importing from SD card to Lightroom

kevinpw

Hello,

How do I separate events at import time in Lightroom? For example, when I plug in my SD card to my computer, Lightroom immediately fires the Import dialog. This dialog is very simple, even too simple maybe. As far as I can see, it allows me to import all shots within one date into one folder.

Let's say I have 2 different events in one date and I want to separate them into two physical folders. How do I do this in Lightroom at import time?

Thanks

kevinpw

anyone? teach me how to organize in Lightroom?

Art Scott

RECOMMEND SCOTT KELBY'S LR2 for PHOTOGS
I recommned reading Scott Kelby's LR2 for Photogs.....he doesn't actually organize into separate files folders but it is all done by date and keywords...so you have 1 or2 or 3 actual folders and when search just go after needed files by title and keywords and dates.......Scott spells it out real simply and not as confusing as I made it seem..........
Also at import time you can copyright all your files in the exif data......all spelled out in his book..........

pathfinder

When you insert your SD card into the reader with Lightroom open, a new dialogue box opens with thumbnails of each image on the card. You do not have to import them all at the same time, you can uncheck all, and then just check each session separately and name them differently, so that when imported into Lightroom they have different names and different metadata. You may have to reload the card for each different sessions on the same date that you want to rename.

kevinpw

pathfinder wrote:

When you insert your SD card into the reader with Lightroom open, a new dialogue box opens with thumbnails of each image on the card. You do not have to import them all at the same time, you can uncheck all, and then just check each session separately and name them differently, so that when imported into Lightroom they have different names and different metadata. You may have to reload the card for each different sessions on the same date that you want to rename.

whoa OK, I definitely do not see this dialog with the thumbnails of each image on the card. I am only presented with a list of dates on which photos were taken. did I simply miss that? I will take a closer look. thanks!

kevinpw

Art Scott wrote:

I recommned reading Scott Kelby's LR2 for Photogs.....he doesn't actually organize into separate files folders but it is all done by date and keywords...so you have 1 or2 or 3 actual folders and when search just go after needed files by title and keywords and dates.......Scott spells it out real simply and not as confusing as I made it seem..........
Also at import time you can copyright all your files in the exif data......all spelled out in his book..........

Hi Art. thanks for the suggestion. I will look for that book.

what I am concern with, though, is about locating physical files from outside of Lightroom. If I import images using lightroom, and, say, I want to attach an image using Gmail from my Firefox. Using the methods you described above, I would have to go to a very large folder where I keep all my pictures and try to locate the one I want.

divamum

Here's what I do:

I actually import my photos onto my hard drive using Picasa - nothing like the power of LR, but a free and somewhat simpler catalog that I find very helpful for quickly scanning my drive for pictures,s imple edits and uploading.

In the Windows "Pictures' directory, I have made a directory for the year, and then within that "master folder", I have subfolders for each month. Each shoot goes into its own folder in the correct month.

I do a first pass in Picasa for keepers; I rename those using the "batch edit" function.

I then go to LR and import those keepers so that I can work on them properly.

This sounds complicated, but in fact takes very little time to do. Yes, the extra step in Picasa is probably redundant, but I find it easier and less memory- intensive than uploading in LR. Works for me!

kevinpw

pathfinder wrote:

When you insert your SD card into the reader with Lightroom open, a new dialogue box opens with thumbnails of each image on the card. You do not have to import them all at the same time, you can uncheck all, and then just check each session separately and name them differently, so that when imported into Lightroom they have different names and different metadata. You may have to reload the card for each different sessions on the same date that you want to rename.

omg. at the bottom of the dialog there is a "Show Preview" checkbox that I have to check to enable the preview. Never would've seen that if you hadn't said anything. Thanks so much!

pathfinder

You're welcome!

Both Lightroom and Photoshop are filled with little boxes or buttons that can make life a lot simpler

But they are not always easy to spot without some help, sometimes.