Lightroom Catalog reference for submissions

[rickboden]

I've started submitting on practically a daily basis but going through my old files and I'm trying to come up with a solution for tagging images that I have submitted so I don't accidentally submit the same image twice.  I'm wondering if and how others do it...colour label, special catalog, keyword or other metadata entry?   Thanks for any advice.

 

Rick Boden

[spacecadet]

6 minutes ago, rickboden said:

I've started submitting on practically a daily basis but going through my old files and I'm trying to come up with a solution for tagging images that I have submitted so I don't accidentally submit the same image twice.  I'm wondering if and how others do it...colour label, special catalog, keyword or other metadata entry?   Thanks for any advice.

 

Rick Boden

I just flag as pick (P) images picked for submission,  but then I don't have an archive as such and deal with images as they're shot. I also don't do much else with images, so my system may be a bit too simple for you.

[MDM]

I always use keywords as they travel with the files whereas labels are Lightroom specific. I use labels as well for quick visual identification but don't rely on them as they are very easy to change accidentally (number shortcuts) as are flags. I have "Always write metatdata to xmp" on as well so I am not relying on the catalog for raw file metadata as there is potential for corruption (it has never happened but databases can corrupt). I back up all the files and don't worry too much about the catalog. 

[rickboden]

Thanks, that would be a good choice but I use my pick flag for assignment work so I think that's not viable for me.

 

Rick

[rickboden]

47 minutes ago, MDM said:

I always use keywords as they travel with the files whereas labels are Lightroom specific. I use labels as well for quick visual identification but don't rely on them as they are very easy to change accidentally (number shortcuts) as are flags. I have "Always write metatdata to xmp" on as well so I am not relying on the catalog for raw file metadata as there is potential for corruption (it has never happened but databases can corrupt). I back up all the files and don't worry too much about the catalog. 

 

Good point, thanks.  So just adding an "Alamy" specific keyword.  Makes sense.

 

Rick

[Harry Harrison]

I take MDM's point that there might be life beyond Lightroom and an Alamy specific code would work, maybe added after upload, maybe even before. Even so I still use a Collection Set for Alamy uploads and then each upload is a separate batch within that Collection Set, then for good measure I label them all green. I find that label particularly handy when going back through folders to see if there are any in a particular folder (I use Date Shot) that I might reconsider for upload, easy to see in grid view which have gone up already. I actually have two collection sets, in effect those waiting to be uploaded, separated into potential upload batches, and another for those that have gone through QC. Easy then to check the totals in Lightroom and the total 'for sale' on Alamy.

 

And yes, you can still make mistakes, I've uploaded two images twice, but I knew because the total in Lightroom was 2 less than the total for sale on Alamy.

 

Of course the colour label system only works because I don't otherwise use colour labels!

Edited August 23, 2019 by Harry Harrison

[rickboden]

Thanks, I also have been using green to tag my submissions...I tag them red when they've been captioned and keyworded and green when they've been "colour" edited.  I think that may be a good option to keep but I have been using colours for other purposes as well so I think in my case a keyword or other text metadata might also be good.

[MDM]

35 minutes ago, Harry Harrison said:

I take MDM's point that there might be life beyond Lightroom and an Alamy specific code would work, maybe added after upload, maybe even before. Even so I still use a Collection Set for Alamy uploads and then each upload is a separate batch within that Collection Set, then for good measure I label them all green. I find that label particularly handy when going back through folders to see if there are any in a particular folder (I use Date Shot) that I might reconsider for upload, easy to see in grid view which have gone up already. I actually have two collection sets, in effect those waiting to be uploaded, separated into potential upload batches, and another for those that have gone through QC. Easy then to check the totals in Lightroom and the total 'for sale' on Alamy.

 

And yes, you can still make mistakes, I've uploaded two images twice, but I knew because the total in Lightroom was 2 less than the total for sale on Alamy.

 

Of course the colour label system only works because I don't otherwise use colour labels!

 

I think the biggest problem with labels, ratings and flags is that they are so easy to change accidentally whereas it is very unlikely that one would lose a keyword. I use the keyboard for all of these and it is not difficult to hit the wrong number. I am not just talking about my Alamy work here. I use labels and ratings when I am going through a batch of images from a shoot but, once I have finished with them and uploaded them to Alamy or to a client, I make sure I add a keyword to the final image which also travels with any exports.

 

I am not terribly worried about compatibility with other programs as I am deeply embedded in Adobe but using keywords does give some extra future proofing as well. The main thing though is that it makes things more stable. 

[MizBrown]

My keyword for subs is "AlamySubs" in Lightroom.  Things being selected for submission go into a Lightroom collection "Possible for Alamy."

[Russell]

Red submitted to Alamy, Yellow submitted elsewhere, Purple submitted to both.

 

Pick flag sold (Alamy)

 

Stars zoomed Alamy (max. of 5 zooms)

 

Also remember quick collections - Alamy Exclusive, Non exclusive, by pseudo, etc.

 

Russell

[rickboden]

Thanks for all the suggestions!  I will continue to use colour labels when I am working on submissions but as MDM says, labels, ratings and picks are easy to change and knowing myself, probably too easy.  Also I use my photos for more than Alamy so I will start using a keyword or two as a more permanent marker.

 

Rick Boden

[Joseph Clemson]

I use the Collections feature in Lightroom.  I have a collection set 'Alamy' and inside that set, sub-collections '1. Processed', '2. Submitted' and '3. Accepted'. The RAW images are imported into Lightroom and the ones I choose to process are dragged into those collections in succession, deleting them from the prior collection as they move through the process. The RAW file itself never moves on the disk (I import into named folders by year and month taken). 

 

As I work in batches of about 10-20 images at a time, it is very easy to select the batch and drag them all to the relevant collection and delete the whole batch from the prior collection at the same time.

 

The finished JPEG is not indexed in Lightroom. I simply export  it from Lightroom, initially to an 'Alamy submissions' folder and then, when QC is complete and I have completed the metadata in AIM, move it to an 'Alamy Accepted' folder. The JPEG file name describes the image and includes the original RAW file number.

 

 

[NYCat]

I use color labels and stars and have a smart collection in Lightroom but I also put the Alamy reference number in the keywords for each accepted photo. Rather tedious so not good for people who submit a lot of their work.

 

Paulette

[Matt Limb]

Or simply use Alamy Bridge which  gives all this and more in linking LightRoom and Alamy ...

 

https://www.lightroom-plugins.com/AlamyIndex.php

 

 

 

[Betty LaRue]

My method is very simple. I keep the raw and jpeg together after submission for storage. On the jpeg, I add -AL to the end of the file name which tells me, if I revisit an old folder, which have been previously submitted to Alamy.  Just the fact that I have a jpeg beside a raw doesn’t do it, because there are a few I don’t submit to Alamy, but develop for POD. Those have no added extension, but tells me I’ve not submitted those to Alamy.

Years ago, when I also submitted nature images to a now defunct agency, I had letters for those images, too. If I submitted an image to both agencies, I had (two) two letter extensions at the end of the file number separated by an. -.

Simple and surefire to this day.

Betty

[rickboden]

14 hours ago, Matt Limb said:

Or simply use Alamy Bridge which  gives all this and more in linking LightRoom and Alamy ...

 

https://www.lightroom-plugins.com/AlamyIndex.php

 

 

 

Hi Matt,

I bought Alamy Bridge last year but I confess I've had difficulty understanding just how it works.  I take it you are using it successfully so maybe I'll give it another shot.

 

Thanks.

[rickboden]

15 hours ago, Joseph Clemson said:

I use the Collections feature in Lightroom.  I have a collection set 'Alamy' and inside that set, sub-collections '1. Processed', '2. Submitted' and '3. Accepted'. The RAW images are imported into Lightroom and the ones I choose to process are dragged into those collections in succession, deleting them from the prior collection as they move through the process. The RAW file itself never moves on the disk (I import into named folders by year and month taken). 

 

As I work in batches of about 10-20 images at a time, it is very easy to select the batch and drag them all to the relevant collection and delete the whole batch from the prior collection at the same time.

 

The finished JPEG is not indexed in Lightroom. I simply export  it from Lightroom, initially to an 'Alamy submissions' folder and then, when QC is complete and I have completed the metadata in AIM, move it to an 'Alamy Accepted' folder. The JPEG file name describes the image and includes the original RAW file number.

 

 

Thanks, I forgot about Collections.  I work similarly but have my sub-collections titled by content so I end up with a lot of them and I'm not sure whether I can keep it this way although if I throw everything in a "submitted" collection it would work. But I like to keep them open in case I want to add new work that has the same content.   I am finding the new colour labels that can be applied to collections very handy as I tag the submitted collection folders this way.  Thanks for this, I will get a system up in place eventually.

[rickboden]

14 hours ago, NYCat said:

I use color labels and stars and have a smart collection in Lightroom but I also put the Alamy reference number in the keywords for each accepted photo. Rather tedious so not good for people who submit a lot of their work.

 

Paulette

That would be nice.  I wonder if there is any way to automate adding the Alamy reference number?

[rickboden]

9 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

My method is very simple. I keep the raw and jpeg together after submission for storage. On the jpeg, I add -AL to the end of the file name which tells me, if I revisit an old folder, which have been previously submitted to Alamy.  Just the fact that I have a jpeg beside a raw doesn’t do it, because there are a few I don’t submit to Alamy, but develop for POD. Those have no added extension, but tells me I’ve not submitted those to Alamy.

Years ago, when I also submitted nature images to a now defunct agency, I had letters for those images, too. If I submitted an image to both agencies, I had (two) two letter extensions at the end of the file number separated by an. -.

Simple and surefire to this day.

Betty

That sounds good too, but knowing how I work, I wonder if I could mess this up by separating the files.  Something to think about, Thanks!

[rickboden]

49 minutes ago, rickboden said:

That would be nice.  I wonder if there is any way to automate adding the Alamy reference number?

 

I managed to answer my own question.  Playing around with the Alamy Bridge Plugin that Matt mentioned, I see that it will create a new field in Metadata called "Alamy Reference" and it will automatically enter the proper Alamy ref.  when you run the "Fetch Alamy Metadata Exporter."   That is handy.

 

Rick Boden

[Matt Limb]

5 hours ago, rickboden said:

Hi Matt,

I bought Alamy Bridge last year but I confess I've had difficulty understanding just how it works.  I take it you are using it successfully so maybe I'll give it another shot.

 

Thanks.

 

 

It will be worth the effort ... makes colection, records all sales, helps keywording etc does all you can ask for

 

Been using it since started on Alamy, could not see me without it

 

[Harry Harrison]

5 hours ago, rickboden said:

Playing around with the Alamy Bridge Plugin that Matt mentioned, I see that it will create a new field in Metadata called "Alamy Reference" and it will automatically enter the proper Alamy ref.  when you run the "Fetch Alamy Metadata Exporter."   That is handy.

I'm intending to use this as well, I can see that it could be very useful. That initial import of the Alamy Reference is done by a match on the filename so if you have duplicate filenames in your Lightroom Catalogue that needs to be attended to first, you can manually enter the Alamy reference for any duplicates and then the unique Alamy Reference will be used as the match from that point on. The Alamy Reference goes to a custom field in Lightroom, a metadata field that doesn't exist outside of Lightroom, I'm not sure if there is any way to automatically add it as a keyword, be good if it could.

 

...in fact it's just possible that Jeffrey Friedl's Metadata Wrangler plugin might do this, there is some mention of "template tokens" giving the ability to add different metadata fields, including EXIF fields,  as a keyword. Haven't got time to look into it at the moment.

 

http://regex.info/blog/lightroom-goodies/metadata-wrangler

Edited August 26, 2019 by Harry Harrison

[Allan Bell]

My simple way of keeping a record of all images on Alamy is to have a file of jpegs for each upload with Alamy upload number, date of upload and number of submission starting at (1). So far I have 462 submissions. All on hard drive and synced with LR.

 

Allan

 

[Julie Edwards]

I have a separate export preset for Alamy which uses a plugin called snapshot on export.  http://regex.info/blog/lightroom-goodies/snapshot-on-export

 

It automatically adds my AlamyExported keyword as well as setting a colour label whilst creating a snapshot... meaning i know what was sent and what state it was in when it was sent...

[rickboden]

On 09/09/2019 at 14:48, Julie Edwards said:

I have a separate export preset for Alamy which uses a plugin called snapshot on export.  http://regex.info/blog/lightroom-goodies/snapshot-on-export

 

It automatically adds my AlamyExported keyword as well as setting a colour label whilst creating a snapshot... meaning i know what was sent and what state it was in when it was sent...

Interesting solution.  Thank you.