Keeping Track of Images - InDesign

How about viewing the image folder in Bridge? You can set the Filter panel to view all images with No Label. When you place an image in InDesign return to Bridge to apply a label so that it is no longer shown in the Content window. In Bridge preferences you change the name of the label (to "Placed" for example) and Deselect Require the Command Key… so that you can apply the label with a single key—6, 7, 8, etc.

You can do pretty much the same thing in LR—similiar to your current workflow—where you set up a Publish Service for the images you'll be using. Once the image has been placed you can apply a label to filter it from view.

Of the two approaches, while neither is perfect, Bridge might be preferable since you can right-click the image to place directly from within the Content window. 

Here is my workaround - thanks to those who quickly replied to make me look for an easier solution.

I have a smart published collection which publishes to a hard drive from Lightroom. This is the source of my assets for InDesign and is in the project folder (but could be anywhere).

When I insert the published images into the InDesign document, I simply mark the files with a label in Finder (Mac but I assume theer is a similar option in PC).  Of course, this doesn't affect the labels the original images may or may not have in Lightroom. When I publish more files from the smart collection, the new files are exported and I can see them easily since they don't have the label I have applied to the previously placed images. I place all the unlabeled images, label them and I'm ready to go again.

Hope that makes sense.

(and I'm still looking for a completely automated workflow 🙂 )

Bridge is a good idea, but what about a two-folder system? Put all images into an all_links folder, and then move them to a used_links folder as you get ready to add them to a file. You just have to move them before you place them so that you don't break the links.

~Barb

One idea would be to use Adobe Bridge which can show a window of the files you have already placed in the InDesign file. This is explained in this article in InDesignSecrets.com by Cari Jansen:

https://indesignsecrets.com/graphic-reveal-in-finder.php

You'd have to look at a second Bridge window of all the images for the project and compare them side-by-side

I suggest for good housekeeping, you keep copies of your document's images in an assets folder that you keep in a folder with the InDesign document.