DAM - the Lightroom way

[Niall Horley]

I'm spending so much time in this forum, it may be telling me I prefer it to iVMPro?
Chris Bishop

I have not looked at iVMPro, I may try and catch the demo at focus, I may even see you there.

Niall

[DannyG]

"Dan, Are you intending to have a lot of catalogs? hence why the catalog name is in the derivative path."

Niall,
The more I think about it I belive that I will create a sub-catalog within it's parent for anyderivatives within that catalog. At that point I would not have catalog names in the derivative path, just the bucket folders.

[Chris Bishop]

I've spent tonight playing.
I backup : My Documents  My Pictures  Lightroom  lightroomdatabase.Irdb
I hope this is right
My backup program finds the photos and the xmp files and backs them both up.
If I reload a master then it gets saved as a derivative - psd, tiff DNG with a suffix etc. I know there are other options, but it's only been 5 days, I'm learning.
To move a file or folder I use export, even within lightroom, I haven't found another way (yet) - keep as DNG
Chris Bishop

[Chris Bishop]

I've just come back from Focus. An easier way to move photos wothin LR is ti just drag and drop.
Chris Bishop

[DannyG]

Chris, do you mean moving photos within LR from folder to folder?

[Tom]

Hello,
I was not able to open your latest iDisk pdf for some reason and I use a mac. I would like to see the latest revision of the work flow you use with LR? I am using the trail version now. I would like to use DNG and only plan on using LR and CS2 or maybe 3 when it comes out. I also use iPhoto sometimes so wish they would take DNGs as well but that is not critical.
If you could post it again I will try again to view it and maybe there are some additional changes that you have made. Also I have not used LR backup yet so will have to try that.

thanks

[Chris Bishop]

DannyG yes, I hadn't found the simple way - just drag and drop from folder to folder as you progress through the workflow per the book.
Chris Bishop

[DannyG]

John and Peter, do you have any thoughts or feedback on what we are trying to do here?

Dan

[DannyG]

FYI
I've started to update my photos using what we have worked on here. On my flow chart I show the folders in the RAW buckets as ...
shoot_starting photo file no._date

I am now changing this and putting the date before the photo file no. ...
shoot_date_starting photo file no.

I have two cameras so obviously the numbers are different and I rather have the folders chronologically. Thought I would share this.

Dan

[DannyG]

I needed to remove the flow chart from my website. If you would like it, send me an email.

Dan

[Tom]

Under prefrences there is a library backup feature. I have looked but am not certain what exactly that does and where it backs up to. Can someone please explain as I understand I should be using it.
Thanks,
Tom

[Chris Bishop]

Yest the database should be backed up, but I use my daily back up program, just adding the database folder to it's list of folders to back up, along with accounts, spreadsheets Word docs etc.
Chris Bishop

[Tom]

I do backup my hard drive weekly but should backup my database folder daily. The question I have is where is the library database folder found. I am on a mac.
I looked under LR but didn't see any thing accept if you want to backup library but not indication as to where it should go or a location for a database folder.
thanks again,
Tom

[mhernandez]

Tom,

Have you looked in your /Users/Tom/Pictures folder? It seems LR puts the central database there along with a Backup folder, if you decide not to make smaller databases. If you do make individual LR databases, LR might create the backups in a folder next to the smaller .LRdb.

I stopped using a centralized ibrary after beta4, as I have been making a new LR database for each "shoot" a la John Beary's "project-based" approach in the "Should I use Lightroom as my asset manager?"  thread. Storing this individual LR database, a folder really, alongside its corresponding RAW_ folder, which has the 'Proprietary RAW+XMP' files, helps me find the LRdb more easily. The LR database then becomes part of the regular backup routine for my RAW buckets. Per discussions in these forums, I am keeping iView Media Pro as my asset manager if I want to look for photos across shoots until LR becomes more DAM friendly. While it is a professional-level RAW converter, LR behaves more like Photoshop Elements (the Organizer, rough handling of metadata, no scripting yet) when it comes to digital asset management than CS2. I will be receiving Martin Evening's LR book soon and will see what he has to say about how to organize folders. (He may be using a central LR library for his own image collection, though.)

Mannix

[Tom]

Mannix,

Thanks, I found the database files and I have them for b2 b3 etc. I will sort those out so I back those up regularly. I thought about purchasing iview but at this point decided against it. I will work with LR for the next 6 months or so and if I find it satisfactory then I will stay with it and hope that the DAM function improves. Since I don't have a DAM currently, only iPhoto and some folders I am starting from scratch. I just want to make certain I back up my photos correctly. Keep me posted on the Martin's book. I was thinking about getting a book on LR or just joining NAPP and use there tutorials but for that cost I can purchase several books. Now that I have a registered copy of LR I will need to start in on organizing all my older photos, or at least the ones I want to keep.
Were does John talk about his organization on this site, if you can remember the thread.

If I just back up my LR folder under pictures I will have everything backed up at least as far as LR is concerned then. Do you know if I can get the b2 etc backups all to the v1 folder or do I even need to do that? I think I should just be able to delete those as they should al be transfered to the v1 backup folder.

Thanks,
Tom