The second step is to use Photo Mechanic to quickly rate all of the photos by opening the parent directory containing all of the RAW files for both/any cameras in Photo Mechanic, then rate them from 0-3 stars using keyboard shortcuts, and finally apply a batch metadata edit to all photos that includes a caption (in AP format), the city/state/location, date and time, my copyright and contact details, etc. (Note: I don't recommend Transcend memory cards as they're the only ones I've ever seen fail, but their reader works quite well.) I now use a Transcend USB 3.0 Super Speed Multi-Card Reader which offers the same benefits at a third of the price and, so far, has held up quite well.
#PHOTO MECHANIC STAR RATING SHORTCUT FULL#
(~5 mins per full 32GB card.) I used to recommend the Lexar USB 3.0 Dual-Slot reader as it's fast and can read both CompactFlash and SD (at the same time!), but I've since discovered that the USB port is very weak and fails easily, requiring replacement. Also, I usually use a USB 3.0 card reader rather than my camera via USB, due to the much faster copying time. I also make sure my cameras both have synchronized clocks, so I can easily see shots in the order in which they were taken, regardless of the camera used. I shoot with two cameras, and I've since modified each camera's default naming convention from DSC to 800 (for my Nikon D800) and 700_ (for my Nikon D700) so I can just copy everything to one directory without worrying about filename conflicts. (Example: " - Flogging Molly The Fox Theater") I sort into categorized directories to make things easier to find, but that's optional. Regardless of whether you're using Lightroom, Photo Mechanic, or both, the first step in my post-production workflow is to copy all RAW files from memory cards to my photo drive, into a directory with the following naming convention:. Step 1: Set up your directory structure properly Here's my workflow as it pertains to Photo Mechanic: Some people only have to worry about a few dozen images at once, so Photo Mechanic might be a waste of money if you aren't shooting that many photos. I shoot and process anywhere from 300 to over 7K images per shoot, depending on the subject and scope.
#PHOTO MECHANIC STAR RATING SHORTCUT SOFTWARE#
It adds another $150 in software costs, but if you're a professional (it's standard for photojournalists, which is when I originally started using it) or simply shoot a lot (300+ images per shoot, shooting at least twice a month), I highly recommend it.
I use Photo Mechanic as a part of my workflow for precisely the same reason: it is far faster than Lightroom when quickly cycling through photos to make your initial rating selections and entering mass metadata. Photo Mechanic package is going to be a night-and-day game changer for anyone needing fast display and metadata (rating, classification, keywords, descriptions, etc.) of high-resolution images. First, as /u/EastCoastGnar and /u/jasonbarnette have said, Get Photo mechanic. I post this occasionally when it comes to workflow.
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