A better Import, Cull, Organise, Archive workflow is needed

[Dave Humphries]

Hi all,

It seems a common problem that for many less experienced photographers; our methods of importing, organising and archiving images are often less than perfect. I have not yet settled on a method I am happy with, hence this thread.

The problem I have found is that even if you have a certain method apparently working, something changes and it all goes out the window

I'm am trying to arrive at an optimum workflow to provide these steps:
1) memory card thumbnail review (with tick boxes)
2) import only ticked files (repeat step 1 and 2 as necessary)
3) easy review (of RAW) to delete 'duffers' or grade 'keepers', with one click 100% loupe view
4) easy bulk grouping, tagging, keywording, etc.
5) filter for highest graded
6) work on those and save as psd/tif or jpg (in say, Elements Editor)
7) easy access to that version history
8a) easy searchability to find an image (using date, tags, keywords, thumbnails, etc.)
8b) even if on an external HDD (or DVD?) that isn't in the computer at the time
Elements should do most of that, except possibly 8b (but LR can)

Given the high volumes of files I generate, it needs to be slick, I don't want to spend longer on the above process than it took to take the pictures!

The workflow also needs to cope with varying content; when I go out, I come back with intermingled shots of say; birds, insects, people and landscapes from one or more locations on the same day. When reviewing, I want to cull all but the best shots of one thing, say swans, or geese, so I need to be able to see these all next to each other (no matter when in the day they were taken), step through them and continue to delete the less good ones. Ultimately I would also include comparison to shots taken on other days too.

The questions are:
Should the files be stored in subject specific named folders (e.g. /Birds/, /Insects/, /People/, /Places/, /Events/ etc.), or import named folders? (e.g. /059/, /060/, etc.)?
Should this process include any file re-naming; e.g. "DSC_3456.nef" become "Swans_3456.nef"? One DSC_ looks much like another when all mixed together in /060/

Such renamings, or copying/moving of the keepers into subject named folders will be most easily accomplished after step 4 - after I have deleted the duffers and have an easy method of selecting all of a similar ilk.

Or do I just rename (and/or save elsewhere) ONLY the ones I have processed?

My feeling is that file renaming, or even moving into subject named folders en-masse ought to be unneccesary IF the Organiser's database works reliably.
The problem is that having suffered problems with RAW files and/or large volumes in one folder, I have lost faith somewhat; I have bad experiences with both Elements 6 Organiser and ViewNX. See my next post for details.

If I can't rely on the Organiser and its database, as now, I end up looking at file and folder names in Windows, which is where I am currently at times and they all look so similar

So: what do others do?
What do others think I should do?

I am, for the moment, ignoring archive/back up processes, I just want a basic working plan first.

Thanks,

[Dave Humphries]

Here's my detailed story which explains how I got to where I am. I'm not proud of it.

In the beginning:
Started with (3MP) Nikon Coolpix E2500 and PP'd with Picasa, which also did the importing (via USB cable) and organising - jpg only. I was putting things into appropriately named folders; e.g. Horses, Pets, House, People, etc.

Change #1:
Got a (6MP) Fuji Finepix S6500, continued in jpg and with Picasa as above.
The problem with this method, is if you have pics of different things in one import, when you want to process a few of the many, remembering which folders you imported to.

Change #2:
Then bought Elements 6 and then used that to import jpgs and organise them - all good so far This kept track of the imports and allowed tagging and keywording, etc.

Change #3:
I moved to to a dual-core laptop at this point, then I started using RAW from the Fuji (it could only do one or the other), now I hit problems: Elements would frequently crash on import, and often lose all the RAW thumbnails in the organiser, these could be regenerated, but, due to the quantity of shots, it was a case of 'remember to start it off and go to bed' job. Eventually I found an Adobe workaround that starts Elements in single core mode when I need to import or work on RAW images.

That can't have been enough though, as I gave up with Elements Organiser at this point, and started just using Windows to put the RAWs in a folder, then used either Picasa or Irfan View to preview and cull the dud shots and opened the Elements Editor (only) when I wanted to PP a shot. I think the idea may have been to catalogue the keepers, even the unprocessed ones, but my throughput was too high to cope. (I know, 'take less pictures' )

Change #4:
My current situation, following the purchase of the (12MP) Nikon D5000 is that I import using Nikon Transfer into (download) sequentially numbered folders. More 'stored' than 'organised' and completely unintuitive when I want to find something having done 60+ downloads of 13000+ images since May 2009
I can review and cull with Nikon ViewNX quite quick and easy and edit with Elements 6. The problem is, when I put the edited jpg back in the folder with the original RAW, when I go back to ViewNX, it starts doing stupid things with its thumbnail 'organising' view and jumbles them up, at certain thumbnail sizes, you click a picture and it opens something completely different Mind you, it randomly resorts some ranked images anyway , so it really isn't my final answer.

Also, import via Nikon Transfer is painfully slow if over 120 images, unless I 'babysit' it.

The other problem being that with this many images, they won't all fit on one HDD.
My current method is they are all now stored on an external USB HDD, but when that fills up, I'll need a second, ideally as well as the first, or I'll lose track of, or access to, the 'recent past' shots.

Am I asking too much?

[PopsPhotos]

I don't (yet) shoot the volume you fellows do, so this has not been a problem, yet. I use Image Expert's Camio Viewer import from the camera or card. This automatically generates a folder with today's date, including year. I then use Image expert to cull the shots.

If the shots have been of an assignment, or for a display, contest, or show, I will then rename the folder appropriately, maintaining the month and year. Otherwise, I keep the suggested folder name.

If I have several cards or film CDs to empty, I'll put them into separate subfolders, inside the folder suggested by Camio Viewer. (It is important to not have any images in the master folder, because that messes with Image Expert's little mind.)

Each year, I gather all the previous year's folders and move them into a master folder of that year's name.

One thing I don't do as I should is cull severely. I'm going to have to start doing that, however, as my 160G backup is filling up. I'm also running out of boxes to store CDs.

I run Picasa once in awhile so it will catch up on its cataloging, but don't use it for much else. I do almost all my PP and sizing in PS-7, although I will occasionally size for web with Image Expert. I don't do much PP, as I am more comfortable doing only what I used to do in the darkroom, under the enlarger. (I know, I'm a wuss. )

Pops

[Bunter]

Mr H

In response to your 2nd post ("how I got to where I am") - if you reverse the order,
so you end up with the Coolpix E2500, then everything suddenly appears satisfactory. :-)

Apols - not really taking the P, just that you seemed so (understandably) miffed thought
you could do with having a smile return to your face...

This is a classic case of following what appears to be a natural desire for, and progression
towards, better quality/enjoyment of your chosen hobby - only to be left feeling utterly
overwhelmed, right?

But I have to say Dave, "60+ downloads of 13000+ images since May 2009" does leave
the mind boggling - although it is only approx 500 images/wk - plenty of time for more
mundane things such as work/sleep/etc! :-))

I would d/load & cull on a far more regular basis - and then copy into subject folders as
you go: Horses, Dogs, Mother-in-law (is the lens strong enough?), Birds, etc.

I imagine you're now going to say: "but how can I d/load more frequently if I'm out there
pressing the shutter all the time??" And there's the rub... sorry, Dave, but maybe you
need to be more selective when taking the photo? Just a thought...

Furthermore, I would store onto CD/DVD regularly - heard of people losing what was on
their external drive... you'd spend more on Kleenex than DVDs in that situation!!

Far from the 'solution' you requested, but possibly some useful observations.


cheers,
B.

[ScoutR]

Given the high volumes of files I generate, it needs to be slick, I don't want to spend longer on the above process than it took to take the pictures!

The workflow also needs to cope with varying content; when I go out, I come back with intermingled shots of say; birds, insects, people and landscapes from one or more locations on the same day. When reviewing, I want to cull all but the best shots of one thing, say swans, or geese, so I need to be able to see these all next to each other (no matter when in the day they were taken), step through them and continue to delete the less good ones. Ultimately I would also include comparison to shots taken on other days too.

Hi Dave: I don't know if you expect to do all this during the Import. If so, I can't help much. As you know I use Lightroom. I keep things pretty simple during the import and just apply keywording that applies to all the photos that I am importing at that time. I also apply any personal or copyright information that I want attached to all photos.
I do all the things you mentioned above after I have imported the photos.
Below are a list of links to videos that will give you an idea of the options available in Lightroom. I don't deal with the quantity that you do, but so far I have found everything to work as specified, and no reliability issues.

http://tv.adobe.com/watch/learn-ligh...-of-importing/

http://tv.adobe.com/watch/learn-ligh...ibrary-module/

http://tv.adobe.com/watch/learn-ligh...w-your-images/

http://tv.adobe.com/watch/learn-ligh...d-find-images/

http://tv.adobe.com/watch/learn-ligh...-and-keywords/

http://tv.adobe.com/watch/learn-ligh...-of-exporting/

http://tv.adobe.com/watch/the-comple...g-your-photos/

The questions are:
Should the files be stored in subject specific named folders (e.g. /Birds/, /Insects/, /People/, /Places/, /Events/ etc.), or import named folders? (e.g. /059/, /060/, etc.)?
Should this process include any file re-naming; e.g. "DSC_3456.nef" become "Swans_3456.nef"? One DSC_ looks much like another when all mixed together in /060/

Definitely store in subject specific folders. I don't worry too much about gettng them into specific folders on the import. I just put them in a folder with the date, or you could make one called InProgress or something to that effect. I usually make it a point to go through this folder as soon as possible after importing and do any culling, and keywording that I want to do. When I've finished fooling around with them, I sort them into categories and move them to a subject specific folder. NB. Do the keywording before you move them. I don't get too specific with my folder names. For instance I don't think I need a folder for ducks and a folder for squirrels. I put them all in a Wildlife folder and then sort with the keywords.

I think filenaming is a very good idea, especially if anything crashes, at least you have a general idea what the picture is. However, I gave up on filenaming when I was using Nikon Transfer and Capture NX. It was just too confusing and difficult so I quit with the naming.
Lightroom provides a lot of options for filenaming. I will try to play around with this and see if it is more intuitive than the Nikon Software. I'll report back when I've done some experiments.
One thing I have found out the hard way (it's the only problem I've had so far with Lightroom) is that you do not want to go into Windows Explorer and start moving and renaming files. It messes up everything in the Lightroom catalouge. You should do the moves within Lightroom. Lightroom will move the file on the hard drive and update the catalouge.
Also it appears that the files have to be named upon import. I have not found a rename function (at this point in time) in Lightroom. Again, I'll report back if I find anything.

Or do I just rename (and/or save elsewhere) ONLY the ones I have processed?

With Lightroom, you do not Save or SaveAs. When you need to use a file somewhere else in a different format you do an Export. The original RAW file stays on the hard drive with all its settings and history intact. The new format file is created and exported to the folder that you specify. I keep a seperate folder for anything that I have exported. You can givethe file a completly different name or just append something to your original filename.
One of the videos listed explains the Export function.

My feeling is that file renaming, or even moving into subject named folders en-masse ought to be unneccesary IF the Organiser's database works reliably.

Agree 100% but you just never know. I'm hoping Lightroom proves to be reliable, but right now I only have approx 800 files catalouged. I don't know what might happen when I get more. I think we need Subject folders at the very least, and Filenaming for sure, if there is an efficient way of doing it. I too am interested in hearing more from everyone else when it comes to a filenaming scheme. Right now I rely far too much on the preview. If that goes, my filenames do not help me at all.

If I can't rely on the Organiser and its database, as now, I end up looking at file and folder names in Windows, which is where I am currently at times and they all look so similar

Yes, when you don't have a preview, things get pretty messy. I have this problem right now with Elements. I cannot get a preview of DNG files when I go to open them, so I have to remember the filename, which would be much easier if it was something more than a bunch of numbers.
I also cannot preview DNG files in Windows Explorer or the Windows photo viewer. Very annoying and another case in point for renaming files. I don't know if I would have the same issues with regular RAW files as compared to DNG. If this is the case, then I will quit converting to DNG. I like to have previews available. I don't always want to open Lightroom.

Sorry, I can't be much more help. I am going to experiment with some of the filenaming Import options in Lightroom and will report back if there seems to be a logical, efficient and reliable means for renaming files in this program.

Other than that all I can say, is don't let things pile up. It's a lot easier to do the keywording and sorting in small batches.

Wendy

[Dave Humphries]

I don't (yet) shoot the volume you fellows do, so this has not been a problem, yet. I use Image Expert's Camio Viewer import from the camera or card. This automatically generates a folder with today's date, including year. I then use Image expert to cull the shots.

If the shots have been of an assignment, or for a display, contest, or show, I will then rename the folder appropriately, maintaining the month and year. Otherwise, I keep the suggested folder name.

If I have several cards or film CDs to empty, I'll put them into separate subfolders, inside the folder suggested by Camio Viewer. (It is important to not have any images in the master folder, because that messes with Image Expert's little mind.)

Each year, I gather all the previous year's folders and move them into a master folder of that year's name.

One thing I don't do as I should is cull severely. I'm going to have to start doing that, however, as my 160G backup is filling up. I'm also running out of boxes to store CDs.

I run Picasa once in awhile so it will catch up on its cataloging, but don't use it for much else. I do almost all my PP and sizing in PS-7, although I will occasionally size for web with Image Expert. I don't do much PP, as I am more comfortable doing only what I used to do in the darkroom, under the enlarger. (I know, I'm a wuss. )

Pops

Hi Pops,

Thanks for the above.

I can't remember, are you a RAW shooter? or jpg?

"PS-7" is what; Elements 7? or Photoshop 7? (pre CS/2?)

So if you need to find a shot, do you look with Picasa? (I have to say, there are far worse things).

I'm not familiar with the other progs you mention, I may check them out, but software proliferation wasn't where I wanted to go really

I am attempting to build some decent galleries of Birds on my Pbase, so en-masse archiving of last year's shots probably isn't for me, but it is a line in the sand to split things up I guess, I'll give that more thought.

Thanks again,

[Dave Humphries]

~ In response to your 2nd post ("how I got to where I am") - if you reverse the order,
so you end up with the Coolpix E2500, then everything suddenly appears satisfactory.

Apols - not really taking the P, just that you seemed so (understandably) miffed thought
you could do with having a smile return to your face...

Hi Bunter,

It worked

But I have to say Dave, "60+ downloads of 13000+ images since May 2009" does leave
the mind boggling - although it is only approx 500 images/wk - plenty of time for more
mundane things such as work/sleep/etc! :-))

I would d/load & cull on a far more regular basis - and then copy into subject folders as
you go: Horses, Dogs, Mother-in-law (is the lens strong enough?), Birds, etc.

Oh, don't get me wrong, that's what I shot, not what I still have

I have found with wildlife for example, if a swan flies past and lands, that rattling off a dozen or so shots, in short bursts of 2-4 gives the best chance of one or two shots with good wing position and background, etc. that's mostly how I got so many. That and an unfortunate brush with a bad AF lens that reduced my hit rate to about 1 in 100 that lasted 4 months and accounted for the majority. Anyway, I am far more restrained these days (now I have a reliable (Nikon) lens. I download after each days shooting and only go out once every two weeks on average, far less now winter's here, so the growth rate is no longer exponential

Furthermore, I would store onto CD/DVD regularly - heard of people losing what was on their external drive... you'd spend more on Kleenex than DVDs in that situation!! ~

Yes, I must

Thanks for your thoughts, they did raise a chuckle,

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Dave: I don't know if you expect to do all this during the Import. If so, I can't help much. As you know I use Lightroom. I keep things pretty simple during the import and just apply keywording that applies to all the photos that I am importing at that time. I also apply any personal or copyright information that I want attached to all photos.
I do all the things you mentioned above after I have imported the photos. ~

Hi Wendy,

oh yes, this is the complete workflow from pre-import to a shot appearing on PBase or here.
The import bit was 1) and 2), as you say, the rest follows

Definitely store in subject specific folders. I don't worry too much about gettng them into specific folders on the import. I just put them in a folder with the date, or you could make one called InProgress or something to that effect. I usually make it a point to go through this folder as soon as possible after importing and do any culling, and keywording that I want to do. When I've finished fooling around with them, I sort them into categories and move them to a subject specific folder. NB. Do the keywording before you move them. I don't get too specific with my folder names. For instance I don't think I need a folder for ducks and a folder for squirrels. I put them all in a Wildlife folder and then sort with the keywords.

I think filenaming is a very good idea, especially if anything crashes, at least you have a general idea what the picture is. However, I gave up on filenaming when I was using Nikon Transfer and Capture NX. It was just too confusing and difficult so I quit with the naming.
Lightroom provides a lot of options for filenaming. I will try to play around with this and see if it is more intuitive than the Nikon Software. I'll report back when I've done some experiments.
One thing I have found out the hard way (it's the only problem I've had so far with Lightroom) is that you do not want to go into Windows Explorer and start moving and renaming files. It messes up everything in the Lightroom catalogue. You should do the moves within Lightroom. Lightroom will move the file on the hard drive and update the catalogue.
Also it appears that the files have to be named upon import. I have not found a rename function (at this point in time) in Lightroom. Again, I'll report back if I find anything.

OK, so there are two possibilities (after tagging, keywording and grading);
Folder name on shoot location and date (as per one of the videos (and also mentioned above)), e.g. "Marsh_Lane_20091229" - it means something to me and they'll sort correctly with that date format.
OR
By subject, e.g. Birds, Insects, Mammals, People, etc. (I have 9 broad categories) and leave the species to the filename; "Mute_Swan_5936.jpg".

With Lightroom, you do not Save or SaveAs. When you need to use a file somewhere else in a different format you do an Export. The original RAW file stays on the hard drive with all its settings and history intact. The new format file is created and exported to the folder that you specify. I keep a seperate folder for anything that I have exported. You can give the file a completly different name or just append something to your original filename.
One of the videos listed explains the Export function.

Thanks for the video links, I've seen a couple, but I'll look at the rest later.
When LR exports, it presummably doesn't track what happens after that though?
Ah, I see from one of the videos it can - upto a point, but it's not going to know about any other versions I create with Elements though. But I suppose if you export to a more 'subject name' based folder structure and have Elements keep track of that lot, it'll do.

I cannot get a preview of DNG files when I go to open them, so I have to remember the filename, which would be much easier if it was something more than a bunch of numbers.
I also cannot preview DNG files in Windows Explorer or the Windows photo viewer. Very annoying and another case in point for renaming files. I don't know if I would have the same issues with regular RAW files as compared to DNG. If this is the case, then I will quit converting to DNG. I like to have previews available. I don't always want to open Lightroom.

That's bizarre that an Adobe product, of all things, cannot provide a preview image from DNG
There's not an option to embed a jpg preview that needs enabling is there?

You might want to try Picasa, it can understand both Nikon "nef" and Fuji "raf" RAW files, so I wouldn't be surprised if it worked for DNG too. It'll give thumbnails and previews fine. As I said to Pops, there are far worse things. In fact Adobe could learn a thing or two from Google and Picasa, it is quite well designed and idiot proof, it had to be, I started on it years ago

Sorry, I can't be much more help. I am going to experiment with some of the filenaming Import options in Lightroom and will report back if there seems to be a logical, efficient and reliable means for renaming files in this program.

Other than that all I can say, is don't let things pile up. It's a lot easier to do the keywording and sorting in small batches.

Are you kidding, you've already been a great help, and more on the way I think.

Agree with the last, that's why I always do the import and cull before the next shoot
Even if I never get to PP and publish all the 3 stars

Many thanks,

[PopsPhotos]

Image Expert and Camio Viewer are out of production. The original programming/manufacturer was bought out by a competitor and then shredded. I still use them because they work and I like things that work. ;( Be cautious when searching the 'net for cached copies. They are still producing a version for the CE operating system, which won't work on computers.

I shoot jpg with the D40 and the Canon SD750. I've never shot RAW, but I think I should try some and see what I've been missing. Because I don't do that much post-processing, I've not felt the need, nor the desire, to experiment with it. As I said, I'm an old phart with old dog habits. I usually pull the curves a bit and hit some saturation, then brand and go on. If the shot is not good enough out of the camera to catch my eye, I relegate it to the back of the folder.

PS-7 is PhotoShop 7. I do have PSE-6 on the other computer, but don't use it much. I'd have to clear the desk front to get the keyboard in front of me and that is almost like work.

Pops

[ScoutR]

Hi Dave:

I’ve listed a few things below that may or may not help. Since you’ve posted this thread I’ve been experimenting and as usual I think this exercise may have been more help to me than what it might be to you or anyone else. Anyway, below are a few things that I do or have started to do as a result of recent experiments. Everything below refers to organizing in Lightroom.

The workflow also needs to cope with varying content; when I go out, I come back with intermingled shots of say; birds, insects, people and landscapes from one or more locations on the same day. When reviewing, I want to cull all but the best shots of one thing, say swans, or geese, so I need to be able to see these all next to each other (no matter when in the day they were taken), step through them and continue to delete the less good ones. Ultimately I would also include comparison to shots taken on other days too.

Lightroom makes this very easy. Once you have the photos imported you can select and view as many as you want side by side and you can bring them in from any location in your catalogue. You use the survey view to do this and can cycle thorough your selections or view them together.

The questions are:
Should the files be stored in subject specific named folders (e.g. /Birds/, /Insects/, /People/, /Places/, /Events/ etc.), or import named folders? (e.g. /059/, /060/, etc.)?
Should this process include any file re-naming; e.g. "DSC_3456.nef" become "Swans_3456.nef"? One DSC_ looks much like another when all mixed together in /060/

The main thing that was recommended in the Scott Kelby Lightroom book is too make a separate folder (more than likely under the My Photos folder in Windows but it can be anywhere) to store all your folders. Then if you want to back them up or move the whole works in the future you can just select this folder and back it up or move it. I’m not sure but I think the reason for having it in a folder nested under the My Photos folder is because the My Photos folder is a Windows system folder and if you wanted to move the whole thing Windows would not let you.

1. I like subject specific folders. If I did events I think I would have a separate folder for each event under the parent Event folder. If there happened to be a bird in one of the wedding photos it would be up to you whether you wanted to move it to the Birds folder or leave it in the wedding folder and then just use keywords to find it when needed.

2. As a result of you posting this question I have started applying filenames when I import from the device. I think I will be grateful for this when things start to pile up. It’s pretty easy in Lightroom and there are lots of options. I prefer the Custom Name option as opposed to any of the date functions, but the choices are there. I think the date functions would be great for events though. Lightroom makes it very easy in the Import Dialogue to select the files you want to group together with one filename and then do separate imports for as many groups as you please.
In my recent experiment, I broke 61 photos up into 3 filenames and broke one of the filenames up into 2 different imports with different keywords applied to each group. It was pretty easy to do with such a small group. With a large group of assorted photos, I think I would just worry about grouping for filenames, and then apply keywords after importing. The whole deal only took about 15 minutes and most of that time was deciding how to group the files and what keywords to apply.

3. When I import I bring everything into 1 folder. For instance Asst_Date. Coincidentally it turns out that having the folder name start with an A is a good thing. It ends up staying at the top of the folder structure so I don’t have to scroll to find it.

4. When I’ve done all my sorting, culling, keywording, tagging, and RAW processing on this folder then I decide if I want to sort the photos into subject specific folders. If it’s a mixed bag then I will more than likely separate and move them. If they are all related though, then I might just rename the folder and keep them there. For instance, most of my photographs are landscapes or some type of scenery. I have a Landscape folder with other folders below it that are named according to the location. I take out any that would fit better under a specific subject folder and then keep the rest with the landscapes.

Or do I just rename (and/or save elsewhere) ONLY the ones I have processed?
In another post you wrote:
I can review and cull with Nikon ViewNX quite quick and easy and edit with Elements 6. The problem is, when I put the edited jpg back in the folder with the original RAW, when I go back to ViewNX, it starts doing stupid things with its thumbnail 'organising' view and jumbles them up, at certain thumbnail sizes, you click a picture and it opens something completely different Mind you, it randomly resorts some ranked images anyway , so it really isn't my final answer.

1. I keep a separate folder for anything that has been resized or where the file format has been changed. I don’t know if this is a good idea or not. It’s starting to get pretty full and in need of a subfolder set. Also I think I would have trouble matching these up with the originals if I wanted to do so once things start piling up. I will probably start saving them back into the same folder they came from. It looks like LR will keep pretty good track of them. I can filter or sort by file format and if nothing else I can see the file format so I’ll know which the edited ones are. I’ll just have to remember to synchronize the folder when I add or remove from it. Now that I am renaming my files in a more logical manner, I think I will keep the original filename for these cases and then just append something to it. For instance LaurelCreek_22_Cropped.jpg.

2. I also keep a separate folder for Test photos where I keep copies of things that I’m experimenting with.

3. At this point I can’t say whether LR is going to jumble things up. I too had a lot of problems with the Nikon software. In Nikon’s defence It’s the first time I had used anything like it so many of my problems may have been operator related, however if you had problems too then maybe it wasn’t just me. All I can say is LR appears to have lots of options for sorting and keeping track of the mixed formats, and so far I find everything I’ve tried in LR is pretty logical and intuitive and works the way they say it will. I have encountered some issues but was always able to figure out where the problem occurred. If I note any problems when I start mixing the files up I’ll let you know.

Also, import via Nikon Transfer is painfully slow if over 120 images, unless I 'babysit' it.

4. I really don’t know what is quick when it comes to importing. I did another import today, again a small quantity, only 76, it took 2 min 20 seconds from the time I clicked the import button. LR has various options that affect the quality and speed of imported thumbnails. I use the Kelby recommended “Embedded and Sidecar”. This is the fastest method, and if it’s good enough for him it’s good enough for me. I have not found that there is any issue with redrawing after I’ve imported using this method, but I suppose that might have more to do with the computer hardware than with the editing software.
That’s about it for now. If you have time to spend with it, I think you should download LR and see what you think. It may or may not be what you are looking for, but in my short experience it seems to work pretty well, and I don’t have a lot of patience with software that doesn’t make sense.

That's it for now, hope there's something there that might help. I know I have things organized better now but I'm open to suggestions. There are just too many options. It's hard to figure something out and stay with it.

Wendy