarchy that shows in LR.

My external hard drive heirarchy looks like this:

HHP photo (hard drive name)/2''8/ Portraits
Weddings
Personal etc...
But it keeps giving me the heirarchy of the desktop. Does this make any sense?

Thanks, Hilary

 

[Brad Snyder]

I'm having difficulty with the very first steps of using lightroom. When I import my photos from a memory card, I want them to import into a specific folder on my external hard drive and I want LR to show the same photo folder hierarchy in the folders section.

Normally that's what happens (or at least its one of the available options).

Instead the new photos show up on my desktop (i may have asked it to duplicate them there) and that is the heirarchy that shows in LR.

[COLOR=#''''ff]Can you describe what you think you 'may' have done, in a little more detail?[/COLOR]

My external hard drive heirarchy looks like this:

HHP photo (hard drive name)/2''8/ Portraits
Weddings
Personal etc...

[COLOR=#''''ff]That's normal and very common.[/COLOR]


But it keeps giving me the heirarchy of the desktop. Does this make any sense?

[COLOR=#''''ff]No. But we'll figure it out. [/COLOR]
Thanks, Hilary

In the import dialog, you're given some options for file handling:

[COLOR=#''''ff]For removable media[/COLOR], you can basically copy the photos to a new location and import, or convert the photos to DNG and copy to a new location and import. In this instance, you copy the files from the memory card to the selected hard-drive.

[COLOR=#''''ff]For attached media[/COLOR], there are two additonal options, import at the current location, and move the photos to a new location and import. In this instance, the files have already been copied to your hard-drive, and you are manipulating them there.

In all of these options, the target location is displayed directly below the File Handling drop down. You can browse to the target location (where you want the files copied/moved using the Choose button just to the right.

In addition, just below, you can select to put all the copied/moved images into one folder, preserve the original folder tree, or create a new date based folder tree. You can specify a file naming template as well.

You can also designate a location for file backup copies to be created.

The only way for the files to have ended up on your desktop, is for you to have chosen the desktop somehow in the "Move/Copy to:" step above. If you had chosen that location for 'backups", then that wouldn't be reflected in your catalog hierarchy.

Can you tell us more about your system, OS, Mac/PC, LR version, image file types? If you can do it, a screen shot of the Import Photos dialog box if you can recreate the steps you took that got you where you are, would help a lot. If not, can you recreate/describe what you chose for each option?

 

[hilaryhood]

Thank you. I think you've explained it well and I now understand how to do it correctly. I'm going out to shoot now and I'll give it a fresh try when I return to see if it all works.

By the way, is lightroom forum somehow connected to Digital Wedding Forum?

Thanks, Hilary

 

[Victoria Bampton]

By the way, is lightroom forum somehow connected to Digital Wedding Forum?

Only by ME Hilary! :lol: You'll spot a few familiar names from the DWF, as I've pointed a fair few back in this direction, particularly when an issue comes up that requires a few good solid brains to figure out.

 

[Peggy]

Hi--I'm hoping that by jumping on this thread you can send some help my way as well. I'm trying to upload images from a card reader and separate the files onto my internal hard drive as well as an external. My Import dialog box only has 2 sections: 3 boxes at the top and an "Import DNG Creation" gray area. I'm looking for the 'removable' media and 'attached media' creation choices you've referenced here but I cannot find them. Can you please direct me? Thank you, Peggy

 

[Brad Snyder]

Hi--I'm hoping that by jumping on this thread you can send some help my way as well. I'm trying to upload images from a card reader and separate the files onto my internal hard drive as well as an external. My Import dialog box only has 2 sections: 3 boxes at the top and an "Import DNG Creation" gray area. I'm looking for the 'removable' media and 'attached media' creation choices you've referenced here but I cannot find them. Can you please direct me? Thank you, Peggy

Peggy, I may have caused that confusion by my terminology. There's no specific selection for "removable" or "attached" media. I was trying to highlight that there are different import options available depending on whether your files are on a memory card (removable) or within your computer's file system (on a internal/external hard drive) (attached).

When you click import with a memory card inserted in your system, you should be see a dialog offering a choice between importing from the memory card or choosing files which already exist on your computer.

If you choose the memory card, when the Import dialog appears your file handling choices are limited to copying the photo files (either as original Raws, or as converted DNGs) to a specific location on your PC, which you have some flexibility in specifying and naming. In addition, you can create a backup copy of the original files at a different specified location.

If you import existing files from somewhere already on your computer, you have 2 additonal options, importing from their current location, and moving (as opposed to copying) them to a new location and importing.

I'm confused when you describe the import dialog you're seeing. It doesn't seem like what you should be seeing, I've attached a screen shot below.

If you're able to grab a screen capture of that dialog, plus add some details about your PC/OS/LR versions, that would help a lot.