RichardE Loc: California

I have a LR5 catalogue structure as follows:
yyyy
—— mm Mmm
——————— dd Description

I would like to import photos into a custom folder such as ‘dd another desc’

I only see the option for date formats. Any ideas? What am I missing?

I know I can create a new folder and select it for input but is there another way?

Thanks for any help.

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

I use the structure:

Pictures
-------------YYYY
------------------DAY
-----------------------images

Lightroom puts the images into the proper YYYY/day-folders automatically creating the subfolders on import.

If you want descriptive text in the folder names I think you will need to create manually.

Mr PC Loc: Austin, TX

With any luck, Searcher will spot this and, as always, have a joyful and correct response. I personally already have my shots organized by year and then folders of shoots within the year before I ever import into Lightroom. When I export my edited images, I make an edited subfoder under the shoot the original came from, that way the raw materials and the finished product are together, no matter what might happen to my LR catalog. Hope this helps.

RichardE Loc: California

Another part to the question: Can you import into JPG and Raw folders or must it be two imports as I always do?

RichardE Loc: California

Dngallagher: thanks, that is what I have to do.

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

I am thinking at this point that is a 2 import deal....

Or import, then sort by extension using the text filter to show all the JPG's (filename contains JPG), CTRL-A to select them all and move them in Lightroom to a JPG folder...

Currently I shoot only raw, import the NEF's into Lightroom, select or reject photos using flags, then display all the rejected photos, ctrl-a and delete, then apply global keywords, GPS info and convert all the remaining nef's to dng's before editing.

Sorting and filtering is quite fast... so it should not take much to select only JPG files and move them all at once.

RichardE Loc: California

Dngallagher: Yes, I've done that also. And, since I am retired, I have all the time to move, copy, modify, and create the folder structure after import.

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

:) I hear ya...

vanelli Loc: Melbourne Florida

here's a quick 7 min video answering a similar question on importing to LR and file structure

Let me know if it helps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhd9SvWuE2Q

Erik_H Loc: Denham Springs, Louisiana

Vanelli,
F.Y.I. if you take the "s"off the http in the url it will make it a clickable link.
Like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhd9SvWuE2Q
Cheers!

RichardE Loc: California

[quote=vanelli]here's a quick 7 min video answering a similar question on importing to LR and file structure

Thanks, I'll look at it in a moment.

CaltechNerd Loc: Whittier, CA, USA

To your original question, how to define a specific folder as the target. It's actually straightforward, but only after you find it :-)
Click on Import. The right-hand panel opens for import options. fourth major category down is Destination. First checkbox is "Into Subfolder". Check it. Second box down is labeled "Organize". Choose "Into One Folder", not By Date. Go back to the first line and type the folder name. You can also browse with the area below these two controls.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Yes, we all wait for Searcher. :D

vanelli Loc: Melbourne Florida

Thanks Erik

Searcher Loc: Kent, England

All the above are correct.

LR will generate folders by date if asked to do so, but that is the limit of its creativity.

Anything else and the user must create the folder and point the import dialogue to it.

The new folders can be created from within LR so it isn't much of a pain to do.

My own workflow uses "Add" (I am a low volume user) so for me I import and drag to "Month" folders which I pre-create beforehand. I appreciate that if you are importing hundreds of images at a time, then automation is the way to go.

In the case of the OP, his folder structure appears to be:

2014
___August
______Aunt Emily
______Uncle Rob
___September
_____Cars
_____Boats
etc.

In this case I would set up a holding folder on the desktop.
Using LR import all images into that folder
Create the new required folders
Drag the images into the various folders.

This is a reasonably efficient workflow but tedious if you are constantly shooting batches of 1000 photos intended for separate folders. It is quicker than importing in small batches into single folders though.

If all new images are destined for a single existing folder, then copy them straight into that folder, setting the folder name in the destination panel.

Other than that, I don't really see a more efficient method to separate images by subject in a folder structure.

There is another way, but not very popular. Using Collections can eliminate the need for a complex folder structure.

FOLDERs
2014
___August
___September

COLLECTIONS
Aunt Emily
Uncle Rob
Cars
Boats

The advantage is that all cars are in the one collection regardless of date

to separate the dates if required, open the collection, open the metadata search, choose the required date and only the cars on that date will show on the screen.

Less folders in the folder list and faster access to any individual or group of images.