Best method to manage photos on ext. HD for use on multiple computers?

[nknscooter]

Hey everyone,

I can't seem to get into a rhythm with Lightroom as my wife and I use different computers and she doesn't like Lightroom. I talked to a photographer friend of mine and she said she just uses an external HD and Adobe Bridge. Well, I don't want to pay $50/month for Bridge but would like a solution that allows me to keep the photos on an external HD and access them on either computer I plug into, be able to comb through and delete those I don't want, and edit them in Photoshop (which I have on both computers).

I would just use finder, but I can't get a clear enough vote of the image without completely opening the file in Photoshop to view it. I don't like the idea of managing one catalog on multiple computers as it doesn't sound like my wife would catch on.

Does anybody out there have any suggestions?
--
Scott

 

[Schroedingers_cat]

I don't want to pay $50/month for Bridge Does anybody out there have any suggestions?

How about Bridge at $9.99 a month ? https://creative.adobe.com/plans

--

http://www.nightstreets.com
-
"Sick cultures show a complex of symptoms such as you have named...but a dying culture invariable exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners is more significant than a riot."
This symptom is especially serious in that an individual displaying it never thinks of it as a sign of ill health but as proof of his/her strength. ...Friday, it is too late to save this culture--this worldwide culture... Therefore we must now prepare the monasteries for the coming Dark Age. Electronic records are too fragile..."
--Robert A. Heinlein in "Friday"

 

[nknscooter]

Am I just overlooking it? I don't see an option for Bridge. Is it included in the photography package?

 

[Martin.au]

My partner and I store a combined Aperture library on an external drive (backed up regularly). Whoever wants to play with the current photos uses that drive.

For new photos I store them on my laptop for editing (As I much prefer processing photos using an SSD) and then every so often I add them to the combined library on the external.

 

[nknscooter]

For new photos I store them on my laptop for editing (As I much prefer processing photos using an SSD) and then every so often I add them to the combined library on the external.

When managing on your own computer as you mentioned, do you find it difficult to comb through and delete photos you don't like? Do you have to open them in Photoshop to do so?

i think essentially I'm looking for a more robust version of Finder that will allow me to really see the images right away and decide on which ones are keepers, and then edit only the ones I feel need editing in Photoshop.

 

[uniball]

Just some thoughts.

To my knowledge, Bridge is bundled with Photoshop. It was on my recent PS version. I like Bridge but its just as much a pig as Photoshop when it comes to computer resources. If PS is acceptable to you, Bridge is a nice app. Right click and you can edit in ACR then send to PS for what it does well.

Or get a photo browser, Photo Mechanic, GraphicConverter, Lyn. A potential issue I see here is depending on how critical you are, you will be evaluating your shots with Apple's converter rather than Adobe's. Depending on your camera, these renders can be quite different. Enough to prevent me from doing it. I shoot Fuji XTrans.

I use Aperture, referenced, along with occasionally Lightroom and C1 just to maintain familiarity. I keep my current files on ssd's in both my desktop and laptop. Unless you're shooting daily, its not much work to keep the two synced via exporting/importing projects along with the masters. If all you're doing is culling, its very simple. File sharing and copy to wherever you want them. An external with the catalog/library on it would work just as well. But I'd want it on a fast drive and bus. With 1tb ssd's costing around $500 these days, that's where I'd be along with a cheapo Thunderbolt bus driven drive (OWC). Should be enough space to handle what you're currently working on and certainly portable.

Aperture's library can also run from a network drive. I've never tried it so have no idea how practical it is. Perhaps locate your images there. Don't believe Lightroom's catalog can go on a network drive. Certainly won't be fast.

 

[Martin.au]

For new photos I store them on my laptop for editing (As I much prefer processing photos using an SSD) and then every so often I add them to the combined library on the external.

When managing on your own computer as you mentioned, do you find it difficult to comb through and delete photos you don't like? Do you have to open them in Photoshop to do so?

It's easy. Aperture is a DAM (Digital Archive Manager). This allows me to crunch insane amounts of photos very rapidly. I do almost all my basic editing in Aperture, and only take images out to DXO or other programs if they're require some special treatment.

Here's some screengrabs of the usual views - project view, photo view, etc.

You can sort photos by almost any criteria - divide into projects, find by any exif details, etc.

Just keep in mind Aperture is no longer being updated.

i think essentially I'm looking for a more robust version of Finder that will allow me to really see the images right away and decide on which ones are keepers, and then edit only the ones I feel need editing in Photoshop.

--
Scott

 

[Schroedingers_cat]

and edit them in Photoshop (which I have on both computers).

I'm not real sure how you might have Photoshop installed without also already having Bridge, unless you inadvertently deleted something.

You sure you have a full version of Adobe Photoshop ? What version number ?

--
http://www.nightstreets.com
-
"Sick cultures show a complex of symptoms such as you have named...but a dying culture invariable exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners is more significant than a riot."
This symptom is especially serious in that an individual displaying it never thinks of it as a sign of ill health but as proof of his/her strength. ...Friday, it is too late to save this culture--this worldwide culture... Therefore we must now prepare the monasteries for the coming Dark Age. Electronic records are too fragile..."
--Robert A. Heinlein in "Friday"

 

[nknscooter]

and edit them in Photoshop (which I have on both computers).

I'm not real sure how you might have Photoshop installed without also already having Bridge, unless you inadvertently deleted something.

You sure you have a full version of Adobe Photoshop ? What version number ?

 

[robgendreau]

I only have Photoshop elements, which came with organizer, which seems to use the same type of catalog structure as Lightroom.

Maybe, I haven't used recent editions, but I doubt it. I think PSE uses a browser, not a database like LR or Aperture. They are fundamentally different ways of organizing photos.

It sounds like you need/want a browser, not a PIE or parametric image editor (yeah, sorry) like LR. LR stores info about adjustments, and requires importing images before you can work on them. A browser (Finder, DxO, Graphic Converter, Lyn, etc) is something that navigates your filesystem and shows files like Finder, but with special tools customized for photos. Sometimes it can go further and even cache previews and such in a catalog; Neofinder is an example of that. Neofinder is very handy if you want to search for and view previews of images that are on offline volumes, like DVDs, etc. LR and Aperture do this too, but a bit differently.

Bridge is part of the Photographer subscription to LR and PS; http://blogs.adobe.com/photoshopdotcom/2013/05/answering-your-questions-about-photoshop-cc.html

Since you use PSE already this might be good ugrade: you get both LR AND Bridge and your relationship will be saved. They can both work together without conflict. For example, if you make changes in your use of LR to add say metadata, then she can see that in Bridge. And vice versa.

Since you have to work off one LR catalog at a time, LR is more oriented to a single user; since Bridge is a browser, and works with a file system that may be shared, it is more accomodating to multiple use.

 

[nknscooter]

I reached out to Adobe and found this to be the case. I couldn't figure out if the photography membership included Bridge or not. Since it does, I'll be using that.

Thanks everyone for the input. My two external drives were just delivered from Amazon, so I'll be starting to make the transition tonight.

Bridge is part of the Photographer subscription to LR and PS; http://blogs.adobe.com/photoshopdotcom/2013/05/answering-your-questions-about-photoshop-cc.html

--

Scott