Processing 500+ raw files......

[Crimsonandwhite]

So I have Lightroom and I have CS3, what is the easiest way to process 500+ raw files? I am finding it very time consuming and I am hoping someone has a way they do it that they can tell me about and would streamline my processing.....any suggestions?

TIA

 

[Paul M]

ummmmm...Take better pictures in the camera so you don't have to post process all 500? :mrgreen: <shrug> :hail:

 

[Cybermg703]

Hire an assistant if you could...other than that it seems like you would have to? man 500! i moan when i get home and look at 250 or so!

 

[Vautrin]

What are you doing with the raw files? What do you mean by processing?

With my olympus software you just basically say "Convert to ____ and it does it"

 

[Overread]

well lightroom does support batch processing of RAWs = so you have the software to do batches - the question is do you want to do batch or do each of the photos need indevidual attention?
If they do need that attention I think its time to put the coffee on and start working

 

[Crimsonandwhite]

Well most don't need individual attention. I would say that I am weeding out about 30% of my photos. I wish it had a function where I could import all the photos, view them, check off the ones I wanted to get rid of and at the end hit delete and everything I checked wuold be deleted. Then batch process them over to large jpeg's. maybe this is doable and I haven't found all the right buttons to mash yet....

 

[Overread]

Can't you just copy the photos to your computer from the memory stick and view them in windows photogallery? Mine will show my RAW from my canon 400D - though it does take a while to load them up sharp at times -- keep its internet access open when you run the photoviewer and then it can get drivers if it needs to.
If you want to keep all the photos (for archival purposes) whilst weeding - just copy paste the originals into the computer and view them with the photo gallery - delete any you don't want to edit and make a note of its number - then just copy paste those photos again over from the memory card and into a different folder

 

[Mike30D]

Hire an assistant if you could...other than that it seems like you would have to? man 500! i moan when i get home and look at 250 or so!

Don't ever shoot weddings then.

 

[Mike30D]

I wish it had a function where I could import all the photos, view them, check off the ones I wanted to get rid of and at the end hit delete and everything I checked wuold be deleted. Then batch process them over to large jpeg's. maybe this is doable and I haven't found all the right buttons to mash yet....

Lightroom will do this for you. You can flag them by color and rating also.

 

[Samriel]

Well most don't need individual attention. I would say that I am weeding out about 30% of my photos. I wish it had a function where I could import all the photos, view them, check off the ones I wanted to get rid of and at the end hit delete and everything I checked wuold be deleted. Then batch process them over to large jpeg's. maybe this is doable and I haven't found all the right buttons to mash yet....

Just import them all to Lightroom, while checking them out give all the ones you want to delete a rating of 1 (you could also make it 2,3,4 or 5 - doesn't really matter), and when you are finished checking just set the filter so you see only the ones which have a rating equal to 1, select them all, and delete. Might be an easier way to do it, but I usually do it like this (although I usually give a rating of 1 to the keepers, and then delete all the ones with no rating).
After that, turn off the filter, select all the raws you've decided to keep, and press export. You should be done quite fast.

 

[Crimsonandwhite]

Thanks for the help guys, I am starting to figure it out a bit better. There is so much that Lightroom does that I still have not explored.....

Any one feature you guys love in Lightroom that I might be missing?

 

[chrisburke]

I use lightroom as well, and as an example, my last wedding I shot I took about 2000 pictures (i tend to take 2 or 3 of each pose) the problem with doing a batch edit in LR is that not all pictures need the same adjustments... some pictures need less lighting, some need more... it takes a long time, but I strongly suggest doing them one by one... I have a process... first I go through them all and delete the ones I don't need (maybe it was a duplicate, maybe someone moved and I didn't notice so there is some blur... maybe theres some lens flare) basically whatever images don't grab my eye I delete right away. as an example my shoot where I came home with 2000 images, after step one I knocked it down to about 1400 pictures.. step 2 is flagging.. I go through the pictures and flag the ones that are just so/so... then I find if I go through the flag ones, it causes me to delete more.. so it may bring me down to around 1000... then I go get some coffee, take a little break (30 mins or so) and come back with fresh eyes... I do more flagging... which takes maybe 200 images off... so now I've gone from 2000 to 800 pictures then I edit those ones... it takes a long time, but, its necessary.

 

[Vautrin]

I've never used lightroom before, so maybe I'm just too much of a n00b to understand.

But with my olympus software, if I shoot in raw, I have the option of exporting all pictures as JPEGs using a default settings.

So whether I have 5 RAW or 5,000, I just tell the software convert all the JPEGs using default exposure.

Then I go through and delete any I don't like. Most of them -- which might just be OK -- I'll leave alone, and I'll find the small percentage that need work (e.g. a little burning or dodging).

Do the 500 raw photos genuinely need a lot of post production work, or are some of them OK with default exposure info.

 

[chrisburke]

I've never used lightroom before, so maybe I'm just too much of a n00b to understand.

But with my olympus software, if I shoot in raw, I have the option of exporting all pictures as JPEGs using a default settings.

So whether I have 5 RAW or 5,000, I just tell the software convert all the JPEGs using default exposure.

Then I go through and delete any I don't like. Most of them -- which might just be OK -- I'll leave alone, and I'll find the small percentage that need work (e.g. a little burning or dodging).

Do the 500 raw photos genuinely need a lot of post production work, or are some of them OK with default exposure info.

yes you can export them all as jpegs with the click of a button.. i was under the impression that he wants to batch adjustments.. maybe i'm wrong..

question for you.. why do you convert the raw to jpg then delete them? why not just delete them then convert the ones you want?

 

[ksmattfish]

I wish it had a function where I could import all the photos, view them, check off the ones I wanted to get rid of and at the end hit delete and everything I checked wuold be deleted. Then batch process them over to large jpeg's. maybe this is doable and I haven't found all the right buttons to mash yet....

Adobe Bridge and Adobe Camera Raw. I'm using CS2, but I'm sure they are in CS3 too.