How Can I Make Folders in Lightroom Classic for all my Photoshop Downloads

[Diane in Ohio]

I'm taking a video class and the instructor's video shows how all his textures are downloaded in Lightroom Classic--very neatly.  He selects them from there for use in Photoshop.  I've spent an hour trying to do this, but no luck.  See a screenshot of the screen I am referring to.

Thanks much!

Diane from Strongsville

[JohanElzenga]

To create a new folder in Lightroom Classic, click on the plus icon in the upper right corner of the folder panel. After you have created such folder, you can use it as destination for newly imported images, or you can drag and drop existing images from the main window into this new folder in the folder panel.

[Diane in Ohio]

Thanks for your response! I do know how to create a folder, but this is
what I'm trying to do. See below, and thanks!

*Just like the original photo I attached, I want an alphabetical list of
all of my Photoshop downloads (textures, images, decorative items, etc.).
I spent over a week, hours a day downloading over 2 thousand items and
having them set up on my hard drive. In some cases, like for "Textures", I
have subfolders of the textures by "color", maybe another 10 folders with
the parent folder.*

*I want to duplicate what's on my hard drive to Lightroom, especially since
I saw how the instructor had his on the screenshot that I attached to my
original inquiry. For example under textures on my hard drive, I have a
folder called PLAIN, and then within that PLAIN folder, there are almost a
dozen folders by color. This seems like it might be over my head and take
many, many hours to do. Then there are Collections and I don't know what
that means. *

*See, when I try to do this in LRC, I create a folder, but then have to
create many subfolders and once I create the subfolder, it doesn't open up
and allow me to select what I want to download into it.*


*I think I might be fighting a losing battle here and will wind up when in
Photoshop to just call up any textures, etc., through the folders I have
organized on the C drive. This might be duplicating what I've already spent
dozens of hours doing on the hard drive. *

*Thanks again!*
*Diane*

[DdeGannes]

Thanks for that info Johan, guess I will learn something new in LrC every day, been using Lightroom from 2007 and was not aware of that option in LrC.

[AxelMatt]

If i do understand your description you try to open a picture via "Edit in..." in Photoshop. Correct?

Do you have select the appropriate picture?

Is the original image file available?

Please check this:

:magnifying_glass_tilted_right: Quick Tips: How to give Full Disk Access to Li... - Adobe Support Co...

[JohanElzenga]

@AxelMatt The OP is using Windows. I think the question is a bit confusing, but the title of the message suggests that the question is about creating those folders in Lightroom, not about opening an image in Photoshop.

[Rob_Cullen]

My understanding of your question-

"*I want to duplicate what's on my hard drive to Lightroom,"

To do this you do not have to create new folders in the Lightroom-Classic Folder panel.

If you have not imported these files yet, the procedure would be simply to Import using the [ADD] option.

This will import and show all the folders in LrC exactly as they exist on the hard-drive.

"I have a folder called PLAIN, and then within that PLAIN folder, there are almost a dozen folders by color."

So you would Import the "PLAIN" folder, including sub-folders, usiung the [ADD] option. Folder heirarchy is preserved in the LrC Catalog.

Now when in your Catalog you can select any, from Grid view of the folders in the Library, and 'send' / 'Edit in' Photoshop.

[Diane in Ohio]

Hi Rob.  I didn't respond to your email properly (replied to the actual email instead of replying to the response), and so I am copying it below to make sure you receive it.

Thanks, Rob!  Your email gave me an idea, and I've got all 1,700+ downloaded--in seconds! 

However, let me explain this.  I have 84 folders (categories) and within many of the 84 folders are many subfolders (as many as 12 in some cases).  When I click on the "main folder" heading in LRC, all of the images show. One image, for example, shows 3 of the same fish next to each other. That is because I have it in 3 subfolders:  One is under "Fish"; one image is in "Pink" and one image is in "Whimsical Waters" subfolders.  After spending a week, hours a day, downloading, extracting, setting up folders, sorting, and subdividing these images it only made sense to take it a step further to categorize them within the subfolders especially if there might've been dozens of "textures" for example under that main texture folder.  If I'm looking for something I want to FIND IT--not SEARCH for it.

I understand that I can't go into the MAIN folder in LRC and delete duplicate images because if there were 3 fish and I deleted 2 fish, I'd be deleting 2 of them from 2 of the 3 subfolders, which would totally destroy my entire categorizing process with the subfolder.   Correct?

Thank you so much for your help!  Sometimes one can't "see the forest for the trees" and just getting away from the computer and reading your response led me down a different thought path which came to me in a matter of seconds!!!  This was the first time I attempted to do this; hence, the confusion/questions.

Voila!

Diane 

[Rob_Cullen]

"I want to FIND IT--not SEARCH for it."

Like many others, you have fallen into the (not ideal) workflow of treating Folders (and folder names) as your file management.

In the case of your "Fish" image example (existing in three folders)- LrC Catalogs do not support the idea of the same image existing in multiple folders (as you need to specifically allow 'Duplicates' in the catalog.)

It is far better to use Keywording to FIND your images. Example: you only need ONE "Fish" file (and it doesn't matter which folder it is stored in!) , but give it three keywords- {Fish} {Pink} {Whimisical}. By doing this you have reduced the space the image takes on your hard drive to one-third, AND you can easily FIND the image by filtering for the appropriate keyword (or all 3 KWs for that matter).

Keywords are your 'Friend'!

shows 3 of the same fish next to each other.

LrC has a menu option under 'Library' where you can decide to 'Show Photos in subfolders' or not! (It toggles the view). If NOT checked you will only see the images in the selected (highlighted) folder in grid view. If CHECKED you will see ALL images in the selected folder AND those in all sub-folders.

Again this (3 of the same) is a symptom (or side effect) of trying to use Folders to Manage your images.

Eg. I keep 'Cloud' photos. They are spread throughout my library in various numerous folders. I only need to search for the Keyword "Clouds" and they ALL show in the grid.

[Diane in Ohio]

Hello and thank you.

After spending dozens of hours setting up everything on the hard drive, I
won't go and undo everything I've done.

I guess I could go into LrC and assign Keywords, but then I don't
understand why the class supervisor has all his textures, etc., in
Lightroom in folders and named the same way I prefer to do mine. Don't
understand what giving keywords in LR has to do with what's on my hard
drive. I've never used Keywords for anything previously nor understood or
ever understood the catalog or what it's even for. I don't have tens of
thousands of pictures like some.

Guess I'm pretty confused now that I thought I wasn't, but you've been
helpful enough and I've got a great starting point.

Thank you!