Before I start with PM+: catalog RAWs, edited JPGs (separate location) or both?

[JonesB]

Hi there. I’m thinking to go all in and use PM+ for my archive. My goal is an archive where I can find images quickly and put together collections from different shoots if requested by a client, or for a book project, or to compare images from different lenses/cameras/…

I have a „before I start“ problem: I don’t know if I should catalog my RAWs or my edited, exported JPGs, which are in separate locations, or both in the same or both in separate catalogs. Or if there is some other, better way that I don’t see.

RAW: I have a folder structure for my RAWS (e.g. "2024/2024-04/2024-04-01 Steve Porträts"). To be more exact: they are Capture One Sessions, meaning the RAWs are in a „Capture“ subfolder. (I don’t use the other subfolders.)

JPG: I have similar folder structure for my exported JPGs inside my Dropbox-folder so I can share pictures whenever and from wherever. Each folder has at least two subfolders: „High Res“ and „Web“. The JPGs do not have EXIF-data (because I stupidly considered my camera settings a „trade secret“ when I started ;-)) and usually only basic copyright IPTC data until in the last year, when I started properly tagging with PM6. They have ALMOST the same filenames as the raws (plus „Web“ or „HighRes“ in the filename).

Some advantages and disadvantages I see:

RAW:
+ they are the source (best add missing metadata here)
+ good folder structure
- unfinished images, I would have to search edited JPGs (very bad for collections)

Exported, edited JPGs:
+ finished images
- have no exif data
- cumbersome (subfolders with different sizes)

My current archive is a Capture One Catalog into which I import the sessions with the RAW files when a project is done. Right know I have about 60.000 files in it. It’s slow, also searching is very slow and it lacks some basic IPTC fields (like „persons shown“ or „event“). I started a hierarchical keyword structure that I abandoned because it was too cumbersome. But: If I need certain files (or a collection of files from several occasions), I can just export them from C1 again with all the edits applied.

How are you guys doing it? Is there a better way that I can’t think of? Or should I just stick to the Capture One Catalog?

1. catalog RAWs
2. catalog JPGs
3. put RAWs+JPGs in same catalog
4. put RAWs+JPGs in separate catalogs
5. keep C1 archive catalog and stick to basic PM for Metadata

[Gary D.]

Hey JonesB
  I use a similar file structure for my images with three groupings for Originals , Processed (full res. edited images)  and ‘Shared” (low res edited images what you call ‘web’). 
Each group  has an identical directory  structure, sub grouped by a collection id ( mostly photographer id) and then broken down by date.  While the directory structures are identical the image file names are unique. For the Processed and Shared groupings I take the file name of the Original and append a ‘M’ for Processed images and a ’S’ for Shared images. 

My work flow is basically ..
   Capture an image ( camera or scan)
   Use PM to
      Delete the junk. ( ie really useless images)
      Set metadata
      Rename files so they are unique among all image collections
      Choose images for additional processing
      Pass  those images to an editing tool. ( I’ve used a bunch over the years)
   Edit the images in whatever tool is appropriate.
      Export edited images as full res JPG..   
      add an ‘M’ to the Filename
      Store the image under the  Processed grouping.
      If the editing tool “imported” the image I’ll delete it.
   Generate a low res copy of the Processed Image Replace the ‘M’ with a ’S’
      Store that image under the Shared Grouping.
      upload the shared image to whatever website and add to  local portfolio (currently Apple photos app)..
 Fun fact :Even thought the Apple Photos app doesn’t expose most of the metadata added with PM6,  you can find  any of the text using the search function.   

I use a separate PM+ catalog for each grouping. Most of my work is done with the Originals catalog.  Originals  are where metadata is added and where I’ll do my searches for an images.
By having a separate catalog for Processed and Shared , saves me from wading through “duplicates’ of a given image.  But when needed I can flip the catalogs ‘on’ and get to those images as well.     To simplify maintaining the Processed and Shared catalog I’ll periodically run the PM6+ Catalog Sync function to keep them up to date.

Gary D.