deanc56 wrote:
...fiddle with LR if I have any time. ...Now, iPhoto is no longer supported (which means no updating to work with new cameras like mine)
...Bottom line is that neither iPhoto nor Photos appears to work with NEFs ...so I'm trying to figure out 'simple' software that allows me to download, organize, and view full-sized NEFs and if I really want to edit, I can drag into LR and muddle my way along (but I've not even figured out basic organization with LR)...
Dean, I suggest you learn the basic rules of using LR for organizing your images. You already have it, and it is a powerful tool. That would be the easiest, least frustrating solution. Even if you seldom use the editing capabilities of LR, it can make your life so much easier!
Just a brief description of the process:
First, you already have your images in a folder on your HD. This is where they live now and will continue to live.
Second, use the "Import" function in LR to bring the entire folder into LR. LR is only a "catalog", your photos are still in the folder on your HD. LR "reads" from that folder and allows you to see, print, edit, etc. then the changes are also automatically included in your HD folder.
Third, once you have LR interacting with your HD folder, you must remember to ONLY make changes from within LR. If you want to move photos from one sub-folder to another, do it in LR. If you want to use another program to do some editing, like Photomatix for HDR, etc., they can be used as "plug-ins", and accessed from within LR. Same thing for PS if you have the Adobe CC plan, you access it from LR. Then any edits made in other programs will be brought back into LR automatically, even though the "Save As" asks you to choose from a folder/sub-folder from your HD. If you were to change anything directly in your HD folder, LR will tell you the photo is "missing" because it is not in the position where it is looking for it. You can show it where it is, and all will be well, but it is simpler/easier to just make changes from within LR.
LR is designed to work with other programs, as well as being able to function as a stand-alone program. In addition, if you have the Adobe CC subscription, you will never run into your current situation of incompatibility. It is regularly updated, not only with new tools, improvements, etc., but also with the ability to read images taken with new cameras.
Hope this helps. And remember, even if you do not often use the other capabilities, LR can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. And you do not have to learn everything at once. Concentrate initially on the organizing capabilities. Then gradually expand your understanding of the rest.
Susan