Sort of.

I support the change, but it's not complete in my view unless they get written to the xmp block.

Dislike global flags. Ideally this behaviour should become a settable preference.

I'd like to keep flags acting locally.

I have never been tripped up on the fact that ratings/labels are global and flags are local. I entirely agree that collections have lost a useful feature: the ability to flag based on a collection's context. For example, I might choose to create three collections from a photo shoot. One to contain images for a movie, the second for images in a slideshow, and the third for images to print. In each of these (LR3) collections I could flag my favourite images for the movie, the slide show, and for printing. Needless to say picks would be different in each collection. Flags in LR4 no longer allow me to do that.

slarti3 wrote:

 

That's how I use flags because I like to put everything into a collection that fits its description. The flags come in very handy then to mark what I actually want so see/show.

So, the workaround is to totally ignore Flags when in Library...use ranking and labels but not flags in anything other than Collections...then it pretty much works the same.

slarti3 wrote:

 

Unfortunately, a photograph can be (and occasionally is) in multiple collections. Then the system falls apart again.

Agreed...but users speak volumes...

Careful who you listen to...

On balance, just, I'd prefer them how they were. But try using stacking to identify local picks - stacking is now available in collections.

I’ve only ever used flags globally for my initial picks and rejects. I like the fact that I can now turn the rejects into the new DNG lossy format rather than deleting them completely or making them into jpegs.

So even though I’ve never used flags locally I can’t really understand why Adobe would remove previous functionality. They are well aware that this sort of behavior always upsets customers.

Yes, I like Global Flags for folders and local flags for collections.  The reason I like global flags for folders and glad they will be embedded is I flag my favorites from each shoot I do and I prefer to do that with flags as I use colors and ratings for other things.  Makes sense right?  Most people flag their best images?  Maybe not.  But I do and I want that info stored with the image so when I use Bridge or any other software, or if my catalog becomes corrupt, I will still be able to determine what my initial selects were.  One clear example is when I import a folder that was managed by LR3 into LR4, LR4 does not recognize my flags from LR3 and I'm going back and forth trying to figure out the best images to work on.  As Lee mentioned, I hope they are written to the xmp block.

In collections, I like the idea of local picks.  Maybe a way to set that as a filtering option - Global flag, Local Flag or display both.

I really like LOCAL flags , everything else being global (stars, colours,..)

I use them to build hierarchy of collections , for instance a wedding 1000 pics

I flag up 500 and create a collection"first level" , inside that collection I can flag up 200 (as flags are local in LR3) and create "second level" collection , and so on .

And finally I can use stars for the "most preferred collection"

If flags stay global (and cannot be used as local in a preference setting) , we loose a powerful tool.

Don't confuse "flags" for rating (stars) or labels. Labels and ratings are metadata that can be stored with the image. Those two can be exchanged with various applications. Flags are specific to Lightroom and are not stored in the image metadata. Flags are a Lightroom only function and as such I really wish tey had stayed specific to collections.

gatorjim2000 wrote:

 

What was the rationale behind the chnage?

Local flags confused the heck out of many people (why don't my flags stick?....).

I use 5-stars for "keep it", actually for "this is a selected and processed photo to be printed/sent out etc etc".  I use "rating" because it IS global and if I have a Collection of "Liam's Birthday" or "Jesse's Ordination", then I can keep the "so-so" shots (which other people often want to see and disagree with me on selection), but still have the "great ones" marked.

I can see a use for flags for marking things within collections -- but I cannot really see a use for them globally since they don't get stored in the sidecar files etc.  If they did in LR4, I might change from 5* selects to "flagged selects".

I don't see an either...or. I'd like to have both global and local flags!

Make the globals big and the locals small, use different colors, different icons or whatever.

This discussion sounds a little like the PC vs. Mac battle. Both exist, both have their fans.

Oli

Quite generally I would advise Adobe to put an additional tab for "old experienced dogs" in catalog and/or application preferences:

Any settings should go in there, for which there is a new decision in favour of newbies to change a previous default.

No newbie would have to look at it and get confused about the wealth of choices.

But every experienced user, who knows exactly what the setting is about, could stick to previous proven habits.

This would pacify any such decision.