jwestman Loc: Grand Rapids, MI

Well the idiot did it. Some how I managed to lose a couple of months worth of photos in Lightroom by accidentally deleting the folder where lightroom stored the originals.

Is there an idiot proof way of setting up a workflow so that won't happen again. Do you start by off loading camera files to a separate folder and then import to lightroom?

jbaird Loc: Coatesville, Pa

I just started using the Creative Clouds version of Bridge, LR, and PS... When I first imported my pics from camera to LR, it made a duplicate copy for me in a folder in pictures as well as cataloging them in LR. During the import process there is a message at the bottom of the LR screen showing the directory of the duplicate folder.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

After transferring my photos to the computer I immediately, before any editing, copy that folder to an external backup, at least I try to, then monthly I copy the new backed up photos to a second external back up, Bob.

Mr PC Loc: Austin, TX

Lightroom never does anything with originals unless you specifically tell it to remove the original from the hard disk. I have a hard time believing the originals are actually gone unless a world class mistake was made. As a computer guy, I second Bob's comment above about having at least 2 copies BEFORE you ever embark on any post-processing. Good luck, I wouldn't quit hunting on your computer for the originals just yet.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

I would start off by trying to figure out how you lost those pictures. That should be a lesson learned. One thing I do know is that nothing is ever idiot-proof. The best you can do is make it harder to screw up the same way; you will always find a new way to blow it. In the short-term, try a data recovery program like photorec.

I do not think you can do much with your day-to-day LR workflow. However, I would use a real-time backing up service. I happen to use Carbonite but you can find a number of other such off-site services. Carbonite saves deleted files for thirty days and all versions of the LR catalog. Furthermore, being off-site, you can lose your computer and still recover your data. You can also access your data from a second remote site.

You can also store your data to a local external hard drive. However, unlike a cloud-based system, you do not have remote access and what happens if you have a fire or burglary?

You can also burn dvd's and put them in a safe-deposit box but this is not a real-time solution.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

First of all, there's no idiot proof way to do anything. They're making smarter idiots all the time. The best you can do is fool-resistant.

Your workflow should include backing up everything. Immediately. I have an external hard drive on my desktop computer. When I download pictures from the camera card I try to do any postprocessing right away. When that's done and the keepers are saved as jpgs, I copy the RAWs and the jpgs to the backup disk. ONLY THEN do I reformat the camera card.

Plan to always have two copies (at a minimum) of everything. That way when something gets deleted it can be restored from the backup.

If you're really paranoid (and you can't be too paranoid when it comes to backup files) you will make a third copy of everything and store it away from your computer, away from your house, far, far away somewhere. (But accessible with minimal difficulty).

Searcher Loc: Kent, England

Lightroom does not store your images, only copies of them + the edits.

Search your recycle bin, if you have not emptied it, they should be in there, (if you "remove" from LR, the originals stay in the folders, if you "remove images from the hard drive", they go into the recycle bin).

If you "Remove" a folder from LR, the images and the folder will be removed from the catalogue, but still remain on the hard drive.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

My PP processing is the following:
1. Download the images from my card to a folder called "to be sorted" within my pictures folder.
2. Eject the card and do not format.
3. Open LR and import the photos. I point LR to the "to be sorted" folder and the let LR move the photos into the chosen catalog.
4. From there I auto apply my huelight profile to all my images. This is optional, but I find that it does a great job generally overall.
5. Next up is a quick cull for bad photos. I flag my images (by pressing the x key). Then Delete those images.
6. Then I head into the develop module and edit the individual photos.
7. After the editing is done, I export high Rez jpgs to my computer.
8. Those jpgs get uploaded to my smugmug site.
9. I then backup both the jpgs and raw files to an external drive
10. Finally I format the card.

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

All I can do is relate the workflow I use. Maybe it will help.

-Remove the card from camera and insert in SD slot on my monitor
-Windows recognizes the card, and asks what I want to do. One of the options is to Import into Lightroom. I choose that.
-Lightroom opens in the import dialog. I choose the source for the photos (my SD card) and a destination (my captures folder on my D:\ drive)
-Ensure it is set to copy as a DNG and that the starting number is '1'
-Click the import button

During import, my desired EXIF data is plugged in and the files are renamed to my standard. Once the import is finished, I'm ready to go to work on the images. The very first thing I do is run a backup routine that copies the images to an external hard drive. At that point, I have 3 copies of the images.

I give every image one star (by pressing CTRL-A to select all images, then clicking the first star). While there, I click the red label (which for me indicates the images have not been processed).

Now, I go to the first image and start the processing. If I finish working on it, I change the label to green, which indicates a finished image. If I work on it a while and want to do more later, I label it as yellow. If I take it to another app (i.e. PPS9 or Photoshop), the image that comes back from there is the finished image and gets the green label. The original is assigned a blue label.

Then, using the Maps module, I geotag the photos. Once finished with that, I enter keywords for each image.

I have smart collections to show me what images have not been processed at all, have been partially processed or were the originals to further processing outside Lightroom.

I finish that shoot by selecting what I perceive to be the best images in the shoot by assigning it a second star. I have a smart collection for "Best of the Shoot". I go to that collection and export the collection to my personal cloud.

If I elect to share the shoot with others, I export to a DropBox folder. When that finishes, I go to DropBox, copy a link to the folder and send that link to the folks who want to see the images by email.

When I am completely done with all this, I do the backup again, which now backs up all my edits.

Hope this gives some insight that will be beneficial to you.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

Reading the replies, why use an editing program to download? I either use Windows itself or a dedicated downloading program, Zoom Browser, Image Browser on WIN 8 machine, to create a new folder , in my case named by date photos shot, and download the files, then I tell my editing program where the photo I want to edit is, Bob.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I've been using Downloader Pro for many years. It displays the thumbnails on the card, you can select one subject and download it with a new (meaningful) name into a folder named so you can find it. I've never been a fan of DSC_5927 names.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

If it's a problem and you do this occasionally, I think Bob and Searcher have you covered.

Otherwise, I do a back-up, then back up my back-ups to back-ups of my back-ups that I also back-up.
But I often find myself so backed-up doing back-ups that I have little time to actually do anything beyond backing up my back-ups to my back-ups.
It's maddening I tell you!

Then, when you need it the most, your back-up fails.
Just ask the IRS. :shock:

Or don't. No need to attract unwanted scrutiny... :|

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

I still use the traditional copy/paste method (from memory card to a folder I created on the computer). This way I know exactly which files I have transferred and where they have been copied to. Keeps everything simple. The more simple the procedure, the less likely of a screw-up, such as accidentally deleting the wrong folder.

jwestman Loc: Grand Rapids, MI

Yes it was a world class mistake. <smile> I appreciate all the feedback. I used a file recovery program on the external hard drive where they were stored and managed to get back the important ones. Now that I know better, I will take your suggestions and put them to good use. Thanks!!

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Glad to hear that even world class mistakes sometimes have solutions!