What is your workflow?

[eleven24]

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Stumbled on this workflow by accident, but it really works well for me while providing the convenience of Lightroom mobile on my iPad and the in depth editing of Lightroom Classic.  With only one import needed.

My workflow:

IMPORT photos to Lightroom Mobile (or LR CC or LR, whatever it's referenced as)  - this can be done via desktop, or even better if not at home via Lightroom on iPad - which then sync to Adobe Cloud.  Each import gets its own carefully named new album as albums also sync to Classic as a collection.  Using the same nomenclature as I used to use when creating directories on my hard drive provides the ability within LRCC to navigate as such.

SYNC from Adobe Cloud to LR Classic.  In LR Classic, all photos imported to LR Mobile (Adobe Cloud) in my initial import will sync to a directory on my computer, which I currently have set to be a Synology drive (Preferences > Lightroom Sync > Specify Location).  The drawback here is that the file folder structure is yyyy\yyyy-mm-dd, which can be difficult to find a photo sometimes - but that's the purpose of the carefully named album that was created during the import process.  Yes, it requires LR to locate, but I don't find it to be an issue.  

BACKUP.  My Synology drive backs up all changes on a nightly basis to Backblace

 

This leaves me with three copies of each photo.  Lightroom Cloud, Synology Drive, Backblaze

When I began this workflow, I was curious about LRCC and the idea of editing with a pencil / iPad was intriguing.  Why I chose importing to LRCC and not sticking with LR Classic and the OS folder structure?  Using LR Classic as the import origin did not sync the DNG file to Adobe Cloud, only the preview.  Also, I wanted the ability to just bring my iPad with me and be able to empty memory cards while knowing the originals were synced to the cloud.  When Apple added direct file support and USB-C memory card reader support, it became a no brainer.

To allow faster editing while not at home and connected to my Synology, I'll keep the current year's images on Synology synced to a location on my internal MacBook hard drive & just "find folder location" within LR Classic.  On a Mac, ChronoSync is fabulous for this as it can automatically run the sync anytime I reconnect to the Synology.

I'm sure this isn't the best, or most efficient, but perhaps it gives someone an idea they may not have considered before.  Welcome to any suggestions as well!

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[250swb]

All of that is why I don't use Lightroom.

[Viv]

On 6/9/2022 at 5:45 PM, eleven24 said:

Stumbled on this workflow by accident, but it really works well for me while providing the convenience of Lightroom mobile on my iPad and the in depth editing of Lightroom Classic.  With only one import needed.

My workflow:

IMPORT photos to Lightroom Mobile (or LR CC or LR, whatever it's referenced as)  - this can be done via desktop, or even better if not at home via Lightroom on iPad - which then sync to Adobe Cloud.  Each import gets its own carefully named new album as albums also sync to Classic as a collection.  Using the same nomenclature as I used to use when creating directories on my hard drive provides the ability within LRCC to navigate as such.

SYNC from Adobe Cloud to LR Classic.  In LR Classic, all photos imported to LR Mobile (Adobe Cloud) in my initial import will sync to a directory on my computer, which I currently have set to be a Synology drive (Preferences > Lightroom Sync > Specify Location).  The drawback here is that the file folder structure is yyyy\yyyy-mm-dd, which can be difficult to find a photo sometimes - but that's the purpose of the carefully named album that was created during the import process.  Yes, it requires LR to locate, but I don't find it to be an issue.  

BACKUP.  My Synology drive backs up all changes on a nightly basis to Backblace

 

This leaves me with three copies of each photo.  Lightroom Cloud, Synology Drive, Backblaze

When I began this workflow, I was curious about LRCC and the idea of editing with a pencil / iPad was intriguing.  Why I chose importing to LRCC and not sticking with LR Classic and the OS folder structure?  Using LR Classic as the import origin did not sync the DNG file to Adobe Cloud, only the preview.  Also, I wanted the ability to just bring my iPad with me and be able to empty memory cards while knowing the originals were synced to the cloud.  When Apple added direct file support and USB-C memory card reader support, it became a no brainer.

To allow faster editing while not at home and connected to my Synology, I'll keep the current year's images on Synology synced to a location on my internal MacBook hard drive & just "find folder location" within LR Classic.  On a Mac, ChronoSync is fabulous for this as it can automatically run the sync anytime I reconnect to the Synology.

I'm sure this isn't the best, or most efficient, but perhaps it gives someone an idea they may not have considered before.  Welcome to any suggestions as well!

Such a lot of work.

My workflow:

Open and name new folder in my Lacie Backup Twin external drive.

Copy photos from SD disk to folder.

Process (exposure and cropping) and name DNGs (those worth keeping) using Capture one.

Done.

[SrMi]

1 hour ago, Viv said:

Such a lot of work.

My workflow:

Open and name new folder in my Lacie Backup Twin external drive.

Copy photos from SD disk to folder.

Process (exposure and cropping) and name DNGs (those worth keeping) using Capture one.

Done.

That is not a mobile solution.

[SrMi]

5 hours ago, 250swb said:

All of that is why I don't use Lightroom.

Which mobile solution do you use?

[Viv]

42 minutes ago, SrMi said:

That is not a mobile solution.

Nope.

42 minutes ago, SrMi said:

That is not a mobile solution.

 

[Viv]

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42 minutes ago, SrMi said:

Which mobile solution do you use?

None.

[SrMi]

10 minutes ago, Viv said:

None.

So what do you do when you travel?

[Viv]

Just now, SrMi said:

So what do you do when you travel?

Nothing. I process my photos when I get home.

[SrMi]

It is excellent that Adobe offers a cloud-based solution, but for me, it is still too limited and too complex.
For longer trips, I always carry a small laptop and use a small SSD drive for daily backups. Once home, I copy the Lightroom folder (catalog and images) to the main machine, where Backblaze and Time Machine take care of backups.

[250swb]

56 minutes ago, SrMi said:

Which mobile solution do you use?

I download my digital photos to a hard drive. As I don't need or want the benefits of speed in editing I wait until I get home which is advantageous because that is where Bridge and Photoshop are. This avoids using Lightroom. I suppose I'm the sort of person that doesn't process films in hotel bathrooms either.

[SrMi]

1 minute ago, 250swb said:

I download my digital photos to a hard drive. As I don't need or want the benefits of speed in editing I wait until I get home which is advantageous because that is where Bridge and Photoshop are. This avoids using Lightroom. I suppose I'm the sort of person that doesn't process films in hotel bathrooms either.

Using Lightroom does not force you to use cloud base syncing as you suggested (quote: All of that is why I don't use Lightroom).

There is a big difference between LRCC and LrC. I use LrC a lot and never use the Adobe CC.

[Jeff S]

I also wait until I get home.  Then I use Lightroom (Classic).  One catalog.  No cloud. Occasionally Photoshop. Regardless, final step is a print via ImagePrint.  Simple.

Jeff

Edited June 12, 2022 by Jeff S

[didier]

I tried to work with a mix of LR mobile and LR Classic. I couldn’t get it to work efficiently.

I wait to be home and download my pics, rename them, and work on them on LR Classic.
When I want to quickly share a few pics and not at home, I use the LR mobile app (getting the files from FOTOS), which works pretty well to work with RAW files. But I don’t sync them. I just get the few pics I want to share, that’s all.

Of course, it is not very efficient to have both workflows, so I use the mobile app only for « emergencies » and some pics.

Didier
 

[pgk]

1 hour ago, 250swb said:

I download my digital photos to a hard drive.

So do I. Then I have a look at one or two in Photoshop, get carried away and adjust a file or two, clean them and create PSDs and JPEGs. When I get home I then rename (via Bridge) and back everything up, and have a fun time trying to identify which file the PSDs relate to. This usually involves bad language of course.

[250swb]

6 hours ago, SrMi said:

 

Using Lightroom does not force you to use cloud base syncing as you suggested (quote: All of that is why I don't use Lightroom).

There is a big difference between LRCC and LrC. I use LrC a lot and never use the Adobe CC.

Of course not, but you can faff about with Lightroom as much as you like, there are so many discussions of 'how to do it' that it should make you suspicious. I prefer to avoid the Cloud and just do a simple transfer of files, no fuss, no bother, and no overt interference in the file structures that I have successfully used since the dawn of digital photography and which also integrates into the same file structures I can use with my film scans.

I guess for a digital whizz kid with no time available to spend on organisation or file structure or editing it will seem archaic, but I refer back to my film file sheets (old and new) and don't let digital capture interfere with my overall archive, it is integrated. When Lightroom was developed it was for photographers that needed a way to quickly upload digital photographs and do simple editing without accidentally destroying the original file, so sports, news, etc. But Lightroom became the crutch for new digital photographers with no idea how to organise their images because they never had a pre-existing film archive. Lightroom has since evolved to be a significant editing programme in itself, far beyond the crappy basic programme it started out as. But I think the overriding impression over the years is the unfounded perception that Photoshop is complicated (despite only needing to learn the few bits you use), and it has driven photographers down a road of wanting everything to be explained to them through the structure of Lightroom and not common sense. 

[eleven24]

12 hours ago, Viv said:

Such a lot of work.

My workflow:

Open and name new folder in my Lacie Backup Twin external drive.

Copy photos from SD disk to folder.

Process (exposure and cropping) and name DNGs (those worth keeping) using Capture one.

Done.

This is exactly how I used to do it, but it required being home or having laptop with me.  There's something reassuring about master copies being uploaded to cloud from wherever I am and then knowing they'll be there waiting on my desktop when I get back home.  When traveling I'll always import my memory card into LR Mobile and once I see the sync is complete I can clear the card and use it again.  I also find sitting in the plane on a flight home culling the photos and perhaps doing light editing to be an incredible way to make my flights go by quicker.  Having those rejected files and editing be waiting for me when I arrive home is just a thing of beauty

HOWEVER...

I do miss having the folder structure and being able to find photos without delving into LR.  But the tradeoff, at least for now, has been worth it.

[Ouroboros]

I’m another who doesn’t need or want mobile editing.  I can’t think of any situation where I might have done in the past or will do in the future, so back in the office it’s selecting and processing files in Brigde/ACR and Ps and backing up to a couple of external drives.

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[LocalHero1953]

While travelling (as now) I import to Lightroom CC on my laptop and create a collection. I cull and edit as I go, and post to social media if I choose to. When I get home, the collection is visible in Lightroom Classic on my PC desktop, and I drag it into my photo filing system. It's backed up automatically to an external drive and Backblaze.

If I'm not travelling, then I just import to Lightroom Classic on my PC Desktop.

I rename files if I remember to do so, but for finding images I just use a file structure I understand - file names aren't critical.

None of this seems a hassle to me - it just works. 

[willeica]

2 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

While travelling (as now) I import to Lightroom CC on my laptop and create a collection. I cull and edit as I go, and post to social media if I choose to. When I get home, the collection is visible in Lightroom Classic on my PC desktop, and I drag it into my photo filing system. It's backed up automatically to an external drive and Backblaze.

If I'm not travelling, then I just import to Lightroom Classic on my PC Desktop.

I rename files if I remember to do so, but for finding images I just use a file structure I understand - file names aren't critical.

None of this seems a hassle to me - it just works. 

Paul, say that to a 25 year old and see what reaction you get. Not a hassle to you, but they are always in a hurry. Their phone to social media is their workflow, unless they are also shooting some film as some 25 year olds do these days. 

I have a workflow which I have used for many years, with some variations, mainly using Lightroom and occasionally some Photoshop. I save my photos in folders organised by year. 

However, with various aspects of photography admin that I am involved with now I find that I have less and less time for my own photography. So at 73, I might become a 25 year old as regards workflow.

William