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Archive 2013 · LR Catalog question

  
 
Sunny Sra
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · LR Catalog question


Starting to make multiple catalogs based on type of shoots, instead of using 1 big catalog

Today i imported photos into a new catalog, these photos were edited in LR previously under the big catalog. When i move these photos (import) them to the new catalog, is there a way to also transfer/import the editing/settings i had applied to some of the photos?



Aug 16, 2013 at 11:50 AM
15Bit
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · LR Catalog question


I think you can do it by writing out .xmp files for each image. Also, you could try exporting the images you want to split from the monolithic catalogue as a new catalogue. That should take the settings automatically.


Aug 16, 2013 at 11:53 AM
Sunny Sra
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · LR Catalog question


Done.
created new catalog
Used Import photos
Then used Import from Catalog and selected the copy settings checkbox

Probably the long way of doing it...but it worked. Thank you.



Aug 16, 2013 at 12:16 PM
Alan321
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · LR Catalog question


Doing it that way will also help maintain collections too, which are not mentioned in the .xmp files. It might be a little quicker to export from the original catalog to new catalogs than the other way around.

Personally, I'd stick with a single catalog for as long as I could to give me greater capabilities for searching for images. e.g. if you want to double check the results with certain equipment and settings over time (say maximum aperture on a particular lens, or fastest shutter speed with a particular camera) then it is far easier to do it in one catalog than when spanning multiple catalogs. Then again my photo collection is smaller and also less easily separated by subject matter or client than it might be for many pro photographers.

- Alan



Aug 17, 2013 at 09:23 AM
Sunny Sra
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · LR Catalog question


For the longest time i've had 1 catalog ...since LR came out and now i'm on 5

recently i've started doing more portrait work etc so i'm putting all that stuff into a different catalog so i can just stay focused on that stuff. i switch back if i want to work on landscape photos etc.



Aug 24, 2013 at 05:47 PM
howardm4
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · LR Catalog question


Seems like a really inefficient way of doing things since the catalogs dont cross-communicate but if it works for you.


Aug 25, 2013 at 07:32 AM
Sunny Sra
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · LR Catalog question


howardm4 wrote:
Seems like a really inefficient way of doing things since the catalogs dont cross-communicate but if it works for you.


I don't want them cross communicating. I want my business stuff separate from my personal stuff.

How is it inefficient? Me sorting through 200 folders looking for the event is easier or me sorting through the last 10 shoots is easier?



Aug 25, 2013 at 01:38 PM
James_N
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · LR Catalog question


Sunny Sra wrote:
I don't want them cross communicating. I want my business stuff separate from my personal stuff.

How is it inefficient? Me sorting through 200 folders looking for the event is easier or me sorting through the last 10 shoots is easier?


I don't have a dog in this fight but if you're keyword tagging your images why would you have to sort through multiple folders or try to recall where you put a file or files?



Aug 25, 2013 at 03:19 PM
howardm4
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · LR Catalog question


the keeping of biz vs. personal separate is certainly valid but I just dont see the landscape vs. portrait thing


Aug 25, 2013 at 04:20 PM
Sunny Sra
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · LR Catalog question


howardm4 wrote:
the keeping of biz vs. personal separate is certainly valid but I just dont see the landscape vs. portrait thing


landscape work is personal vs portrait work is ...work.



Aug 25, 2013 at 04:34 PM
Sunny Sra
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · LR Catalog question


James_N wrote:
I don't have a dog in this fight but if you're keyword tagging your images why would you have to sort through multiple folders or try to recall where you put a file or files?


cuz i hate pulling up 100s of pics that i've taken with the same lens, same camera...its just not efficient for me to search by gear. i'm differentiating business from personal work thats all.



Aug 25, 2013 at 04:35 PM
James_N
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · LR Catalog question


James_N wrote:
I don't have a dog in this fight but if you're keyword tagging your images why would you have to sort through multiple folders or try to recall where you put a file or files?


Sunny Sra wrote:
cuz i hate pulling up 100s of pics that i've taken with the same lens, same camera...its just not efficient for me to search by gear. i'm differentiating business from personal work thats all.


I understand the need to separate your personal work from the rest of your work; or the desire not to commingle all your files. But your last reply makes we wonder if there isn't a misunderstanding. You referenced "same lens, same camera" and "not efficient for me to search by gear" but that's not what keyword tagging is about. You're talking about searching by EXIF metadata (the metadata generated by the camera when a file is created) while keyword tagging refers to adding IPTC metadata (the descriptors of an image's content like who, what, where, when, etc. that are added by the user).

When your click the Import button in Lightroom, the Import dialog box comes up with a Keyword panel where you can enter bulk IPTC metadata or keywords that generally describe the entire shoot. So if, for example, you had a sunset shoot on the beach with a model named Marie, you can enter keyword tags like Marie, beach, and sunset in that panel.

Then once the images are imported into Lightroom you can use the Keyword Panel in the Library Module to add keyword tags that are specific to an image. (You can also use other tools like the Painter/Spray can to quickly keyword tag multiple images). So if Marie is walking, running, smiling, etc in each photo you can add those specific keyword tags at this stage.

Now if you want to find/retrieve a shoot with Marie you simply bring up the Filter bar by pressing the Backslash [ \ ] key, and entering the search terms in the Text tab (not the Metadata search tab you earlier implied). So to find the beach shoot with Marie, you would just enter the search terms Marie and beach and all the images from that shoot will appear immediately. If you want to find a specific image like Marie smiling on the beach, you enter Marie, smiling, beach as the search terms and those specific images will appear instead of the entire shoot.

All of this takes only a second or two if you take the time up front to keyword tag all your images and its certainly much more efficient than searching through multiple folders or hundreds of images.

(Note that if you're importing multiple shoots or "one off" images you can skip the bulk metadata tagging step in the Import dialog box and tag each image separately from the Keyword panel in the Library module).

Did I misunderstand what you meant by "search by gear?"



Aug 26, 2013 at 02:51 AM
Alan321
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · LR Catalog question


+1 to what James has written.

However, keep in mind that you can combine metadata filters and keyword (text) filters. It it's not an either/or thing and that makes it even more powerful.

You can also/instead use collections and these days you can have collections within collections.

The flexibility and power of this stuff far outweighs the merit of using separate catalogs once you get used to the idea. It is well worth the initial investment of time to learn how to use this power.

- Alan



Aug 26, 2013 at 10:52 PM
surftim
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · LR Catalog question


I do both, a little redundant, but it works for me.

I keep a separate catalog for each year, when I'm done working on the photos, I export as Catalog, then open up my One Big (the all inclusive) catalog, and Import from Catalog, and backup.

I also backup all my files, including my Lightroom backups onto several external hard drives.

The advantage of having the One Big catalog is when you wish to search for something you don't remember which catalog (in my example, which year) it was taken.

The advantage of having separate catalogs is they don't require the same system resources, and can be opened and closed quickly.



Sep 18, 2013 at 03:07 PM
John Caldwell
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · LR Catalog question


Agree with Import From Catalog approach. That retains all your (many) Catalog footsteps. I routinely work this way, meaning separate assignment-based catalogs which are later coalesced into a single large master catalog.

John Caldwell



Sep 18, 2013 at 07:13 PM
jonjack56
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · LR Catalog question


I think you can do it by writing out .xmp files for each image. Seems like a really inefficient way of doing things since the catalogs don't cross-communicate but if it works for you.


Sep 23, 2013 at 05:35 AM
John Caldwell
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · LR Catalog question


jonjack56 wrote:
I think you can do it by writing out .xmp files for each image...


This is correct or, if you work in DNG format, just write the metadata to the DNG. But what this method does not do is incorporate all the LR-specific information that the Catalog transfer method does retain. This may or may not matter to you. You will give up:

1) Develop historical states
2) Collection membership
3) Maybe some this I haven't though of.

John Caldwell



Sep 23, 2013 at 06:50 AM
John Caldwell
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · LR Catalog question


jonjack56 wrote:
I think you can do it by writing out .xmp files for each image...


This is correct or, if you work in DNG format, just write the metadata to the DNG. But what this method does not do is incorporate all the LR-specific information that the Catalog transfer method does retain. This may or may not matter to you. You will give up:

1) Develop historical states
2) Collection membership
3) Maybe some things I haven't though of.

John Caldwell



Sep 23, 2013 at 06:50 AM





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