Getting Started in Lightroom 5

Adobe Lightroom 5 Logo

Getting started in Adobe Lightroom can be a little intimidating.  When I first got started using Adobe Lightroom I remember thinking 'how am I going to figure all this out?'  I literally spent days researching, learning and sorting through all the information I could find to help me understand the program and how to use it.  Little by little I learned the program, how to use it, how to set it up and how to take advantage of the tools that are available to me.  By sharing my experience and knowledge of Adobe Lightroom, my hope is to help others just as I have been helped along the way.  

In my experience, there are no great 'secrets' to all of this stuff - its really just techniques, settings, styles, creativity, interpretations etc. that you may not have thought of or may not have learned yet.  I love to learn and I learn something new every day.  All the information that I plan to provide is the way I use Lightroom and what works for me.  I'm not saying this is the only way to do things, it's just what I found to work for me.  So, lets get started!

Adobe Lightroom 5 - File Locations

First Things First

I'm assuming that you have already installed Lightroom on your computer and are ready to go.  I use a Mac, so my setup will be based on the Mac system.  There are a few things you should know as you get started using Adobe Lightroom (Lightroom).  

• Lightroom is a program that allows you to import, organize, manage, develop/process and export images.  It is a database for all of your images.
• The more information you input about your images through metadata, ratings, keywords, etc. the better you will be able to search for specific images later on.
• The Lightroom catalog houses all of the information related to your images - file locations, organizational structural, develop settings, ratings, keywords, etc.   
• Image files are separate from the Lightroom catalog and can be stored in a different location than the Lightroom catalog file.  
• Lightroom provides non-destructive editing of photos. 

With these few things in mind, we can get started on setting up Lightroom.  First, you want to think about where you would like to store your Lightroom catalog and where you would like to store your images.  

The Lightroom Catalog (.lrcat)

What I do and would recommend is to place the Lightroom catalog file (.lrcat file extension) on your local hard drive.  This will allow your computer to have the fastest access to the catalog.  Each time you load your catalog in Lightroom, all of the information contained in the catalog must be called up.  The quicker the computer can access the catalog file, the quicker Lightroom will be up and running.  I store my Lightroom catalog on my hard drive under Pictures>Lightroom>Focus Photography & Design>Learning Catalog_LR5.lrcat.  You can name your catalog anything you would like.  In this case, this will be the catalog I use for various tutorials, learning and teaching to help keep the program moving efficiently. 

Image File Location

Next, think about where you want to store your image files.  If you will not have a lot of images or if you have a large internal hard drive, it might make sense to save the images on your internal hard drive.  I use an external hard drive to store my images.  I use a Drobo that contains 4 bays of hard drives.  The Drobo has been a great system for me that offers tons of storage and I would recommend them if you need a large external hard drive system.  

On my external hard drive I created a folder called 'Lightroom'.  Inside the 'Lightroom' folder, I created another folder called 'Photos Go Here'.  This will be the main location for all of the images.  It is important to keep all of your images inside one main (or parent) folder.  This method of storing your files will be helpful later on should you decide to move all of your image files within Lightroom.  

From this point forward, it is best to create your organizational system/file structure directly in Lightroom.  As you import your images into Lightroom, the Lightroom catalog creates a link to your images within the catalog.  The image files are not stored physically inside the catalog file, rather the catalog remembers where they are by saving a linked to them.  You never want to move the image files around in Finder or Windows Explorer because the link to the image in the Lightroom catalog will be 'broken'.  You will then need to 'relink' the file (you will see a little question mark in the top corner of the image preview letting you know that Lightroom can't find the file).  The best way to move and/or organize your images is directly in Lightroom.  By moving items in Lightroom, the Lightroom catalog will automatically update the links for the new image file location.

Inside your 'Photos Go Here' folder (or whatever the name you choose), you can then create any kind of organizational structure you'd like.  Below are the top level folders that I have created to organize my images:

I currently have my images broken down by year, then 7 primary categories.  Inside those 7 primary categories I have additional folders with specific events, places, etc.  I have a separate directory for iPad and iPhone images as well as a separate directory for all business/work related photography.  Inside the work folder, I further break it down into clients, projects, etc.  

This is the system that works for me, but it might not be the best for you.  Think about what you need and what you think will work for you.  I do find my organizational structure evolving over time, however with the setup I have, it is easy to move images and folders directly within Lightroom.  Keep in mind, the more images you have, the longer it will take to move them all around if you decide to change your organizational structure.  

I hope these basics help when getting started in Lightroom.  If you have any questions about the file locations and setting up a directory I'd be happy to help you further.  Please leave me a comment below.