How can I sort images from multiple cameras in Lightroom by time and export them to Photoshop

The big question is whether you need the images to stay in capture time order after they're delivered to the client. In other words, do the images need to stay in capture time order on the client's own drive? Because if they do, there's probably only one answer.

The Mac and (I think) Windows file systems don't let you (or your client) sort files by capture time in a folder. They let you sort by File Created or File Modified dates, but those aren't the same thing, and Lightroom can't rewrite either based on the capture time anyway. Any solution you might find for sending the images to Photoshop in capture time order probably will break down when it's time to deliver the files to the client.

Most clients are probably going to have folders on their drives set to sort by file name. So ultimately, that's the only practical solution to the problem: If you want the images to stay in capture time order all the way to the client's drive, rename the files in a way that the capture time is in the filename and can be sorted by it.

For example, if your original filenames from different cameras are:

_MG_6728.CR2 (capture time 20170206-184020)

_MG_0034.CR2 (capture time 20170206-184023)

_MG_6729.CR2 (capture time 20170206-184035)

_MG_0035.CR2 (capture time 20170206-184056)

…and you don't want the capture time at the beginning, and you want to preserve the original filenames, you can use Lightroom to automatically rename the beginning of the filenames consistently, and using filename tokens, have Lightroom put the capture time and original filename after that:

MyStudio-20170206-184020_MG_6728.CR2

MyStudio-20170206-184023_MG_0034.CR2

MyStudio-20170206-184035_MG_6729.CR2

MyStudio-20170206-184056_MG_6735.CR2

Renamed in this way, the images will stay in capture time order when sorted by name on any file system you or the client might use, and you can still identify the original filenames.

Another thought... if your end goal is to share images with a client you might want consider an alternate workflow. Try organizing your images in a collection in the order that you want (e.g. by time), then sync the collection with Lr Mobile and share the link with your client(s). Your client will then be able to access the collection via any browser window and make comments that will sync to your Lr desktop version.

You can then export the collection to deliver to your client. And although I agree with JSM on not renaming the photos, if you absolutely don't want a break in the sequence you can rename upon export.

suee36125316 wrote: LT will number the images, but the numbering is at the end of the file name not the beginning so when they are exported they still revert back to the original grouping by camera. When I deliver the images to a client I want similar images from two different cameras to be together. I am new to LT so your help is appreciated.

You can use the Export module's 'Filename Template Editor' with the below Custom settings to place the Sequence # at the front of the Filename.

Select all of the images from both cameras and set sort to Capture Time. The Export files will be named in order of Capture Time when sorted by Filename (0001_Filename, 0002_Filename, 0003_Filename, etc.)

What editing are you doing in PS? You may be able to do that in LR if you tell us more about your workflow.

Stop renaming them. Select all of them, or part of them first to last by Capture Time and Right Click on the first in the order and select Edit In then choose PS. The images should load into PS in the same order they were select, first to last by Capture time.

In any event the problem comes with how they are displayed in whatever program the client will be viewing them. Most will want to place them in order by File Name and not Capture Time. That is something the Client and you will have to sort out.