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This is how I have organized my digital files for 10 years..

Denis Mortell
...how should I view them in C1? Catalogs or Sessions?

I don't shoot many files.

At the beginning of each year, I create a general folder called "Images 2014" (or 2013, 2012, whatever)

Inside this annual Images folder is a folder for each client.

Inside each Client Folder is a dated Job Folder - specific to that day and job. So, annual folder/client folders/job folders within the client folders.

It's that simple.

So, if I want to access files in these folders for editing in C1, what's the best way?

Should I simply create a new Session for each annual folder, and then view the Client/Job folders within that?

Or what?

Many thanks.

D.
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Comments

5 comments

Date Votes
  • SFA
    The first question is not so much about how you organise things but how you may need to find things later.

    If you don't shoot many images your search needs may not be very complex.

    If any need to find images in the future will almost certainly be based on a per client enquiry then grouping by client is more important than, perhaps, subject matter.

    Sessions may make more sense to you than would a catalogue.

    Sessions can then be changed to catalogues, fully searchable, when and if it seems sensible to do so. Or not. Sessions can be searched and images grouped in many ways for that purpose.

    While I sympathise with the way you do things and I follow a similar approach to your existing method ... we really don't need to do that any more. It would be worth considering how you might really like things to be, if any different, in the future and then finding how to achieve that.

    There may be some limitations.

    For example if you use more than one editing application it may be that you need to based your storage on a folder structure that can easily work in a shared environment. In which case the Session route seems to me to be the best option and your folder structure will need to consider the options that both (or all if you use several) software applications can work with.

    HTH.


    Grant
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  • Denis Mortell
    Hi Grant,

    That helps a lot. Thank you.

    Sessions were what I had been considering.

    But, since I can 'see' all of my files and folders, Bridge-like, in the Library hierarchy on the left, this begs the question, do I need any Sessions other than the default?

    Thanks again.

    D.

    Ps. One thing I do in Lightroom is Import from a memory card with a few presets applied during Import: Metadata, Chromatic Aberration, Colour, Lens profile. Saves time later. I presume that this is possible with C1 also.
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  • Robert Whetton
    I shoot a lot - and use the default session for everything because with the way I organise my files, its just easy to point C1 at the folder I want to use and start editing immediately 😊
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  • SFA
    Derfault session would be fine.

    I often shoot events involving several thousand frames and I create a session per event simply because it seem logical to do that. It also means the session database management file does not become too large and makes "archiving" a session to an external disk (or any other storage locations) a very simple copy exercise.

    I can still get to any of the folder from any other session should I wish to. I can still use other editors (that do not require catalogues structures) with the images in the folders.

    The benefit of importing to a session is that C1 will apply lens corrections and so on as well as pre-sets or your saved styles (basically a collection of pre-sets saved to one or more styles) which may save time. However you can quite easily apply the styles anyway so it's not a really big deal - at least in my opinion.

    More important is that it allows us to apply a naming convention for the files and will mass create previews during the batch import process rather than one at a time as is the case when we access the files from the Explorer window.

    If you are opening one or two files it makes little difference.

    If you are importing several thousand it's nice to be able to set the batch running and then do something else.


    HTH.



    Grant
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  • Denis Mortell
    Hi Grant,

    That helps a lot, thanks.

    When Importing into Lightroom's Library, I have metadata, lens profile, chromatic aberration and colour noise set as presets so I don't have to think about them afterwards.

    If going the Sessions route is the only way to apply these automatically, then that's what I'll do.

    So, my next questions are:

    1. How do I set a preset for the above few items that will apply to all Sessions that I create and import?

    2. In 'Location', in the Sessions creation dialog, where do you typically locate the Session? In the same RAW files folder you are about to Import?

    Thanks again.

    D.
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