Master Catalog
I have numerous C1 catalogs. I would like to put them together to eventually make a proper master list as it would be shown in my finder. Not sure where to start. The total is about 4000 fuji raw files.
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Please define "a proper master list"? And as well: Are you working with catalogs in which the masters are in the catalog file or are you working with catalogs to which the masters are linked to?
There are a couple of ways to do it and each has it's own pitfalls. You can use your "best" or "largest" catalog and import the other catalogs into it. Or you can start with a new catalog, name it "Master catalog" and import the other catalogs into it. In which case, no, in all cases Capture One is not using the already existing thumbnails but is creating new ones. Which will take some time.
Before you fiddle around with the catalogs: BACKUP is mandatory. C1 is not very reliable, I had to learn.
Two jobs you should do before: Check for "orphaned" images. In each of the catalogs. The ones with the question mark. They can cause troubles. Also, if you need to locate or rename some files to another drive for whatever reason: Do that in the "old" catalog and within Capture One before you import it to another one. Don't use finder – it would lead to orphaned images.
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If you wish having the same hierarchy/sorting as in your finder, the best way would be to click on "folders" in Capture One library, and then import your images (or synchronise the folders). Once you have done it, save your catalogue into a new name, and delete the previous ones (or not if you want to keep them aside).
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Out of curiosity, Robert: You don't work much with collections, groups, projects in the catalog? You never imported one catalog into another? Because for me Jim's wish "to eventually make a proper master list as it would be shown in my finder" is something I do not understand the idea of the result he's looking for.
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Yes Joachim, I have many collections, projects, I merged catalogues one into another, I also work with sessions,.... I think Jim wolud like to have only one big catalogue, as I do. Maybe he could give us more information about his wish.
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How I would do it™ :-)
- Decide on the desired folder layout and which pictures will go in which folder.
- Create the top level of that folder layout. If image files are already in the desired layout you still have to do this (and duplicate your images). It is the only way I know how to get adjustments exported from a catalog.
- Select the images for one of your folders.
- Use File -> Export Original Files... and select the specific output folder, creating it and any intermediate folders if needed.
- Set Naming to "Text and Tokens" with the format set to "Image Name".
- Click the Include Adjustments checkbox. Do NOT click Pack as EIP as that only works with raw files.
- Click the export button
- Repeat until all of your images have been exported to the new file structure.
- Create your new "Master" catalog.
- Import the new file structure. Include subfolders. Include existing adjustments
The result is a new master Catalog in the desired format with all of your metadata and image adjustment included. The downside is that your old catalogs and sessions are now redundant. You also have redundant CaptureOne folders in the subfolders of the new Master Catalog layout. They can be removed.
The process will take lots of time. It is also disk intensive. Are you sure you want a master catalog?
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Slowly I get an idea why the DAm of C1 is making so minimalistic (if at all) progress. 🥱Apparently users prefer to "organize" pictures in folder and subfolders and subsubfolders instead of using the typical catalog features. I can understand the hesitation better now.
What would be the point to use C1 as a real DAM instead of treating it as an image file browser, if
- one cannot search for groups, projects, collections by name ✓
- one cannot find out in which collection/s a given image is collected in ✓
- one cannot create smart collections using features only the catalog has ✓
- one cannot store different variants of a given image in different collections without bringing in all other variants plus the original. ✓
- other "modern" features like face detection and map coordinates are not available ✓
- renaming a bunch of pictures can be enough to let the catalog crash which then leads to renamed file names + catalog not knowing they are already renamed (by who? oh yes, Capture One 😄) = orphaned pictures ✓
- users are used to this set of non-existing DAM-features since 14 major versions and try to avoid a DAM like the devil avoids holy water. ✓
And these were just some basic features and observations. I better stay away from threads mentioning "catalogs" or "DAM" as C1 doesn't tick the basic boxes. It's not easy to think in two different levels of organisation: The real physical one like Marco describes (at least, that's my takeaway of far too much "necessary" actions). And the virtual one which only uses links/references to the images and doesn't alter the physical place in the file structure. If a user has to be "at home" in both worlds, a lot of users including myself will find that overwhelming and time-consuming for no better results and with very limited benefits. That very much reminds me of a battle between Aperture and Lightroom users versus the ones with the only valid and "best suited for my needs" filesystem. Happening like 12-15 years ago... What I learnt to be a better, simpler, quicker way to organize images is lost. Apparently forever.
Have a great day anyway.
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