In the last few posts, we’ve been merging multiple catalogs into a single new Master catalog. Once the photos are all in a single catalog, you can finish cleaning up. Fix Missing Photos If any photos are still marked as missing, now’s the time to track down the originals and relink them. It’s important to… Click to continue
Merging Catalogs – Stage 3 – Using Import from Another Catalog to Merge
In the last post, we finished gathering information about the catalogs and created a plan of action. With all of the information to hand, you’re ready to start merging catalogs. Open Lightroom and go to File menu > New Catalog. This will become your new Master catalog, so give it a sensible name and choose the location… Click to continue
Merging Catalogs – Stage 2 – Prepare Catalogs for a Clean Merge
In the last post, we figured out which of your multiple catalogs you want to merge into your new Master Catalog. There’s a little more preparation work to do, which will help to avoid problems later, and then we can go ahead with the merge. Stage 2 – Prepare Catalogs for a Clean Merge Based on… Click to continue
Merging Catalogs – Stage 1 – Identifying Catalogs
In the last post in the series, we gained an overview of the process of merging multiple catalogs into a single Master catalog. The first task is to identify which catalogs contain metadata you want to keep. The easiest way to do this is to make a list or spreadsheet of all the catalogs, something like this: (Click… Click to continue
Merging Catalogs – The Overview
Some weeks ago, we discussed the arguments for and against multiple catalogs. Perhaps you’ve unintentionally ended up with multiple catalogs, because you opened a backup catalog and continued working in it, or you’ve started a new catalog each time you’ve upgraded Lightroom. If you have metadata and edits scattered across multiple catalogs, you won’t want to lose all of… Click to continue
How do I clean up my keyword list?
In the previous post, we learned how to start keywording from scratch, but many Lightroom users have already added a few keywords, so this week, we’ll do some cleanup. How do I edit an existing keyword? If you want to edit a keyword, perhaps to correct the spelling, simply right-click on the keyword in the Keyword… Click to continue
How do I assign keywords to my photos?
Having decided how you’ll keyword your photos and whether to use a flat list or hierarchy, you can either start by building your keyword list in the Keyword List panel and then apply these keywords to your photos, or you can start keywording the photos and allow your keyword list to build gradually. Adding your… Click to continue
Should I use flat or hierarchical keywords?
In the last post, we were talking about the kind of keywords to add to your photos, but this week, let’s talk about the pros and cons of flat vs. hierarchical keyword lists. On the left, we have a single long flat list of keywords, and on the right, a hierarchy of keywords nested inside other… Click to continue
What kind of keywords should I assign to my photos?
In previous weeks, we’ve discussed the benefits of keeping all of the photos in a single catalog and using Lightroom’s tools to organize them. For the next four posts in the series, we’re exploring keywords. Keyword tags are text metadata used to describe the content of the photo. Unlike collections, keywords can be stored in the metadata of… Click to continue
How do I change or create keyboard shortcuts?
If you’re using the English version of Lightroom with another language keyboard, some of the keyboard shortcuts might not work. Mac only On a Mac, the easiest way to change a keyboard shortcut is to use the operating system keyboard preferences. In Lightroom, make a note of the menu command, being careful to note any… Click to continue
My rating workflow
In the previous post in the series, we discussed how to apply flags and star ratings to your photos, and how to filter them… but when you’re faced with thousands of photos, where do you start? How do you decide which photos deserve which ratings… and how do you keep the meaning of the ratings… Click to continue
How do I use flags and star ratings to identify my favorite photos?
In the last post, we discussed using collections to group photos. You don’t need to create additional collections for your best photos, because you can use flags/stars and filter them. Flags vs. Stars Lightroom offers multiple ways of rating your photos. Flags have three different states—flagged (picked), unflagged and rejected. It’s a popular ranking system among Lightroom users,… Click to continue
How do I create and manage collections?
In the “Why use collections to organize photos?” post, we learned why you might want to use collections to group photos. Now let’s learn how… How to create a collection To create a collection, scroll down to the Collections panel, which you’ll find in the left panel group in all modules, click the + button at… Click to continue
Why use collections to organize photos?
In previous posts, we’ve learned how store photos and videos in folders on your hard drive, but now let’s start organizing them into virtual collections based on their content. Collections are designed to group photos and videos for a specific purpose. Unlike folders, a single photo can be in multiple different collections without taking up extra… Click to continue
How do I use the Import dialog’s Destination panel to put the photos in per-shoot folders?
In the last post, we learned how to automatically place photos into dated folders, but if you need to find photos outside of Lightroom, you may want to store your photos in a year/shoot-named hierarchy instead. This still meets the best practice principles described in the How to organize your photos post. Here’s an example of a… Click to continue