Conflicts for Images between SM and LR 4 during SYNC

smmartistsmmartist Registered Users Posts: 6 Big grins
edited October 31, 2012 in SmugMug Support
When I sync photos between LR 4 and Smugmug, I am receiving messages about CONFLICTS between photographs that need to be resolved. I have several different questions involving this process:

1. How should I handle COMPLETELY DIFFERENT IMAGES?: Some of the photos have multiple images attached, most of them are .psd or .jpg files of the image in question, but some of them are actually completely different photos that happen to share the same IMG #. On my HD these images are saved in different folders and different years, so a conflict has never been a problem until now.

2. With multiple images to match to one image, if I choose MATCH, on one, how does that affect the others? I was accepting some of the matches and happened to check the second image only to see that it was a completely different image, so I don't know what I did, how it affects SM and/or LR or how to correct it because now in the SM collection in LR, I have some bear pictures showing up with my bird pictures because they share the same file name. (The only difference was that the bird images are .JPG and the bear images are .CR2 files. On my HD, these files are in completely different folders under different months. I didn't even realize I had duplicate image numbers... but I did get a new camera, so...)

3. What do the colored checkmarks mean? What if I matched with a yellow checkmark?: I don't know what the green or yellow checkmarks mean and how to proceed

4. How should I proceed if I modified a .JPG image in Photoshop creating a .PSD file and used that .PSD file to upload to SM and now am having a CONFLICT connecting back to LR because of the existing (old, original) .JPG?: I'm guessing that I should MATCH with the .PSD and not the .JPG in LR. If I indicated MATCH with the original JPG file, did I just replace the SM image with the old, original file?

5. If I MATCH with one of the images in the CONFLICT RESOLUTION thingy, does it MATCH with all of them or just the one shown? : Sorry, I know that this is similar to Q#2... I was thinking that I had to choose which image matched, so that's what I did, but then those bear images showed up with my bird images, so I don't know...

6. Which image should I choose if I made changes in LR on the original (i.e., exposure or crop or angle...)?: Again, common sense would have me choose the LR edited version, but would like confirmation from someone.


I googled and searched through forums for instructions or some direction on how the CONFLICT RESOLUTION thing works but didn't really find answers to my questions. Is there a reference for newbies like myself that really identifies how the Conflict Resolution process works. I just really want to know what I am doing when I click MATCH or NO MATCH...

Also, is there any way to connect images together that have been renamed, so they can recognize each other?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Sheila

Comments

  • EntropicTendenciesEntropicTendencies Registered Users Posts: 84 Big grins
    edited October 30, 2012
    Hi Sheila,

    The sync process tries to match images automatically. It tries to do this using the filename, image dimensions, date taken, etc. - this gets harder if the JPEGs on SmugMug have been stripped of the EXIF metadata. The conflict resolution stage gives you the chance to decide what to do with images that can't be automatically matched.

    The intention is to match to the image that you want to consider the master in Lightroom for any future updates of that image to SmugMug.

    I'd generally recommend that you use some form of unique naming for your files. I know that Lightroom makes it easy not to need to do that, but when things get tricky it can make life a lot easier (can you imaging how many IMG_1010.jpg have been uploaded to SmugMug?).
    smmartist wrote: »
    When I sync photos between LR 4 and Smugmug, I am receiving messages about CONFLICTS between photographs that need to be resolved. I have several different questions involving this process:

    1. How should I handle COMPLETELY DIFFERENT IMAGES?: Some of the photos have multiple images attached, most of them are .psd or .jpg files of the image in question, but some of them are actually completely different photos that happen to share the same IMG #. On my HD these images are saved in different folders and different years, so a conflict has never been a problem until now.

    If the conflict resolution is offering you a choice of completely different images then it is likely due to duplicate filenames (and I'd guess a lack of distinguishing metadata).

    You need to choose the correct match.

    When you are presented with the choice of both a JPEG and other formats then I'd expect that you would want to ignore the JPEG - you're choosing the image you wish to be the master for any future updates to SmugMug (and that's unlikely to be the JPEG if you have a raw file or an edit).
    2. With multiple images to match to one image, if I choose MATCH, on one, how does that affect the others? I was accepting some of the matches and happened to check the second image only to see that it was a completely different image, so I don't know what I did, how it affects SM and/or LR or how to correct it because now in the SM collection in LR, I have some bear pictures showing up with my bird pictures because they share the same file name. (The only difference was that the bird images are .JPG and the bear images are .CR2 files. On my HD, these files are in completely different folders under different months. I didn't even realize I had duplicate image numbers... but I did get a new camera, so...)

    It's a one-to-one match - once you've confirmed your choice then the others are forgotten (they might reappear later if the filename is repeated).

    To clear the associations between Lightroom and the published images you need to (*carefullly*) delete the gallery/collection within SmugMug - you're given the choice to leave the images on SmugMug http://screencast.com/t/5djBzUE84US

    Once you have deleted the gallery within Lightroom then you can run the sync again to repeat the process.

    Even though you have synced images from SmugMug to Lightroom, there will be no updates from Lightroom to SmugMug until you press the publish/re-publsh button.

    It's not difficult to generate repeated filenames - my primary body is probably on it's forth or fifth time around the clock.
    3. What do the colored checkmarks mean? What if I matched with a yellow checkmark?: I don't know what the green or yellow checkmarks mean and how to proceed

    Green is a hint that the data matches, yellow doesn't match (or isn't available).
    4. How should I proceed if I modified a .JPG image in Photoshop creating a .PSD file and used that .PSD file to upload to SM and now am having a CONFLICT connecting back to LR because of the existing (old, original) .JPG?: I'm guessing that I should MATCH with the .PSD and not the .JPG in LR. If I indicated MATCH with the original JPG file, did I just replace the SM image with the old, original file?

    I think in that case you want to match to the PSD (it is your master image).
    5. If I MATCH with one of the images in the CONFLICT RESOLUTION thingy, does it MATCH with all of them or just the one shown? : Sorry, I know that this is similar to Q#2... I was thinking that I had to choose which image matched, so that's what I did, but then those bear images showed up with my bird images, so I don't know...

    It's one-to-one - one image on SmugMug to the master image in Lightroom.
    6. Which image should I choose if I made changes in LR on the original (i.e., exposure or crop or angle...)?: Again, common sense would have me choose the LR edited version, but would like confirmation from someone.

    It's a choice of whichever image you want to use for any future updates from Lightroom to Smugmug - most likely the one with the adjustments.
    I googled and searched through forums for instructions or some direction on how the CONFLICT RESOLUTION thing works but didn't really find answers to my questions. Is there a reference for newbies like myself that really identifies how the Conflict Resolution process works. I just really want to know what I am doing when I click MATCH or NO MATCH...

    Just this: http://help.smugmug.com/customer/portal/articles/768728-simplify-your-workflow-using-lightroom

    If you click "no match" then it just skips associating the image on SmugMug with Lightroom.
    Also, is there any way to connect images together that have been renamed, so they can recognize each other?

    I think that might only be possible if the JPEG has the necessary metadata (we'd need to investigate that one).

    You can cancel the sync at any time and restart it - that's perfectly safe, it will just pick up where it left off. You can also sync individual galleries - that makes it easy to work though them methodically.

    If you need us to dig into any specific issues drop us a mail via http://help.smugmug.com

    Barrie
    Smugmug Support Hero
    EntropicTendencies - a mixture of my work
    Spence Photography - fine art portraiture in central Scotland
    Pavilion Photographic Studio - tuition - workshops - studio hire - model days in central Scotland
  • smmartistsmmartist Registered Users Posts: 6 Big grins
    edited October 31, 2012
    Thank you for answering my questions. This information will not only help me but many others new to syncing their images. I will try syncing some images tomorrow and see how it goes...

    Sincerely,

    Sheila
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