Adding virtual copy to collection without adding it to original files location?

[merkk]

I haven't really made use of collections much. This is the first time I'm trying to use them. Typically i just organize all my photos by folders.

Anyhow, i want to create an alternate set of some images to play around with some different editing techniques. So I want to create virtual copies off all the images I want to experiment with and add those virtual copies to a collection, since the images are from all different folders. However, I do not want to clutter up these folders with virtual copies. i.e. I just want the originals to show up when i navigate by folder.

I'm guessing the only way I can do this would be to either move the virtual copies to a new folder, which sort of defeats the purpose of having a collection. Or I would just have to apply a filter to the folder to exclude virtual copies - something I'd prefer not having to do since that would be an extra step I would need to do any time I open that folder in LR. Is there a better way to handle this?

[johnrellis]

I'm guessing the only way I can do this would be to either move the virtual copies to a new folder

LR won't let you do this -- only non-virtual photos can be moved to other folders.

I would just have to apply a filter to the folder to exclude virtual copies - something I'd prefer not having to do since that would be an extra step I would need to do any time I open that folder in LR.

You could make sure that File > Library Filters > Lock Filters and File > Library Filters > Remember Each Source's Filters Separately are checked. Then in a folder containing the virtual copies you want to hide, use the following Text filter:

Copy Name Doesn't Contain a e i o u 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

Every time you select the folder as a source, that filter will be automatically re-applied.

[merkk]

Thanks, i didn't realize you could set permanent filters on folders. I guess that'll work for my purposes.

Little confused though - I assume the text i should be filtering for is 'copy' and that would be for 'name doesn't contain' but what is the a e i o u 1234567890 for?

Thanks

[johnrellis · Accepted solution]

merkk  wrote

Thanks, i didn't realize you could set permanent filters on folders. I guess that'll work for my purposes.

Little confused though - I assume the text i should be filtering for is 'copy' and that would be for 'name doesn't contain' but what is the a e i o u 1234567890 for?

Thanks

The filter should be exactly:

Copy Name       Doesn't Contain       a e i o u 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

The spaces between the letters and numbers "a e i ... 1 2 3 ..." is crucial. See this screen shot:

This is an obscure LR idiom for finding all photos whose Copy Name field isn't empty.  While you can supply a Copy Name for any photo, typically only virtual copies have a Copy Name (which is filled in by Create Virtual Copy).

While many fields such as Title and Caption let you filter for "Is Empty" and "Isn't Empty", for reasons known only to LR, some fields (e.g. Copy Name) don't have those criteria.  So by specifying "Doesn't Contain a e i o u 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0", you're searching for all Copy Name fields that don't contain a vowel or a number, which usually includes all commonly used file names.  But that if you have very obscure file names for your photos, you'd have to list every letter, digit, and punctuation character that could appear in a file name.