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Photo rename. Hard drive loss. Originals on SD cards have different names from catalog. LR Classic.

Community Beginner ,
Jul 18, 2021 Jul 18, 2021

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This is hypotetical, but will determine future import strategy.

Assuming I loose the external hard drive to which I import, what would happen when I went to restablish links to photos on a new hard drive as I re-import them from the original SD card if I changed the names during the original import? Does making a second copy to a second hard drive help in this situation? Should the photos be renamed on the SD card? Is this possible using Lightroom?

Thanks in advance!

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Community Expert , Jul 18, 2021 Jul 18, 2021

Hi mm2z,

 

That is not something that I'd worry about. Plus, I have to ask: do you keep your camera cards forever? Once I've emptied the card AND that I have the images on my computer AND that it is backed up on another drive, THEN I erase the card for the next shoot. 

 

Plus, the cards are meant to store the image until it is passed on to where it needs to be. Occasionally in these boards I see people who try to do all sorts of adjustments and changes on the card. Admittedly, this might be fine

...

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Community Expert ,
Jul 18, 2021 Jul 18, 2021

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You can do about anything you want AS LONG AS YOU DO THOSE THINGS WITHIN THE CONFINES OF LIGHTROOM CLASSIC.

 

Here's the deal: LRC is a database and that means that as long as IT knows where the images are, what names it kowns they are, and what has been done to the image WITHIN LRC, it's fine. It's when things are done out side of LRC that things go wrong. Most of these things are reversalble but every second you are fixing things is time away from other things in your life.

 

So if you change the names of files in the Finder/Explorer, not so good. If you move them to different folders or change the names of the folder,  in the Finder/Explorer, not so good. See where I'm going with this?

 

Does this explain the dos and the don't's? Or is there still a gap?

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Community Beginner ,
Jul 18, 2021 Jul 18, 2021

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thanks. i get the relationship bw the catalog (a database) and the OS. i know to do all in LR so i don't muck up locations or links/relationships to the catalog/database.

i am wondering whether i can rename the files on the original sd card as well as on the external drive to which import, so that if something catastrophic happens to the hard drive, i can more easily rebuild the catalog. 

right now, i am renaming the photos as i import them and converting to .dng. i am concerned that in the event of catastrophe, the catalog will have one name attached the previews and the sd card another. this would make rebuild an even more onerous process. or maybe there is a gap in my understanding.

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LEGEND ,
Jul 18, 2021 Jul 18, 2021

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i am wondering whether i can rename the files on the original sd card as well as on the external drive to which import, so that if something catastrophic happens to the hard drive, i can more easily rebuild the catalog.

 

Make a regular and automated backups of the drive with the photos on it. (Also make regular and automated backups of your catalog file)

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Community Beginner ,
Jul 18, 2021 Jul 18, 2021

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thanks. that helps. i was hoping to keep the SD card w the photos on it, so i could have one copy on the SD and one on the external HD, but this would work as well. 

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LEGEND ,
Jul 18, 2021 Jul 18, 2021

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I left out a key part of my statement above, so I repeat with the key part added

 

Make a regular and automated backups of the drive with the photos on it. (Also make regular and automated backups of your catalog file). Backups must be on a different physical drive then the originals.

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Community Beginner ,
Jul 18, 2021 Jul 18, 2021

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thanks. i did assume that. cheers

 

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Community Beginner ,
Jul 18, 2021 Jul 18, 2021

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and thanks for the very quick reply!!

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Community Expert ,
Jul 18, 2021 Jul 18, 2021

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Hi mm2z,

 

That is not something that I'd worry about. Plus, I have to ask: do you keep your camera cards forever? Once I've emptied the card AND that I have the images on my computer AND that it is backed up on another drive, THEN I erase the card for the next shoot. 

 

Plus, the cards are meant to store the image until it is passed on to where it needs to be. Occasionally in these boards I see people who try to do all sorts of adjustments and changes on the card. Admittedly, this might be fine but I see all to many who have issues (aka, it works until it doesn't).

 

For me, protection of my catalog and my images is done this way: I keep all of my images on an external 4 TB drive. I have a 2nd 4 TB drive that I back up at least once a week or just after a bit shoot. (Plus I also back up to a cloud service, the chance of both hard drives going at the same time is very very small unless there's a fire.) One area that I do things a bit differently is I keep my catalog on the same hard drive. Most keep the catalog in their computer's hard drive as it does improve performance a tad. It's not been so affected that I can see but I know I'm in the minority on that. Lastly, I back up the catalog at least once a week and keep the backed up catalogs for at least 6 months. Again, all this is stored on those 4 TB drives. 

 

To do the backup, I use Chronosync, a Mac program. The thing that makes it stand out is that it does "bit sum" so it verifies all of the copying. That plus the guy who does Chronosync is a truly splendid fellow and is very responsive.

 

I hope I've given you some things to mull over. The big thing is that if something happens to your images, you do not want to be re-loading them from your cards. FWIW, my main 4TB drive died about 8 months ago. I purchased a new drive that day, it came in the next, and after I had brought everything over from my backup drive I was running along just fine by the 3rd day. (It took a LONG time to bring some 2 TB of data over.) So my primary drive dying was an inconvenience, not a catastrophe. 

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Community Beginner ,
Jul 18, 2021 Jul 18, 2021

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Perfect. Thanks. That gets to the heart of my question.

I have indeed been keeping my SD cards. I can save a bit of change going forward, by reformatting.

I import in Lightroom to an 8TB drive and make a second copy during the same import to a 4TB drive, both external. I think your strategy is better: it retains the same folder structure, relative locations and nomenclature on an ongoing basis. I'll be sure to look up Chronosync.

Lots to think about in your comprehensive answer. 

Thanks again.

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LEGEND ,
Jul 18, 2021 Jul 18, 2021

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One reccomendation for in the future. At import, rename photos using the following syntax

YYYMMDD_hhmmss

Nothing convoluted, just based on capture date/time.

No, the files on the SD card, are not involved.

This accomplishes  a few things

1. Consistent name syntax that you can remember, reconstruct. As it involves capture date/time. Note, Capture, not date saved, date modified, etc.

2. For MAC users, eliminates capture vs modify, etc date when shorting, just sort in file name

3. Eliminates IMO that lousy file structure of time centric file structure.

 

Also, add keywords. Many rename files as to describe subject content. No no no, use keywords for that.

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Community Beginner ,
Jul 18, 2021 Jul 18, 2021

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This also makes sense. Too late for the 22,000+ photos already in, but that structure can largely be fixed. I started just that following a viewing of one of Terry White's classes. Your observations add a further layer of clarity.

Be well.

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