Migrating workflow to lightroom

A

AdamGP86

Messages
136
Name
Adam
Edit My Images
No
Hi,

I've been using Google Picasa for many years for my photo management and jumping into Photoshop elements when i want to make edits Picasa cant handle. Picasa hasn't been supported by google for a while and is feeling dated so i bought the Adobe CC Photography package for a year today on an amazon deal.

My current workflow is:
- Copy all my images to my laptop SSD
- In Picasa use the "star" feature to soft cull my which images i want to keep
- Backup the starred image to Flickr via a Picasa export
- Further edit some i want to and save as additional files in PS Elements
- Backup to 2 External hard drives
- Format the SD Card in camera when i next want to use it

When my laptop gets low on space i delete photos oldest first to free up space. My 2 External hard drives have the same file structure but i never delete from them so have 250gb of images from 2004 onwards.

What i like about Picasa is that the selection of "Starred" photos and any edits are stored as "picasa" files in the same directory as the images so if i lose the picasa library file or restructure picasa will scan the directory structure i point it to and re-figure it all out again.


Does anyone have any recommendations on how an can preserve a similar workflow with Lightroom Classic? or recommendations on a better way to do things?
 
Interested in this myself, simply to see other people's workflow as I'm starting to evolve my own. Currently (Nikon user):
- use ViewNXi (on the iMac) to import all images to an "Originals" folder then cull the rubbish from it with the same app
- use either Elements 2015 or Affinity to review and pick the ones to edit
- edit using Elements and if necessary Affinity
- save resulting Best quality jpg's to a "Final Versions" folder and upload to Flickr

(Backups are daily using Time Capsule to a remote 4Tb disk and Final Versions to DropBox)
 
You can use star ratings in Lightroom and edits are stored in Lightroom's database, or written to a sidecar file for raws.
 
My lightroom workflow:
Manually transfer images from card into folders with YYYY.MM.DD name, sometimes adding additional info if useful.
Import images into Lightroom, usually adding basic metadata keywords.
Go through giving * for work now, x for delete now, leave unmarked any I can't decide over.
Occasionally backup to 2 external HDDs.
Export any images I want to show/upload as .jpg files at reduced size.
Export any images I want to print at 300dpi for the size print to be created.
 
My lightroom workflow:

Import direct from SD card, create standard previews and smart previews on import (this greatly speeds up the Develop module), sync with Lightroom mobile and apply my standard import develop preset. Lightroom puts the files into a dated folder on my hard drive, and I also create a Lightroom collection of whatever I've been shooting that day at this point.

Go away and leave the laptop to churn through all the above for a little while. Creating the previews can take a bit of time but it's worth it for all the time saved later on.

Once this is done, I jump into the develop module and go through the images one by one. Any I don't like I hit the X key to mark as rejected, and I like I work on there and then if they need anything doing to them.

Once I've gone through everything, go back to the collection, select all rejected files and delete them keeping anything unflagged. Then the raw files are backed up onto my external drive, and I export a gallery of selected images using the quick collection feature.
 
Craikeybaby said:
You can use star ratings in Lightroom and edits are stored in Lightroom's database, or written to a sidecar file for raws.
Click to expand...
I think you'll find LR edits are stored in the Lightroom catalog, not the .xmp sidecar.
 
I guess there should have been an "also" in there: Lightroom's database, or also written to a sidecar file for raws. I.e. Lightroom database only, or Lightroom database and XMP.
 
Overall I'd think that you could go on much the same as before - which seems to suit you. Just translate the same procedures across to the new apps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top