Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/03/28
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On 28 Mar, 2007, at 09:09, Wade Heninger wrote: > > > > On 3/28/07 12:57 AM, "Frank Dernie" <Frank.Dernie@btinternet.com> > wrote: > >> I take issue with Lightroom in the same way. I know where the >> database file is, i know where my photographs are. It is better than >> the Beta version in this respect but backups are a problem for me >> because I do not understand well enough to be sure my backup contains >> all the information. I HATE software like that. >> I have lost my database once - only message was corrupt database, the >> backup automatically made by Lightroom did not seem to be complete. >> In the end I started again. I am still not sure the shortcomings >> don't outweigh the good bits. > > Here is four easy steps to get over this anxiety: > > 1. Create a folder called "Photo Archive" on your hard drive of > choice - > internal or external. > I effectively do that now - though the file name is different :-) > 2. When importing: > > a) make sure on you choose to copy the files to a new location > and import. > Choose the "new location" as the "Photo Archive" folder. > I am being a bit more picky than that because I have sub folders for different cameras, but in principle this is what I have been doing > b) Convert to DNG always when you import - this gets around > dealing with > sidecars and makes it so as much data as can be written to the file is > written. > I am too scared to do this yet, will it mean that Silkypix and Capture One, if I want to use them, will be able to read the camera specific data if they are not the camera maker's format? I am not prepared to commit myself to only Photoshop and Lightroom and don't want any nasty surprises over other software not correctly recognising the camera specific profile. Perhaps I am too cautious. > 3. Turn on "Automatically write changes to XMP" in the Preferences/ > File > Mangement dialog - this will push as much of the "truth" to the > files. And > since they are DNG, it is written to the file and there in case of any > issues. > OK I've done this. > Done. > > All images will be imported to the Photo Archive folder. All > information > about those images will be saved to the Lightroom database therein, > and all > the files will hold as much truth as they can logically contain > (yes there > are a few things that the Lightroom Library contains that does not > make > sense at the file-level). > This did not work for me - Lightroom refused to use the database file located on my Photographs disc. > 4. Now, make sure your backup software is backing up that "Photo > Archive" > folder. > > Shout for joy - You're golden. Ok, I gotta tack on one more: Not ready for joy yet :-) > > 5. Get back to shooting pictures and don't stress it. Show those > pictures > to Ted and talk about how fun it was to "just shoot" and he'll be > happier... I do get fun just shooting - the problem has just appeared trying to understand the Lightroom database. I have started the Luminous Landscape tutorial. The thing that scares me is that if I lose Lightroom database or stop using it for any reason it will be spectacularly hard to find the pictures using the method I use now, ie browsing my photo files on my photo hard drive :-( cheers, Frank > > > . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . > w a d e h e n i n g e r > u s e r e x p e r i e n c e > a d o b e s y s t e m s , i n c > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information