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Where Does C1P7 Keep Files?

Ron Alexander
I've installed the software for an evaluation, and I am trying to figure out where it keeps files. Call me old fashioned, but I like to know where all files are and how they are maintained. For sure this software is not all I will use for image processing, and I have to be in control of the files.

First I let C17P "Import" all my images. I chose the option to leave the files in their original location. I believe there is an option to pile all the files into a single catalog, and I cannot fathom how that would make any sense. Anyway, original location is fine, and on my computer that is D: drive. I have about 20,000 image files for a total of 70 GB. I have just switched to shooting all RAW, so I expect the space number to grow fairly rapidly. D: drive is 2 TB, so that is not an immediate concern though.

So my questions:

1. Where are the adjustment files for each RAW file equivalent to the Adobe Camera RAW .xmp files? I see that it has created a Capture One Catalog folder on my D: drive under my Pictures folder. I see that it is 70 MB in size which seems big for just a database with essentially nothing in it right now. Are they in there? Is there one for each image, or are they lumped together in one file? What is the extension of these files, so I can find them?

2. My Windows 8.1 operating system and all program files are installed on a SSD C: drive. I don't watch usage real close as it seems to have styed at 97 GB available for a long time. However, I believe there was a step change on installing C17P that is way bigger than the size of the software alone. Capacity has gone down to 85 GB and I would guess 12 GB got used up all at once, and I have only processed a handful of images. Is C1P7 storing something there? I see from this Review by Joseph Eckert that he claims the software is storing "image previews" on the C: and it consumes considerable space. Is this it? Where are they and what extensions do they have? He also talks about "clearing them out" to keep disk space usage down. Can you do that without losing anything? Or what is the consequence?

http://josepheckertphotography.zenfolio ... o-7-review

Sorry for all the questions, but I am trying to get a handle on what is going on, and any help you can provide is much appreciated.
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Comments

4 comments

Date Votes
  • SFA
    Ron,

    I suspect that you would like the sort of control and easy use of a file in multiple applications that I also prefer.

    Have a look at Sessions rather than using the C1 Catalog.

    If you use a catalog, but leave the images at their original location, everything except the original images should be assumed to be in the catalog database file.

    If you use Sessions (One or more) all the originals and preview and edit files, etc, will be visible in a folder structure. The links between them will be maintained in a master database "Session" file.

    You may feel much more comfortable with that. I do.

    HTH.


    Grant
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  • Ron Alexander
    [quote="SFA" wrote:
    Ron, I suspect that you would like the sort of control and easy use of a file in multiple applications that I also prefer. Have a look at Sessions rather than using the C1 Catalog. If you use a catalog, but leave the images at their original location, everything except the original images should be assumed to be in the catalog database file. If you use Sessions (One or more) all the originals and preview and edit files, etc, will be visible in a folder structure. The links between them will be maintained in a master database "Session" file.


    Grant, that is helpful, and it does sound more like the way I like to see files kept. I was wondering what the benefit of Sessions were. On a related question, the process to import files from a memory card, seems a bit on the manual side compared to Photoshop Elements (Organizer). Is it correct that you manually have to tell C1P7 what folder to put the files in, and manually name a sub-folder? Elements does that all automatically (once you set it up) as soon as you insert the memory card in the reader.
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  • SFA
    [quote="Ron AKA" wrote:
    [quote="SFA" wrote:
    Ron, I suspect that you would like the sort of control and easy use of a file in multiple applications that I also prefer. Have a look at Sessions rather than using the C1 Catalog. If you use a catalog, but leave the images at their original location, everything except the original images should be assumed to be in the catalog database file. If you use Sessions (One or more) all the originals and preview and edit files, etc, will be visible in a folder structure. The links between them will be maintained in a master database "Session" file.


    Grant, that is helpful, and it does sound more like the way I like to see files kept. I was wondering what the benefit of Sessions were. On a related question, the process to import files from a memory card, seems a bit on the manual side compared to Photoshop Elements (Organizer). Is it correct that you manually have to tell C1P7 what folder to put the files in, and manually name a sub-folder? Elements does that all automatically (once you set it up) as soon as you insert the memory card in the reader.


    Ron,

    Potentially that is a very big subject to cover. There are a number of ways to work with C1 for importing - especially for sessions.

    It has been years since I last looked at Elements - V2 that came with a Pentax pocket camera iirc.

    Where to start .... ?

    Firstly when using a session you don't have to import at all. You could simply copy the files for the card to a drive somewhere, open a session (if you don't have one that you want to use open already), use the Library tab to access the 'System Folders' sub heading and navigate to the folder to which you have copied the files. You can then start to work on them. (In fact you don't have to copy them off the card if the card is visible as a 'disk', but I only mention that for completeness.)

    Using the import facility offers a few very useful additional features.

    Firstly it is Batch process - handy if you have a lot of images to import and you want to get on and do other things while that is happening.

    It will copy the files to wherever you want them located (typically from the card but also from a folder on a disk) and create a backup somewhere else if you require it. It allows you to create a named folder and sub-folder is you wish but will default to the "Session Folder" OR something you have set in a previous Import complete with a ''last used' list should that be helpful.

    Import also allows you to rename the files if you wish and apply styles at the time of import. A style might, for example, contain certain setting you wish to apply to the files you are importing or meta data that can be shared by all files that you will select for the import .... etc.

    A session, when first created, offers 2 possibilities - Tethered (the default) and Untethered. Both will set up some default folders for our convenience. We don't have to use them. We can rename the folders. If we insist on having our own naming conventions we can set up a 'master' session with the folder names we prefer and use that for each new session we create - then save and rename, etc. None of that is compulsory but I will mention it in passing as we are discussing control of our data distribution.

    The main difference between Tethered and Untethered is that Tethered is templated for use with a directly connected camera and so a "Capture" folder is created as the default location for the images taken to be stored directly in the computer (NOT the camera's memory card if there happens to be one installed).

    The summary of the above is "There is a lot of potential control available." This is good when you have a grip on it and potentially not so good before you get to that point.


    Maybe the easiest approach would be to look at the folder structure you would like to see and then work back from that through to the import process.

    For example:

    I usually work with 2 session concepts.

    For large shoots, typically over an entire day or several days, I will usually create new session for the shoot, import the files, renaming at that time, to a separate folder for each card. (This helps me to keep track of the use of cards/camera/day and ensure I have collected them all AND the backed everything up after import and before I consider re-formatting the card for its next use! However that's just me and there is no particular reason for setting things up that way.) Each folder will typically have several hundred images - maybe well over a thousand in some cases. I find that enough to manage as a group for my purposes.

    I also have smaller sessions of course where I might decide that the number of images per card/day does not justify separate folder so I just import to existing folders after the first uploads. C1 is entirely flexible in that respect in return for very little input during the import process.


    For experimental and test shots or just 'general random images' I run with Generic sessions that loosely connect the contents and simply import to a named folder and maybe sub-folder as I go. They are sometimes existing folder and sometimes new folders. Whatever I think will suit my data control needs for those images.

    So I want to split up the files in both cases. Someone else shooting smaller sessions might be perfectly comfortable putting all the imported files in a single folder (like a tethered studio session for example) and so would be happy to upload to the default Session Folder with no sub-folders, etc.

    Whether one renames the files is a matter of personal preference of course. Some of the tokens one can set up for that can be the result of the structure you want to create - notably Folder Name for example.

    I like to keep folder structures as flat as possible - it makes things more visible when browsing around and certainly makes the 'design' of the import process and the requirements one places on it easier to achieve and remember. In turn that means less messing around with names and things when importing.

    Once you have been through an import process C1 will retain the settings for the next import (as mentioned above) and keep a list of previous settings should you use a variety. If you don't tend to change things much that should give the practical equivalent of a preset template for importing but I tend to have varying requirements so fixing things in a preferences type of file probably would not be high on my list of important features so I don't feel very qualified to make observations in that area. The default folder would be the Session Folder unless you specify otherwise and for a sub-folder you have the option of None, Date of Import or providing a name for a folder you wish to be created as part of the import.

    If you have not already looked at the Help information for Importing (in the Library section) and also Creating and using Sessions then I would recommend doing so to establish a starting point.

    I seem to recall there are one or two videos that cover Import as well so they are probably worth seeking out.

    But really I believe it is probably best to diagram what you think you want, work back from the final requirement to see how it might be achieved and don't be afraid to re-consider some aspects of it as you go when simpler options come to light. It may take a little experimentation to work out what you feel comfortable with but if you have a small selection of files somewhere that you know you can play with and test the concepts it should not take long to work things out and perhaps spot new potential.



    HTH.


    Grant
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  • Ron Alexander
    Grant, thanks for the detailed response. It looks like C1P7 is very flexible, but still somewhat manual. Over the years with many different cameras, with each wanting to install their own software and file formats, I have settled on the basic automatic system in Elements. When you insert your memory card, it pops a window up asking if you want to save the files in the preset default location, which is part of the Preferences set up. I have mine set up to save in a specific folder which is simply the year, and put all the files on the memory card in a subfolder called year_Month_Day. It is one of the setup choices offered by Elements in Preferences. Once a year I manually create the Year folder and point the importer to that folder. Net result is that manual intervention is only required once a year. After that it is just a mouse click to put the files in the right place and after they are confirmed to be moved (I trust Elements), one more mouse click to delete them. I end up with a file structure on my Windows 8.1 that looks like this:

    Pictures
    _2014
    __2014_01_31
    ___DSC00001.ARW

    It is simple and works for me. I have files back to 2003 all in this structure. C1P7 imported them and the folder view within the one catalog is quite useable. In reading your post it sounds like I can set up something similar using sessions. I presume the session folder gets identified by date of download somehow. If so it could replace the 2014_01_31 layer in my file structure.
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