Starting fresh with new external SSD

[Colin_ML]

So, I have somehow made a complete mess of the files that compose my photo collection.  They're all there on the drive, just jumbled organization (long story).  Anyway, I'm getting a new SSD tomorrow, and I'm thinking that it would be easiest to simply start from scratch, and begin my catalog with the photos I take starting tomorrow.  I work in projects (groups of shots) anyway, so this is no big deal.  If I do need to access older photos in the future,  I can simply import them as needed from the HHD I'm sticking in a drawer.  

So, my question is, do I simply delete my catalog (and the collections I made in Lightroom) and Lightroom will build a new one?  Or do I need to uninstall Lightroom and do a fresh install?

Thanks!

[Ian Lyons · Accepted solution]

There is no need to reinstall Lightroom Classic. You can create a new catalog from the Lightroom Classic File menu (see attached screenshot).

This Adobe Help document should also prove useful https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/lightroom-classic/help/create-catalogs.html#:~:text=Choose%20File%20%3E%2...

[dj_paige]

Anyway, I'm getting a new SSD tomorrow, and I'm thinking that it would be easiest to simply start from scratch, and begin my catalog with the photos I take starting tomorrow.

I consider this a poor idea. Having your photos in more than one catalog is not recommend except in certain sitautions, and this isn't one of them. At some point in the future, having 2 catalogs will be a liability, you will not remember which photos will be in which catalog as the separation between catalogs is a somewhat arbitrary date. (Tomorrow you will remember, a month from now you will remember, 5 years down the road you will not remember. New photos should be properly organized in the one catalog with all your previous (dis-organized) photos. As time permits, add the proper organization to the previous (dis-organized) photos.

[Colin_ML]

Hi.  Thanks for the warning. I guess I wasn't clear that my intention is to do exactly what you are describing.  I don't intend to maintain two catalogs.

[dj_paige]

@Colin_ML  Ok, got it.

I still think you can do all the necessary organizing in your existing catalog. If you start over, brand new catalog, import photos into it, you can lose a lot of your work, specifically (not a complete list) collections, pick flags, virtual copies, edit history. And if you haven't been writing the edits to XMP, you lose the edits, keywords, captions, titles, as well If you keep the existing catalog, you run no risk of losing anything while you re-organize.

[Colin_ML]

Again, I appreciate your concern.  

To anyone in the future reading this, im not recommending starting over with a new catalog.  

To elaborate, I'm talking about roughly 1000 photos, and I've been using Capture One until a couple months ago, so there isn't much of a loss of any of the work you're talking about, because the organization is completely different. In fact, the trouble began in trying to bring the files over from Capture One. I want to keep copies of the photos, but I don't need access to any.  And, as I said, I can slowly add them to my LR catalog (and do the work you mentioned above of rating etc.) as I have spare time. 

[richardplondon]

I suggest you first write out latest edit metadata to file system (if you have not already done so). These edits will then arrive if imported to any new Catalog, as the beginning state of each photo. If virtual copies also exist, you can transfer their edits into the new Catalog via Snapshots which travel with the latest edits on the respective master photo version.

Then I suggest you plan your new image filing / folder scheme on disk. To the extent this can be fully or partly automated by LrClassic on its own, as part of import, so much the better IMO. As an example: I settled some years ago on a strict YYYY/MM/DD scheme for this reason, based only on capture date, with the images thereafter staying put indefinitely. That's worked fine as an organisation since I take care of subject related info via bulk keywording at import. That subject related info can embody many different kinds of info all running in parallel, and if later reconsidered, nothing then needs to move around on disk. Plus keywords follow the individual image around wherever it goes (including exports) and however it gets virtually grouped with others - as folder naming does not. 

A Move (or Copy) import option could re-file current photos afresh, then future photos can automatically arrive consistently filed with these -  if the same auto-filing scheme gets used. An import preset can help maintain consistency.

[Colin_ML]

All done!

Now I have a simple chronological organization with keywords on an external SSD which functions as my working drive, and then automatically backs up to another external HHD (chronosync).  The difference in speed is dramatic, using the SSD vs the HDD. This organization makes sense to my brain, and, since I don't typically need to access files more than a year old, I think buying a 1 or 2 TB portable SSD each year and organizing my catalog over multiple drives is a sustainable solution.  Sicne the organization is chronological, if I need a photo from two years ago, I can easily find and plug in the correct drive, and Lightroom (on my internal drive) keeps track of all that.  This approach feels manageable to me, for my workflow.  I can find and access all my photos, and it's cheaper than buying ever larger and larger drives to try to keep everything on a single drive.  

[Colin_ML]

I just realized that I should probably add an addendum to this, for the sake of people coming here in the future, confused about organization in LRC.  All my comments relate to how my files are organized on my hard drive.  Organization in LR, for the purpose of finding and working with photos is a different topic.  IOW, I'm importing from my camera using a simple chronological organization shown in the "Folders" section of LR (which reflects the actual locations of the photos on my hard drive), but after import, I don't use the "Folders" section to work with the photos.  Instead, I create Collections, which I organize according to categories (genres), and sub-categories (particular sessions in a genre).  This system provides multiple ways to locate any photo.  I can find it by date in Folders.  I can find it by key words (entered when importing).  I can find it in Categories. 

The additional step of using Collections is important for several reasons.  First, you can't accidently delete a photo, and any change you make is easily changed back or altered later as the organization changes.  Second, you can have the same photo in multiple places.  Third, trying to move between Modules, if working from Folders, will quickly become tiresome and confusing.

[Colin_ML]

Sorry, meant to say Collections when I was typing Categories.