Can Lightroom upload individual files?

[DavidLehman]

A lot of the time I'd like to upload a single file or groups of files to my server as they are. I don't want them coming up in galleries. Usually I'd just ftp in with Transmit and dump the files in. However, is there a way to have Lightroom upload files just as files? I'd like to be able to make a folder of select tiffs and upload right from Lightroom for a client.

Hope this was clear, thanks.

[john beardsworth]

David

Put a shortcut/alias to your FTP client in the Export Actions Folder, then run an Export, and choose that shortcut as the Post Processing step. I've no idea about Transmit but you might be able to get fancier things done too.

John

[DavidLehman]

That's an interesting workaround, and thank you for thinking it up, but using the built in upload facility would be much cleaner...For the meantime, though, I'll work on the action...

[john beardsworth]

That's an interesting workaround, and thank you for thinking it up, but using the built in upload facility would be much cleaner...
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Obviously there is a built in FTP component but it is designed specifically for uploading galleries rather than transmitting individual files. So the idea's not really intended as a workaround, and it also allows you to use the FTP client of your choice and whatever extra features it may have - logging for instance.

The action's not a Photoshop action - just a program alias in that folder. You can use the same method to run Photoshop droplets, other cataloguing programs, even send pictures to Aperture.

John

[DavidLehman]

I've made the Automator action and it works fine - when you want to export images. But it still does not really solve the issue if I have a collection in LR of full-res tiffs that are ready to be delivered via ftp to client that I don't want any changes made to. I'd have to resave them in export.

I guess the only workflow option at this point would be to have a collection of my PSDs, categorize them as I want to deliver, and export them as tifs which will upload the tifs to my server while creating tifs on my computer as well. Kludgy, to say the least.

I think it is an oversight that should be looked in to. I know plenty of people would find it useful to have the ability to look through imported libraries and upload selects as individual files rather than galleries. I can't imagine it would be terribly difficult to implement since there is an ftp component in there already.

[john beardsworth]

I never said an Automator action either - my suggestion was cross platform.

[DavidLehman]

Well, Automator works for Mac. No idea what would work with a PC.

[john beardsworth]

Well, Automator works for Mac. No idea what would work with a PC.
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Sure the Automator action works for the Mac, but never having heard of Transmit, it wouldn't have been helpful giving you a Mac-limited solution when a good cross platform one is available. For clarity I originally said neither a Photoshop nor an Automator action - but place a program alias or shortcut in the Export Actions Folder, and call it up from the Post Processing drop down box during Export.

I've no doubt they will use the FTP component further, but rather than divert (two platform) development time to meet a valuable minority need, they instead implemented a clever feature that can be used in all sorts of ways like this and regardless of platform.

Maybe you can get Automator to periodically flush a temporary Export folder, or even export directly to Trash and hope the FTP client picks files up from there. Make sure you save your steps as an Export Preset too.

John

[DavidLehman]

I don't know what that means to put a program alias or shortcut in the EA folder - don't know how that would work.

However, and this is for Mac users, I did this to so far fill this great void:
Open the export as menu and set your parameters for jpgs. Have it save into whatever folder you want.
Create an automator action that will 1) Upload the files using transmit to your server. 2) Access the folder via the finder and 3) move that folder to the trash. You can save this in the export actions folder and it will show up in the menu of export actions in lightroom.

This will upload jpgs you make and then delete them off your computer, pretty much all in the background. Until full support is implemented, and I still don't know why it wasn't, this is a decent workaround I suppose.

And I do not think this is a valuable minority need. How many people are there that upload jpgs and link directly to them? I'd say far more than those who would link directly to a gallery page - be it sharing via email, on forums, to clients, etc. I personally think the gallery option is the lesser of the two. But who the heck knows for sure. This is more of a philosophical point anyway and should be reserved more for the adobe forums proper.

[john beardsworth]

"I don't know what that means to put a program alias or shortcut in the EA folder - don't know how that would work."

I hope I am using the precise Mac terms, but in Applications right click a program like your FTP client and create an alias. Temporarily place the alias somewhere easy to find - like Desktop. Then in Lightroom, launch the Export dialog and go to the Post Processing drop down. Select go to Export Actions Folder - this opens that folder in Finder and that is where you stick the alias. Next time you access that Post Processing drop down, the alias will be shown as an option. Choose it, and application will be launched once the export process finishes.

For PC, use the word "shortcut" instead of "alias".

John

[seanmcfoto]

"I don't know what that means to put a program alias or shortcut in the EA folder - don't know how that would work."

I hope I am using the precise Mac terms, but in Applications right click a program like your FTP client and create an alias. Temporarily place the alias somewhere easy to find - like Desktop. Then in Lightroom, launch the Export dialog and go to the Post Processing drop down. Select go to Export Actions Folder - this opens that folder in Finder and that is where you stick the alias. Next time you access that Post Processing drop down, the alias will be shown as an option. Choose it, and application will be launched once the export process finishes.

For PC, use the word "shortcut" instead of "alias".

John
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David,
With Transmit, you can create droplets that will open a specific folder on a specific site and drop files there.
I have one for my photoblog and I have it placed in the Export Actions folder (as described by John). I then went and created an Export Preset by setting up the Export command dialog to the settings I want for the blog and then saving them with the droplet as my post processing command.
When I find a file I want to upload I just click on the file and go to File>Export Presets and choose this preset. The image then gets uploaded automatically.