SM Lightroom Plugin

rjwilner

I've got a self created mess with my SmugMug-Lightroom plugin. It's been a mess for a long time that I've ignored simply because I still had the functionality I needed. Hopefully, the attached screen cap will help facilitate the best direction to untangle the mess if anyone is brave enough to jump in and help.

As you can see in the screen cap, I've got 2 SM/LR 'publishing services' installed in LR. It's been so long since that was done, I can't recall any rationale I may have had for doing so way back when. If I can eliminate one, great. Or if it can be put to a different use, fine as well.

Info pertinent to current usage...
1) I don't use the '2' (bottom) service at all. Never have. Can I safely delete that w/o impacting any of the images referenced within? I.e., deleting that service won't delete any images from either my pc nor from my SM site.(??)

2) I do use the 'top' service regularly. But I don't 'sync' anything. I simply drop the desired images into the highlighted folder and then 'Publish'. Works absolutely fine.

3) In fact, I also don't utilize any of the folders in the top service other than the highlighted one. And nothing is 'synched'. Given I'm not currently using any of the folders other than the highlighted one in the top service, can I delete all the unused folders in the top service as well?

4) My publishing workflow is as described above simply because my folder storage hierarchy on the pc is not remotely similar to the structure of my SM site. Probably 95% of the 'galleries' on the site are 'smart galleries' that, in no way/shape/form, correspond to the storage structure on the pc. So, I'm not currently 'syncing' anything and think it's highly unlikely I ever will. So again, can I safely delete everything in that service other than the highlighted folder?

5) I do have a desire to have one other 'publishing folder' with the same functionality and workflow as I use for the highlighted 'Portfolio Images' folder. I.e., I would like to create one additional folder into which I can drop desired images and then 'Publish'. Whether that can be accomplished in one existing publishing service or requires a second one makes no difference to me. Whichever 'you' think is most efficient works for me there.

If any other info is needed, just shout. Will be glad to offer anything that may be helpful.

Any suggestions/thoughts/ideas much appreciated.

leftquark

You can delete the second service without impacting anything.

Keep in mind "sync" isn't "sync" like you're imagining. What it means is that Lightroom and SmugMug are in sync with what the latest version of the photo is. If you update a photo in LR, it can tell you that you need to update it on SM. It has nothing to do with your folder structure on your computer and you don't need to worry about whether LR will end up mimic'ing your computer on SM, or SM on your computer.

Essentially think about it in terms of Lightroom knowing about your SM folder structure, and letting you add photos to any folder/gallery in SM.

If you only use the "Portfolio Images" gallery, then you can ignore all the rest of the folders/galleries. If you create a new gallery/folder on SM and you want LR to know about it, then you can sync the Folder/Gallery structure and that new folder/gallery will show up in LR. Then you can drag photos to it to add and click Publish.

So yes, you can do what you want as well.

rjwilner

@leftquark said:
You can delete the second service without impacting anything.

Keep in mind "sync" isn't "sync" like you're imagining. What it means is that Lightroom and SmugMug are in sync with what the latest version of the photo is. If you update a photo in LR, it can tell you that you need to update it on SM. It has nothing to do with your folder structure on your computer and you don't need to worry about whether LR will end up mimic'ing your computer on SM, or SM on your computer.

Essentially think about it in terms of Lightroom knowing about your SM folder structure, and letting you add photos to any folder/gallery in SM.

If you only use the "Portfolio Images" gallery, then you can ignore all the rest of the folders/galleries. If you create a new gallery/folder on SM and you want LR to know about it, then you can sync the Folder/Gallery structure and that new folder/gallery will show up in LR. Then you can drag photos to it to add and click Publish.

So yes, you can do what you want as well.

Thanks a bunch for the explanation. That helps a lot. I also realized I was referring to 'folders' in the Publishing Service when, in reality, they're Collections (and/or Sets of same). No wonder I was confused.

rjwilner

A follow up question...

If we choose to sync photos, is there a way to sync one collection at a time?

I ask because my normal photo editing workflow includes importing RAW files after each shoot, process desired images and save a 'master' file in .psd format, then export (almost exclusively as .jpg) as needed. Which means I typically have (at least) 3 versions of the same image...all with the same file name...just a different file extension. And when I initiate the 'Sync Now' function in the publishing service, I wind up having to select a 'Match' for almost all 750-800(?) images on my site.

It would be a blessing if I could piecemeal that syncing process to a few now, more this evening, even more a few days down the road...etc.

leftquark

Syncing is typically a 1-time process and only needed if you are uploading photos outside of the SmugMug plugin. If you are doing everything within the plugin, then the plugin already knows all of the files that are in your catalog and all of the photos in SM.

Think of a sync as your computer checking to see which photos in your LR catalog are also in SM and creating a link between them, such that if you update the version in LR, it'll know it needs to be re-uploaded (but won't re-upload).

Uploading only happens when you "publish" and you can publish whenever you want. That's a manual process.

I do something similar to you. I might finish 3 or 4 photos. I use the SM LR plugin to create a new gallery and "publish" those 3 or 4 photos. Then I work on another 3 or 4 and I take those from my LR catalog and drag them into SM via the LR plugin. Then I click "publish" and those 3 or 4 new ones upload. I might go back and edit one of those and LR tells me I have "Modified photos to republish", so I just click "Publish" and that one photo I changed will be re-uploaded.

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Syncing shouldn't need you to match several hundred photos unless you're stripping your metadata out before you upload it to SM. It's a good idea to leave your metadata intact. You can always hide it from prying eyes using SM's privacy tools.