petego4it Loc: NY

For various reasons, I use large SD cards like 256GB and would like to (carefully) synch back removals from my Lightroom library with such cards. Is there any way to do that? Partly as sort of a tertiary storage.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Best practice when the deleting image files from a camera card is to do it only using the camera. Better practice, only mass-delete images from the card or format the card, both using the camera.

Your SD card should not be considered long-term storage media. If you copy files from the card to computer and then do not trust your decisions for culling, you might consider making a duplicate copy of the image files when copied from the card. Don't keep 'important' images only on the camera card.

Another possibility is to just re-copy the images from the card into the target folder. Say now, after culling, you have these images left over on the computer:

IMG003
IMG006
IMG008

Say the card has image IMG001 thru IMG010. On the computer, the images are located in folder C:\example0A.

You might go into LR and add a 2-star rating to the images in C:\example0A. If you copy *.* images from the camera card into C:\example0A, you can copy only the non-duplicates or all ten images. If you re-execute the import from C:\example0A, being sure to not allow duplicates, your catalog should include all ten (10) images, where three of them have star-code applied. You can use the recent-import view or meta-data / attribute filters to identify only the newly (re)imported images and determine if any of these are image files to keep. You can re-delete everything else. If you use 2-stars, then you can filter by less than or equal to 1-star.

petego4it Loc: NY

Yes, thanks. I basically agree. However times change and since you can delete individual shots on the card while in the camera, and the cards have gotten very large, it would be useful to synch carry over the shots for a period that are used in the camera and to eliminate the ones, except those that are used, to maximize the usefulness of the card. Particularly would be useful where one brackets shots...

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Your workflow is unique. I've never encountered it before. There are easier ways to accomplish the goal of multiple copies with no wasted space.

Simon1066

Would you care to offer some examples? Or are you just going to tantalise us :-)

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

So you have a card and want to import only some images? I'm not really clear about what you are asking. You can import just chosen images into LR in the Import panel. You would simply click on the images you want to import. If all of the images come up checked then you click on the Uncheck All at the bottom and then just check those you want to import.

It is really difficult often to answer people's questions as they are not specific and detailed. The more info you provide the more info those of us who know the program can provide you. I could, as some have done, also give you other import options or tell you what I think you should do, but I'd like to first answer the question you have.

jpwa Loc: Inland NorthWest

As long as you didn't format the SD card it should still be there.

petego4it Loc: NY

Above, <"So you have a card and want to import only some images? I'm not really clear about what you are asking. You can import just chosen images into LR in the Import panel. You would simply click on the images you...">

True, no problem selecting what to import in LR. What I'd like to do is "blanket" erase all those shots I don't import from the card, whether SD or XQD. In my workflow, as of now, I choose to not automatically reformat the card each time I do a download, retaining the keepers there. Would just like a simpler way, if possible, than having to go back and do one by one (which in fact I don't do, just buy a larger card).

Thanks. Hope that is clearer.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

I understand now what you are asking and I don't know of any way to blanket delete just those images that were not imported from a card. I'll ponder that and check out a few things to see if there might be a way to do this. Having said that, I don't see the rational thought involved in your process. When I go out to photo wildlife I use a large card, too. I shoot that session, import to an external hard drive connected to my laptop (everything, even the bad ones), return the card intact to the camera, shoot again, download that session again. This provides me with a backup onsite. Even with a D500 I can take several thousand images, I forget exactly how many, so I don't see any reason to take the time to delete individual unwanted images from the card. I would not use a card for long term storage so when I get home I download the images to my desktop and at the end of the download session for all cards, I put the cards in the cameras and reformat them for the next time. Perhaps what you might consider is your workflow?

petego4it Loc: NY

I have done pretty much the same; using D850 (42mp) fills fast especially shooting birds. Haven't run out of space so far but I can see it is "on the horizon." It occurred to me not to reformat the card until I'm about to run out of space. Also enjoy sometimes having older shots i can pull up on the camera screen, sorta like many people seem to do with old shots on their phones. And finally, of course it is a remote need kind of back up. But deleting a lot of shots could I suppose slow down the download of new shots as the camera has to search to find where to put and label each one.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

There are easier and safer ways to do this. This process seems to be subject to unintended errors.