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goCoreygoPhoto
Participant
August 12, 2017
Question

Archiving Lightroom Folders

  • August 12, 2017
  • 4 replies
  • 5085 views

For each client, I import the raw images into a new/separate Lightroom folder. Once I've finished editing, I move the raw files to an external drive (meaning the Lightroom folder is now empty). Is there a way to archive the original Lightroom folder (at this point it's empty since I moved the raw files off the computer)? I ask because I want to be able to see/use those edits in the future if necessary by just locating the raw image files back onto my computer.


Any thought would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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4 replies

Theresa J
Community Expert
Theresa JCommunity Expert
Community Expert
August 13, 2017

I agree with DJ. The better workflow is to put the images in their final location at the front end. Lr has no problem seeing, and working with images on external drives, as long as the drive is connected. I was just providing you a simple solution for your current setup.

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    goCoreygoPhotoAuthor
    Participant
    August 13, 2017

    Yes, I agree, thank you! But what If I wanted to mark that I was finished editing that photo deck (the folder in lightroom) so that was I know to move onto the next client????

    Theresa J
    Community Expert
    Theresa JCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    August 13, 2017

    I would just remove the folder from Lr. Then you don't have to think about it again.

    dj_paige
    dj_paige
    Legend
    August 12, 2017

    Don't develop a workflow where you put photos in one location (let's call this location A) to edit them and then move the photos to another location (let's call this location B) when you're done.

    Instead, either leave the photos where they are (location A), or better yet, when the photos comes straight out of the camera, put them in their final location (location B) and edit them from there. You will make your life so much simpler, and ... when you want to use the photos in the future, there's no need to locate them and then "just locating the raw image files back onto my computer."

    Why do all this work of moving photos when it's completely unnecessary?

    The solution above by Per Berntsen​ works well for photos you have already imported and edited in Lightroom. My discussion applies to new photos.

    I would not advise the solution above by Theresa J​, it is simply unnecessary to do the work to create catalogs and then delete photos from Lightroom and move things from here to there, and move them back later if you still want to use those photos; you get no benefits over the method I have described, and the method I have described is a lot less work, no moving of photos, no creating catalogs, etc.

      S
      shawntaylor
      Participant
      February 6, 2020

      If the final destination is an external drive, or in my case a server, isn't it better for lightroom to work from the files on your local machine initially?

       

      dj_paige
      dj_paige
      Legend
      February 7, 2020

      I can think of some exceptions:

      - if the connection to the archive is spotty or sometimes slow due to traffic (shared network drive)

      - if it's non-existent (shooting on location and either tethered or importing immeditely for quick edits)

      - if your archive is online (the OPs is not, but it's a common consideration)

      - if you have multiple versions of your archive (you should) that need to be synced

      - surely there are more

       

      More importantly though, you're basically saying it's best to import or shoot straight to your archive, and make edits to it live. Even when the speed/convenience factors above are not an issue, I have to disagree. An archive is a photographer's entire body of work, spanning their entire career, and it should be kept separate from working files. For redundancy, it should exist in multiple physical locations which requires syncing/duplicating which gets messy if you're also making edits to it. Not only does it get messy, but it increases the chances of a mistake causing an important file to get lost.

       

      In short, if it works for you to work directly from you archive, that's great, but I don't think it's going to work for everyone, and I would strongly advise against it.


      An archive is a photographer's entire body of work, spanning their entire career, and it should be kept separate from working files. 


      Well, this is one of the great advantages of Lightroom. It never changes the image portion of your original files. So it doesn't matter if you keep it separate and call it an "archive", or you store your photos any way you want and don't call it an "archive", you can't lose or damage the photos by using Lightroom. I don't need to keep stuff separate in order to be sure that my original images aren't going to be changed by my use of Lightroom. I just put them where I want them to be stored, knowing that Lightroom will not change my photos — in essense, I archive them immediately out of the camera. I agree that backups are critical.

      Per Berntsen
      Community Expert
      Per BerntsenCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      August 12, 2017

      There is no need to create folders specifically for Lightrooom - just import from whatever folder the raw files are in.

      Since the files are not "in" Lightroom, but are only referenced by the catalog, they can be anywhere on your computer, external drives included.

      Here's what I would do in your situation:

      1. Using your computer's OS (Windows Explorer or Mac Finder), move the folder you want to archive (not just the files, but the folder) to the external drive.
      2. Lightroom will now report the folder as missing by displaying a question mark on the folder.
        Right click the folder, choose Find missing folder, and point Lightroom the new location.

      You can now access these files normally from your main catalog, provided that the external drive is connected.

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        goCoreygoPhotoAuthor
        Participant
        August 13, 2017

        Thank you! I actually want to find a way to move the folder in lightroom when I'm finished w the photos in it so that way it's no longer on my to-do list. Any thoughts?

        ManiacJoe
        ManiacJoe
        Inspiring
        August 13, 2017

        Moving large numbers of files is best done outside of LR. For example, when moving a whole folder, use your computer's file browser, then "relocate" or "find missing" on that one folder in the LR Folders panel.

        LR will sometimes drop the ball when moving many files. When this happens, often times the files are lost forever.

        Theresa J
        Community Expert
        Theresa JCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        August 12, 2017

        Your best option is to export the Export the Folder as a Catalog and include the negatives. This will create a stand alone catalog with the images that you can archive. You can then remove the images from your catalog and the hard drive.

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