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Author Topic: Do you use Photomechanic as well as Lightroom?  (Read 19590 times)

Ellis Vener

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Do you use Photomechanic as well as Lightroom?
« on: August 05, 2015, 10:20:18 pm »

I am asking because I'd like to speed up renaming and keyboarding and my photojournalist friends swear by Photomechanic for that.  But I haven't asked how they use the two together.

So if you do use both Lr and PM, what is your workflow like?
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Ken Seals

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Re: Do you use Photomechanic as well as Lightroom?
« Reply #1 on: August 05, 2015, 10:57:32 pm »

Yes, I do. I do a lot of concerts and sports events which result in up to 3,000 shots per event.

1. Ingest with Photo Mechanic (PM), which includes creating and naming destination folder on main photo drive. PM allows you to ingest from as many card reader slots as you have connected to the computer. I currently have two readers with four slots, but I'm thinking of adding a couple more USB 3.0 readers since I sometimes have up to 8 cards per event. I do not rename files as part of this process

2. Use the photo viewer in PM to review the photos once all have been ingested. Use Tag function of PM to select images to import into LR later.

3. Use PM sorting function to see grid view of untagged images. Quickly review for possible missed keepers.

4. Delete all untagged images.

5. Exit PM

6. Open LR

7. Import all images in the new folder for the event using the Add option

8. Immediately rename all the images from the camera created file names to event specific names

9. Use LR ratings to choose images to process and output for client.

This process save an actual TON of time over waiting for LR to move from one image to the next in Grid View or Loupe view for choosing the picks. I decided ages ago to pick and then delete the non-picks rather than wasting time rejecting images in LR.

Photo Mechanic has been a real blessing and tremendous assistance in speeding up this whole process.
« Last Edit: August 07, 2015, 04:15:54 pm by Ken Seals »
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Ludwig Nobel

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Re: Do you use Photomechanic as well as Lightroom?
« Reply #2 on: August 06, 2015, 01:04:09 am »

Although I am not a photojournalist and don't have a need for importing from mulitple cards at the same time very often, I find PMs keywording capabilities far superior to LR. Star ratings added in PM are honored by LR, color labels unfortunately not. For adding metadata, the stationary pad in PM is a very useful tool, also for renaming photos and adding captions. I recommend PM to you if those features are important in your workflow.

Ludwig
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Wayne Fox

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Re: Do you use Photomechanic as well as Lightroom?
« Reply #3 on: August 06, 2015, 01:27:55 am »

My partner shoots for the local MLS team (Real Salt Lake). He's pretty good at lightroom and uses it a lot, but says it's just too slow to meet his deadlines (images between half and within so many minutes after the game.

So all of that goes through Photo Mechanic, which he endorses strongly for anyone who needs to work with large amounts of files quickly on similar shoots (3000 or so frames per game).
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john beardsworth

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Re: Do you use Photomechanic as well as Lightroom?
« Reply #4 on: August 06, 2015, 03:47:38 am »

PM allows you to ingest from as many card reader slots as you have connected to the computer. I currently have two readers with four slots

It's not so obvious, but Lightroom will do this too - see this video.

Ellis, I sometimes use PM and work with a few people who do rely on it. Its GPU-accelerated viewing of raw files' embedded previews is something I've always wanted in Lightroom, and it makes PM ideal when you have a large numbers of pictures and deadlines. Bulk metadata entry is a strength, and its code replacement feature is particularly good (eg enter a runner's bib number as a keyword and it can look up their name and other keywords from a text file).

Its main value is before you bring your pictures into Lightroom. Once pictures are catalogued in Lightroom, PM is less obviously useful. You have to be more, maybe too careful with metadata changes in LR (saving and reading it from files) and in general PM doesn't show or output raw files' corrected appearance, though it can show crops and works well with DNGs when you've updated their previews.

Like any extra tool, there are downsides from bolting something else onto your workflow. But if do you have those volume and timescale problems, it's worth trying.

John
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Nick Walker

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Re: Do you use Photomechanic as well as Lightroom?
« Reply #5 on: August 06, 2015, 04:10:14 am »

Ellis,

For sheer speed and features (*code replacement and variables are huge time savers) Photo Mechanic has no competition. The previews from RAW files at 100% magnification (check sharpness) are near instant - Lightroom runs at a snails pace in comparison and is far too slow.

I have been using PM for many years at pro sports events, there is no way I could entertain using Lightroom to ingest and make a selection (check for sharpness) as I would be for ever sat in the media centre. I do use Lightroom as my first choice RAW converter.

In pro sports photography PM has no peers.

*To save me writing War and Peace about PM - see Dan Cars video tutorial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg00PF_F2GY

PM and Lightroom workflow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO07PIIiRHM

http://wiki.camerabits.com/en/index.php?title=Selection_Tags_and_Color_Classes
« Last Edit: August 06, 2015, 04:19:37 am by N Walker »
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Nick Walker

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Re: Do you use Photomechanic as well as Lightroom?
« Reply #6 on: August 06, 2015, 04:17:47 am »

Although I am not a photojournalist and don't have a need for importing from mulitple cards at the same time very often, I find PMs keywording capabilities far superior to LR. Star ratings added in PM are honored by LR, color labels unfortunately not. For adding metadata, the stationary pad in PM is a very useful tool, also for renaming photos and adding captions. I recommend PM to you if those features are important in your workflow.

Ludwig

You can change PM's prefs so that colour coding matches in Lightroom - http://wiki.camerabits.com/en/index.php?title=Selection_Tags_and_Color_Classes

Paul Wright

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Re: Do you use Photomechanic as well as Lightroom?
« Reply #7 on: August 06, 2015, 06:44:46 am »

Yes, I do. I do a lot of concerts and sports events which result in up to 3,000 shots per event.
1. Ingest with Photo Mechanic (PM), which includes creating and naming destination folder on main photo drive. PM allows you to ingest from as many card reader slots as you have connected to the computer. I currently have two readers with four slots, but I thinking of adding a couple more USB 3.0 readers since I sometimes have up to 8 cards per event. I do not rename files as part of this process
2. Use the photo viewer in PM to review the photos once all have been ingested. Use Tag function of PM to select images to import into LR later.
3. Use PM sorting function to see grid view of untagged images. Quickly review for possible missed keepers.
4. Delete all untagged images.
5. Exit PM
6. Open LR
7. Import all images in the new folder for the event using the Add option
8. Immediately rename all the images from the camera created file names to event specific names
9. Use LR ratings to choose images to process and output for client.
This process save an actual TON of time over waiting for LR to move from one image to the next in Grid View or Loupe view for choosing the picks. I decided ages ago to pick and then delete the non-picks rather than wasting time rejecting images in LR.
Photo Mechanic has been a real blessing and tremendous assistance in speeding up this whole process.

Hell yes. Pretty much with a workflow so close to Ken's it doesn't matter. If I was coming back from a shoot with just a handful of images, maybe Lr would be OK to rename/sort/rank/keyword images. Right now I'm sorting through a 4500 file two-day shoot for a University faculty. These will get culled down to around 250 images to be processed, optimised and delivered to the client. PM is so powerful and did Ken say fast? Lr would be glacial and annoying for most of my jobs. Bridge would be worse. Lr has been my chosen destination for processing CR2 & DNG's and creating web galleries for clients since Lr v1.0 so I'm well tuned into its strengths and weaknesses.

-pw
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jrp

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Re: Do you use Photomechanic as well as Lightroom?
« Reply #8 on: August 06, 2015, 12:57:11 pm »

I do +/- the same.  I assume that PM uses the JPEGs for previewing, so it is great for initial culling and rating.  It probably uses less battery than LR, too.
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AlterEgo

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Re: Do you use Photomechanic as well as Lightroom?
« Reply #9 on: August 06, 2015, 01:01:15 pm »

I am asking because I'd like to speed up renaming and keyboarding and my photojournalist friends swear by Photomechanic for that.  But I haven't asked how they use the two together.

So if you do use both Lr and PM, what is your workflow like?

if you work with raw later down the pipeline then try http://www.fastrawviewer.com
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jrp

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Re: Do you use Photomechanic as well as Lightroom?
« Reply #10 on: August 06, 2015, 05:30:13 pm »

Yes, it's good at showing your pics, but the support for adding metadata to your pics is not its forte.
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Ludwig Nobel

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Re: Do you use Photomechanic as well as Lightroom?
« Reply #11 on: August 06, 2015, 05:53:23 pm »

You can change PM's prefs so that colour coding matches in Lightroom - http://wiki.camerabits.com/en/index.php?title=Selection_Tags_and_Color_Classes


Thanks for the link, I will try this.

Ludwig
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Nick Walker

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Re: Do you use Photomechanic as well as Lightroom?
« Reply #12 on: August 07, 2015, 04:05:24 am »

Yes, it's good at showing your pics, but the support for adding metadata to your pics is not its forte.

Really?

jrp

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Re: Do you use Photomechanic as well as Lightroom?
« Reply #13 on: August 07, 2015, 05:51:31 am »

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AlterEgo

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Re: Do you use Photomechanic as well as Lightroom?
« Reply #14 on: August 07, 2015, 10:12:55 am »

FastRawViewer, that is.
well, it depends on what the OP wants exactly, plus it is easier to reach FRV developers with suggestions/requests and get a feedback if what he needs can be done (or not or never or whatever), may be even in the next release...
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Ken Bennett

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Re: Do you use Photomechanic as well as Lightroom?
« Reply #15 on: August 08, 2015, 09:06:14 am »

Yes. I LOVE Photo Mechanic. It is so much faster than anything else for initial edit and metadata there is no contest.

My workflow is similar to the other Ken's, though I use PM for renaming, captions, keywords (the Structured Keyword Panel is like a gift from the Gods), and tagging selects for processing in Lightroom. I make use of different saved presets, variables, etc., to streamline the workflow. I also have fixed permanent folders on my desktop where photos are organized as I work through from initial download to edit to output to moving them to my server. That way I can have Ingest and Export Presets and not lose files by accident.

1. Ingest photos from the card readers to my Ingest Folder on the desktop.
2. Create a folder for each assignment in my Edit folder; move raw files to the appropriate folder using Photo Mechanic drag and drop. Assignment folders are named "MMDD assignment".
3. Open each assignment folder in PM. Rename photos using "YYYYMMDDassignment1234" convention. Use the IPTC Stationery Pad to add full caption information to each photo. Use the Structured Keyword Panel to add appropriate keywords. Do this in batch when possible.
4. Quickly tag all the keepers. Delete the untagged files.
5. Add 5 stars to photos I want to process in Lightroom.
6. Import the entire assignment folder into LR.
7. Process the 5 star files, Export to my Exported JPEGs folder. Upload the JPEGs to our web-based DAM system.
8. Within Lightroom, move the assignment folder to our server so LR knows where it is and I can find raw files from anywhere with an internet connection.

This workflow takes advantage of the speed of Photo Mechanic for all the metadata and editing (choosing) steps, and then uses the efficiency of Lightroom and its presets for processing the selected files.
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Ellis Vener

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Re: Do you use Photomechanic as well as Lightroom?
« Reply #16 on: August 11, 2015, 10:58:24 am »

Thank you everyone for advice and workflow suggestions. I am stunned by how fast the Photo Mechanic 8  works and how much more efficient it makes my workflow.
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Ken Bennett

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Re: Do you use Photomechanic as well as Lightroom?
« Reply #17 on: August 11, 2015, 05:45:18 pm »

Awesome!

PM is also very handy for outputting smaller files from full res jpegs (or even raw files) for emailing clients, posting to the web, etc. It seems to have a little secret sauce making the finished files look good eveb at very small sizes -- and it's fast. :)

Note that like Lightroom you can save multiple presets for many common actions, like standard IPTC sets, different Save As presets, different Ingest presets, etc. Add all the keyboard commands and it's even faster.

Have fun with the transition.
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