# Workflow -- Fitting it all together



## clee01l (Nov 13, 2011)

When I first started using Lightroom I discovered this forum website and asked a few questions.  One of the questions that I got asked back from the responders to my question was "What's your Workflow?"  "Workflow?  What is that?" I mused to myself (too proud to admit my own ignorance). Well, I found out what a "Workflow" was and even though I did not have a fancy word for it, I did have a workflow. It was not codified into a set of rules.  It still isn't. (But that is going to change soon) 

Later As I progressed and expanded my LR knowledge, I came across John Beardsworth's Workflow Smart Collections and this literally changed how I approached processing images.  Since then I've taken John's ideas and extended it to include an extensive reliance on Published Smart Collections to be the logical end point in my workflow.  

In the next few weeks, I'll expand on what I've learned from John and share my workflow steps from import to publishing on websites like Flickr. 

Now, I realize that my Workflow is not going to be a One-size-fits-all, but Like John's Workflow Smart Collections did for me,  maybe it will open your eyes to how you might simplify, streamline and otherwise improve your own workflow. 

Now, if you don't know what a workflow is,  Ask it here. (Don't be too proud to ask like I was).  If you want some Workflow ideas, ask for them here.  

Think your workflow is pretty neat?  Share it here.


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## erro (Nov 14, 2011)

I've taken the same path myself. Johns "workflow smart collections" made me think how LR could help me organize and keep track of the different parts of my work with my photos (the workflow). I rely on hierarchical keywords and filenames to build a structure that works for me (as an amateur hobby photographer). Thanks to this I don't have to manually remember how far in the workflow process different photos have come. I don't have to move photos around in different folders or collections in order to track the status. LR do this - automatically - for me, based on keywords and other metadata.

If anyone is interested I can elaborate and share my thoughts.


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## jjlad (Nov 15, 2011)

I'd certainly be interested. I've been using LR for 3 years and have a lot of images. I do find the filtering abilities of the library are pretty darn good so have been using those but I realize that we often don't know what we're missing until someone snaps a better mousetrap shut on our toes ...so I'm all ears.
jj


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## Victoria Bampton (Nov 15, 2011)

Great first thread in the new forum Clee, JJ and Robert.  We can all learn from each other - everything from folder structures, backups, adding metadata and keywords, and anything else you can think of.  It'll be a good place to exchange ideas that work, rather than answering questions about bits that don't!


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## cagenuts (Nov 16, 2011)

I think using the smart collections is great. I tried it the other day using the colour labels to identify which image needed work, which then needed printing and then subsequently which were considered done.

The first problem I came across is that sometimes when I clicked on a colour label, LR3 would inexplicitly apply this new label to current image *as well* as to the next image in the collection. Kind of frustrating to say the least. It would also appear that auto continue was enabled but I couldn't find where to turn this off. 

I ended up added data to the caption meta data field to keep track of the images being processed but it would have been nice to do this with smart collections.

Any clue as to this so called 'double apply'? I also find that when applying a preset and then hitting ctrl+z to undo, LR goes back one step all right but then applies some new random preset to the image! Weird hey!

Anyway, I'm all for learning more of the correct way to do things.


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## Jim Wilde (Nov 16, 2011)

Hi, welcome to the forum.

You'll find Auto Advance under the Photo menu in the menu bar....if it's ticked then it's obviously enabled, so click to untick and then see if these gremlins go away. Let us know if not and we'll dig a bit further.


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## cagenuts (Nov 16, 2011)

Thanks Jim, I see it now. I've also downloaded almost every trial plug-in available to test so I probably need to uninstall and then install a clean copy.


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## Jim Wilde (Nov 16, 2011)

If things are still not working properly, after uninstalling the plug-ins I'd probably think about resetting the preferences rather than a re-install (as this won't reset the preferences).


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## cagenuts (Nov 16, 2011)

Good point Jim, thanks I may try the preference reset first.

Shot!


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## rema (Feb 12, 2012)

Hi Clee!

I'm also experimenting with John Beardsworths idea of using smart collections for workflow.

Came across a blog entry of your workflow http://cletuslee.wordpress.com/mana...art-collections-and-smart-publish-services-2/

Would you mind sharing the rest of your experience?

/Mark


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## clee01l (Feb 12, 2012)

rema said:


> Hi Clee!
> 
> I'm also experimenting with John Beardsworths idea of using smart collections for workflow.
> 
> ...


Mark, Welcome to the forum.  Thanks for your interest.   Prior to the announcement of Lightroom 4, I was developing and extending John's "Workflow Smart Collections" to include Smart Publish Collections. 

Part 1 is here: http://cletuslee.wordpress.com/2011...smart-collections-and-smart-publish-services/  if you haven't seen it. 

My outline of "Lightroom Managed Workflow using Smart Collections and Smart Publish Services has been suspended after the announcement and release of Lightroom 4b. I will resume (and perhaps revise parts 1 & 2) after the release of LR 4.0

Possibly, I might interest you in my other blog for your reading enjoyment while waiting for the next installemt of "Lightroom Managed Workflow"


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## rema (Feb 13, 2012)

Thanks for your response Clee!

I'm also evaluating LR4 Beta currently. Like the geotagging feature, nice to can accomplish this task now within lightroom.
Currently im using another App to geotag my raw images before I import them into LR...

/Mark


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## Big W (Feb 20, 2012)

Clee a great blog, I got a lot from your posting. I am looking forward to you completing it, as I want to try the published workflow route you indicate. I am also testing LR4 and must say its much better than I had expected. The book mod is amazing. Just wish they had done some work on key wording management etc.


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## Pyrogerg (Mar 28, 2012)

I've jumped on the Beardsworth bandwagon and I'm thinking about adding Clee's color labels to the process. There's one thing I wish worked a little differently about smart collections for this system. I thought I'd edit metadata from within the smart collections, but of course the image I'm working on vanishes from the "no keywords" collection as soon as I've added a single keyword. This is fine if I want to add all the keywords to each image manually and at once. It doesn't work with applying keywords from keyword-sets to selected groups of photos, which I've found more efficient. So it looks like I'll just work on them in the "Current work" dumb collection and use the smart collections to check for things I've missed, which must be how Beardsworth intended.

Does anyone else have useful workflow tricks they'd like to share?


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## clee01l (Mar 28, 2012)

If I want to add keywords/titles/captions to items in a Smart collection that has as its criteria {does not contain}{keywords/titles/captions}, I select all in the smart collection and add them to the Quick Collection. These I work in the Quick Collection adding keywords/titles/captions.  While working these, I keep the Collection panel in view and an eye on the Smart collections watching the collection count down to zero.


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## Pyrogerg (Apr 14, 2012)

clee01l said:


> If I want to add keywords/titles/captions to items in a Smart collection that has as its criteria {does not contain}{keywords/titles/captions}, I select all in the smart collection and add them to the Quick Collection. These I work in the Quick Collection adding keywords/titles/captions.  While working these, I keep the Collection panel in view and an eye on the Smart collections watching the collection count down to zero.



Great suggestion! Fits perfectly into my workflow.


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