Lightroom - Help with albums

  • Thread starter I spat my dummy 86922
  • Start date
I

I spat my dummy 86922

Guest
Hi,

Just trying to get my head around Lightroom.

When I import photos I am doing the ADD function as thats what is chosen by default. Thats fine as most of the pics are coming from my SD card so won't have that plugged in all the time anyway. Am I right I thinking that all the pics just go into one big album and if I want to look at certain ones I have to keyword them? So there isn't a way to ada albums of say "Manchester Airport" , so that when I import more from a different time , ic an choose to have them import there?

Matt
 
You can set up folders and sub folders in the library folders panel then specify where you want to import the photos.

Think you might need a book, there is a lot to learn, the Scott Kelby ones are quite good although I have the Lightroom Queen one
 
@FujiMatt Which version of LR do you use, might have a book you can have
 
LR functions with what it calls its 'catalogue', which is a database of all imported images along with any adjustments subsequently made to them. The catalogue doesn't contain the actual image files, it just refernces them. You can have your image files wherever you liike in whatever folder structure you please, and this can be arranged outside LR - after which you might find keywording helpful or unnecessary. LR needs to know where your photo files ARE, though. If you start moving stuff around, you've got to tutor it about where the files it references have gone to. So it's best to set up your folder structure early.
 
There are a lot of videos and tutorials out there, some better than others. Julienne Kost I believe has a free e-book on getting started.

If I read your original post correctly you are importing from your SD card using ADD, leaving your files on the card and referencing them... if so that is a huge big NO - NO.

Import using COPY and place your image files on an external HD which the catalogue database within Lightroom will reference, a bit more advanced that drive should be backed up.

Keywording is 'key' (pun intended) to keeping LR organised along with collections, you can create a collection titled 'Manchester Airport' and drag your required images into it. (They are not moved, they stay where they are on your HD).

No need to worry too much about folders when you learn the power of collections, not to make things too complicated, if you do have an unexplained urge to move the files around, do it in lightroom, saves a whole lot of bother.
 
Sorry, only got one book for the latest LR6 version
 
Right...

I have spent this afternoon looking through tutorials and given it a go.

I click import and go to the location that I want to import from (SD card etc) and then on the right I get to choose where to copy the files to. I have an external hard drive that I have created folders in. I have created an Aviation folder and inside there, folders for different places that I visit. If I click to import it into, say, "Manchester Airport", which is a subfolder of Aviation, and then just highlight the ones I took there , they go in fine. Then I declick them and click the ones from say "Manchester Barton Airfield" and I import them into that folder. They do that fine , when I look over the left I only see them 2 folders? Not the main one housing them 2 folders.

How can I do it where on the left I can see the Aviation and then click it to show the subfolders?

If I can't then after a while ill have tons of folders instead of them beings sorted into the folders as they are on the hard drive
Matt
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Others will disagree, but, don't worry about folders, use collections and organise within LR.

Lightroom only shows the two folders because that is all it is aware of.

Import your images using LR's defaults...
Create a collection set, call it Aviation.
Inside that set create two collections, one 'Manchester Airport', the other 'Manchester Barton Airfield'
Simply drag and drop the images you want into each collection.

Each image can reside in more than one collection, its location is not changed on disk
 
Last edited:
FujiMatt said:
... when I look over the left I only see them 2 folders? Not the main one housing them 2 folders.

How can I do it where on the left I can see the Aviation and then click it to show the subfolders?
Click to expand...
Right-click on the folder name, select 'Show parent folder'.
 
I will say it again.... Organise your images using collections not folders.

You can leave folder view closed and leave lightroom to its own devices as regards the structure.

Collections allow you to organise images in whichever way you wish, you can even use smart collections.
 
PhilH04 said:
I will say it again.... Organise your images using collections not folders.

You can leave folder view closed and leave lightroom to its own devices as regards the structure.

Collections allow you to organise images in whichever way you wish, you can even use smart collections.
Click to expand...


Don't agree at all with this at all. Get a good folder structure and stick to it.
 
Collections allow you to organise your images in any way you wish without moving or making any alteration to the location, images can appear in more than one collection. As everything needs to be done in Lightroom why not take advantage of the power of collections.

You can of course use a folder structure along with collections (with the proviso that all folder management is carried out within LR), however folders are so much more restrictive and collections will be the only way to handle more advanced image management.

Of course every one will have their own way of working, all I am saying is that collections give you more options than a folder structure.
 
Gaz J said:
Don't agree at all with this at all. Get a good folder structure and stick to it.
Click to expand...
I don’t disagree with you, but agree with Phil more.

A “good” folder structure is one where you can find what you are looking for to ensure data integrity (IMO) rather than collections (now called Albums) which are aimed at organising so you can find things.

IMO the best way is to allow Lightroom to create a date based folder structure (I use Photos at top level then Year/Month). But then when importing, assign the metadata tags “Manchester Airport” or “Manchester Barton Airfield” (which are under the hierarchy of Aviation). Then create a Smart Collection/Album which shows all photos with the tag Manchester Airport (and a second for Manchester Barton Airfield).

In the short term it sounds like more work, in the long term it’s (IMO) better. It also makes it easier to keep track of backups and archiving images (which you generally do by date).

That methodology works for me.
 
Eloise said:
I don’t disagree with you, but agree with Phil more.

A “good” folder structure is one where you can find what you are looking for to ensure data integrity (IMO) rather than collections (now called Albums) which are aimed at organising so you can find things.

IMO the best way is to allow Lightroom to create a date based folder structure (I use Photos at top level then Year/Month). But then when importing, assign the metadata tags “Manchester Airport” or “Manchester Barton Airfield” (which are under the hierarchy of Aviation). Then create a Smart Collection/Album which shows all photos with the tag Manchester Airport (and a second for Manchester Barton Airfield).

In the short term it sounds like more work, in the long term it’s (IMO) better. It also makes it easier to keep track of backups and archiving images (which you generally do by date).

That methodology works for me.
Click to expand...
Thank you... I think you put it a lot better than I did :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top