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FeedbackCommunityMember
Inspiring
June 4, 2011
Not Prioritized

P: Delete Images on Card after Import

  • June 4, 2011
  • 113 replies
  • 5662 views

I would love to get an option to let LR automatically delete images from the card after they have been successfully imported. Images on the card that have not been imported, are let alone, of course.

It would serve two purposes for me:
1. It would save me deleting the images manually.
2. It would dramatically improve the experience of importing images from one card into different catalogs.

An incremental import of subsets of images on one card into a single catalog (but e.g., different folders) is well supported by the "New Photos" filter in the import dialog. However, when I switch catalogs while downloading images from a card -- because some subset of images on the card needs to go into a different catalog -- the "New Photos" filter no longer works. As a result, I have to remember and wade through a lot of images I already imported into a different catalog.

I realise that deleting images from the card is a sensitive issue. It must not happen prior to having verified that the image indeed has been copied (or converted) to a new location. Picasa supports this double checking.

As a safety net, Lightroom could offer a "restore deleted images" feature that would resurrect deleted files from cards. Users will find such a feature tremendously useful for other occasions as well.

I'd be happy with the following compromises as well:

* The option to delete images after import is available only if one activates a second backup location.

* Images are not deleted but the tracking of which images have already been imported is extended to work across catalogs. A record of what images still need to be imported could be associated with a currently inserted card.

    113 replies

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    Victoria Bampton LR Queen
    Community Expert
    Victoria Bampton LR QueenCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 4, 2011
    > When users do something stupid do cause the loss of their imports, they'll be able to do that later as well, when they don't have the card as a backup anymore.

    It's not necessarily the users that are the issue. One of the most frequent causes of file corruption is a faulty card reader or cable. If the photos are imported, and then you realise there's corruption, often the photos are still on the card and can be pulled off safely using another card reader.

    There are certainly arguments both ways, and it's up to Adobe to make the final decision having heard the pleas from both sides.
    Victoria - The Lightroom Queen
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    FeedbackCommunityMemberAuthor
    Inspiring
    June 4, 2011
    Between import and first backup cycle the newly imported files are vulnerable: software corruptions, catastrophic hardware failures, or plain and simple user error. Take your pick, we've seen them all. Because of that vulnerability I maintain that it makes no sense at all to give an unsuspecting user the ability to take away his/her ultimate fall-back. That is my opinion, you can disagree all you want but it isn't going to change that.

    Do I have concrete links to a lightroomforums.net thread....not easily to hand, but there are threads over there that I have participated in where the card was the only recourse...you are more than welcome to come over and trawl through my posts looking for them. Or you could just take my word.

    Thank you for your final 'note', though I did actually state in my earlier post that I use that facility every time I import. Yes it offers some protection, but still not sufficient in my view to justify wiping the card during import.
    john beardsworth
    Community Expert
    john beardsworthCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 4, 2011
    Maybe I should just sound as if I don't know what I think? 😉
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    FeedbackCommunityMemberAuthor
    Inspiring
    June 4, 2011
    Jim, what is that problem that causes users to lose the import? It would have to delete files on a harddisk. If something like this happens all bets are off. no? Such a problem could affect files on a card as well.

    Do you have a concrete link to a lightroomforums.net thread were images on the card where the only way of recovering lost images?

    When users do something stupid do cause the loss of their imports, they'll be able to do that later as well, when they don't have the card as a backup anymore.

    We might agree that my proposal would improve some of the plain awful workflows that exist.

    We might agree that anyone who currently has a better workflow is smart enough not to touch the option and/or understand the warning dialog.

    Note also, that you can let Lightroom not only import images but have it create a backup before it deletes the images from the card. If anything happened to the imported images, one would have the backup as a fallback option. No need for the images to be still on the card.
    F
    FeedbackCommunityMemberAuthor
    Inspiring
    June 4, 2011
    You drew attention to my justification in a denigrating way. You might consider that just because you fail to see advantages there might still be some. I can take straight responses, no problem. I, however, reject the notion that you are the only one who knows what is good and bad for Lightroom. You have a tendency to phrase your views in such absolute terms that they come across as "the truth" and anyone disagreeing obviously is clueless about Lightroom.
    john beardsworth
    Community Expert
    john beardsworthCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 4, 2011
    TK, whoever you may be, I couldn't care less about your fragmenting of your workflow into multiple catalogues but drew attention to it as a novel justification for what is a dumb idea for LR. I don't argue against it to be wantonly negative (and who the f are you to question my motives, or I yours?) but simply because the idea is detrimental to LR. If you can't take straight answers....
    F
    FeedbackCommunityMemberAuthor
    Inspiring
    June 4, 2011
    Do you seriously not see the potential for a user to import from card, have the card cleaned, then have a problem on the computer which loses those imports? Or does something stupid to cause the loss of the imports? Plenty of examples over at lightroomforums.net of users having these kinds of issues, and their only recovery is to go back to the card and re-import. Oops!

    As for the 'normal procedure after images have been imported into Lightroom', I would respectfully suggest there's no such thing. Plenty of different workflows in use: some good, some not so good, and some plain awful. Personally I do NOT reformat my cards until after I have imported (taking a second copy backup on import to an external drive), then got the imports and updated catalog into my normal backup process, which includes getting a copy off-site. Plenty of different approaches, for sure, but deleting the images from the card during import just seems like asking for trouble.
    F
    FeedbackCommunityMemberAuthor
    Inspiring
    June 4, 2011
    Sure, I fully see the issue. However, people have to accept responsibility. If they choose "Convert to DNG and delete the original RAW file" as an option during import, they could also shout "Adobe deleted my RAW originals and my DNGs are corrupted". Same issue, AFAIC.

    Maybe, the issue becomes less of a problem, if the deletion doesn't happen automatically, but has to be triggered by the user through an "Delete all images on card from Previous Import".

    I don't think this kind of hand holding should be necessary but I'd prefer this manual trigger over having to delete images manually.
    Victoria Bampton LR Queen
    Community Expert
    Victoria Bampton LR QueenCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 4, 2011
    True, but can you imagine how many people would be quick to shout "Adobe deleted my images and they were corrupted"
    Victoria - The Lightroom Queen
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    FeedbackCommunityMemberAuthor
    Inspiring
    June 4, 2011
    Jim, please see my latest post below. I kindly ask you to explain to me how users will lose irreplaceable photos, whether they choose the option intentionally or unintentionally.

    I've used this option with Picasa all the time and never had a problem. There was no need for me to be a power user or extra careful to not have a problem.
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