Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS)
Apr 1, 2021 12:01:53 #
317tman
Loc: Indianapolis, In
I use Affinity Photo and my own file system. Never used LR, but I can see situations where it would be helpful. I’m just not sure It’s worth the cost for me.
Apr 1, 2021 12:30:07 #
Longshadow wrote:
I don't use a cataloger either.
Windows Explorer is my "catalog".
Windows Explorer is my "catalog".
And a good folder naming convention...
bwa
Apr 1, 2021 14:15:23 #
Apr 1, 2021 14:16:27 #
Retired Aircraft Mechanic
Loc: Florida
akamerica wrote:
I am trying to solve my leadership "problems:... (show quote)
Not sure what the connection to "Leadership" is?
Apr 1, 2021 14:54:11 #
akamerica wrote:
I am trying to solve my leadership "problems:... (show quote)
I have a simple system:
Photos:
US States: AZ
Subject: Birds
Date: Cardinal 2021-01-01
Countries:
Same as above.
I cull my photos and keep a relatively few, no duplicates or ones almost alike, just the one that I like, the rest almost like ones are deleted or ones I just do not like.
Apr 1, 2021 14:54:13 #
Gene51 wrote:
The catalog is what sets LR apart from most other applications - it's implementation is flawless. The problem most people have with it is that it the try to approach it as if it were a file browser - like Bridge - which it is not.
I used to think that Bridge was "just a file browser." Then I went to an Adobe convention in Las Vegas and found out that Bridge is the best catalog program out there. One just has to learn how to use it, but that's the case with all software.
Apr 1, 2021 15:07:48 #
russelray wrote:
I used to think that Bridge was "just a file browser." Then I went to an Adobe convention in Las Vegas and found out that Bridge is the best catalog program out there. One just has to learn how to use it, but that's the case with all software.
Bridge is a non-catalog yet powerful way of organizing and managing files - and not just image files, but any file type in the Adobe portfolio. But it definitely is NOT a catalog based system. Learning to use it won't turn it into a catalog based system. I use both, and they are not interchangeable.
Apr 1, 2021 16:15:50 #
akamerica wrote:
I am trying to solve my leadership "problems:... (show quote)
You probably are using the best of the post processing programs, at least the most popular ones, so why do you have the other unused ones. Trying to learn and use all the different apps you listed would only confuse me to the point of insanity. Your post title said it best, KISS. According to the responses here, you can get everything organized and cataloged with the programs you currently use. I'd learn as much as possible about the Adobe apps until such time as I felt much more comfortable with them and forget the rest, for now. In the future, get the others if you feel they will add to the Adobe programs abilities.
Apr 1, 2021 16:40:33 #
You already have an editing program that doesn't require a catalog. You mentioned Adobe products. Neither ACR nor Ps require a catalog.
--Bob
--Bob
akamerica wrote:
I am trying to solve my leadership "problems:... (show quote)
Apr 1, 2021 17:57:21 #
Apr 1, 2021 18:05:18 #
I still have the Adobe Apps until I am comfortable with another app. I am trying out several. T
Apr 1, 2021 18:24:36 #
jerryc41 wrote:
Destructive edits seem like a non-concern because I always save the processed image with a different name, so the original image remains unchanged.
Destructive edits seem like a non-concern because I always save the processed image with a different name, so the original image remains unchanged.
I have done the same since day one.
Tried LR a number of times but couldn't get used to it.
---
Apr 1, 2021 18:26:57 #
I wonder if the OP is daunted by the Digital Asset Management (DAM) and may not understand the basic concepts. If I am wrong then I apologise as I don’t mean to insult his intelligence.
He may not be aware of what a catalog actually is, and that he does not have to build it, LR does the whole job. Perhaps an illustration in the physical world will help clarify how LR works. Imagine yourself with a card index and that box contains 65,000 cards. Any individual card tells you exactly where to locate the photograph you want that is contained in the multitude of filing cabinets that you would need, for example…. Cabinet 8, Drawer 3, Folder 10.
What LR does is to look into your Photograph Master File, then looks into the folders then it examines the metadata of each image (assume that you are familiar with metadata). Unless you specifically ask LR to move files, it will leave them exactly where they were and in the structure that now exists. LR will examine all of the data in that volume of images in just a matter of minutes, dependent on the “grunt” of your computer. Retrieval is by looking into folders as you do now but the real beauty is that a file, or files can be retrieved by any information in the metadata. This is the short version of DAM.
Now a brief description of the LR display. LR shows your existing file structure in the tree fashion that you are already familiar with. You see the highest-level folder then sub-folders and sub-sub-folders. You already have your folders where you want them, and in the structure understood by you, LR does not change this. As other posters have mentioned, you must do any file movements or image deletions within LR. Going back to that card index, you must not mess with the photograph locations as your index card will get out of synch.
That is the DAM side of things and I will now give a few words about how I use LR. With rare exception, my photography objective is to record where I was and what I saw at the particular time. Only very rarely will I seriously adjust or enhance an image. What LR does for me is to use my NEF file and normally produce a quite acceptable picture of what I was looking at. It looks at the brand of camera, variety of lens etc. then automatically makes the adjustments that are needed. If dealing with a jpg then it aligns the picture with the camera settings. Of course, some photos need a bit of individual tune up when I have messed up the exposure, or perhaps contrast etc. needs to be enhanced.
LR is simplicity once you grasp the basic concepts. Once again, I apologise to the OP if I have covered material already known to him, I was “reading between the lines” of his post but may have got it quite wrong.
Ron
He may not be aware of what a catalog actually is, and that he does not have to build it, LR does the whole job. Perhaps an illustration in the physical world will help clarify how LR works. Imagine yourself with a card index and that box contains 65,000 cards. Any individual card tells you exactly where to locate the photograph you want that is contained in the multitude of filing cabinets that you would need, for example…. Cabinet 8, Drawer 3, Folder 10.
What LR does is to look into your Photograph Master File, then looks into the folders then it examines the metadata of each image (assume that you are familiar with metadata). Unless you specifically ask LR to move files, it will leave them exactly where they were and in the structure that now exists. LR will examine all of the data in that volume of images in just a matter of minutes, dependent on the “grunt” of your computer. Retrieval is by looking into folders as you do now but the real beauty is that a file, or files can be retrieved by any information in the metadata. This is the short version of DAM.
Now a brief description of the LR display. LR shows your existing file structure in the tree fashion that you are already familiar with. You see the highest-level folder then sub-folders and sub-sub-folders. You already have your folders where you want them, and in the structure understood by you, LR does not change this. As other posters have mentioned, you must do any file movements or image deletions within LR. Going back to that card index, you must not mess with the photograph locations as your index card will get out of synch.
That is the DAM side of things and I will now give a few words about how I use LR. With rare exception, my photography objective is to record where I was and what I saw at the particular time. Only very rarely will I seriously adjust or enhance an image. What LR does for me is to use my NEF file and normally produce a quite acceptable picture of what I was looking at. It looks at the brand of camera, variety of lens etc. then automatically makes the adjustments that are needed. If dealing with a jpg then it aligns the picture with the camera settings. Of course, some photos need a bit of individual tune up when I have messed up the exposure, or perhaps contrast etc. needs to be enhanced.
LR is simplicity once you grasp the basic concepts. Once again, I apologise to the OP if I have covered material already known to him, I was “reading between the lines” of his post but may have got it quite wrong.
Ron
Apr 1, 2021 18:32:59 #
Gene51 wrote:
No such thing as destructive edits on raw files in... (show quote)
A few years ago, this post would have been Greek to me. That was when I had 5 or 6 photo editing software programs on my Windows computer. Then I found this site and read so much about the Adobe products that I joined the subscription plan. I tried it on my own unsuccessfully and continued to edit with my variety of software programs. After about 6 months, I decided to pick ONE software and learn it well. I picked Lightroom and after 5 years of using it, I understood every word you said!! Now I also use Photoshop to finish my best photos AND I switched to an iMac. Once, I thought I would give up the subscription and I ordered Luminar. It’s probably a good program, I just didn’t have the energy to learn something new!
The OP may be happier with another program than I was. I will say this: I’m glad that I learned Lightroom well. I wish them good luck in finding a program that will replace the Adobe suite.
Apr 1, 2021 19:10:22 #
Gene51 wrote:
Bridge is a non-catalog yet powerful way of organizing and managing files - and not just image files, but any file type in the Adobe portfolio. But it definitely is NOT a catalog based system. Learning to use it won't turn it into a catalog based system. I use both, and they are not interchangeable.
If you really learn to use it, yes, it very much can be a catalog based system. Bridge is so much more powerful than Lightroom because Bridge will catalog any type of file, not just picture files. My Bridge catalogs include files from Word, Excel, PowerPoint, InDesign, Photoshop, Lightroom, Elements, Photoshop, mp3, mp4, PDF, and that's just off the top of my head because I have to get to the grocery store.
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