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09/17/2011 01:11:58 PM · #1 |
Hi!
I was wondering if there is a way to see your photos on your hardrive in LR, without having to upload them to the computer. Sorta like how you can browse through your hard drive pictures through bridge. This one really has me stumped!
Thanks!
--n |
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09/17/2011 01:18:42 PM · #2 |
You have to import them to a catalog.
However, you don't have to copy them to a catalog.
Just add them in their current location, and delete the catalog when you are done browsing. (Be sure to apply metadata to images if you made changes.) |
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09/17/2011 01:19:02 PM · #3 |
Confused... external hard drive? If they are on the hard drive, that usually means they *are* on the computer. In any case, you don't have to move the photos, you can "import" them and leave them where they are. What "importing" them does is to create a catalog of them, so that you can browse them from within Lr.
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09/17/2011 01:33:42 PM · #4 |
I think what you're really asking is can you use LR as a file browser for photos to see what's in a particular directory BEFORE you even make a decision to keep the file where it's located or to copy it to another LR directory in which case..at that point it would be entered into a catalog.
So now I'll rephrase. Are you asking...can you use LR as a file browser for photos without having to actually import anything into a catalog.
The answer is yes, but you basically have to go through the file selection part of the import process. When you click import and select any directory, LR will show you what is in the directory and will by default have all the photos selected. At this point you can still double click on a photo for a larger view and use your arrow keys to go to the next photo. As long as you cancel out and never actually import the photos everything stays the same including your catalog.
ETA: You just select your folders on your drive, memory card or external drive as the source and it will show you the photos. Just remember to cancel or exit out and not actually import. Not the most ideal way to browse your photos, but it is possible. I often only want a few photos out of a directory of many more to be imported and included into a LR catalog for editing. So that's how I do it. Just deselect all the photos and select just the ones you want when you eventually decide you do want to import..and not just browse.
Dave
Message edited by author 2011-09-17 13:37:17. |
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09/17/2011 01:44:31 PM · #5 |
ugh im sorry external hard drive.. always forget!
kirbic, ive tried that, but none of the pictures show up..
thanks for your help so far! |
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09/18/2011 08:29:02 AM · #6 |
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09/22/2011 11:43:46 AM · #7 |
OK here is an easier way to put it... how do i use LR as a file browser for my external hard drives, so i dont have to import them to my computers hard drive and dont have to use bridge...
Thanks!
im running out of space... :/ |
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09/22/2011 11:46:57 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by nickyb:
OK here is an easier way to put it... how do i use LR as a file browser for my external hard drives, so i dont have to import them to my computers hard drive and dont have to use bridge...
Thanks!
im running out of space... :/ |
The key is to realize that you have the choice when you import. Importing does not necessarily mean copying or moving them to your internal drive. You can import them *to the catalog* but leave the actual files on the external drive.
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09/22/2011 11:53:12 AM · #9 |
Originally posted by kirbic:
Confused... external hard drive? If they are on the hard drive, that usually means they *are* on the computer. In any case, you don't have to move the photos, you can "import" them and leave them where they are. What "importing" them does is to create a catalog of them, so that you can browse them from within Lr. |
I've used this way too and it does work, most of my pictures are on external drive, but I think if you cannot see yours it might have something to do with the settings when you import them to a catalog, like for example if you are trying to convert a jpeg file to a dng, so you might want to try the first option "add photos to catalog without moving" |
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09/22/2011 02:42:47 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by nickyb:
OK here is an easier way to put it... how do i use LR as a file browser for my external hard drives, so i dont have to import them to my computers hard drive and dont have to use bridge...
Thanks!
im running out of space... :/ |
NB...I've already told you how to do it, in my previous post. I KNEW what you were asking and it's the only way to do it in LR. Technically, LR is not designed to be a file browser in the traditional sense, but I gave you the only work around. Others seems to have thought you were trying to import the files, but you clearly said that's not what you wanted.
Dave |
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09/22/2011 03:05:10 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by DCNUTTER:
NB...I've already told you how to do it, in my previous post. I KNEW what you were asking and it's the only way to do it in LR. Technically, LR is not designed to be a file browser in the traditional sense, but I gave you the only work around. Others seems to have thought you were trying to import the files, but you clearly said that's not what you wanted.
Dave |
He Yanko'd....himself? |
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09/22/2011 05:24:19 PM · #12 |
Originally posted by nickyb:
kirbic, ive tried that, but none of the pictures show up.. |
When you say they don't show up, you you mean you get the thumb and meta data but the image file is listed as missing or offline? Or is it not displaying the thumb? Or...What?
I keep most of my images on external HDs, with Lightroom as a file manager. I used to use BreezeBrowser because it was so good at looking through various external sources and didn't need the laborious and time consuming importation process. However I have come around to Lightroom's way of thinking since I can now search all my hard drives for thumbnails and the associated metadata without having to keep the actual images in my laptop. When I find what I need, I still need to bring it in to my laptop to use it, but at least with Lightroom I can find what I need and know where to get it. |
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09/24/2011 10:03:21 PM · #13 |
Originally posted by DCNUTTER:
I think what you're really asking is can you use LR as a file browser for photos to see what's in a particular directory BEFORE you even make a decision to keep the file where it's located or to copy it to another LR directory in which case..at that point it would be entered into a catalog.
So now I'll rephrase. Are you asking...can you use LR as a file browser for photos without having to actually import anything into a catalog.
The answer is yes, but you basically have to go through the file selection part of the import process. When you click import and select any directory, LR will show you what is in the directory and will by default have all the photos selected. At this point you can still double click on a photo for a larger view and use your arrow keys to go to the next photo. As long as you cancel out and never actually import the photos everything stays the same including your catalog.
ETA: You just select your folders on your drive, memory card or external drive as the source and it will show you the photos. Just remember to cancel or exit out and not actually import. Not the most ideal way to browse your photos, but it is possible. I often only want a few photos out of a directory of many more to be imported and included into a LR catalog for editing. So that's how I do it. Just deselect all the photos and select just the ones you want when you eventually decide you do want to import..and not just browse.
Dave |
ok, so i figured out importing them through the file selection, but where do i find the original files?
thanks! |
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09/25/2011 09:10:21 AM · #14 |
Originally posted by nickyb:
Originally posted by DCNUTTER:
I think what you're really asking is can you use LR as a file browser for photos to see what's in a particular directory BEFORE you even make a decision to keep the file where it's located or to copy it to another LR directory in which case..at that point it would be entered into a catalog.
So now I'll rephrase. Are you asking...can you use LR as a file browser for photos without having to actually import anything into a catalog.
The answer is yes, but you basically have to go through the file selection part of the import process. When you click import and select any directory, LR will show you what is in the directory and will by default have all the photos selected. At this point you can still double click on a photo for a larger view and use your arrow keys to go to the next photo. As long as you cancel out and never actually import the photos everything stays the same including your catalog.
ETA: You just select your folders on your drive, memory card or external drive as the source and it will show you the photos. Just remember to cancel or exit out and not actually import. Not the most ideal way to browse your photos, but it is possible. I often only want a few photos out of a directory of many more to be imported and included into a LR catalog for editing. So that's how I do it. Just deselect all the photos and select just the ones you want when you eventually decide you do want to import..and not just browse.
Dave |
ok, so i figured out importing them through the file selection, but where do i find the original files?
thanks! |
Your original question.
I was wondering if there is a way to see your photos on your hardrive in LR, without having to upload them to the computer.
Answer is in your question, on your memory card, where else would they be? Unless I'm not understanding your question and you mean where the copies are after importing? Then they would be where you told LR to put them.
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09/25/2011 06:52:21 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by one2one:
Originally posted by nickyb:
Originally posted by DCNUTTER:
I think what you're really asking is can you use LR as a file browser for photos to see what's in a particular directory BEFORE you even make a decision to keep the file where it's located or to copy it to another LR directory in which case..at that point it would be entered into a catalog.
So now I'll rephrase. Are you asking...can you use LR as a file browser for photos without having to actually import anything into a catalog.
The answer is yes, but you basically have to go through the file selection part of the import process. When you click import and select any directory, LR will show you what is in the directory and will by default have all the photos selected. At this point you can still double click on a photo for a larger view and use your arrow keys to go to the next photo. As long as you cancel out and never actually import the photos everything stays the same including your catalog.
ETA: You just select your folders on your drive, memory card or external drive as the source and it will show you the photos. Just remember to cancel or exit out and not actually import. Not the most ideal way to browse your photos, but it is possible. I often only want a few photos out of a directory of many more to be imported and included into a LR catalog for editing. So that's how I do it. Just deselect all the photos and select just the ones you want when you eventually decide you do want to import..and not just browse.
Dave |
ok, so i figured out importing them through the file selection, but where do i find the original files?
thanks! |
Your original question.
I was wondering if there is a way to see your photos on your hardrive in LR, without having to upload them to the computer.
Answer is in your question, on your memory card, where else would they be? Unless I'm not understanding your question and you mean where the copies are after importing? Then they would be where you told LR to put them. |
lol i mean they are in a library on my external hard drive, but where are files stores when they are in a LR library? |
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09/25/2011 07:56:24 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by nickyb:
Originally posted by one2one:
Originally posted by nickyb:
Originally posted by DCNUTTER:
I think what you're really asking is can you use LR as a file browser for photos to see what's in a particular directory BEFORE you even make a decision to keep the file where it's located or to copy it to another LR directory in which case..at that point it would be entered into a catalog.
So now I'll rephrase. Are you asking...can you use LR as a file browser for photos without having to actually import anything into a catalog.
The answer is yes, but you basically have to go through the file selection part of the import process. When you click import and select any directory, LR will show you what is in the directory and will by default have all the photos selected. At this point you can still double click on a photo for a larger view and use your arrow keys to go to the next photo. As long as you cancel out and never actually import the photos everything stays the same including your catalog.
ETA: You just select your folders on your drive, memory card or external drive as the source and it will show you the photos. Just remember to cancel or exit out and not actually import. Not the most ideal way to browse your photos, but it is possible. I often only want a few photos out of a directory of many more to be imported and included into a LR catalog for editing. So that's how I do it. Just deselect all the photos and select just the ones you want when you eventually decide you do want to import..and not just browse.
Dave |
ok, so i figured out importing them through the file selection, but where do i find the original files?
thanks! |
Your original question.
I was wondering if there is a way to see your photos on your hardrive in LR, without having to upload them to the computer.
Answer is in your question, on your memory card, where else would they be? Unless I'm not understanding your question and you mean where the copies are after importing? Then they would be where you told LR to put them. |
lol i mean they are in a library on my external hard drive, but where are files stores when they are in a LR library? |
If you imported them without moving them (as part of the import process), they are in the same place on the hard drive where you put them in the first place.
The library is simply a database. It doesn't hold any files. It has pointers to where the files live on the hard drive. Once the files are imported, LR doesn't touch the files again (unless you are writing metadata back to the file, or renaming the file), and changes are stored in the database.
If you make changes to the original files, it will cause LR problems, so work on copies not the originals.
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09/25/2011 08:15:08 PM · #17 |
ooh ok then where do they live :/
lol |
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09/25/2011 08:35:34 PM · #18 |
Originally posted by nickyb:
ooh ok then where do they live :/
lol |
Where did you put them? None of us knows where you've put your files.
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09/25/2011 08:39:51 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by alohadave:
Originally posted by nickyb:
ooh ok then where do they live :/
lol |
Where did you put them? None of us knows where you've put your files. |
huh in the folder... but i cant see them... only a bunch of lr shenanigans... or maybe not you guys have helped out a lot im sure i can figure out the rest on my own.
Thanks so much! |
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