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Vic-86
Known Participant
January 6, 2023
Question

Auto Import Watched Folder

  • January 6, 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 674 views

After all this time I just learned about auto importing, late to the party. Anyway, I have several catalogs I manage for different organizations and would like to use auto import from one folder for each catalog, as well as a different imported folder in each catalogs image folder tree. I already save presets with the catalogs, si I was surprised when setting up the second auto import wated folder that it defaulted back to the one from the first catalog. It seems no matter which catalog I open Lr only sees one watched folder.

Ideas, comments, help?

Windows 10, Current LrClassic(12)

Thanks

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2 replies

Rob_Cullen
Community Expert
Rob_CullenCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 14, 2023

I can only suggest you use the Regular [Import] function for which you can save a Preset that is specific to each Catalog. Needs a couple more mouse clicks to select 'Source' , but 'Destination' is always set in the Preset.

You talk about "Publish Plugin" - TBMK a Publish Preset can automatically add the published photos to a Catalog.

Auto-Import is not working for you, so you just need the best work-around that works for you and your situation, for which I can't offer more suggestions.

All the best.

Rob

Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.3, Photoshop 27.5, ACR 18.3, Lightroom 9.3, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.3 .
V
Vic-86Author
Known Participant
February 11, 2023

Long delay. Sorry about that.

I'm not having difficulty with the publihed exports. But I'm now hoping that Adobe might, in some future version, offer tha bility to set the auto-import folder to follow the catalog, rather than be the same for all catalogs. Obviously I can deal with the current situation, but was hoping there was another way.

Thanks, 🙂

 

Win 10 on NUC w/Intel I-7, 32G RAM, M2 SSD, Current Lr & Ps
Rob_Cullen
Community Expert
Rob_CullenCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 7, 2023

"It seems no matter which catalog I open Lr only sees one watched folder."

I see the same!  It appears that the 'Watched' folder is 'hard-wired' into Preferences no matter which Catalog is open.

I can however change the 'Destination' folder to be different in each Catalog, so I guess the best answer is to only place images for Catalog-A in the Watched folder when Catalog-A is open and running.

 

Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.3, Photoshop 27.5, ACR 18.3, Lightroom 9.3, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.3 .
V
Vic-86Author
Known Participant
January 7, 2023

Thanks, Rob. I guess that will work, but it seems like a very inelegant solution. I'd like to include Dropbox and Google Drive folders in different catalogs to make them available to others in separate organizations, and this will not accomplish that. 😞

Win 10 on NUC w/Intel I-7, 32G RAM, M2 SSD, Current Lr & Ps
Rob_Cullen
Community Expert
Rob_CullenCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 7, 2023

I can only see a work-around whereby you have a Desktop Folder designated for each Catalog (Catalog-A, Catalog-B, etc).  And when you have Catalog-A open and running - Move the files from the {Catalog-A} folder to the {Watched} folder. Thus you only auto-import Catalog-A photos.

{Catalog-A} > {Watched} > Catalog-A > {IMAGES-A}

{Catalog B} > {Watched} > Catalog-B > {IMAGES-B}

etc.

Introducing Dropbox and Google Drive folders to the 'equation' brings more complexity as LrC does not like working with 'cloud' storage, if at all!

 

Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.3, Photoshop 27.5, ACR 18.3, Lightroom 9.3, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.3 .
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