Consolidating ONE Single Catalog
Hello,
I have used C1 for some years and have never done my homework as an amateur photographer.
I've been importing stuff from different hard drives, sd cards, etc many times using individual photos to edit and not folders to cull, tag, etc...Using MANAGED and REFERENCED options with 3 different catalogs, so chaotic!
Now, I'm organizing years of photos and trying to consolidate - first, a SINGLE catalog REFERENCED to an external hard drive, to then split it into different ones (categorize per year).
My starting point catalog will be the biggest one with the most part of my edits. It has both IN and REFERENCED images.
I've already consolidated all my library into a SINGLE external hard drive. It's well organized in several folders, divided by topic than date-topic. So the "library" is ready.
Now the challenge will be to match the archives with my edits into a single catalog by REFERENCING everything with this external hard drive.
I don't want anything stored physically on my Mac hard drive. So, this catalog would just eat my local hard drive space for the thumbnails I believe, not originals.
The steps I thought to make this happen are:
1) Re-map the REFERENCED images in this catalog.
The great difficulty found here is that I need to click on EVERY single thumbnail to relocate it to the new hard drive where everything is organized.
The big question here is: is there any way to MASS/BULK remap the photos? I tried using the folder relocate function, but several images are spread in several folders...
For a single trip folder for example I may have 12 different folders in total, having 20 different edited images coming from 8 different folders (a minimum of 8 relocation clicks)... I thought C1 could get the root folder of my hard drive and crawl it to find the files by matching the archive/new folder names.
https://monosnap.com/file/2J5Z8Eux4eHmMea8fnXFoKaZ8vkj2j
2) IN CATALOG images > The originals are currently in my external hard drive folder structure as I said but their edits into the catalog... I don't want the originals AS WELL inside the catalog since they're eating my Mac hard drive space. I just want their edits and reference the originals on the external hard drive.
So, the only way I see here is to export these as EIPs (edits cooked) and match them manually with the files on my external hard drive? I would later DELETE whatever IN CATALOG to save space in my Mac.
For example, FJT01.RAF with edits >> FJT01.EIP >> Find the folder in my external hard drive and delete FJT01.RAF and leave only the EIP with edits. OR keep both files... To import the RAW file anywhere I want if needed.
3) I have Ipad edits too. These I exported as .EIPs already since it's the only option I see as C1 has no cloud system like LR... Same as above, would manually add to the external hard drive folders and either delete the original RAW OR keep both.
4) Repeat the same process for the other 2 catalogs I have. These are smaller and in the same situation as my "mother" catalog. MANAGED and REFERENCED stuff that I need to sync with my external hard drive.
5) After all is done, I would have ALL edits preserved from ALL catalogs, and REFERENCED with my external hard drive into a SINGLE catalog. Beyond having ALL photos of my external hard drive, including the non-edited ones, since I want to have C1 as my DAM too. I can then finally split my catalogs within C1 into years AND have my library organized in my external hard drive the way I want.
5) Sorry for the long message, but does it make sense?
For me would be MUCH easier simply to start a new catalog from scratch and re-import my whole already organized external hard drive into C1 as a REFERENCED guy. But, I would lose all my edits located in these old catalogs dbs...
Unless there's a way to only export XMP files from there and try to match them manually into the external hard drive files? Or there's any way to sync only the edits from these old catalogs to the new one?
Thank you,
Roberto.
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If you're wondering why nobody replies: Your extremely long post doesn't appear as if you meanwhile "did your homework". So, for "5) Sorry for the long message, but does it make sense?" my answer is no. I don't see the advantage to create a large catalog first and then make small ones out of it.
You can import a C1 catalog into a new one. The better you prepare the "old" catalogs, the easier you can import and consolidate them. Benefit is that you don't lose your edits. And you don't need EIP, I believe, but have no experience with that
So, if you have a mixture of "Managed" and *Referenced", sort that first for each catalog. There's a "folder" part in the library register, here you can add existing folders or also drag "Managed" files of a collection into a folder, so they will become "Referenced". Get the "Managed" pictures into a clean and well thought folder structure although I doubt there is one as you describe your own mess. Do that within C1 so it can keep track of your file operations.
I'm sure not everything I wrote is clear to you, at least as long as you don't understand the concept of referenced files in a catalog, but maybe my impression is wrong.
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Hi,
Thank you for your answer.
I'm actually not worried ab no one replying since I'm the only one responsible for my problem and nobody will do it for me. So, it's just a way to search for help in finding out the most efficient way to fix it. Which I'll find here or anywhere else :)
If you read it well you can see that my hard drive has been 100% organized in folders in a very neat way for years already. So, the folder structure already exists.
In order to C1 crawl all of my library in the hard drive I believe I would need to re-import everything anyways to this "mother" catalog, and then re-organize the managed catalog within it by dragging the files into the folders. I'm not sure if it only creates a reference for the MANAGED catalog or physically moves the files into them.
In the end, is quite the same if I do it outside C1 exporting the EIPs and adding them to the hard drive folders. Only then, I would add everything to this catalog or create a new one from scratch, and deleting the old MANAGED part of the catalog (in case I start from the scratch would delete the whole thing).
No matter the way I have a tedious long work ahead.
Thanks,
R
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I don't know whether this helps. But you can easily move images from the managed part of the catalog (the In Catalog section) to somewhere else. Just drag and drop the images within the Capture One library tool from the In Catalog section to the folder of your choice on your external drive. Capture One will physically move the image files, while retaining the edit information and previews inside the catalog.
Ian
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Hello Ian,
Thank you for letting me know.
I've quickly tested it using my Downloads folder on Mac and it indeed moves the RAW file physically.
However, the file becomes "offline" as I see in the managed catalog. In this case, I have the RAW files already organized on my hard drive, so I would still need to re-map this in the referenced side of things...
That's why I think exporting the EIPs and physically having them organized in my hard drive would be the best bet. I would double the space for these edited images as I would still keep the RAW too in case I want to import it anywhere else...
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It shouldn't become offline. Did you move it via the Library tool? The point of doing it that way is that Capture One still knows where it is so it shouldn't treat it as offline as long as the destination folder is still connected.
Ian
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"In this case, I have the RAW files already organized on my hard drive, so I would still need to re-map this in the referenced side of things... "
Here's where I fail to understand what you're doing.
If you use your "downloads" folder (why on Earth?) to move files, then please explain how you moved them? Did you drag it from C1's managed catalog directly into the finder>downloads?
You need to understand: Everything you move out of the managed catalog into another folder on your hard drive, needs to be done WITHIN Capture One in the folder section, like Ian already said. And for doing this, you need to add the target folder first in C1's library tool. Or create a target folder first.
There's no reason to double files on your hard drive. If you know how to use the library tool, you will not lose any edits. The drives with the ⚠︎ symbol are currently not available for C1 = unmounted, am I right? So, you just need to move the 403 images from your catalog (in your screenshot) and the 99 on your Mac to the "Master>Imagens" drive>folder.
If you organized the 403 images already in collections or projects within your catalog, they are currently linked from the managed catalog into the "user collections" - and there they will remain as links while you move the source files WITHIN Capture One's library tool to another folder.
Referenced files are easy to handle if you don't touch them outside Capture One. As long as you want Capture One to know where the files are, you stay away from any finder operations and just use the library tool. It has some restrictions like you can't choose more than one folder to move it to another top folder, but everything else is even more time wasted.
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Here's where I fail to understand what you're doing.
Historically, I've kept things organized in my hard drive, culling using Finder and not keeping track of stuff in any given DAM system like C1 or LR catalogs. I know it's completely wrong but not being a pro I haven't had many apps subscriptions or software installed in order to manage this. I've used many times subscriptions from friends that are photographers just to edit my raws. But since Fuji many times I post only using the jpgs.
And for doing this, you need to add the target folder first in C1's library tool. Or create a target folder first.
Yes, the quick test I did drag out with the Library tool in C1 but straight to the finder, which caused it to be offline. I tested again within a mapped folder in my external hard drive and it did work.
The only way to have all my external hard drive folders mapped by C1 I believe is to actually import the images into the catalog (in this case leave them all REFERENCED as I said)?
There's no reason to double files on your hard drive.
Yes, if I re-organize things within C1 library as you recommended.
If you organized the 403 images already in collections or projects within your catalog
Nope, they were just imported in small groups or individually, so I will need to move almost all of them individually to their corresponding folder on the external hard drive. I believe it will ask me to overwrite the raws in the hard drive... That would have the same effect as re-mapping the referenced RAWs that are offline now.
Restrictions wise I'm not so concerned, as long as I can keep track of my whole workflow moving forward. Think the one suggested by David is interesting. It's the best of both worlds:
https://www.captureone.com/blog/sessions-catalogs-get-the-best-of-both-worlds
Thank you!
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