pshaffer Loc: Worthington, Ohio

A question - what do you use for your backup?? This, to me, is a critical question that I have only answered with dual storage. Not elegant, but effective. It sounds as though you have no backup.

(I have found that I can buy external drives cheap at wall mart. Western Digital 600gB for about $80)

In your initial post you said that while installing LR, APERTURE said it did not support removable storage. Was this a mis-type. Did you mean that LR reported that it didn't support removable storage?

steve_stoneblossom Loc: Rhode Island, USA

I'm curious, when you import to LR, which method do you select, 'copy as DNG', 'copy', 'move' or 'add'?

For my workflow, I first copy raw images to an XHD, then import to LR using 'add' selection, then export edited versions to a new folder on XHD. Can you suggest a more sensible/efficient method? And if so, please elaborate.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

I just do this:

I plug in my camera's CF card to the PC and LR fires up automatically.

I have it set on "copy" most of the time just in case there is a glitch in the transfer and something goes bad...then I can start over.

I always import to the same folder; sort of a "holding area" for culling shots; for evaluating them.

Once they are evaluated, then I move them to a subfolder for working on them.

After I have done whatever I want to do with them, I move them to a folder called "for archive".

Once or twice a month I hook up the offline drive and move the contents of the "for archive" folder to it.

I keep the real "keepers", and the ones that have sentimental value and the rest I don't care much about. I keep the RAW files and most of the time I upload the edited JPGS to flickr.

Cadugand Loc: Houston, Texas

When Lightroom "imports" your photos it isn't making a copy of them. It's just creating an internal catalog.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Yes it is. When you have it set to "copy" it's making a physical copy.

When you have it set to "move" it's moving them to a new location.

The ONLY choice that doesn't change the location is "add"

steve_stoneblossom Loc: Rhode Island, USA

OK thanks

Davethehiker Loc: South West Pennsylvania

Pshaffer, your correct I failed to mention how I'm doing my backups and I do have concerns about this. For my internal HD I have been using Apple's "Time Machine" to hourly, incrementally backup in the background over a wireless LAN to a separate 1 TB HD. I keep my Aperture images saved on a second external 1TB HD. However, I discovered that Time Machine does not backup from external hard drives. I have been working around this with a brute force solution of periodically doing a "Copy" of my entire Aperture Library to a third NAS 1TB Buffalo HD. This is also done wirelessly over my LAN. I takes about 15 hours to preform this massive "Copy" of my 181GB+ Aperture Library over my Wireless LAN. I really do not trust or like this massive copy. I'm looking into getting more elegant software that can backup all my external hard drives. Time Machine while cute, is really not up to the job.

UHH member RNN recommended "Retrospect (www.retrospect.com if you're interested) works with Mac or PCs, can back up multiple systems on a network (Mac or PC, doesn't matter)"
edit_______ : After looking into "Retrospect" I discovered "chronosync" is much more favorably reviewed and an order of magnitude less expensive!

Yes, that is what LR said (if memory serves). I think this might me due to my funky Buffalo wireless HD. I never got that thing to work properly.

DavidM Loc: New Orleans, LA

Dave, rpaviich is correct as I use LR4 as well on my Windows PC. If your MAC sees the drive you want to use then LR should see it as well. Also LR will let you import any or all photos you select. Try only importing a few photos as a trial. I would has a local drive for the catalog as this would speed it up. Make sure you back up the catalog to a secondary drive. Try this link for lightroom help. I like it a lot.

DavidM

DavidM Loc: New Orleans, LA

Sorry I forgot the link.. http://www.photokaboom.com/_htm_menus/Lightroom_menu.htm

Davethehiker Loc: South West Pennsylvania

Wow Dave, thanks for the great link! If you had sent this earlier I might not have ordered "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Classroom in a Book" this morning.

It will be good to have both. I just bookmarked this link.

:thumbup:

DavidM Loc: New Orleans, LA

Good luck with it. I'm still learning and would like to better understand the workflow process. I use autotone a lot then sync similar photos, then adjust each one if I feel it needs it, but I feel they may be a better way. I feel I spend too much time in LR, but I'm working with over several hundred photos.

mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

Yep... this is why I don't use Adobe products to manage my photos. I guess I shouldn't generalize like this, but Elements does this cataloging as well. I use Elements occasionally for editing, but the catalog feature really forces you to give up a lot of control. A simple file structure with all the original files is best. Use the application; don't let the application use you. Just my opinion. I'm sure it has many wonderful features that I am missing.

ken4peace

Perhaps you also need to look at editing and deleting some of your photo's so that you will have more room.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Give up control?

Isn't what it allows the epitome of control? You can copy or move or add...whatever you want in whatever file structure you want....I don't get how that's giving up control?

Goldwinger Loc: Boynton Beach Florida

Dave I understand you like wireless , but for speed it takes up alot as you said, what I do is velcro my TB to the lid of my laptop and use it Firewired , its never in my way and it fast fast fast