Import photos advice for Mac

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542
Name
Joe
Edit My Images
Yes
Hello, I have got a new iMac and as im totally new to the macOS I have been learning how things work ect ready to start using it with Adobe Lr classic, Lr cc & PS cc.


Now I had decided that I was going to give using the Photos app ago, to which I would import the images from SD card to the app -> sort them -> put them into albums -> then import into Lr using the already made structure. However open trialling this today I have found out that the current photos app dose not support the raw files from my OMD 5 Mark 3 and so the dont show up as neatly as i wished.


I would like some advice basically as to whether im better of:


-- still importing into the photos app


-- importing into the pictures folder system through finder & creating folders ect then importing into Lr


-- or import directly from SD card into Lr and allow Lr to create the folders?


Many Thanks, Joe :)
 
My opinion is ignore photos and use LR. If you have a professional image processor, why waste time with an interior tool?
And as I suggested before, do all importing etc yourself.

Thanks Toni, I did think using Lr would be the recommended way & I suppose if photos cant read raw files but Lr can then yeah im better organising using that. As for doing the importing my self, as I said I do agree with that and would definitely prefer the control, but just to ask then I take it when I create the folders ect in Lr on import this save in the Finder --> pictures folder and not the Photos app?
 
I'm sure we all have different ways of doing things, this is mine.

I copy the images from the memory card to my Samsung portable T5 500GB SSD.
I then import them into Lightroom from the SSD, this way I can switch from working on my iMac to my MacBook Pro and carry on where I left off.
Once I've culled and completed all edits I move the RAW files to my NAS drive and re-point Lightroom to the new location.

Probably not conventional but I find it works really well for me. :)
 
I'm sure we all have different ways of doing things, this is mine.

I copy the images from the memory card to my Samsung portable T5 500GB SSD.
I then import them into Lightroom from the SSD, this way I can switch from working on my iMac to my MacBook Pro and carry on where I left off.
Once I've culled and completed all edits I move the RAW files to my NAS drive and re-point Lightroom to the new location.

Probably not conventional but I find it works really well for me. :)

Missed off the fact I never format the memory card until the images are copied to my NAS, just in case. :)
 
I'm sure we all have different ways of doing things, this is mine.

I copy the images from the memory card to my Samsung portable T5 500GB SSD.
I then import them into Lightroom from the SSD, this way I can switch from working on my iMac to my MacBook Pro and carry on where I left off.
Once I've culled and completed all edits I move the RAW files to my NAS drive and re-point Lightroom to the new location.

Probably not conventional but I find it works really well for me. :)

Thank you Paul, it useful to see other peoples workflows, to help give me some ideas. Couple of questions if you don't mind... Firstly, when you say re-point Lr to a new location do you mean you export or processed images (jpgs) to the final folder you want the processed images saved? & secondly if my first Q's is correct, do you also create a backup copy of the processed images from the final saved place into a second place?

Thank you & Sorry for the added Q's im just totally new to all this especial me new mac set up! I started of as a lockdown hobby using Lr on a windows laptop lightly, but because I have really got into it and got the mac I want to set it up and so things properly if you get what I mean?
 
So when I import the images into Lightroom, it's the CR3 RAW files from Canon or Fuji RAW files from my XT3.
I store the RAW images outside of my Lightroom library so when they're initially imported Lightroom points to the files copied to my 500GB portable SSD, as I said this allows me to process on my iMac and if I need to, switch over to my MacBook Pro.

Once editing is done I will then move the RAW files from my portable SSD to my NAS drive (4 x 4TB). Obviously at this point Lightroom screams as the original files are now missing, you just point Lightroom to the new location for one of the images and it updates the rest for you, it's very straightforward. I just find editing is also much quicker done locally rather than over a network drive.

My NAS is configured to backup my 'RAW Images' folder to another external USB drive.
 
So when I import the images into Lightroom, it's the CR3 RAW files from Canon or Fuji RAW files from my XT3.
I store the RAW images outside of my Lightroom library so when they're initially imported Lightroom points to the files copied to my 500GB portable SSD, as I said this allows me to process on my iMac and if I need to, switch over to my MacBook Pro.

Once editing is done I will then move the RAW files from my portable SSD to my NAS drive (4 x 4TB). Obviously at this point Lightroom screams as the original files are now missing, you just point Lightroom to the new location for one of the images and it updates the rest for you, it's very straightforward. I just find editing is also much quicker done locally rather than over a network drive.

My NAS is configured to backup my 'RAW Images' folder to another external USB drive.

Right okay I think I get that, but do you not back up your processed files then, when you export the jpegs to a folder? Sorry Paul to sound thick aha. Basically when I was using it lightly whilst learning Lr on my windows laptop this is what I did:

Transfer images (RAW & Jpeg because im also new to photography as a whole to) from my SD card to a folder (named whatever the images are about) in my pictures part of my laptop --> then I open Lr & import them into Lr --> then process the raw files (the jpgs i only imported for comparison reasons whilst learning what Lr does) --> then once processed i export the raw images as jpgs to another fold I normal named the same as the orignal folder but with processed at the end --> then I would create a copy of these final images to an external hard drive for backup purposes..

But as I say not I have got into it & have the mac for a proper set up, I think how i used to do it wasn't the most conventional way aha.
 
I also configure my Lightroom catalogues to backup to a folder on my NAS drive every time I exit the program.

This is also something I didnt venture with while learning on my windows laptop, but will need to look at now im setting things up properly.
 
I export if I need to.

Say for example I'm doing a construction shoot, I'll come home with the RAW files, put them on my SSD, do the usual cull and editing in Lightroom, export the JPEGs to provide to the client, I then move the RAW files to my NAS, update Lightroom to point to the new location.

I don't backup the JPEG files as I can just re-export if needed.
 
There are so many ways you can do it, I based it on:

Quick file copies from my memory card (copying to portable SSD rather than over the network)
Speed of editing (much quicker for Lightroom to edit a file connected locally rather thank over the network)
Move finished files to my NAS (I like all my data to be stored here as it's fault tolerant and backed up)
 
I export if I need to.

Say for example I'm doing a construction shoot, I'll come home with the RAW files, put them on my SSD, do the usual cull and editing in Lightroom, export the JPEGs to provide to the client, I then move the RAW files to my NAS, update Lightroom to point to the new location.

I don't backup the JPEG files as I can just re-export if needed.

Ahh okay and Im right in saying that work because Lr backup the edits you made? (backing up the catalogue?)...

See I think I understand and appreciate what you do, but this is where I get confused because if i'm honest i'm not doing this as a profession, it purely a hobby and to be truthful all im looking to do is learn photography, take some nice images (im really getting into Macro), process the raws files in Lr as iv learnt you can get alot more out of a raw file than just taking the image in jpg, but then all i want is to export the file as a jpg image i can then use to show people in person or post online. So essentially I just want it to be like im taking the images in jpg but im not, im doing the processing because i know I can get a better image, but what im not really worried about is keeping raw and going back to them necessarily. Hens why I like to make sure its the final jpgs that are backed up. Again sorry I hope this makes sense, but im jus trying to work out the best workflow for my situation.

Also thanks very much for your help with this Paul, your help is very much apreciated.
 
I export if I need to.

Say for example I'm doing a construction shoot, I'll come home with the RAW files, put them on my SSD, do the usual cull and editing in Lightroom, export the JPEGs to provide to the client, I then move the RAW files to my NAS, update Lightroom to point to the new location.

I don't backup the JPEG files as I can just re-export if needed.

Morning Paul,

I have just been reading back through this, to re take in the information aha & I have a quesntion that has arose. You mention here that you put the RAW files onto and SSD to process them, do you actualy do the Lr processing from the SSD & if so this is because things work faster if editing a file that is on and external SSD rather than one that is on and internal HDD?

Cheers, Joe
 
Hi Joe, no it would be faster to do it from the internal SSD of my iMac, I use the portable SSD because it gives me the ability to switch from working on my iMac to my MacBook Pro of I need to. I just disconnect the portable SDD, connect it to my MacBook and open Lightroom and carry on.
 
Hi Joe, no it would be faster to do it from the internal SSD of my iMac, I use the portable SSD because it gives me the ability to switch from working on my iMac to my MacBook Pro of I need to. I just disconnect the portable SDD, connect it to my MacBook and open Lightroom and carry on.

ahh right sorry yeah I forgot you did that but. Only thing though is my iMac dosnt have an internal SSD it a 1TB Fusion drive HDD... so would it still be faster on my internal HDD than external SSD?

Cheers :)
 
Good point, Im not sure if it would still be quicker internally but I like the ability to move around, especially if I have lots of edits I can switch to my MacBook in the kitchen so I can talk to my wife rather than being hidden away in my office [emoji23]
 
Good point, Im not sure if it would still be quicker internally but I like the ability to move around, especially if I have lots of edits I can switch to my MacBook in the kitchen so I can talk to my wife rather than being hidden away in my office [emoji23]

haha brilliant! & thank you, I will do some investigation into this.
 
The other key point is my Lightroom libraries are on my external SSD, as you can’t store them on a network drive.
Right okay, yeah see I need to learn how, library’s, catalogue and all that works aha!
 
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