Importing raw and jpeg from 2 different cards

[FlorentV]

Hello,

I shoot with a 5D Mark4 with two memory cards, one in raw and the other one in jpeg.

At the end of the day, I have around 1,500 photos. So one version in raw on the cf card and one in jpeg on the sd card.

I regulary take photos in a quick succession and will have more than one photo taken at the same second (burst shooting).

I want to import all the photos from both cards in Lightroom and I would like Lightroom to know that both photos are the same. So when I delete one, both files are deleted and when I export them, both files are exported and renamed identically (apart from the extension).

I hope that I make sense...

Does anyone know how to do that?

Thank you.

[John Waller]

See Importing raw & jpeg from separate cards shot with Canon 7D Mark II

[FlorentV]

Thanks John. So in short, I can't do it 😞

[John Waller]

Looks like it.

As cmgap says, do you need to shoot and/or import JPGs?

[FlorentV]

Hi John

I use to shoot everything in raw and I'm just trying to improve my workflow. The idea was to:

- Do my selection (deleting unwanted and marking my top favourite). Rename all the files.

- Edit the top favourite's raw files (the ones that will be printed) in Photoshop.

- Keep all the rest in jpeg direct form camera without having to edit it.

So, I know how to export a jpeg from a raw in Lr but that file will need a bit of work on it unlike a jpeg created by the camera.

Thanks for your help.

[cmgap]

Do you need to generate jpgs of every image? Lr makes it easy to create/export/publish jpgs on demand wondering if not shooting everything in jpg and RAW will work for you?

[FlorentV]

Hi mate,

Thanks for your reply.

I use to shoot everything in raw and I'm just trying to improve my workflow. The idea was to:

- Do my selection (deleting unwanted and marking my top favourite). Rename all the files.

- Edit the top favourite's raw files (the ones that will be printed) in Photoshop.

- Keep all the rest in jpeg direct form camera without having to edit it.

So, I know how to export a jpeg from a raw in Lr but that file will need a bit of work on it unlike a jpeg created by the camera.

Thanks for your help.

[cmgap]

Hi Florentv,

I'm still not clear on how or why you are using jpgs in your workflow? The jpgs that you can create in Lightroom don't necessarily require any more editing than the jpgs you download stratight from your camera. For all intents and purposes you could import your RAW files, then select all and export them straight away as jpgs to a backup drive if you need them. Why is the question. Wouldn't you want a second copy of the RAW files for backup so that if you had to start over you would have the highest quality image?

If your workflow is that you want to immediately share low-res jpgs for social media purposes while you're on location for example and you're handing your 'jpg' card to an assistant to post that could make sense. I don't know to many shooters (myself included) that are still shooting both RAW and jpgs anymore hence the reason for my question.

[John Waller]

Isn't there a big difference between in camera JPGs and those exported straight from Raw with no processing applied?

The JPGs in camera have camera settings applied per the algorithms programmed into the camera by the camera manufacturer. Image mode, color saturation, contrast etc. JPGs of the same shot processed in camera by Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm etc will all look very different.

JPGs exported direct from unedited Raw files will have no processing applied and will not match in camera JPGs.

[cmgap]

I'd like the op to state the purpose of why he is shooting jpgs to begin with. If they are simply archival images I would question the reason for them at all and stand by making backups of his RAW images. A better quality jpg will never be as good as a RAW image if you need to retrieve and edit from a backup.

It is not difficult or time consuming to apply the camera profile within Lightroom's Camera Calibration panel when exporting if you have a need for lower quality jpgs.

A good test for the op would be to compare a RAW image exported as a jpg with the Camera Calibration setting that matches his camera settings applied.

[John Waller]

Fair enough.

As you say, it all depends on why the JPGs are being used. For archival purposes, backups of the Raw files would be better.

[FlorentV]

Hi guys,

Thanks for your messages.

Sorry for my late reply. For an unknown reason, I seem to be unable to go to the forum when I’m login with Adobe. And If I’m log out, I see your post but can’t reply… So I’m just replying by email now and hope that it will work.

I agree with John. There is a difference between the jpeg created by my camera and the ones created by exporting a raw as jpg.

I shoot weddings. 1,500 photos on a day. I will use 100 something of them for online gallery and prints and need them in RAW to be able to work the files like I want. I will still deliver the remaining 1,400 images to the clients and I believe that a jpg direct from camera won’t need any further work to be good for delivery. Some will need a few adjustment in Lr but I won’t need to open them in Ps. That would save me a lot of time if I could find a way to deliver jpeg straight from camera but I need to have those files renamed exactly like the twin RAW files so when extra prints are being ordered I can prepare them from the RAW file.

I appreciate your time and recommendations. Thank you.

Cheers,

[FlorentV]

I will have a look at ‘exporting with camera calibration setting’ as per cmgap recommendation. Thanks.

[cmgap]

Thanks for the details - that's helpful. Try the test and let us know if you can see a difference between selecting the camera profile in Camera Calibration settings vs the camera's original jpg. They should be the same in most instances. IF that is true and you are satisfied, it will be faster and more efficient to import just your RAW images, change your file names, add your metadata, keywords and other and go from there. At that point you will be able to cull, sort, rate, delete, create a collection for export as jpg etc... And if you use Lr mobile you can sync and share a link to the collection of jpgs with your clients, if you set up permissions, they can download the jpgs directly from there.

In almost every instance managing one set of imported images especially as a wedding photographer with thousands of images will save you a great deal of time.

There are many articles and blogs that cover this topic - here is one that you might find helpful/informative: http://blog.millerslab.com/featured/lightroom-applying-camera-profile-settings-to-raw-files

[FlorentV]

Hello,

Thanks for your message and all the infos.

I will check it out, do some test and will let you know how I go.

Talk soon,

[grantv85747955]

As far as I can tell the easiest method would be to manually copy all of your jpeg's to the same card as your RAW files and then import both into LR. This way LR should treat them as paired images.

[richardplondon]

Alternatively: if writing JPG and Raw to separate cards is awkward to the subsequent workflow, rather than helpful: perhaps the camera can be set not to do that? If they can get made onto the same card in the first place, there is then no difficulty.

HOWEVER. If Raw and JPG are imported together as a pair, then the OP's stated wish to only process Raw with selected images, and otherwise just use the camera processed JPG, WILL NOT WORK.

Because in LR you cannot choose which to show: it's always and only the Raw version seen, when it's Raw+JPG paired.

So photos would need to be imported with "treat JPG next to Raw as a separate image" checked, in which case importing from two cards or from one card can make no difference.

Stacking can then be used to indicate which member of each pair is considered primary, and which secondary. Or, even, removal from LR (but not deletion from disk) of the unwanted version: knowing, this can always be reinstated in future, if needed, with another import or with a folder-sync.

Overall, I am with those who say it's simplest and also best to commit a choice: either to shoot for JPG or to shoot for Raw, and then to accept the distinct consequences of whichever one.