Where to begin with LR

[THE NiKoNiAn]

Well, I still have the first version of LR which I do love but want to use it to it's fullest. I am currently saveing the catalog to a backup hard drive and saveing the exported files as well. I have about 3500 files in LR now...I only keep clients photos saved in LR and someone had said that you can save a catalog for each photoshoot, this way you free up LR to run much faster?? I basically need to get my Post workflow smooth and learn how best to do things. I know I need to upgrade LR and I am also planning on getting CS4 down the road.

Any advise or could you share how you handle your post workflow?
Getting started in photogarphy is almost 2 fold...learning your camera and lighting and then learning the post processing workflow! Tiss a lot!!

Thank you!

[KenJulio]

I am beginning the trek of having a catalog for each shoot, I was doing this in Aperture 2, and am just getting the hang of LR2. I'll be watching this thread for thoughts/input.

[THE NiKoNiAn]

Sounds good, I hope you and I as well as others in the same boat learn a lot! If I understand LR2 is a $99 upgrade right? Then there is something out about LR 2.5 you can download? that would catch me up on the software versions at least.

[KenJulio]

Correct, 99 for the upgrade from v1. And yes, 2.5 is avail for download.

[jonney]

Check out youtube for some decent free lightroom tutorials or http://www.kelbytraining.com/ if you want to pay for some great ones.

jf

[THE NiKoNiAn]

You are right ken, I checked adobe's site and it is $99 for the upgrade and I did run across the 2.5 update. thanks

Jonney, I have seen some kelby training vid's but have not seen the LR ones, Also, like you say you do have to pay for their better stuff.

Anyone have anymore input on the idea of seperate catalogs for differents shoots? I am not sure I understand how that works. I do save a catalog but it is of the entire LR. Also, I found out that does not mean that your photos are saved...just the editing to them, so I take it you then have to export your photos and save them on the seperate HD to really have a backup?

[KenJulio]

I'm sure someone will correct me on this if I misstate this.

Lightroom Catalogs is just that, a catalog. It houses the information of the images you import, either leaving them on disk or into LR, along with this, any changes applied to the image, such as metadata, color, exposure, etc.

I'm sure there are more than one way to skin this cat, my workflow would be to create a catalog in the folder of the images, import the images, leaving the images in place, and creating a backup of the images. Keep in mind, any changes you make within LR are not directly to the photo. Once I'm done with any edits/updates, I'd copy the catalog to the backup dir of the images, so there I dont have to worry about trying to dupe the changes made.

[THE NiKoNiAn]

ok, now when I upload photos, I upload them streight into LR, I think LR puts them in a window folder if I am not mistaken. The photos are in a folder called LR and most are a .NEF format. In that same folder I have a catalog file. Now when I back the catalog up I do so to a catalog on my external drive. WOW, sounds like I have things all mixed up!

[jprechel]

I created a clients catalog a while back, but it is getting large and I have noticed a slow down. I may have to try the individual catalog approach too.

BTW, I would definitely go for the upgrade to Lightroom 2 (2.5). If you like the first version you are gonna love the second.

[THE NiKoNiAn]

Ya, I need to do the individual catalog approach but I am afraid to mess with the catalogs untill I understand it a bit better, I did once and ended up not able to access my photos. Yes, I will upgrade! I hear a lot of good things about it!

[KenJulio]

Again, there is more than one way to skin a cat. :)

To be a bit more in depth as to when I'm done with a shoot....

1. Upload files into a seperate folder directly to HD outside of LR
2. Create new catalog in the imported images folder
3. Import photos, "Add photos to catalog without moving"
4. Edits
5. Do a manual copy of the catalog to the backup dir created.

I'm now using 2 external harddrives, one is for immediate back-up when importing the images, then the other is my sandbox. When the back-up fills up, I catalog it, noting what shoots are on there and place it in the safe. I then purchase another HD and start the cycle again.

[THE NiKoNiAn]

Oh...ok, I see. Now, do you shoot RAW? So I will need to creat a new folder for each shoot. upload the CF card with RAW files to that folder and then open LR, and under file select "new catalog" and upload those photos I just put in the folder into LR. Will this place the "catalog" in that folder with those new photos? Then Edit. Will LR open only one shoot at a time? That is my understanding which allows a faster running LR? Thanks for your help, it is starting to make sence. I will have to start doing this from know on.

[KenJulio]

You decide where the new catalog will be saved to, at that point, you can save your images in that folder or another. In my workflow, it would be the same folder as your images.

In re: 'will LR open only one shoot at a time?' - simple answer, yes, as each catalog has the data for the specific photos. I believe you can import catalogs into other catalogs.

If you want to reduce the amount of catalogs you create, you can create them monthly, but as with any database/cataloging system, the more data it has it in, there is performance impact. Dont take it that LR will grind to a halt with 5000 photos in a catalog, it'll be MINUTELY slower.

In how I would handle the monthly scenario, my filesystem would like like this, if I was using windows.

d:\photos\200909\<your catalog>.lcat <-- this will have shoot 1 and 2 images imported with files staying put.
d:\photos\200909\<shoot 1 name>\<your photos>.nef|jpg|tiff or whatever the ext may be.
d:\photos\200909\<shoot 2 name>\<your photos>.nef|jpg|tiff or whatever the ext may be.

In re: do i shoot raw/nef? - yep, along with jpg. When I shoot sports, I shoot in mostly jpg, last event I shot, was a paintball tournament in Houston, in which I shot just a tad under 2700 photos. The other photographer had some 3k+, I know before the semi's, he had 2600 already.

I'll add, that if anyone thinks there is improvement to how I have I use LR, I'm all ears :)

[THE NiKoNiAn]

wow, you are very helpfull! I have things on my "C" drive right know backed up to an external HD, I will look at getting this setup like you suggest. I think at this point I can leave the photos I have as they are and just start up from here as you say. This is starting to make some sense!! It will still take some time to impliment but it is comming around! I take it you use a MAC? I have a PC right know and would love desperately to have a computer set apart for just photo work. But sadly I don't think that is possible right now.

[JohnT]

Spend some time at this site when you can.
http://www.lightroomkillertips.com/