Skip to main content
K
Klickflip
Known Participant
April 5, 2021
Question

Advice on Catalogue per job - Coming from Capture One Session workflow

  • April 5, 2021
  • 4 replies
  • 717 views

Hi, 

I'm coming from Capture One Pro and trying to sus the best workflow for me in Lightroom. 

Normally each shoot is around 20gb to 200gb  (i'm a professional) .

That is self contained in one shoot folder, plus capture / import folder containing sub folders for each shot.

And my output, selects folders. 

See screenshot-

 

That way I can remove / back from computer when job is done and all raws, adjutments are saved.

I generally dont need long term access to all my shoots, and digging out a hard drive is fine if needed later.

Plus I sync 2 computers via dropbox for my jobs, so like to keep hard drive space maximised, and folders clutter. 

 

On testing I see each card import or tether is auto organised in a date folder. How can i turn that off?

I want complete control and naming of my import / tether folders. (within the main shoot folder) Normally a subfolder for each shot setup , or product, person within that shoot. I can have  up to 50 'shot' folders within a shoot.

 

I suspect I have to go the multiple catalogue route to be able to have each shoot self contained. 

 

However I've read watched loads of advice that say just a couple of main catalogues is better. 

but I need to be able to clear hard drive every couple of weeks for new jobs. 

 

Any tips would be much appreciated, especially if anyone has experince coming from C1. 

 

Cheers

S

This topic has been closed for replies.

4 replies

DdeGannes
Community Expert
DdeGannesCommunity Expert
Community Expert
April 6, 2021

See info available on LrC Catalogs. The forum has a series of articles on Lightroom Catalogs.

https://www.lightroomqueen.com/one-or-multiple-catalogs/

 

Regards, Denis: iMac 27” mid-2015, macOS 11.7.10 Big Sur; 2TB SSD, 24 GB Ram, GPU 2 GB; LrC 12.5,; Lr 6.5, PS 24.7,; ACR 15.5,; (also Laptop Win 11, ver 24H2, LrC 15.0.1, PS 27.0; ) Camera Oly OM-D E-M1.
dj_paige
dj_paige
Legend
April 5, 2021

You don't really say what subject matter you are shooting. I can see why some wedding photographers prefer one catalog per shoot, but others do not. Still I think the advantages of a single catalog outweight the disadvantages, especially if you want to put together a portfolio of your best shots, you can't do that if these photos are scattered across multiple catalogs.

 

However I've read watched loads of advice that say just a couple of main catalogues is better. but I need to be able to clear hard drive every couple of weeks for new jobs.

 

The loads of advice I have seen is that ONE catalog is best, not a couple. There is no problem clearing the hard drive of photos every couple of weeks, Lightroom Classic allows you to move the photos to an external drive while still cataloging the photos in the catalog. It's the photos that take up most of the space anyway; you could leave the ONE catalog in place. Better yet, don't put the photos on the computer's internal drive, and then you won't have to move them later; this saves effort on your part and avoids potential mistakes when you move the photos.

 

A better understanding of how Lightroom Classic works would help you make a better decision. The idea of clearing the hard drive every couple of weeks indicates to me that you don't really understand how Lightroom Classic works.

 

    K
    KlickflipAuthor
    Known Participant
    April 5, 2021

    I shoot commercial advertising & lifestyle, fashion,  portraits & product . Studio & location. 

    But it doen't really matter what subject matter , in terms of workflow. I need consistent organised workflow.

    That can be moved or backed up to hard drive another computer instantly if needed.

    -Which needs to keep all the raws, with the develop adjustments together (and added subfolders of exports , retouch finals etc) .

    So I dont need to think about what catalogue raws have to be synced to at a later date if required. 

     

    A question though - If i deleted the catalogue by mistake, then tried to open / re-import the capture folders later - would I have lost all the develop & adjustments on the raws I'd made?

    And can catalogues be synced over dropbox between multiple computers?. Is there funny metadata that likes computer system info to match up or anything. 

    - Which is why I'm thinking one catalogue per shoot , which is contained within the main Job folder, That contains all the raw captures as well. Plus the aforementioned output , retouch subfolders. (and this job folder gets synced to dropbox so it doesn't matter if i'm at desktop at the studio or out on the road or at home using my laptop) 

     

    Once outputted final shots are graded & retouched , then those are my portfolio shots copied, duplicated to another folder location for easy access. 

    So I dont really need to be able to acess all shoots shots at one time, and re-edit in lightroom much.

     

    I guess its a funny one, a lot of people like to have access to all their shots via lightroom, I have another structure for work / portfolio archives. 

     

    For me keeping laptop , desktop clean and space for new jobs is the key. 

    As is backup and modularity, also contingency if laptop gets damaged , stolen. 

    The less on computer the better . 

    And yes backups are essential , multiple times daily or after every shot while on a shoot to external HDs. 

     

    Agred I have to understand more how lightroom works, but it's about getting lightroom to work for this type of modular workflow. which is essential to my type of work. 

    I've worked with other photographers who keep massive lightroom catalogue and linked hard drives , and its a nightmare! Most I know prefer the modular self contained folder job by job approach. - which is C1 way of working. 

     

    I'm just seeing if Lightroom can work for my needs , as it tethers the Canon R5 well. 

     

    Thanks! 

     

     

    dj_paige
    dj_paige
    Legend
    April 5, 2021

    So I dont need to think about what catalogue raws have to be synced to at a later date if required.

     

    One catalog makes this as easy as it can be. Keep all the photos cataloged in Lightroom Classic. Then you never have to sync raws to the catalog. Don't add in extra work and extra steps that add no benefit.

     

    A question though - If i deleted the catalogue by mistake, then tried to open / re-import the capture folders later - would I have lost all the develop & adjustments on the raws I'd made?

     

    You make regular and automated backups of your (ONE) catalog file, and then you will not lose your edits.

     

    And can catalogues be synced over dropbox between multiple computers?

     

    Not recommended. Although in the right situation, the answer is yes. That's a long discussion.

     

    So I dont really need to be able to acess all shoots shots at one time, and re-edit in lightroom much.

     

    And yet, what I have described using one catalog in which all of your images are cataloged, is easier than what you have described.


    There are people who use a travel laptop, then move their work to a desktop computer when they get home. This is a possible solution, with travel catalogs that get imported into a master catalog at home. This is all spelled out here: https://www.lightroomqueen.com/community/threads/working-with-a-temporary-catalog.37583/#post-1247438

     

     

      cmgap
      Community Expert
      cmgapCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      April 5, 2021

      Can you post a screen shot of your Tethered Capture Settings dialog box? Do you have Segment by Shots ticked on? This is where you can create a template for how you want your tethered sessions to be added to your catalog.

      K
      KlickflipAuthor
      Known Participant
      April 5, 2021

      Thanks, I'm looking into testing that now, and how adding subfolders in library tab & finder all interact together. 

      As sometimes I premake while folders structure before shoot , and often also have to add capture subfolders on the fly. 

       

      One thing I cant seem to do , is be able to change the tether capture destination folder on the fly.  without stopping capture , starting again , and then is makes anoter capture session in library side car  - seems a bit messy? 

      I can change import folder on the fly , but not tether capture. 

      Should import and tether folder not be linked or selctable , as destination for both tether capture and card import? 

      Sometimes I'll have to shoot to card in the middle of a tethered session, but need to keep images coming into same folder 

      Thanks

       

       

      cmgap
      Community Expert
      cmgapCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      April 5, 2021

      You might want to consider a full round trip workflow... Set up folder structure by date-shoot-job name, raw files saved to external drive (by-pass internal drive), back up external. If your Lr catalog gets too large 200K+ images, keep a smart preview of a couple of images in your job folder and remove the rest from the catalog. This way you will always be able to right-click on an image and select 'Show in Finder' and Lr will open the location of the folder containing a given shoot.

        K
        KlickflipAuthor
        Known Participant
        April 5, 2021

        screenshot of my file structure

        Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
        Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices