Catalogue problem

[sydhsydh]

Whenever I load photos or video clips onto my PC, I find Elements has automatically inserted them into a catalogue, even though I have not imported them through Organiser. Quite often I have no intention of opening or using these files in APE, so when I next use APE, I then have to remove them from the catalogue. Is there any way to stop this happening?

[Steve Grisetti]

The Organizer is a media management program that's designed to help you catalog and locate videos, stills and audio files on your computer. It sounds like it is doing exactly what it is designed to do.

If you'd like it not to automatically add files to your media catalog, you just need to disable the watched folders on your computer. How you do this depends on which version of the program you're using -- but basically you switch the Organizer to Folder View, right-click on any folders that are indicated as Watched or Managed Folders and select the option to set them to Unmanaged.

[sydhsydh]

Thanks for that Steve. I have checked the managed folders and there was just the standard Windows Photos folder on C: drive shown. This is not a folder where I import anything. I imported video clips today into a V:drive folder ready for editing and they appeared in the catalog. These and other files are just "in transit" files that I do not keep in my collection. The folder on V:drive is definitley not managed.

I have unticked the "managed folders" even though just the C:drive folder was listed so I will see what happens now, but it appears no matter where the files are imported to, they are added to the catalog.

BTW - I am using Version 15 Premiere & Photoshop Elements package.

[MichelBParis]

If you use the Elements downloader, that means YOU want to register the files in the catalog as well as copy the meisa files on your drive(s).

If you only want to copy the files from your camera to any drive, use your OS for that, not the downloader.

The downloader offers two choices:

- "Get photos for camera or card reader" = implies copying the files to your drive AND registering/indexing them in the catalog.

- "Get photos from filles or folders" = implies registering/indexing them in the catalog.

The 'watched folders' feature may be used in the latter context.

[sydhsydh]

Thanks MichelBParis but that is exactly my problem. I use Windows File Explorer to import files (drag & drop) from the camera SD cards onto the computer without even having APE open, yet I still find they have been added to a catalog. Often in the catalog, the files are shown as a question mark icon but I still have to delete them from the catalog. This happens with photos and videos.

The files I import are always inserted into a "new" folder which is located within a folder that holds all my photo storage folders. Difficult to explain. F:drive>Photos>New. My storage folders are also under Photos. This is the only reason I can see APE is cataloging the files even though it is not open when I import. If I import photos to my desktop for instance, they are not added to the catalog. I suppose I could import to a folder elsewhere but that does not answer the question why APE is doing this. Confusing 🙂

[MichelBParis]

A few questions (I assume you are on Windows):

- Windows settings: check in the taks manager (automatic execution) what happens when you plug in your camera/card reader. Does it show a dialog to ask you what to do or does it open the Elements downloader?

- Organizer menu File > Watched folders: is the option unticked and no folder appears in the list?

- Organizer menu Edit > Preferences > Camera or card reader: option'start immediately or after a delay?

- same dialog: is there a default folder and drive mentioned for the destination of downloaded files?

[sydhsydh]

Michel - thanks for all this. See as follows:

1. It always asks what to do.

2. Watched folders unticked with no folder in list.

3. Start immediately with no delay.

4. Drive mentioned is the standard C:/user/name/pictures. There are no files there as I always drag & drop to my "new" folder.

So still no explanation. I must admit, that's the first time I have ever looked at Edit/Preferences. APE is so big most of the options never get looked at.

The more I think about it, the more I am convincing myself that this is to do with the location of the " new" subfolder. It is in the same folder as the Catalog folder and at the same folder level. I have also found if I drag a photo into one of the archive folders also at the same level, that photo is also added to the Catalog.

Here is the folder structure:

F:\My Pictures\Syd's Photo cat\New folder

F:\My Pictures\Syd's Photo cat\People

F:\My Pictures\Syd's Photo cat\Night scenes

F:\My Pictures\Syd's Photo cat\Syds Catalog

In fact there are 37 subfolders, but my point is that the actual APE catalog is at the same folder level. There must be something within the Adobe program structure that is grabbing files from these folders because they are at the same folder level. I'm sure an Adobe programmer would concur.

Maybe I should place the Catalog folder at a different level but I am always nervous about moving folders unnecessarily in case APE loses track of them.

Once again, thanks for your time.

[MichelBParis]

I don't see anything in your settings that would trigger an automatic start of the watched folders services, but the fact is that if you don't voluntarily use the 'Import' function, that service is the only one to explain the inclusion of media files in your catalog (not the download process from the camera or card reader).

If you don't want that service anyway, you can use the task manager to look at the working services in Windows. The service is called:

AdobeActiveFileMonitorV15 (for version 15). You can right click and disable it for the current session. It should be possible to use Windows management tools for services to set it to 'manual' start instead of automatic.

You did not mention your Windows and Elements version. If it's Elements 15, it looks like the behaviour of the watched folder service has been changed to start immediately; before it could start after a delay.

The second problem is the location of the imported files. I can't confirm your suspicion about the location of the catalog folder, but I know that you can move or copy the whole catalog folder anywhere (drive or master folder) except under your master folder for the library; you may get problems with moving catalogs or doing backups. That's why I always have my catalog folder at the same level as the master folder of your library. It's worth a try. When you have moved or copied your catalog folder, you simply open the organizer with the moved/copied catalog by double clicking on the catalog.pse15db database file.

[sydhsydh]

I would rather not mess around with the services as I do use the import function with Premiere. I download photos into a new folder just to be able to view them and delete those I will not keep, before committing them to APE for editing and archiving. That was the annoying part when deleted photos were later found to have been included in the catalog.

I think the easiest solution is rather than move the catalog, I shall move the "new" folder, maybe even to another drive. Lets see APE follow that 🙂 It is nice and tidy to have the catalog in the same location as the archive folders. Also makes cloud and Acronis backup easier.

And you learn something everyday - I didn't know clicking the pse15db file would open Organiser. Nice to know.

Once again many thanks for your perseverance. I have learned a lot.