Import Setting up folders on import and changing folder names

[Fibrelady]

Lightroom Version Number

Lightroom Classic, 7.3

Operating System

1. macOS 10.13 High Sierra

I can't seem to set up my folders the way I have organized them in the past. Maybe there is a setting I'm not aware of and I've tried to find an answer in the newest book but I seem to be hung up. I understand that I now have to change the folder "tree" within Lightroom - not in Finder, the way I have done in the past. Help!

 

[Johan Elzenga]

I can't see what you've done in the past, except that you renamed the parent year folder to '2017 Photos'. To do the same with the '2018' folder, right click on it and then choose 'Rename...'.

 

[clee01l]

When you open the Import dialog, the Destination panel has a destination folder selected. If you want LR to create (OR use) date named subfolders. (i.e. Organise By Date) , then you need to select a destination folder at the highest level . In the example below. I want to create a subfolder Year with a Subfolder for Month. The resulting Folder tree would look like this:
Pictures
2018
05
So if you want something similar, you need to select the parent folder ABOVE 2018. In the screen shot you can see that the folder named "Pictures". is highlighted.

If the folder 2018 does not exist, LR will create it. If it does exist, then LR will use it and look for a subfolder for month (or what ever date named scheme that you choose). If that folder does not exist, LR will create it. If it exists, then LR will use it .

 

[Fibrelady]

I've created monthly folders in the past except for the times we went on special trips. I wasn't able to take many photos last year but maybe you can see from this screenshot what I used to do. I would like to just list them as year with the month as the subfolder but I think things changed when I changed from the old Adobe Lightroom to the upgrade to Classic CC.

 

[Fibrelady]

Thank you Cletus - I tried that but I end up getting the subfolder for the year, then another - all with 3 levels of photos. If I try to remove any of the levels, all my photos in all 3 levels disappear. I've tried but wasn't able to do it and I've still got my card from the camera waiting to try again before I format it ;-)

 

[clee01l]

Make a screen shot showing the top part of your destination panel and then a diagram (in text) of how you would like the folder structure to look . Then I will tell you which date folder scheme to use to get what you want LR to create for you. Lightroom can only create folders automatically based up on the types listed in the dropdown, Any other folder structure needs to be created manually except for the lowest level structure as defined when the "Into Subfolder" checkbox is checked.

 

[Fibrelady]

Thank you! I've just tried to do that and Lightroom is frozen. I've tried to shut it down and it won't. I've also tried to shut down my Mac but it won't let me because Lightroom is open!

 

[Fibrelady]

OK - it snapped back to life - I Have no idea what happened there but the option to Quit Lightroom is still greyed out at the top left of my computer. In the meantime, I did get a screenshot and I created a little drop down menu of how I've used Lightroom for years. Hope this helps you and then me ;-)

 

[clee01l]

"Make a screen shot showing the top part of your destination panel". that is the top 1/3 of the image that I posted and is found on the import dialog. You have provided a screen shot of your Folder panel which does not help me see how you set up the import dialog.
A folder named "01-Jan" is not one of the options in the automatic date naming schemes provided by LR. You can have month number (05) or month name (May) but not both. If you want to create a folder named "05-May" manually each time you import a new month into LR. I don't recommend this type of naming scheme. and recommend using one of the LR defaults date naming schemes as this can be done automatically and without thought if you use an import preset each time.

 

[Fibrelady]

Sorry ....... I tried using the import with what was visible on your screenshot earlier, but that didn't work. This is what mine looks like. I store my photos on a separate hard drive. Could this be causing the problem? My husband's photos are on the computer and his photos won't be added to. Should I move his to an external drive and mine onto the Mac? I set up the new computer under his guidance when we didn't want to asccept the outcome of his cancer diagnosis.

 

[clee01l]

If using the destination settings as indicated, you need to select (highlight) the parent destination folder. If you want folders nested under the "Pictures" folder in the volume labeled "Sandra's Photos" you need to select the "Pictures" folder. When you do that the sub folders "2018" will be created or used if it already exists, and a sub-sub folder "05" will be used or created for all images with a May 2018 creation date.

In my example earlier, do you see how my folder "Pictures" is highlighted where in your screen shot, your folder "Pictures" is not?

 

[Fibrelady]

THANK YOU, Cletus! I don't remember having to do that before but Doug had set-up my Lightroom on my old computer for me. He was my personal Lightroom geek. Simple solution for an overthinking mind!

I no longer have the photos from December 2017 to now on anything but my photo hard drive. How can I clean up the mess of the folder structure without deleting those photos? I know when I tried to delete a subfolder with the most recent ones, the photos disappeared from all three levels, but I still had them on my camera card.

 

[clee01l]

How can I clean up the mess of the folder structure without deleting those photos?

If they have been imported into Lightroom You don't really have to concern yourself about the "mess", Lightroom does not care where they are stored and you can find the images that you want using keywords, collections and metadata filters.

If you can't stand the look of your folder panel. You can (working in the folder panel) create the folder nesting structure that you want Then select the images that you want in a particular folder and use drag and drop to move them to the new location in LR.

 

[Fibrelady]

Thank you, Cletus. I appreciate your patience with me. I like my folders tidy and haven’t been good with keywords, etc., so I’ll give it a try.

 

[clee01l]

Thank you, Cletus. I appreciate your patience with me

That is why we show up to answer questions. Those that answer questions are patient because we were one in your shoes.

 

[Fibrelady]

And I appreciate your patience even more - because wearing another hat - I answer beginning weavers' questions online ;-) Certainly, not the volume that you have answered, there are more photographers on the internet than weavers!