Wheel To Wheel Sensitivity

[I Simonius]

Hope Im posting in the right place - (please move if not?) Sorry in advance about the ropey analogies, I just hoe some of you can understand what Im trying to get at?

I would like LR to somehow be more like Bridge in user interface experience, and/or give more warning dialogues, I do not mean do the same job, I know they don't, but put it this way - I find bridge easy and intuitive, not so LR, even after quite a while persevering at using it - it's like the difference between power steering and non power steering.

On an icy road power steering doesn't give you that same feel of contact with the road, . In bridge things are more like the finder (Mac), in LR it's seem to be confusing to realte what's going on file management-wise, i.e. with whats happening on the HD.

I know it's me that's dumb , not LR, all the same I wonder if there's any way to make it less like flying an aeroplane compared to driving a car?

 

[Victoria Bampton]

So what specifically would improve this for you?

You're quite right, Bridge is much more like Finder - it's a file browser. LR is more like cataloguing tools - iView springs to mind. The two will never behave in exactly the same way.

That said, are there certain things you can think of which would improve the usability for you? Are there certain dialogs or actions that trip you up every time?

Rule of thumb might help in the meantime. Folders exist on the Hard Drive, Collections exist only in LR's database. Anything you do in the Folders panel is reflected on the Hard Drive. Anything you do in Collections usually is not. For example, when deleting from a collection, it only deletes from the collection. When deleting within a folder, it should give you the choice of deleting from the catalog only, or from the hard drive (moving to Trash/Recycle Bin).

 

[I Simonius]

So what specifically would improve this for you?

You're quite right, Bridge is much more like Finder - it's a file browser. LR is more like cataloguing tools - iView springs to mind. The two will never behave in exactly the same way.

That said, are there certain things you can think of which would improve the usability for you? Are there certain dialogs or actions that trip you up every time?

Rule of thumb might help in the meantime. Folders exist on the Hard Drive, Collections exist only in LR's database. Anything you do in the Folders panel is reflected on the Hard Drive. Anything you do in Collections usually is not. For example, when deleting from a collection, it only deletes from the collection. When deleting within a folder, it should give you the choice of deleting from the catalog only, or from the hard drive (moving to Trash/Recycle Bin).

I think what first got me tinking about tios was when I have impoirted with LR but realise I need to organise into new folders on the HD, to assist my backup strategy. This consists of deleting dud shots, of which tere are usually way too many to warrent backing up before editing or at least weeding. So what I have been doing is importing, deleting techinically imperfect shots, deletring badly composed or boring shots and then wanting to create and name a folder or two to put them in

Deleting folders is OK , you get the choice , but not of creating folders, that requires going out of LR into finder, back into LR etc

I tink the problem is that I am not a paid per assignment shooter. IO snap away at what takes my fancy, so there;s more thanone topic etc whi needs oorganising

Maybe I just need abetter uderstandin of workflow?

 

[Ian Farlow]

Lightroom can create folders within the Lightroom interface, as long as you are creating subfolders of existing folders. If you need to create a "root" folder, then Lightroom will automatically fire up the Finder window for you (Explorer window on the PC, I think).

I do this all the time. When I'm done reviewing shots for keepers, I then decide where I want to save the shots. Let's say that the shots I am currently working with are from a modeling session with Jane Doe. I look at my folder structure and I see "Modeling Sessions" but no subfolder for "Jane Doe." I right click on "Modeling Sessions" and select the option to make a new subfolder under the selected folder. Lightroom pops up a dialog box asking for a folder name (not a Finder window), I enter "Jane Doe", hit enter, and poof... a new folder is created on the hard disk and Lightroom shows the new folder in the folder browser. I then select all of the shots and drag the lot to the newly created folder.

Is this not what you are experiencing, or am I misunderstanding your frustration?

 

[I Simonius]

I didn't realise that LR did create an actual folder on HD as a subfolder - so that is a start (of solving my prob)

I'm still slow to grok when it's actually doing things on te HD and when it's virtual - I guess I just am hhaving trouble with the ambiguity (in my mind)

So looking at the RealWorld problem I have, might explain my problems:

I need to organise all my images coherently and comprehensively (in as simple way as posible, in a format I Iwon't have forgotten by next week) on my HD, (I need another HD?) in Bridge, in LR and on my website.
So I am trying to find a way to be organised on my HD, to be able to mirror or at least partly mirror that on my website , and to manage tem in Bridge, LR + Finder.

Bridge I have mostly got the hang of in that when there is lost files because I have probably moved it ion HD it it clear and I can find it and add to favourites again easily

- I have a thousand or so of images that are laregly unsorted that I am looking at right now in Bridge. They are scans (tiffs) of 35mm slides I took 25 yrs ago. (BIG files e.g. 112 MB) I want to organise them.
- I have the same issue of organising images that I have taken as RAW files, and have lots of psd files too
- Part of that organising will of course involve adding keywords

The problem might simply be one of workflow and DAM ( i.e. I haven't got the hang of it)

SO:
I used to import by dragging from CF card to my 'RAW_IN" folder, then in Bridge, check focus compositoion etc, trash bad shots move remaining shots to 'RAW_BackUP' folder - then back up
- Now I havebeen trying to let LR import the files into RAW in , but then ned to move them to RAW_back up after sorting. I just find the interface confusing.. I have no idea why (yet)

What I should do is vreate new sub folder in RAW_Back up' right and move remaining images there, and that WILL be created on the HD?

Now- I have all the other (already backed up) files that I need to organise, so I will need tocreate new foders to put them in , at the moment they are all in one folder, with some badly named or disorganised subfolders (e.g. 'Misc_8 )

Then also - I have those images that I have been or will have been working on in LR or in photoshop that I need or will need to back up - _ I can't use LR for psd files right? So I have to go back to Bridge for tis organising - is that right?

I am aware that I am confused. Please bear with me.

 

[Victoria Bampton]

Firstly, yes you can reference PSD files in LR.

Ok, so try this for size...

Folders are folders on the hard drive. Let's make it work a bit like Bridge, so you can see all your folders.

Go to File > Import and find the highest level folder you're ever going to need. That might be the root of the drive, or that might be a Pictures folder. Instead of hitting 'Open' to go down through the folder structure, hit 'Choose Selected'.

In the next dialog, tick Show Previews so that you can see all the thumbnails. Do you want them all imported into LR? If not, hit Uncheck All. That way we're just showing LR the folder structure. From now on, any images you import into LR will show in their relative file structure, which feels much more like Bridge.

Now, on to organizing your existing images. Steer clear of Collections at the moment, and just work with Folders, as they will be reflected on the hard drive and any other programs.

How would this work for you...

Create a folder (within LR) called 'Sorted' and whatever subfolders you'd like to use. Maybe sort by year, or locations.

Import into LR all of your 25 year old scans, and any other files as well. Leave them in their existing locations. In the import dialog, assign the keyword '!Yet to Keyword' (with the exclamation mark at the front so it's always top of the list. That way, as you keyword them later, you can remove that keyword.

Now, as you sort through files in LR's Grid mode in Folders panel, drag and drop the images into their new home in 'Sorted > Year'. If you check in Bridge, you'll find they've moved there too.

By the time you've finished, your original folders will be empty, and your sorted folders will be full of sorted pictures ready for keywording.

Now, same theory for any new raw files.

Make sure LR can see your RAW_IN folder and your RAW_BackUP folder, and pick up and drag between the two.

 

[I Simonius]

Thanks..still working on this one....can you hear the grey cells creaking?

 

[Victoria Bampton]

Actually, one more thought on that, while we're at it. LR can only reference files up to 1','''px x 1','''px due to current ACR restrictions, so you may have trouble referencing huge panoramas, but that should be about it.

 

[I Simonius]

I spent ages last night trying to get with this.. but.. I think i have a problem assimilating something that is not literal in my mind's eye, or something.. I was really struggling last night and Im trying to understand why

I think it is that I am unable to visualise a filing structure (DAM) from start to finish and so can't see how LR fits in
Whenever I try to visualise the whole schaboodle the deck of cards falls down

I'll have another go in a while but that's where Im stuck , in the visualisatin process somewhere - I need to try to undestand why it doesn't happen with Bridge but does with LR...