Organizer: Importing photos from SD Card problem

[fotografffic]

If I import a bunch of photos from the SD card using PSE2018 Organizer, and delete unwanted images from organizer (but not the SD card), the next time I import new photos, Organizer imports the ones I deleted once again. Can you imagine all the work when you take a lot of photos!? The only way I know of to prevent this is to erase all photos from the SD card before the next photo session but this is not a viable option!

I've used Canon ZoomBrowser for years before trying the Organizer. Once photos are imported into ZoomBrowser, and unwanted ones deleted, the deleted photos are not imported again.

Is there a solution to this problem; am I missing something?

[MichelBParis]

fotografffic  wrote

If I import a bunch of photos from the SD card using PSE2018 Organizer, and delete unwanted images from organizer (but not the SD card), the next time I import new photos, Organizer imports the ones I deleted once again.

Yes, that is the way it should work.

When you import from the SD card, the option not to import existing files means that the downloader compares what is in the SD card and what is present in the current catalog. (not what has been transferred to your drive).

If you decide to keep the files already copied to the drive but erased from the catalog, the entries (the links) in the catalog are erased and the files on the drive are still there. If you decide to 'import' again from the same SD card, the importer won't find any reason not to import all the files on the SD card. The option not to delete from drive means that you want to keep the files on your drive but you want to delete (un-register) files in the current catalog. For instance, you may wish to keep the files on the drive if they are used in another catalog or another software.

I've used Canon ZoomBrowser for years before trying the Organizer. Once photos are imported into ZoomBrowser, and unwanted ones deleted, the deleted photos are not imported again.

It's a long time I did use Zoombrowser, but it's not a catalog based organizer. If you delete files, they are automatically deleted from your drive, no?

[fotografffic]

It's a long time I did use Zoombrowser, but it's not a catalog based organizer. If you delete files, they are automatically deleted from your drive, no?

Yes they are. However, .psd are not visible in ZoomBrowser. Hope you enjoy my screen shot. Very proud of those photos.

If you want to delete an entire folder through ZoomBrowser, it will not do so until you manually delete the Photoshop files.

[MichelBParis · Accepted solution]

You have posted this on DpReview forum:

Re: PSE2018 Organizer frustrating, buggy: Retouching Forum: Digital Photography Review

Well, It has been clear from the beginning that the Elements organizer is not for you or that you are not for the Elements organizer .

You are used to a 'browser', not to a catalog-based organizer like Elements or Lightroom.

You are used and happy with such a solution as are many other users. That's why there are several options; you could use Adobe Bridge (yes it can work with Elements without a Cloud subscription) or other ones like the free FastStone Image Viewer. You can still use the Elements editor as the external editor with all those browsers.

If you want to use the organizer with Zoombrowser, as I mentioned before, you can keep Zoombrowser as your downloader to get your photos on the drive, then use the Organizer to catalog and manage your files... then forget Zoombrowser. The organizer will catalog the files already on the drive and you may be happy with its much superior database organization. But that is not obvious, since what you like is the 'tree' view, which most Organizer users see as very secondary. You can organize logically in your own tags and categories hierarchy indepently from the tree view and only keep a very simple date-based scheme. Trying to keep organized by both a catalog and a tree structure is twice the job and generally leads to a big disappointment.

[fotografffic]

You have posted this on DpReview forum:

Re: PSE2018 Organizer frustrating, buggy: Retouching Forum: Digital Photography Review

Is it not alright to post in two places? They are separate forums.

Well, It has been clear from the beginning that the Elements organizer is not for you or that you are not for the Elements organizer .

You are correct.

If you want to use the organizer with Zoombrowser, as I mentioned before, you can keep Zoombrowser as your downloader to get your photos on the drive, then use the Organizer to catalog and manage your files... then forget Zoombrowser.

This is what I plan to do going forward.

The organizer will catalog the files already on the drive and you may be happy with its much superior database organization. But that is not obvious, since what you like is the 'tree' view, which most Organizer users see as very secondary.

I will find a way that works best for me. I've spent hours upon hours using Organizer, reading the help files, posting questions in two forums, etc.

Trying to keep organized by both a catalog and a tree structure is twice the job and generally leads to a big disappointment.

You are probably right and I may abandon my ways in the future.

I should point out that for several reasons and not by choice, I don't take a large number of photos like I used to; can not travel much so I don't have a lot exciting to photograph. My photography is limited now to mostly taking photos of my grandchildren. As a photo enthusiast for decades, I used to take several thousand photos a year; still an enthusiast but now take only a couple of hundred snapshots in a year.

As I pointed out here and elsewhere, there are things I do like about PSE Organizer. I will limit my use to them.