Lightroom vs Photoshop

[Bill M]

I have a question. I save a copy of the original RAW file to an external HD for future use if necessary. I noticed this morning that it creates duplicates with the name I create for the files so essentially doubling the number of RAW files saved. Does anyone know the setting to stop the duplication? I would prefer to have it with the file name I assign.

[Shane]

I'm guessing that you are saving the RAW files to the same folder when you import into Lr. If so, then you're making duplicates whenever you save the copies.

[Bill M]

No Shane I'm going to my main hard drive when I import. I know there is a dialog somewhere about saving a copy to another location but it seems to be doing it after I'm done as well. I'll have to watch closer next go round.

[Shane]

Ah. I don't remember seeing that setting, but it must be in there somewhere. I just import to my external drive. I export finished pics to a folder inside my original folder on the same drive. Gazillion ways to skin that cat, but that's the way I do it.

[Bill M]

I do the same Shane but from using PS Bridge I always saved a backup copy that wasn't local. I have been deleting the RAW on the main hard drive due to the backup but may switch gears. I have so much backup redundancy now that I probably really don't need to be doing it anymore.

[WyoBull]

Bill, as long as you keep the original RAW file somewhere, that is the important thing. My workflow is more like Shane's.
I plug my CF card into my laptop and copy the files into a separate folder, typically named something specific to what I am shooting plus the date.
I then import those RAW files into LR
Once I post process a file, I them export a JPG copy out to the same folder which holds the RAW file but I change the file name to something specific to the photo and I sometimes include the date. As an example - "RedTailHawk - 12-2014.jpg"
Doing this, I have all of the photos, both RAW and processed, in the same folder.

It works for me and is about as simple as I cam make it for my simple brain! haha

[Shane]

I do the same Shane but from using PS Bridge I always saved a backup copy that wasn't local. I have been deleting the RAW on the main hard drive due to the backup but may switch gears. I have so much backup redundancy now that I probably really don't need to be doing it anymore.

If you're deleting the originals from your main harddrive, then you really don't have a backup, right? You just end up with your originals on the external drive, same as me. You're just going through a few extra steps to get there.

[Bill M]

Bill, as long as you keep the original RAW file somewhere, that is the important thing. My workflow is more like Shane's.
I plug my CF card into my laptop and copy the files into a separate folder, typically named something specific to what I am shooting plus the date.
I then import those RAW files into LR
Once I post process a file, I them export a JPG copy out to the same folder which holds the RAW file but I change the file name to something specific to the photo and I sometimes include the date. As an example - "RedTailHawk - 12-2014.jpg"
Doing this, I have all of the photos, both RAW and processed, in the same folder.

It works for me and is about as simple as I cam make it for my simple brain! haha

What I do is plug the SD card into the card reader. It opens LR automatically. In Library I then go to my main folder in My Pictures (right side) where I'm importing to, in the case of this month, the Dec folder. I have already checked "place in sub-folder" and that folder has a default name of RAW (this step is already automatic unless I change it). I then right click on the Dec folder and tell it to create a new folder. What happens is I then create the new folder and name it whatever the subject is. The Raw folder (mentioned above) is created within that folder. Once I do my editing, I import into the main subject folder so when I look inside the folder I see my jpegs and a RAW folder. I hope that makes sense. I happens fairly quickly.

If you're deleting the originals from your main harddrive, then you really don't have a backup, right? You just end up with your originals on the external drive, same as me. You're just going through a few extra steps to get there.

Yes I do have a backup. The command to create a back up copy is what creates the RAW file back up on a different HD. What my picture of the files is above is actually on my "M" drive.

I am getting ready to process some photos I took this morning. I'll see if I can find that and screen shot.

[Shane]

After you delete the RAW files from your computer's hard drive do you still have RAW originals on 2 other drives or just the one external? Not that it really matters. I'm just confused. But my main suggestion would be to import to Lr to the drive that you want to keep the RAW files on rather than importing to one, copying to the keeper drive and then deleting the originally imported files. That would simplify your process a bit.

[Bill M]

Shane this is what the Dec, Hawks_12-10 folder looks like inside. The RAW files are in the RAW folder. The file picture above is on a separate HD. I don't move the backups to the separate drive in an extra step. There is a box checked somewhere (can't find it at the moment) that does it automatically when I import into LR. There is only one copy made on a separate drive.

[Shane]

Ah. So when you import off of your camera card you import the RAW files into a folder on your computer hard drive and a folder on your external hard drive simultaneously? And then after you edit the pics you delete the RAW files from your computer hard drive?

I think I remember seeing a box to check in the import screen to create a copy. My laptop is at home, so I can't see right now. Perhaps there is another create a copy box to check on the export screen, and that is how you're getting 2 copies?? I would imagine it's in the import/export function somewhere. I don't think it would be anywhere else, but I could be wrong.

[Bill M]

Ah. So when you import off of your camera card you import the RAW files into a folder on your computer hard drive and a folder on your external hard drive simultaneously? And then after you edit the pics you delete the RAW files from your computer hard drive?

I think I remember seeing a box to check in the import screen to create a copy. My laptop is at home, so I can't see right now. Perhaps there is another create a copy box to check on the export screen, and that is how you're getting 2 copies?? I would imagine it's in the import/export function somewhere. I don't think it would be anywhere else, but I could be wrong.

YES!

I'm not sure where that box is and I didn't look when I used it a little bit ago. Honestly I think I'd be better off just importing to the separate drive without a copy in the first place, then when I export the jpegs to My Pictures I don't have to go back and delete the RAW folder from my main HD.

[Shane]

Yep, that's what I do. No extra step in the process that way. I do need to come up with a backup system though. Online storage is probably the best answer. I signed up for Amazon Prime recently. Any idea how that compares to other cloud backup services?

[Bill M]

I haven't looked into Amazon storage. I am in my trial of Prime and will go permanent for a year in a couple of days. I haven't looked at all the benefits that closely. Is cloud storage one of them? I am really backed up well locally but theft or fire could get me.

There is a great backup software called Syncback Free that backs up actual files, no restoring required. I've been using it for awhile and I'm very happy with it.

[Shane]

Prime has photo storage, but costs vary according to the amount of data you store. I need to compare it to others.