Removing image files (non pictures) from catalogue

[theMusicMan]

Hi All

Here's an interesting one I haven't come across previously.

I did a talk on LR at a local camera club yesterday, and those there were thrilled with what LR can do for them, and I am sure many will subsequently purchase LR3 etc. One person has already contacted me after downloading the 3'day trial with a question that we're going to try to address this evening.

He had LR scan his machine overnight for all images, and import them into a new catalogue. Subsequently, LR has found small jpgs and gifs that are not photographs, but are either clip art stuff, or similar type files for www sites or images used for buttons or on www sites and such like.

He has asked how he can rid the catalogue of those types of images.

Is there a parameter I could select and perhaps create a Smart Collection based on that parameter - then remove all those images from the catalogue etc, or is there a better, more effective method of carrying this out.

I'll have a think on it later, but any advice from the experts here would be greatly appreciated.

thanks all.

John

 

[Victoria Bampton]

Well, if they were GIF's, it'd be easy to filter to find by file format, but as LR doesn't import GIF's, I'll assume they're all JPEGs.

Something photograph specific might work. Perhaps filtering for all 'unknown camera' photos or 'capture time is older than X years'. If they're all little files, Jeffrey's Megapixel Sort plug-in would help find them http://regex.info/blog/lightroom-goodies/megapixel-sort. He might have to do a quick visual check before removing, but it would save a lot of the legwork.

 

[Bosse]

Victorias suggestion with filtering and especially Jeffreys plug-in should take him a long way. I just tried it and it easilly finds all small jpgs I have in my catalog.

However there is another thing this person should think about (maybe he has done so allready): that is some sort of file-strategy and backup.

Now when he is starting with a new, fresh catalog I would suggest that he first puts all photos in one place (internal or external harddrive dedicated to photos). In there he makes a folder hierarchy that is logical to him. If he reads this forum he´ll get many different answers. Many seems to advocate a date-hierarchy. I narrowed it down even further to only have year and inside that folders of 1''' photos. (I find my photos through searching in LR)

Having all photos gathered in one place makes it really easy to have some sort of backup-strategy. It also makes it convenient when downloading and importing new photos. They always go to the same place.

After having put all photos in this grand photofolder I would make a new catalog (since the existing one is full of all these small non-photo pics and the photos maybe scattered all over) and import everything again. From then on all sorting and moving of photos should take place from inside LR.

Just a thought. Oh, by the way did I say back-up strategy?

 

[theMusicMan]

Very informative answers both, thank you very much, I appreciate it.

Yes Victoria... I made a mistake with gif's - it's only the smaller jpg's that have been imported that he would like to sort.

I have advised him to come up with a strategy for naming and allocating storage, and of course a backup plan. He's coming over to my place this evening for a few hours where I can show him what I use and how I have all my images and folders set up. He has said to me that after watching my demo last night, and seeing my folder structures et al, he really needs to get his act together (his words, not mine)

Thanks again for the advice, both.

John

 

[Victoria Bampton]

Sounds like you're doing a great job John. I'm sure he'll appreciate it.