Workflow - LR - consider alternatives ?

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Breaking the numbering scheme from the camera is not a complete deal-breaker, as the original sequence number still is accessible from the EXIF. However, I fail to see any advantage in doing so as matching files from a CF/SD card with files already loaded onto a disk dive becomes hopelessly inefficient.

Much better to keep the original numbering scheme and wrap extended meta data around that data point.

[Jørgen Ramskov]

Jørgen, what do you feel is the advantage of renumbering files sequentially in a folder, as opposed to importing the frame number from the Exif?

There is no big difference or advantage. I'm renaming it that way due to the fact that the tool I use can't extract exif data.

[Anthony]

OK, thanks.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Jørgen: as an IT guy, using ExifTool should be a breeze ....

[Andrea B.]

title_{datesort}_{timesort}{subsecond}_{act}

I put everything in there just so I could point to some useful variables in PhoMech. 
You can rearrange the title and variables as you wish. And/or drop some out. And/or add dashes.
The point is that the shutter actuation is unique on a per camera basis (for Nikons!!) and doubles as a sequential tag in the namestring. Not every camera coughs up its shutter actuation as easily as Nikon DSLRs. (My Pentax Q for example. Shutter actuation must be available somewhere for that little cam.)

My usual naming strings look like:  subject_{year4}{month0}{day0}location_{act}.nef
Example:  mapleTree_20150923bostonMA_23889.nef

After conversion/edit I auto-add a tag for the converter used or version numbers as needed
Example:  mapleTree_20150923bostonMA_23889pnv2.tif for Photo Ninja, 2nd version of the original file.

These filenames can easily be searched & sorted on either the subject name or on the date string or on the location.

I also - sometimes - use a keyword set added via the IPTC stationary. You can build up your keywords in a nice organized manner in PhoMech. I need to do more of that but I never have any time even though PhoMech makes it so easy!! Could be that I am also somewhat lazy? 

[Jørgen Ramskov]

Bjørn: Of course, though it seems like PM can handle it, so no need to use it.

Andrea: Thanks. I honestly haven't used tags that much. I seem to forget to do it when I edit my pictures. I wonder whether the tags/keywords I have added in LR is actually added as IPTC tags or LR only adds them to its catalog.

[Jørgen Ramskov]

Jørgen, not i haven't yet. I'm still pushing it ahead. I do use catalog labels to label my family and relatives, so it should be fairly easy. But, i haven't tried it.

I installed Photo Supreme since it seemed like an interesting program to try out. I haven't spent much time with it yet, but here is my first impressions:
Importing works fine, though I think Photo Mechanic is faster. Configuring a custom naming scheme might be slightly tedious, but it works and you'll rarely, if ever, need to change it. I configured it to include an event name variable and was looking for where it got that, but it simply requested it when I hit the import button, nice! One of the things that made me interested was that it supported face detection. It seems I misunderstood what they meant. It does indeed support face detection, but it doesn't support face recognition. I personally don't really see the point in the feature then and the feature also stalled the program. I had imported 281 images, selected all and started the face detection feature and after a bit of time, the program was simply unresponsive and I had to force quit it. The implementation in Lightroom is clearly more advanced.

[arthurking83]

I used to use the precursor to Photo Supreme, which is IDImager.
When IDImager support was ceased, and Photo Supreme was the update path, after a trial, I removed it from my PC as it didn't seem to be as good(or flexible) or stable.

On updating to Win10, I never installed IDImager.
In the final few months of using Win7, and searching for all manner of cataloging software I eventually settled on Windows (free) Photo Gallery.
Reason was simply because it synced perfectly with my tagging software which was ViewNX2.
All tags are entered into NEF files in ViewNX2.
The issue was that very few, if any, other cataloging/tagging software would recognize the VNX2 tags, and vice-versa.
So in trying to maintain cohesion and a continuum(of my primary tagging method), about the only real option was Windows Photo Gallery.
The only point to note is that it's reliant on the Nikon NEF codec to be installed on Windows.
The the side benefits are that tags can be viewed/edited/added directly via Windows Explorer directly into the NEF file.

My long term plan is to acquire a proper open source Db setup as Bjørn has commented upon numerous times.
But until I can find a reasonably priced solution, or acquire the knowledge to build it all myself, I'm happy using the most humble of such software .. Windows Photo Gallery.

Very few tagging/cataloging software can actually embed the data directly into a raw file(which is important to me)

In essence I agree with Jørgen, in that Lr's cataloging is more advanced than some, it's not as advanced as it could be(re IDImager), and it's a closed system.
If all I wanted to do was find a photo of Mum from my archive(on a specific drive) .. if I had to use Lr, that process would take a few minutes at least.
In my current setup, I open a drive in Windows Explorer, type in Mumin the search field and my (tagged)images are all listed .... in whatever order I select.
The other handy aspect of using the humble Windows Photo Gallery, is that bulk adding/editing of keywords is the most simple method I've yet had to use.

[Anthony]

I have trialled Photo Supreme on two separate occasions, and each time I finished up deleting it from my computer.

I found it very complicated to get it to work properly, I often had to run additional commands to get it to do what should have been done by default, the online help manual was very badly laid out and it took a long time to find the right advice, and there were too many bugs.

I wasted a lot of time trying to work with it, and have no intention of repeating the experience.

[afx]

My long term plan is to acquire a proper open source Db setup as Bjørn has commented upon numerous times.
But until I can find a reasonably priced solution,...

Check out iMatch if you are on Windows. Extremely powerful and very reasonably priced.

cheers
afx

[HCS]

I installed Photo Supreme since it seemed like an interesting program to try out. I haven't spent much time with it yet, but here is my first impressions:
Importing works fine, though I think Photo Mechanic is faster. Configuring a custom naming scheme might be slightly tedious, but it works and you'll rarely, if ever, need to change it. I configured it to include an event name variable and was looking for where it got that, but it simply requested it when I hit the import button, nice! One of the things that made me interested was that it supported face detection. It seems I misunderstood what they meant. It does indeed support face detection, but it doesn't support face recognition. I personally don't really see the point in the feature then and the feature also stalled the program. I had imported 281 images, selected all and started the face detection feature and after a bit of time, the program was simply unresponsive and I had to force quit it. The implementation in Lightroom is clearly more advanced.

Jørgen, photo supreme is a piece of software you need to stick with for a while. It can do so many things, but looks underwhelming at first (to say the least). Import is not particularly fast, but powerful. Face recognition, naahhh. Don't see the point without face recognition, as you point out. I tried it again triggered by this thread and stopped right away. For the rest though, really powerful. I use the server version with the PostgreSQL db.

[HCS]

I used to use the precursor to Photo Supreme, which is IDImager.
When IDImager support was ceased, and Photo Supreme was the update path, after a trial, I removed it from my PC as it didn't seem to be as good(or flexible) or stable.

On updating to Win10, I never installed IDImager.

I'd suggest trying it again. It really has progressed since version 1, which was rather limited. I believe it now offers much the same functionality as IDImager, Mike Buckley has started using it as well, that should count for something.

My long term plan is to acquire a proper open source Db setup as Bjørn has commented upon numerous times.

Not sure which kind of open software, but have you tried Digikam lately. Open source and also comes in a version with proper database (not sure whether it's PostgreSQL or MySQL). Runs (or should run) on all platforms.

[Jørgen Ramskov]

The lack of face recognition is sadly something I would rather not live without.

[HCS]

The lack of face recognition is sadly something I would rather not live without.

Ah ... then PSU won't work for you.

[arthurking83]

With face recognition, as I'm currently in the process of adding tags to my older images via Windows Photo Gallery, it also has a face recognition feature and to begin with it didn't seem to be very good(or accurate).

eg. I may have added maybe 10 or 20 images of my mum as a set of faces for it to recognize, but most of the offerings when a new image with her face in the scene .. it would offer too many variables that looked nothing like her.
But over time as you add more images of specific people to the program, it begins to improve. So after a few more entries, it started to offer only mum as the person in the image.
It never automatically sets the face to a name, but simply asks if this is that person.

I'll give both those software(iMatch and Digikam) a trial run one day soon and compare the results to what I'm currently (90%)happy with.
PhotoSupreme will take a lot of convincing tho(but I'm not totally closed minded to it).