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Author Topic: LR4 & LR5 folder structure & Smart Collections???  (Read 4478 times)

Box Brownie

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LR4 & LR5 folder structure & Smart Collections???
« on: July 20, 2013, 08:17:11 am »

Hi All

I appreciate that there have been a few questions about making changes to folder structures but I have yet to recall this aspect?

I am in the process (having only done a test move of a couple of folders) of reorganising my folders, currently "title(or subject)_ day_month_year" into a new structure of base folders based on year i.e. 203, 2012, 2011 etc.

My test so to speak was, all within LR5, was to make the 2013 folder on the appropriate drive which by the way only showed in the LR folder tree after "synchronise this drive" then moving two folders worth of images to that newly created folder.  Seems to work a treat :)

But my prime question is about Smart Collections???  I have made limited use of SC so far but have one of images for WIP for printing..........so will the SC stay synch'ed (or whatever term applies) if the folders the images are located in has been moved as described above???

I hope that makes and would the insight that all will be well before I get/go any further and move the (in their folders) 10,000's of images about  :)

TIA  8)

Edit ~ FWIW ~ I fired up LR4 and it 'reported' the images(folders) were missing or offline though the previews showed.  I synch'ed the drive and they were all accounted..............would it behave the same if I simply moved everything within windows explorer and then re synch'ed the drive in LR???

So the outstanding question about the Smart Collections???
« Last Edit: July 20, 2013, 08:34:40 am by Box Brownie »
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wolfnowl

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Re: LR4 & LR5 folder structure & Smart Collections???
« Reply #1 on: July 25, 2013, 12:30:52 am »

Collections don't exist on your hard drive in a folder structure, only within the LR database.  Smart Collections are just that - collections of images filtered out based on specific criteria.  As long as the images are within the catalogue, if they match the criteria they'll show up in a smart collection.

Mike.
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Tony Jay

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Re: LR4 & LR5 folder structure & Smart Collections???
« Reply #2 on: July 25, 2013, 01:18:54 am »

Collections don't exist on your hard drive in a folder structure, only within the LR database.  Smart Collections are just that - collections of images filtered out based on specific criteria.  As long as the images are within the catalogue, if they match the criteria they'll show up in a smart collection.
Spot on.

Tony Jay
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Rhossydd

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Re: LR4 & LR5 folder structure & Smart Collections???
« Reply #3 on: July 25, 2013, 04:09:50 am »

As long as all the files movements and any renaming is done with Lightroom it will keep track of the changes and you won't loose collections (both standard and smart).

One way to imagine it (I may be completely wrong) it that Lightroom's catalogue keeps track of each file, where it is, rating, keywords, settings, what collections it's in etc. If you change the name of the file in the catalogue or move it all the other data stays the same.
Problems only arise when you change any of that data by another program eg move a file or rename it, then LR doesn't know what's changed or where to find it.
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jferrari

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Re: LR4 & LR5 folder structure & Smart Collections???
« Reply #4 on: July 25, 2013, 06:51:40 am »

As long as all the files movements and any renaming is done with Lightroom it will keep track of the changes and you won't loose collections (both standard and smart).
And we certainly don't want any loose collections, do we?  ;)
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Rhossydd

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Re: LR4 & LR5 folder structure & Smart Collections???
« Reply #5 on: July 25, 2013, 07:37:14 am »

And we certainly don't want any loose collections, do we?  ;)
Well spotted, a typing mistake.
Any helpful contribution for the OP you can add ?
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jferrari

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Re: LR4 & LR5 folder structure & Smart Collections???
« Reply #6 on: July 25, 2013, 10:46:16 am »

Well spotted, a typing mistake.
Any helpful contribution for the OP you can add ?
Thanks. Yes, Mike has the correct answer. You DID see my emoticon didn't you?
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Box Brownie

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Re: LR4 & LR5 folder structure & Smart Collections???
« Reply #7 on: July 25, 2013, 06:03:30 pm »

Many thanks all for the qualified feedback :)

I had tried a few moves and all is well by moving within LR and the Collection(s) stay AOK.

As it stands now, I do not know why I did not make the changes to my folder structure ages ago  :-[ :D ;)  Just moving a few 1000's in their folders at a time.

Oh, one thing I have noticed is that though I wait for the lefthand pane with its folders list to refresh and the files count update................if I move another folder apparently too soon I get an error message about "cannot complete the action".  A few seconds later another try and it is AOK :)
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digitaldog

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Re: LR4 & LR5 folder structure & Smart Collections???
« Reply #8 on: July 25, 2013, 08:15:08 pm »

Do you use iTunes? If so, you're familiar with Playlists. You can have one song on the drive but it can show up in dozens of different Playlists. That's the same with a collection. One file, multiple possibilities to access it. And FWIW, the real power is Smart Collections! Dumb collections are a tad fragile in that they only exist within the LR database. At least with a smart collection, built upon metadata, they can usually be easily recreated in another DAM. Dumb collections are proprietary and solely based upon the LR database (which isn't a bad thing, just a bit more proprietary if you will).

A well organized file structure IS useful for a host of reasons! Like when you have to find an image without LR.
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