Keeping Track of Images & More

rdbozz99

I like organization. Moved from PC (had em all since ’80). Finally went Mac. First time I imported 2500 pics into iPhoto - I had way to many folders - or as I would say sub-directories.

Abandoned iPhoto - now using Lightroom 5. I travel, and like to take just my iPad Air instead of MacBook Pro. So I can import pics into Cameral Roll, send them to Creative Cloud, and eventually to Mac and then into Lightroom. I still have a problem with organizing. I want a folder for various subjects - not a list of dates. I know this is all my ignorance, but frankly I don’t find a place to create the folders and put only selected pics in them.

When I transfer from iPad to computer - should I be using Creative Cloud? If I forgot about Cloud, and just used the CD card (I leave pics on until they make it to computer) what program should be opening to do the transfer? Directly into Lightroom 5? I have Nikon transfer, but that is what created all those folders.

So should it be Camera, iPad, Cloud, Mac, Lightroom OR CD card to Mac, then LR? I don’t use the iPad for final edits, it is only to see pics before I get back home.

Appreciate any guidance.

Golf007sd

My method:

1) Have a perminit folder for all your photo's: i.e.: Pictures.
2) Create a specific sub-folder for a given day of shooting under the main photo folder: ie. ...pictures>sunsets
3) Remove card from camera and download all photo's into that sub-folder that relates to the day of shooting.
4) Import all photo's into LR under a folder that is in relation to the subject photographed.
5) Publish from within LR to Flickr under an album that is related to the subject.

rdbozz99

Sounds completely reasonable. Don't know why I wound up with Creative Cloud. One thing - how do I direct pictures from card into specific LR folders? I have LR set to open on detection of card, so I presume I will get a dialog box? Thanks for the input.

sevencrossing

Matt Kowalski has some excellent advice on this on KelbyOne
Covering, just about everything you need to know about LR
and how to it quickly, by changing the defaults and making presets

Rx4Photo

I've watched a couple of workflow management sessions on CreativeLive and they've been helpful in changing the way I import pictures into the computer. It can get a bit complex depending on how detailed or organized you'd like to be but overall I think what I'm doing now is better than what I used to do.

You can direct LR to import your files to a certain folder or sub-folder by using the import menu items on the right panel. Simply click the little box for importing into sub-folder and give it a name. For example, there are days that I go out street shooting or nature shooting and might come back with only 1 or 2 keepers. Instead of having iPhoto put 2 photos under that particular date I'd import into LR and tell it to import those photos into a folder I might have already called "Street Photos" or "Nature." Remember though that LR remembers this and your next import might go into that same folder if you don't change it or at least unclick the little box.

There's a guy by the name of Jeffrey Friedl (Jeff Friedl's Blog) who has supposedly developed a better mousetrap - a better way to import photos and send them directly to the iPad without the use of iPhoto. I think he uses a couple of 3rd party programs to facilitate this. Personally, I'd like to learn his system but haven't put the time into it yet.