keg403

I’ve recently started to up my photo game – got a dslr, then some editing software (Luminar). I’m interested in hearing how others organize their workflow and pics. I should mention I’m on a PC, and I have pics from my camera as well as my phone.

I think my pics fall into multiple camps: shots of family/friends/vacations that I might want to edit, and I might want to keep most or all of them even if they aren’t “great” shots. That said, there might be some, especially from trips, that I want to clean up and post online. Then there are pics from photo shoots that I took specifically b/c I want to have a great image – maybe to hang on my wall, or at least post online.

If you’re not sure what I’m trying to figure out, here are some of the questions I’ve thought about: Where do you upload them to initially - do you have a folder just for the new images? Do you then organize them by category? How do you decide which are worth the time to edit, and do you delete the rest? Do you keep the original image after you’re done editing? Do you keep the original and edited together? Do you put all the edited photos together?

I just don’t know how to approach this….my mind thinks in terms of folders, but maybe there’s another method? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas…..

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Folders in Windows "Photos":
by Year
by Month within a year
by Date shot within a given month - with descriptive title for the folder, such as "canyon eagles."

I create the folder prior to download from camera, and just insert the SD card to a slot in my laptop, then drag the images to the folder (while in File Manager). I used to be better about deleting ones I was positive I didn't want, but have gotten lazy - storage space is so cheap, after all

Though I have PS Elements, I've never used the Organizer and I admit to frustrations sometimes when trying to find a specific photo.

One idea you might consider: after editing, rename the edited photo with a 1 in front of the original file name. If you're shooting raw, your raw file will remain as shot, but if you are shooting jpg, I recommend a "save as" of the edited photo so you always have your original for new edits.

I keep the raw, the edited saved-as-jpg, and the psd file (showing all the layers) in the same folder. Using a 1 in front of the jpg name puts the edited photos at the beginning of a folder (if sorting by file name), for quick and easy scan of what you've done - which is likely to be your favorites of that outing, as well.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Well, I'm a programmer, so I store my images in something like:

\Photos
...\_from Camera
......\Bill
......\Joan
...\Family
...\Places
......\Acadia
.........\2017-09
.........\2018-10
......\Daytona
......\Daniel Boone Homestead
......\Valley Forge
.........\2015-08
.........\2017-10
...\Trains
......\Oneonta Yard
......\Mt Dora
......\Steamtown
...\Things
......\Locks
.........\Schuylkill Lock 60
............\2012-06
............\2015-08
.........\Kingston Locks
.........\Jones Falls Locks
......\Plants

And I also keep most of mine. I put new images in the "from camera" folder until I figure where they will live (Unless I know right off where I want to put them.). DSLR, phone, and wife's camera all have different prefixes.
Editing is done as desired. I keep the camera file name, and insert "Adj" inthe file name if I modify one and want to keep the original. I use Windows Explorer to peruse the images, not a cataloger. Double clicking a file opens the primary editor set for that file type (.JPEG, .CR2, etc.)
I keep RAW and JPEG in the same folder. That way they are right next to each other. (I tried separating them but that did not work for me. Too much trouble to keep changing folders.)
To back them up I simply back up the "Photos" directory. "Photos" is in the root, so I don't have to keep drilling down to get to them.
After Carbonite backs them up, back them up to an external drive, I erase the cards.

But keep in mind, this is what works for me...

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

All photographs are transferred from the camera memory card to a tempoary location on my PC.
Shoots for "clients" are backed up.
I always shoot raw.
The images are then imported into Lightroom.
For smaller shoots and personal pics Lightroom will move the images to a year folder.
For larger shoots (say 2000+ pics) Lightroom will move them into a specific folder for the event.

In Lightroom I will tag the images, so they can be searched for latter (if need be) and make inital selections.
In the Lightroom develop module I will make any adjustments to the selected images, if needed.
They will then be exported as .PSD files for sharpening and/or noise reduction (if needed) and further manipulation in Photoshop, if needed.

From Photoshop I will very ocassionally print a personal image, however most of them are downsized and converted to jpg for web publishing.

Personal images are uploaded to Flickr and sometimes emailed to family members.

Images shot for other people (even 'though I am a hobbyst I still have "clients") are posted to Zenfolio and the clients notified that they are availabe for downloading.

"How do you decide which are worth the time to edit, and do you delete the rest?"
Technical failures are deleted immediatly (unless content dictates otherwise, which is rare). The rest are selected on merrit and I will just keep the "best" which are published.

"Do you keep the original image after you’re done editing? Do you keep the original and edited together?
I keep the original raw files (sometimes you may get request for older photographs).
Also you post processing skills may improve over time and when better tools come out.
I do not keep the edited files except on line.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

I transfer the images in my camera to a separate camera backup hard drive in my computer. I name the directories with a short description and the date. Import the images into LR Classic CC and go through them and assign 1 to 5 stars. 1 = Technical Problems; 2 = Poor Composition; 3= OK shot, but don't post/publish; 4 = Good Shot suitable for post/publish; 5 = Portfolio Shot. LR allows me to pull up, say, only shots that are 4 and 5. LR automatically does a .dng backup on another separate hard drive. After PP I save the post/publish shots on the C: drive as a .jpg using the same directory name and date when I copied the images from the camera to the camera backup hard drive. Just to keep things sane, I occasionally go back and delete the 1 and 2 start photos.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Import into Lightroom with a unique name, cull, rate, tag, keyword, delete. Then I may put them into virtual collections that I have set up. The good ones, usually only about 10% or less, get the special treatment in Photoshop and are processed to the point of near perfection (more accurately, as good as I can get them), and I post thumbnail or lower res images on social media. I have been pretty successful selling from Facebook, Flickr and my own website.

My occasional commercial work has a different workflow that involves generating proofs for review and approval, then the "special treatment" for proper image finishing. In both cases I use raw files and process them in Lightroom.

Rather than relying on a folder structure that might result in some images that should really be part of multiple categories defined by folders - I use Lightroom's powerful and excellent virtual collections. Much easier, no duplication, easy to find something down the road.

LarryFB Loc: Depends where our RV is parked

First, I am strictly an amateur photographer, in general, I do not sell my images. However, I do post some of my photos to a micro-stock web site (I think I may have a credit with that site of about $25.00).

I have about 35,000 photos in the library module in Lightroom Classic CC, which is not the same as Lightroom CC (that's Adobe's method of just creating confusion).

When I copy my recent photos from an SD Card to my computer, (emphasize copy, not move). The photos are put into a sub-folder with the year as the sub-folder's name, the transfer process then creates another folder with the date as the name (eg. 20190127), each photo has the name changed to date-camera image number (eg. 20190127-DSC_4562.jpg). I know that bothers many people, but it works for me because of what I do next!

All of the photos just imported are in something called "previous import." Then I start adding keywords, starting with the name of the state where the photo was taken, followed by the location in that state (eg. California, Pasadena, or Arizona, Grand Canyon). Then I will start adding more specific key words, like people's names; event, like birthday party; then anything other that I think is necessary.

This seems to work well for me. I can find all my Alaska photos in a few seconds. I've put together books for a couple of grandkids when they graduated from High School. I do a keyword search for their name, and now I can have a folder of all the photos I have where I've identified them, and put those photos in a collection. Now, that reduces the number of photos that are candidates for the book from 35,000 to maybe 1000. Now, I do a quick review of those photos, and eliminate a large number of those photos because there was no way I wanted to include them in a photobook, by deleting them from the collection (not from the Lightroom catalogue nor from my computer), I now may have 200 photos as candidates.

This works for me, not for everyone. Many people have a problem with Adobe, Adobe Cloud, and/or having a subscription plan, rather that "buying a disk that has the program on it." They sometimes claim that they "bought" the program, but in fact they only bought the license to use that program, and that particular version of that program. The Adobe subscription model is different, for $10.00 per month, you can always have the latest version of Lightroom Classic, Lightroom CC, Photo Shop, Adobe Bridge, Adobe Raw (critical if you purchase a brand new camera and shoot raw), and a couple of other Adobe programs available to you. People also get confused about the term Creative Cloud, they seem to get the impression that you have to have an internet connection to use those programs. They are WRONG with the exception of Lightroom CC. I do not use Lightroom CC so I won't say anything more about it. However, if you do use the subscription model, periodically, your computer will have to access the "cloud" to verify that you have a valid, up to date subscription.

Now, what if you decide to cancell your subscription. I haven't done this but according to Adobe, the Lightroom Classic Library Module will still give you access to all your photos, but the other modules in Lightroom Classic will cease to function. The most important module is Develop, so you won't be able to use it, nor Map, Book, Slide Show, Print, Web. I think the Lightroom Classic Library Module is what I use the most, followed by the Develop Module. The other five I seldom use or don't use at all.

I think I've gone well beyond answering your question. But I am a big fan of Lightroom, it has made my life so much easier, and for $10.00 a month, I believe it's worth every penny!

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

I utilize John’s Shaw import method that he describes in his 10$ e-book Just google his name

alphonso49uk

Import into lightroom. Edit them.Export into a desktop folder, then import into a named event in photos on mac.

BboH Loc: s of 2/21, Ellicott City, MD

I have been using LongShadow's method since I restarted the hobby back in 2005.
The other thing that I do is identify the camera - Nikon allows the personal use of the 1st three characters of a file name. For either the 1st or 3rd character I use something specific for the camera, the use the other two for the file count. For example - 1st character is 8 for the D 850, 5 for the D500, then the second 2 alpha characters count up a - z; when I hit Z on the 1st string of alphas, the character in the 2nd string moves up to B, then C, etc. When I get to file named 8ZZ - 9999 I've taken 26x26 x9999 (6,759,3245) images for the D850. Its rather early in the morning - hope I've been clear...

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

All pictures can be in multiple categories, that's why I file by what I consider the primary category, Location or subject. The tag field in the metadata can be used to enter alternate categories, and is searchable in Windows Explorer.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

(You do know that the camera model is in the metadata, and a bunch of metadata items are displayable as column headers in the Windows Explorer file view, like ƒ-stop, speed, focal length, date taken, ISO, ....?)

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Workflow is a big deal, and you're smart to ask about it.

I upload pictures from card to computer. I put them into a folder called New. From there, I import them into Lightroom, process them, and Export them to the appropriate folder.

https://digital-photography-school.com/speed-up-photo-editing-lightroom-workflow/
http://www.digitalphotomentor.com/setting-up-a-good-digital-photography-workflow-dos-and-donts/
http://petapixel.com/2015/11/03/my-lightroom-post-production-workflow-after-a-day-behind-the-lens/

wds0410 Loc: Nunya

Check out Jim Nix on Youtube, he did a VLOG on how he organized 130,000 photos in Luminar.

genocolo Loc: Vail and Gasparilla Island

I did so. Which book?