Originally posted by Urnamaster13 The reason i am looking at a downloader software is because i agree with 2 posters on 1st page. I do not want to lose the catalog in case the software i use is no longer supported or actively updated. I doubt it will happen with LR, but not sure of rest.
However, i believe the file and folder organization of windows explorer is unlikely to be obsolete so easily. hence i want a downloader, which can auto import pics by dates and other small parameters i define. Like, i just connect my card and the software imports and organizes the RAw files in 1 or 2 locations in my computers Hard drive.
I tried to do it with LR6 but it seems the auto import works only if the folder is empty. And i am not sure how it will organize the imported pics. I would prefer by dates or by "event" .
I like idea of IMatch. Gonna try it out later.
You won't lose the Lr catalog (unless you delete it yourself, or the photos it references).
And as far as metadata, you can store it in the files or sidecars, as we've been discussing. So again, unless you choose to delete them, you don't lose that. I assume you have a backup in any case.
And no, don't assume folder organization is forever. Just one example is a corrupted drive. You can recover from it, but often only the files are recovered, NOT the folders, and NOT the original filenames.
In any case, as I already said Lr can create those folders on import. It doesn't matter which application creates those, in case that's your fear. Folder names are folder names wheter IMatch, File Explorer, Lr or Billy Bob's Downloader creates them. Lr can also put a second copy of the image somewhere, although doing that on the same drive is rather a waste of space.
Lr can import into new folders, or existing ones, or pretty much anywhere in your folder tree. You set the destination. I'd suggest you take a look at some tutorials; sounds like you haven't familiarized yourself with how it works. Might as well utilize what you've got before plunking down money on new stuff.
---------- Post added 07-11-16 at 07:46 AM ----------
Originally posted by emalvick I still prefer IMatch. What I like there is that in will map the hierarchical keywords to standard flat keywords (I think LR can do that much).
But, I can also have it exclude certain levels in the flat keywords.
For example. In LR I might have a keyword tree that is:
Who.Family.Smith.John
LR, will map the hierarchy to standard keywords as Who, Family, Smith, John.
With IMatch, I can tell it that I don't want Who (and perhaps Family) in the flat keywords, so I end up with Smith, John
I can keep lower parts of my tree without worrying about having a lot of photos with the keyword "Who"... or "What" or "Location", which I often use to anchor my hierarchy, but not what I want in my galleries. No one is going to search for "Who" as a keyword.
Further, I like that I can exclude keywords at other parts of my tree. For instance, I can eliminate "Smith" while leaving Family and John in place. It doesn't matter where in the tree I am. I use this feature quite exhaustively. It does require maintaining a Thesaurus for this purpose. It took a bit of work at the beginning, but it works well once it is in place. There are nuances, especially if you want to move keywords around the hierarchy. It isn't quite as simple as renaming a folder in your File Manager (Windows Explorer) for instance.
As long as I keep using LR for developing, LR can utilize the keyword hierarchy for browsing.
Another thing multi-lingual users might like is that its thesaurus (keyword catalog) can be setup in multiple languages so not only can you define synonyms, but you can also define what language the synonyms are in.
It's definitely worth a trial, but realize that a month (or whatever the trial limit is) will probably only scratch the surface. You might browse its forums for a bit, try the software with some limited number of images, and see what you can do.
So IMatch has the option of non-exporting keywords, like Lr, but on a case by case basis, instead of globally? I have organizer keywords too, like "_Animals" eg, that I don't want to export. But I'd like to be able to export that in some photos but not all, and in Lr I have to turn it off and then back on if I want it to export on one photo but not others.
And BTW, does IMatch handle "Smith, John" better than Lr? one of my frustrations with it (shared by others) is how Lr handles spaces (as OR, not AND).