Fresh Start with C-One?

[MartinMartin]

After a couple of months with C1 (monthly subscription) I'm ready to make the jump. Lots of trial and error with protocols (catalogs, sessions, both, and more) while working off of drop box, local and external hard drive. Now I'm settled with how I want to work, but have lots of clutter, broken links, duplicates, name changes, files moved outside of C1----only then discovering "Caution! Never do . . ." what I just did.

So what's your recommendation for a fresh start?  Advice for (cautions regarding?) how I can delete my entire C1 data record and simply download a new copy of the program? Is that a too-simple, naive thought?  I've come across instructions for selectively deleting or correcting particular files/data---seems labor-intensive. I'm not heavily invested in my C1 work to date, and I wouldn't mind having it all deleted. I have all my original RAWs.

Thanks.

[uptownguydenver]

Glad to hear you are going with C1. No worries to get a fresh start. Just create a new catalog and import. I like to import into catalogs as referenced files. You can arrange the existing images in folder structures that meet your workflow and needs and then import as referenced. Then create albums, smart albums, projects, and groups as needed.

You can't rename files if importing reference files. If you want to rename before importing you can use Bridge, Photomachanic or other program to rename and add meta data.

If you want you can batch rename your existing files to match your new C1 workflow. Just heed the warning and go. Go to the Library Tool Tab > Folders and select the folder that contains the files to rename. Then go to the C1 File Menu and select batch rename. You can select Method, Format, a million tokens to choose from and then choose rename and you should end up with a great library that you can work with.

Once you get the files in the structure you like you can rinse and repeat.

If you you use sessions, which are really great for projects you can work about the same way. Just put your files in the current Capture folder and C1 and they will show up in the Browser. No need to import. Sessions do have a data base so you can add albums and do ratings, keyword, searching etc.

Hope this will help some. There is plenty of C1 expertise here on Lu La so you are in good hands.

[sebbe]

I do a rename for all files to yymmdd_xxxxx.arw while the xxxxx is an increasing number. That way each filename will only be used once. They will be imported to the folder E:\pics\yyyy\yymmdd\ within a catalog called yyyy. Each year there will be a new catalogue just to avoid big (and therefore slow) catalogues.
Personally I stoped using sessions, as long as I don't share my processing with others. Instead of that I rename the folder to "E:\pics\yyyy\yymmdd-eventname\". If the event or holidays goes longer than a day I move all files in the first of all yymmdd folders.

1. Set general EXIF infos.
2. Delete all bad shots and mark all shots you want to process with an one star rating.
3. Filter all one star shots and set a good brightness, black/white point, lightness,... and also white balance if needed.
4. Process one after the other. Set tags for place (London, New Zealand, ...), people (Marie, Smiths), purpose (portrait, landscape, testshot, ...), specials (animal, night, holidays, shooting). I do the tag setting here, because there were some issues with batch taging in earlier versions but not if you set them for each file seperately.
5. JPGs are saved to E:\pics\yyyy\yymmdd\jpgs folder. Tiffs for PS-processing are in the same folder as the raw-file.

General advices:
- work with "linear response". colors/transitions are much smoother.
- Instead of contrast and clarity use white/black-point on levels as well as a luma-curve.
- if you have clipping rather lower brightness and use the HDR for shadows than lift brightness + HDR for the highlights.
- get familiar with function of the brightness on the three color wheels, the 5 points on the levels-tab (in all four colormodes). combine them with hdr, brightness, lightness, curves and contrast to get a feeling of what is possible.
- you may create your own profiles because the general and standard profiles are often good but may show some weeknesses too. I recommend dcamprof or the GUI-version lumariver of Anders Torger (see in the Colour Management section of this forum).
- after a while set up the workspace to your taste.

[uptownguydenver]

Good tips Sebbe.
I also have a catalog per year and it works out fine. My folder structure for landscape photos is year, state, city, place. All photos are renamed with the capture time-date appended to the end. For individual projects I start out with sessions. You can always import the session into your catalog so you have everything together.

[MartinMartin]

Thanks so much for your time and good advice. I’m inclined to set up a 2017 catalog, import a small current backlog of sequenced and named files, and get back to making pictures, which for me is prints.  That, and a few more years of learning C1.

For the short term and maybe much longer, I can access prior images with ACR/CS5 for nostalgic browsing, social media, or answering work requests. Aside from the occasional rediscovered image I want to print and can pull into C1, these other "needs" don't require the unique powers of C1.

Regarding, "No worries to get a fresh start. Just create a new catalog and import." Got that Now, is it possible to delete (remove from visible distraction) the multiple, botched catalogs and sessions that appear when I “Open” catalogs or sessions?   I understand that there’s not much data involved in letting these (useless?) structures remain, but they are sure irritating and distracting. Don’t mind that they are there, just don’t want to see them.

Am I missing something big and simple?

[uptownguydenver]

Normally when you launch C1 it will point to the last session or catalog you had open. If you don't want to see the catalogs and old sessions you can do File Open Recent and you will see a "Clear Menu". That should get them out of the list. If the last one doesn't exist it will still bring it up in the open dialogue and from there you can Browse for something else. After opening a current catalog or session you can do a Clear Menu one more time and the others will be history and gone for ever.

You can delete the catalogues and sessions off your disks if you no longer need them.

One preference in the General section to check is the location and timing of the catalog backups. Point the backups to a different disk from the actual catalog. Best to use a backup program to backup your files and catalogues. Recovering the catalog from the C1 backups can be a hassle as I understand it.

[MartinMartin]

These are very helpful responses.

A bit of a left turn here ---  Been reading a bit about MediaPro.  Those posts have helped me conceptualize what I'm asking for, despite assorted complaints about that product. Namely, an offline, seamless (sort of,) intuitive, DAM with very good browsing, paired with C1's amazing conversion.

Thoughts on that?  No doubt I can eventually get I want with C1 alone, but considering my very basic management needs, is pairing C1 with MediaPro a promising way forward or a rabbit hole?

[Jimmy D Uptain]

These are very helpful responses.

A bit of a left turn here ---  Been reading a bit about MediaPro.  Those posts have helped me conceptualize what I'm asking for, despite assorted complaints about that product. Namely, an offline, seamless (sort of,) intuitive, DAM with very good browsing, paired with C1's amazing conversion.

Thoughts on that?  No doubt I can eventually get I want with C1 alone, but considering my very basic management needs, is pairing C1 with MediaPro a promising way forward or a rabbit hole?

Rabbit Hole.

Media Pro is awesome, but it's all but abandoned by P1. At least that's the way things appear. In my fluffy, happy dream world, they are figuring a way merge the two.

I wouldn't even download the trial of Media Pro. Its speed and ease of use will have you shaking your head. Then the reality of it not fully recognizing you C1 adjustments, and sad color management will hit you. Then you wonder "why?"

[MartinMartin]

Rabbit Hole. [. . .]
In my fluffy, happy dream world, they are figuring a way merge the two.

Here's my particular fluffy fantasy: C1 has brilliant file management capacity quite beyond my (currently perceived) needs. I've never felt the need for "better" file organization and access. Better conversion? You betcha! I'm looking to get as little distance as possible between me and C1 RAW conversion tools. Could be that time and learning will take care of that

My wish, For example, is to use Media Pro (which, mind you, I only superficially understand) to draw from multiple file sources (hard, external, dropbox, card) because a) it is super friendly with Capture; and b) its visual presentation and "mechanics"  seem more intuitive or at least familiar, and c) may simplify, for my purposes, the need to manage C1's file structure with albums, projects, etc. Of course, I could be wrong on all these counts

I also noticed that getting to the printer interface on M-pro immediately replicates what I'm used to and satisfied with (Epson 3880 and PS.)  Please say more about the color management problem Jimmy raises)

Media Pro is much touted for high-volume, fast demands.  In my case, I rarely have more than 300 shots per month; 10 that are pleasing; and if I come up with some that promise to be worth the paper they are printed on, I'm a happy fellow.

Now, I'll get back to reading the helpful posts above.