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Author Topic: how many catalogues do you use?  (Read 5641 times)

geesbert

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how many catalogues do you use?
« on: September 14, 2008, 04:59:35 pm »

Currently i am using LR2 only as a raw developer, but as i am trying to get my image collection (about 300 000 images) into a decent systematic i am looking into LR as a database editor. Currently i am using photomechanics to browse and keyword my work.

i just don't get how many catalogues i should create. will i have one huge one or should i spread my work into a few topics? will that slow down working with LR?
as I am working with three computers, should i keep my catalogues on one external FW drive and plug it into the machine i am currently working on? shall i then, to be able to acces most of my Database even when the FW drive is not at hand, make a backup to every machine every time i start LR?

is lightroom up to handle 300 000 and more images?


confused......stefan
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genemcc

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« Reply #1 on: September 14, 2008, 05:26:12 pm »

LR2 should be able to handle that if your computer is powerful enough. I run only one main catalog and a few smaller catalogs for special (and temporary) purposes.
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Nat Coalson

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« Reply #2 on: September 16, 2008, 10:48:11 am »

I also recommend using just one master catalog. I use other (temporary) catalogs while on the road and for doing maintenance on the master database.

You may be able to segment your library into broad categories, like "work" and "personal", but otherwise, it's really handy to have everything in one place.

If you use Collections and Filters a lot, managing many thousands of images (or potentially hundreds of thousands) is much easier.
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DarkPenguin

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how many catalogues do you use?
« Reply #3 on: September 16, 2008, 11:26:26 am »

I need to get all the event photos out of my main catalog.  There has never been a time that I've wanted to get to my racing photos and my nature photos at the same time.
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redwoodtwig

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« Reply #4 on: September 16, 2008, 07:29:44 pm »

I'd recommend one master catalog since that is the top level organizing tool.  Collections and filters should be able to take care of any organizing you want to do within it.  Might be a good idea to have the catalog on a different hard drive than your photos.  I would definitely have both the hard drive with the photos and the catalog both be permanently on -- I keep them both on internal hard drives and use external drives only for backup.

How are your three computers set up?  It sounds like you have a network, and if so I'd designate the most powerful as the main machine and simply point LR to the catalog there.  And back up photos and catalog to the other computers daily, weekly or whenever you've done a bunch of work.

If your body of work can be completely sorted out into three work areas where no photo would be in more than one area, then by all means use separate catalogs.

I'm looking at this more as a database admin (day job) than as a photographer.  It's always better to have all your data in one database management system than to "stove pipe" it into separate areas if there is any relationship at all between the data contained in the separate areas.

Brandon
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kaelaria

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« Reply #5 on: September 16, 2008, 11:23:54 pm »

It would have been an issue with the first versions, but with LR2 you should be fine as far as the software with one cat.  Your performance is now determined by your hardware.  More RAM and faster disk system the better.
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dchew

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how many catalogues do you use?
« Reply #6 on: September 17, 2008, 08:15:30 am »

I use two catalogs: First is WIP, second is Master.

Raw CR2 files come off the card into WIP where they get edited, keyworded and developed (at least roughly).  Then the 'selects' get converted to DNG and added to the Master.  

My main reason for this is time & dedication, both if which I lack.  I may import files but not get to editing/key/dev for weeks.  I don't want those 'unprocessed' files in my Master catalog because I simply forget which have been processed and which haven't.

Probably not a good workflow for pro's, since at least the dedication part shouldn't be an issue...

Dave Chew
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Tklimek

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« Reply #7 on: September 17, 2008, 09:49:17 am »

Dave....

This sounds like a good flow; but I wonder if mine would EVER make it to the master!  LOL!

Cheers....

Todd

Quote
I use two catalogs: First is WIP, second is Master.

Raw CR2 files come off the card into WIP where they get edited, keyworded and developed (at least roughly).  Then the 'selects' get converted to DNG and added to the Master. 

My main reason for this is time & dedication, both if which I lack.  I may import files but not get to editing/key/dev for weeks.  I don't want those 'unprocessed' files in my Master catalog because I simply forget which have been processed and which haven't.

Probably not a good workflow for pro's, since at least the dedication part shouldn't be an issue...

Dave Chew
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=222035\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
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redwoodtwig

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« Reply #8 on: September 17, 2008, 09:58:22 am »

Quote
I use two catalogs: First is WIP, second is Master.

Raw CR2 files come off the card into WIP where they get edited, keyworded and developed (at least roughly).  Then the 'selects' get converted to DNG and added to the Master. 

My main reason for this is time & dedication, both if which I lack.  I may import files but not get to editing/key/dev for weeks.  I don't want those 'unprocessed' files in my Master catalog because I simply forget which have been processed and which haven't.

Probably not a good workflow for pro's, since at least the dedication part shouldn't be an issue...

Dave Chew
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
I like your approach, seems suitable for me and probably for geesbert as well.  I have a huge backlog of unprocessed or partially processed shoots, all of which are works in progress, so to speak.  In many cases, I've been through it once, did an initial select, some quick editing, and threw them up on line for the other people who were at the event.  Quite often I've got a couple of keepers in there, a landscape, a flower or something unique, that is now more or less lost in the backlog.  Converting just those keepers into a new archival file format and putting them in a new location and creating a catalog just for those makes a lot of sense.  I'd still have the originals in my main or WIP catalog, but when I want to work on prints for a show, I no longer have to spend 10 or 15 minutes hunting like I did yesterday for an image I knew was there.  (It was pre-lightroom and not keyworded yet, but had been imported when I got lightroom).  Plus I now have an additional backup of my keepers.

Two posts of interest:
"On the many-headed evils of controlling your pictures with more than one catalogue"
[a href=\"http://www.lightroomforums.net/showthread.php?t=1917]http://www.lightroomforums.net/showthread.php?t=1917[/url]

This next one is a technical discussion of working with lightroom in a network.  Something not recommended by Adobe.
http://www.lightroomforums.net/showthread.php?t=1595
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Brandon Smith
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madmanchan

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« Reply #9 on: September 17, 2008, 10:26:45 am »

I use one big catalog. (But ultimately it's not that big.)
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Eric Chan

rdonson

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« Reply #10 on: September 17, 2008, 10:59:30 am »

I use one catalog with <100K images.  

I won't commit to more catalogs and many more images until LR 2.1 shows up and most of the current bugs are remedied.
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Ron

Christopher

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« Reply #11 on: September 17, 2008, 05:57:08 pm »

Quote
I use one catalog with <100K images. 

I won't commit to more catalogs and many more images until LR 2.1 shows up and most of the current bugs are remedied.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=222073\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

6 catalogs - printing - raw images - JPGs - Tiffs - personal raw-  clients raw
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Christopher Hauser
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redwoodtwig

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« Reply #12 on: September 17, 2008, 06:14:18 pm »

Quote
6 catalogs - printing - raw images - JPGs - Tiffs - personal raw-  clients raw
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=222185\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Do you have any files in more than one catalog?  In other words, in your raw images catalog, do you export for example, a printing job to a printing folder and have that printing folder in your printing catalog, but not in your raw images catalog?
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Christopher

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« Reply #13 on: September 19, 2008, 07:50:18 pm »

Quote
Do you have any files in more than one catalog?  In other words, in your raw images catalog, do you export for example, a printing job to a printing folder and have that printing folder in your printing catalog, but not in your raw images catalog?
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=222187\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]


In some. Let me explain:

For example the printing catalog is for print jobs. Here are all images stored, I printed or have to print for clients. For normal jobs I print them right out of lightroom for important colors I export them to PS and print them there.

The raw files catalog has all my personal fine art work.

The Tiffs and JPgs are processed images. The tiff catalog is for printing and final fine tuning. The JPG is as "modern" portfolio. It is used to create web image or show pictures to clients.

The personal an clients raw are separate catalogs, because I don't like mixing them with my other work. I find it lightroom faster that way.

To answe your question. Some images are contained in different catalogs, BUT in different formats. RAW, Tiff, JPG.
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Christopher Hauser
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geesbert

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« Reply #14 on: September 20, 2008, 04:15:50 pm »

So I will try to use one catalogue, makes sense to me.

now should I import everything in one step, go on holyday for a week while it is rendering previews and then try to organize it  or should I import chunk after chunk?
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redwoodtwig

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« Reply #15 on: September 20, 2008, 05:31:04 pm »

Quote
So I will try to use one catalogue, makes sense to me.

now should I import everything in one step, go on holyday for a week while it is rendering previews and then try to organize it  or should I import chunk after chunk?
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=222921\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Holiday time is always good,  

I look at having digital images as two different things:  a data storage system and a workable photo working system.  As a data storage system, I want my files stored where I have some hope of locating a specific file.  I store all my image files in a date oriented folder structure:

Quote
photos
   2005
      01Jan
      02Feb
      03Mar
        20050311 dog show shoot
        20050311 Alicia portrait shoot
        20050320 View over harbor
   ....

I put them there using windows explorer (mac finder), independent of lightroom.  I set up backup mechanisms against this basic orignal file work area outside of lightroom.  Then I import them into lightroom.  When I first brought in 2005, I found the easiest way was to copy a single photo directly under 2005, click import in lightroom and import using choose files and went to that folder and chose that file.  Then I clicked on the folder and asked lightroom to synchronize.  Had a cup of coffee or two.  Came back and confirmed that I wanted all thousands imported.  Went out and mowed the lawn.  Came back and everything was in the catalog, nicely arranged into my folder structure, ready for me to build collections, put in keywords, etc.

Once working with them in Lightroom, I found I needed to export jpg for uploading.  I exported them to a new folder called upload under photos, so now my backup archive includes those as well.  I should probably delete them after I'm done uploading, but then I'd not remember what I'd uploaded (or where, sub folders under upload).  Collections to the rescue.  I make a collection, say "Best picks from view over harbor", I export that to what amounts to temporary folder and then upload from there.  I've got a record of my upload in the collection, but I don't really need the uploaded files -- well, maybe not.  Might be situations where I would want to keep copies o those jpgs.
Same kind of thing with prints, though here I'm much more likely to want to keep a copy of the file I made the print from.
« Last Edit: September 20, 2008, 05:33:12 pm by redwoodtwig »
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