Exporting hierarchical keywords multiple times

[wcstarks]

I have many keywords in hierarchies.  I am planning on exporting a collection I have been working on for another to work on.  When he is done, I will need to import the collection again to finish the collection.  If I export the hierarchies then and again later, will the hierarchies get duplicated?  Or do I need to export flat the first time and then hierarchically the second time?

[johnrellis · Accepted solution]

If you export the photos with the Export option Metadata > Write Keywords As Lightroom Hierarchy, the full names of the hierarchical keywords will be recorded in the photos.  When you import modified versions of those photos, if those keywords are still present in the files, they will match with your current hierarchy (and you won't get any duplication).

If the other person working on the photos is also using LR, consider exporting the photos as a catalog instead, using File > Export As Catalog.  Give that sub-catalog to the other person, who opens it, works on the photos, and then sends it back to you.  You can then do File > Import From Another Catalog to bring in the changes the other person made.

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[wcstarks]

Thank you.  That was helpful.

[wcstarks]

How do I export to Catelog.  That doesn't seem to be an option in the Export dialog.

[wcstarks]

OK.  I found out that the Export to Catelog is under the File tab.  However, I am not sure what options to select in the dialog box.  I want my modified images to be exported to the new catelog.  How do I best do that?  The Export to Catalog contains 3 options.  If I select  Negative photos and Previews, will all my metadata and developed settings also so come across, or just the original photos?  If I select option 1 Selected photos only, can I later still export the images to jpgs?  I don't really want to export the original (negative) photos, if I do not need to, to publish the finished product.