Is it possible for Lightroom to automatically add keywords on import?

Question

Specifically, I'm looking to automatically add keywords relating to EXIF data, like the camera that the picture was taken with.

The reason I am interested in doing this is because some of the places that I publish to automatically strip the meta-data, but leave the keywords intact. I'd like for the information to remain associated with the image, if possible.

Asked by ninesided

Answer

Yes to your title question. No to the one related to EXIF data.

You can specify on import any number of static keywords but, without a third-party plugin, there does not seem to be a way to create keywords dynamically.

What puzzles me is why would you want to add keywords from the EXIF since that would only duplicate information. Lightroom is equally capable of searching and indexing keywords and EXIF information. In the filter bar, for example, if you use 'All Searchable Fields' then LR will match keywords and EXIF for anything you type there.

Answered by Itai

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Can I group photos in Lightroom into events as iPhoto does?

Question

Now that I import a lot of photos, I want to know if it's possible during import to define an event or something, like the iPhoto way.

Answer

You could simulate the same effect as iPhoto with some clever keywording on import, and a date search/filter. Lightroom supports some very rich filtering capabilities that combine the EXIF and ITPC metadata, as well as any keywords you may have added to your photos. You can easily add keywords to all photos imported at time of import (on the right-hand side, look for and expand the keywords section). When importing events, just add a keyword called 'event', and any additional keywords that describe the entire set of photos you are importing (such as an event type, but not the event name...there are better places to put more specific details like that). By defaylt, your import will show up in the Previous Import section in the library, but the next import will override that, and you'll have to search to find that set of photos again. Before doing any additional imports, work through your collection and add more metadata. Specifically, title, caption and location.

Once imported, go to the library, and near the top of the photo grid is a bar labeled "Library Filter". Click "Metadata", and and an expanded view will display. It should have a set of default filters, such as Date, Camera, Lens, and Label. You can add additional columns, and you'll want to add Keyword for sure. You can select one or more items from each column by holding the CONTROL (or on Mac, probably the OPTION) key, and clicking each item you wish to filter by. In keywords, select the 'event' tag, and possibly any tags that specify the type of event (i.e. "Air Show"). Select the date(s) that the event took place on. Your library should filter a second or two after you start selecting.

If you wish to filter beyond just the level of date and keywords, you can make use of the previous metadata additions. You can click the "Text" link in the Library Filter bar to add a text search (in addition to the metadata search). You can search by title, caption, or any metadata (like location) to further filter your results.

Ad-hoc searches are useful for quickly finding arbitrary results. If you wish to create a specific, long-term grouping of your events, you can use smart collections. Smart collections are essentially saved searches, and they are just as capable as the search described above (more capable in some cases.) Just create a smart collection with the same search criteria, and you can find your event in a single click.

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Can I import pictures into Lightroom and retain my existing folder structure?

Question

I already have 30k pictures ordered in the following format: YYYY/MM/YYYY-MM-DD. I would like to continue this format instead of going through and renaming all my folders (besides, I like this layout). Is there any way to add to the items in the date format drop down to include my own format?

Answer

Short answer: Yes you absolutely can add your own date format to the drop down list. Within your Lightroom program folder, go to the "Resources" folder and create a folder called "en." Then, create a file called "TranslatedStrings.txt."

In that file, write the following line (including the quotes): "$$$/AgImportDialog/ShootArrangement_1/Template=%Y/%m/%Y-%m-%d"

If you're having trouble saving the file because of permissions, try creating the file on your desktop and then copying it into the "Resources\en" folder.

Longer answer: TranslatedStrings.txt is essentially a method to localize Lightroom for different languages, for example by rewriting the menu in another language. However, it also allows you to "hack" parts of Lightroom and personalize it. Adding some custom values to this to the date format dropdown menu is one option. You can also use it to customize the shortcut keys for various tools/actions in Lightroom.

The line "$$$/AgImportDialog/ShootArrangement_1/Template" specifies the value that we're replacing. You can use any number from 1 to 13 at the end of "ShootArrangement" and that will alter the position of the template in the dropdown menu.

The string at the end "%Y/%m/%Y-%m-%d" defines the actual date format. There are a number of different values you can use, and you can find a full list here. For example %b will give you the three letter abbreviation for a month.

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Where does Lightroom keep the original raw file?

Question

Yesterday I realized that for the last import I did with Lightroom I don't have the original RAW files from the camera's SD. In the memory card I have only the RAW file and when I import them in Lightroom it converts in JPEG and save them to the library.

There are any particularly options for keeping the original RAW during the import?

update Sorry....I'm a fool! Someone changes my settings and I didn't realize that I was shooting in jpeg. I double checked and yes, it's only JPG!:( sorry for the wasting of time

Answer

Lightroom always keeps the RAW file. It does not convert on import, it converts on Export. Your files will be in your designated LR import folder. Note that there can be more than one of these if you like.

So to find out where your last photos went, you can simply open Lightroom and click "Import". One of the gotcha's of Lightroom is that it imports wherever you last told it to. So simply click on 'Import' and see where it is going to put the files. This will be the place it put them last time. In LR3, this is the top right hand of the UI, where is says "to".

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