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It seems as though I am constantly looking for ways to improve my post processing work-flow.  I am using Lightroom 3, and I have to tell you that this is one amazing piece of software. More then just a photo editor, its like having an entire office with a manager and an assistant right at your fingertips! The only real question is this – how do you manage your management?

After about of year of experimentation and adjustment, this is what I have come up with for a work-flow:

  1. Copy images to new folder on internal hard drive. The folder has a date-subject naming convention; the files keep the file name and format assigned by the camera.
  2. Backup images to external hard drive
  3. Import images to Lightroom, assign general keywords
  4. Add specific keywords to individual images using the Spray Can tool
  5. Review the most recent imported images
    1. Flag the ones you like as a “pick”
    2. Flag the ones that are no good as rejected
  6. Setup a filter to only see the picks
  7. Select an image to process and flag it with a color
    1. green for normal originals
    2. purple for hdr originals (the multiple images used to go into Photomatix, plus the one image that Photomatix spits out)
    3. red for panoramas
  8. Process image
  9. Export
    1. Location is a sub-folder in the original import folder
    2. Set color on export image to yellow
  10. Backup catalog upon exiting application
  11. Backup the backup to external hard drive

I would love to hear back from you folks to see how you do it and why, and maybe get some suggestions for improvement.

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Mike Dooley

Mike is a photographer, storyteller, and educator who sees the world through a lens of transformation. His work blends technical mastery with emotional depth—inviting viewers to not just see, but feel. Whether guiding learners through the art of visual storytelling or capturing the quiet poetry of Rhode Island’s landscapes, Mike creates spaces where vulnerability meets clarity. He’s the author of Through My Eyes and the voice behind Behind The Print, a podcast that explores the heart behind the image.

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