On Wed, Nov 16, 2011 at 4:47 AM, Eric Weir <[email protected]> wrote: > > On Nov 15, 2011, at 7:04 PM, Godfrey DiGiorgi wrote: > >> A Lightroom collection is a view of a grouping images independent of >> the underlying file system. It exists completely within the Lightroom >> environment and never moves the actual image files on disk. When >> creating a collection by selecting a bunch of files and using the + >> command, you can tell LR whether to make virtual copies of the files >> or just include references to the master files on disk. Virtual copies >> are also created by Lightroom (they're essentially duplicate entries >> in the catalog for the master files that can hold their own processing >> parameters independent of one another or the master file). >> >> Another useful detail is that you can create an empty collection and >> then set it to be the 'target' collection. This makes sorting a set of >> images very rapid as you can quickly step through a range of images >> and tap the B key to add the images to it, just as you would for the >> default Qquick Collection, without having to then select and create a >> new collection afterwards. Just right- (control-)click on the >> collection and use the command to make it the target collection ... >> you'll see the + indicator next to the collection's name in the list >> rather than next to the Quick Collection. > > Thanks, Godfrey -- on both counts, the explanation and the tip. > > A further question about collections -- Quick and otherwise: If they're > created entirely within LR, never moved to disk -- outside of LR, I take it > -- couldn't LR end up bloated if you've got several collections, maybe some > of 'em large? > > Or are collections, even non-Quick ones, always temporary? > > Thanks again,
As Stan said, collections are implemented as database entries in the catalog. Just like virtual copies, the representation is very compact in the catalog database and doesn't take up much space at all. They are always persistent, deleted when and if you decide to delete them. Like Charles, I organize my collections into year by year groupings. I also tend to name them with a prefix indicating the date, e.g.: ... 20110810-new birthday cards for september 20111101-prints for uncle matt 20111113-"The Visible Connections" editorial shoot deliverables ... That makes it easy to scan through a years work and relates the groupings inside my "InProgress" catalog to the completed works project folders that I export completed products into. (Those projects are then imported into a separate "completed works" catalog for subsequent use and management.) -- Godfrey godfreydigiorgi.posterous.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
