ORGANIZE your IMAGES in Lightroom Classic!

In this video we look at the process of organizing your photographs in Adobe Lightroom Classic. My goal is to show you how to get your images so organized that you can find the exact image you are looking for in under 10 seconds…yep, that fast!
So, what are our organizational tools?
00:00 - Intro
00:33 - Folders - these are the backbone of your organization. Images are actually stored in folders on your hard drive so renaming folders, consolidating folders, and creating sub-folders is a great way to keep things organized in Lightroom Classic, and on your hard drive. Just be sure to do all of your folder organization inside of Lightroom Classic and not using Finder or Windows Explorer so you don’t accidentally lose all of your images!
04:43 - Keywords - super simple. Describe your image in three words or less. Keywords are an excellent way to get very specific words tied to your images. If you have a sick shot of a waterfall, add keywords like “nature,” “waterfall,” or “rivers,” anything you would want to search for and find that image.
06:37 - Labels - labels are a fantastic way to mark one image or another for some purpose. Maybe you want one label to indicate that you like an image, but you want to do more editing to it, or maybe you use one label to mark images for deletion. The tools are in Lightroom Classic, you can use them however you want to!
09:15 - Collections - these are like folders, except the images don’t actually live inside of them. Images live in folders. Images are grouped into collections. Think of these as an iTunes or Spotify playlist for your images. You could make one for anything and manually add and remove images from it as needed. The best part is that having one image in multiple collections doesn’t take up any extra space on your hard drive!
12:18 Location - metadata is awesome. Part of the metadata of an image is the location it was taken. If you travel a lot and are looking to search for images based on where they were taken, this is a great way to do it.
Together these five techniques allow you almost endless organization possibilities in Lightroom Classic. I recommend choosing one or two of them to focus on and try to be consistent spending the time to organize every image you import from now on!
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Gear Used for this video:
CAMERA: bhpho.to/3aQwiqB
LENS: bhpho.to/39SxQyK
MONITOR: bhpho.to/2VUT4Jb
MIC: bhpho.to/39SDC3z
AUDIO RECORDER: bhpho.to/2Gy91vo
ND FILTER: bhpho.to/2UOtZi8
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Learn more about our school: rmsp.com/

[@forestchaput]

What tool(s) do you use for organization in Lightroom Classic?

[@videoluvr2]

Thank you for sharing such a well-explained, concise explanation of these tools. I can use these to help me find my brain's best process.

[@eugenefedechko2852]

truly the best; concise; clear diction; no noise; will be my favorite website to go to for Lr classic; keep up the excellent work

[@videoluvr2]

100% agree.

[@almondhive]

Great video, very informative and concise. I loved that you referenced the keyboard shortcuts as you were doing things. Thanks!

[@danielawilhelms1637]

Thank you! Direct and simple. Keep up your excellent tutorials.

[@johnpabis8504]

Amazing video on lightroom organizing...I have been using lightroom for years, but had a real mental block when it comes to organizing...I found this unbelievably helpful! Thank you much!!! Look forward to other videos and am very interested in the mapping functionality you briefly touched on.

[@TungLe-lm7zs]

Wow, this is the best of tutorials I have been looking for, thanks for sharing!!!

[@liz2959]

YES, PLEASE CONTINUE MAKING THESE FANTASTIC VIDEOS! Your teaching is extremely clear and concise!

[@forestchaput]

Thank you! Will do!

[@boristrouserkov]

Thanks really useful summary- esp collections as playlist! Finally get it !!

[@RJ-nk9qz]

Just finished watching 5 videos about organizing in Lightroom. This is the first one that made sense! Thanks so much.

[@tessm9775]

THANK YOU for the organized, simple explanations. There are so many confusing videos out there on this subject; yours is one of the best. Grateful!!

[@forestchaput]

Thank you!

[@lisamckinney9948]

Forest, You have a wonderful talent for instruction. I appreciate your thoughtful and organized approach. My Lightroom catalogs are now indispensable. Lisa

[@azimages2538]

Brilliant video- thank you so much for posting this video

[@mrfairycake4333]

Great video, the simplest I've ever seen it :)

[@loladobler3237]

the BEST LR tut vid ive watched so far (and ive watched MANY). looking forward to seeing what else u've posted TY!!

[@forestchaput]

Wow, thanks!

[@mmcok6261]

It's the first time I see your videos... and I loved this one, I hope to continue seeing you.. 🙂

[@davidsaundersrealtor6178]

Wow! I'm relatively new to Lightroom and this was by far the best all around organizational description I have found, and I've been looking for months. Liked and subscribed. Really helpful content. Thank You.

[@forestchaput]

Glad it was helpful!

[@bymilliebphotography8249]

fantastically thorough video with well thought out advice for organization. Definitely what I was looking for.

[@forestchaput]

Glad to hear it!

[@jeffnovak2927]

Outstanding tutorial! I've watched many videos on organizing Lightroom and this one was the best by far.

[@forestchaput]

Wow, thanks!

[@jenniferwilton590]

I watched so many videos on organizing in lightroom and yours is by far the most clear and easy way! Thanks so much!

[@forestchaput]

Great to hear!

[@richardpearcephotography599]

Great easy to follow tutorial !!

[@sylwiavaclavekphotography]

thanks so much for explaining it all in a way one can actually understand. This was very informative and clear!

[@forestchaput]

Glad it was helpful!

[@bonnierodriguez8422]

Great info, understandable and very useful. Thanks

[@bhamwow]

Great video! Clear, easy to understand, and follow. Thanks so mcuh.

[@forestchaput]

Glad it was helpful!

[@AlanWatson]

By far the best and easiest to understand video on this subject. Thank you for making something that was very daunting to me look easy to understand and do! Best wishes from a sunny Scotland, UK.

[@forestchaput]

You're very welcome!

[@olgaivashenko8580]

great video, super useful and short! watched before even starting LR !

[@forestchaput]

Great to hear!

[@daveo544]

THANK YOU 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 Definitely continue these videos as you are really good at it 😊

[@forestchaput]

Thank you, I will

[@hmkwong5833]

This is the best Lightroom Organizing tutorial I've come across. Thank-you so much.

[@forestchaput]

Wow thank you!

[@heidirotheim2474]

Excellent teaching style. Clear, concise, friendly, engaging. Thanks!

[@forestchaput]

Appreciate it! Thank you for watching!

[@Ross-ei3iy]

Fabulous communication skills - you do not miss a beat and it was very clear. Many thanks - great work.

[@forestchaput]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Paretozen]

I've watched a bunch of videos on photo organization. This is the way I would like to do it! Lightroom Classic seems to be the best balance between professional product and accessibility

[@Rontanna1]

I just subscribed to Lightroom Classic and was at first overwhelmed with organization. I am very happy I found your video. You made something that was potentially very confusing into a simple explanation of how to go about organizing. Thanks very much!!

[@forestchaput]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tomwilliams5215]

I’ve watched way too many other videos on this subject…..you made it the easiest and made the most sense. Thanks VERY much

[@forestchaput]

You're VERY welcome!

[@christinekilpatrick4495]

This was a fantastic video! I recently downloaded Lightroom and was looking for a concise explanation of organizing my photos. This was exactly what I needed.

[@forestchaput]

Glad to hear it.

[@samtumminello3552]

Very informative and excellent presentation! Thanks!

[@smalltalk.productions9977]

very well done! thank you for the effort and the sharing. thumbs up.

[@forestchaput]

Many thanks!

[@Tajhad]

A very clear explanation of folders and what you can and can’t do. Thank you. Very clear - I have been struggling with this as to what folders can do and what catalogues will do.

[@forestchaput]

You're very welcome!

[@stevemirick6371]

Wow this video cleared up so much for me as a new user of Lightroom and got you a new scriber. Thanks for the video.

[@forestchaput]

You're welcome!

[@kimbalfre3759]

So helpful! Thank you!

[@reylancecreate613]

Really appreciate the advice and recommendations!

[@forestchaput]

Happy to help!

[@fanopolis]

You explain things really well. Thank you!

[@forestchaput]

You're very welcome!

[@bobbyhouddini]

Finally understood the the difference between "folders" and "collections". Just getting started with Lightroom. This was a very comprehensive overview!

[@forestchaput]

Glad to hear it!

[@bonafoto]

Very clear, very well done! Thank you so much

[@forestchaput]

You're very welcome!

[@steveloudon7491]

I discovered your channel tonight. Fantastic. I'm a new subscriber. Your a very good teacher. Thanks.

[@forestchaput]

Thanks for subbing we really appreciate it!

[@ericjames4721]

Well done video! This is an extremely helpful video on how to organize your photos in Lightroom. I struggled with organizing my photos. This video has giving me tips to make things work in my favor going forward.

[@forestchaput]

Glad to hear it!

[@busyflyin]

Very eye opening for this newbie. Thanks!

[@forestchaput]

Glad to hear it!

[@madelynbrown5230]

Soooo helpful. Thanks you very much

[@MrBritishGent]

Clear information and good demonstrations!

[@forestchaput]

Thanks so much!

[@aimeecurrie1449]

Well done, thank you very much!

[@alexmarnoch870]

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. You just made my life a whole lot easier.

[@forestchaput]

Glad I could help!

[@AppelmoesArtandPhotography]

Thnx! That’s very helpful. I just installed Lightroom, so I have to figure everything out from scratch. I really like the keyword function. Now I have to take my time to reorganize my whole harddrive first 😃

[@forestchaput]

Glad it helped!

[@itsJulian23]

Amazing work, thank you

[@tonyvokey7607]

Fantastic! Very well explained!!…..Subscribed!!!

[@forestchaput]

Awesome, thank you!

[@AUTISMandtheEDUCATIONofBT]

you were so clear. finally, I know the difference between folders and collections. now im gonna look for how best to import

[@susangreenlee2460]

Thank you for this excellent video! Your teaching is easy to understand...even for this 68-year-old! I will incorporate what I've learned going forward, and over time, redo the thousands of pictures that were store improperly! Thanks again!

[@forestchaput]

Awesome! That is so great to hear Susan! Thank you for watching!

[@chuckmoorehead875]

Very Good Explanation! Thank You

[@forestchaput]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jondeanedits]

This answered literally everything and more I was after - thanks so much :)

[@forestchaput]

I'm so glad!

[@davidwhited4656]

Very nicely done. You are very clear and knowledgeable

[@forestchaput]

Thank you!

[@cindeebowen1536]

Excellent content, easy to follow, lots of tips.

[@forestchaput]

Great to hear!

[@N2STEREO]

thank you for all the great info !

[@forestchaput]

You bet!

[@ccbphoto]

Thanks for another great, informative video!

[@forestchaput]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@markusjenni4804]

best video to organisation of Lightroom! Thank you.

[@forestchaput]

Glad it was helpful!

[@hungrybearphotography]

You brought my organisation level to over 9000. Never really cared about lightroom organisation. Made a new folder for every single project and so on. switched to a year-folder for everything 2022 is happening and thats nice. but now i really know how to organize the pictures in LR and of course also on my external ssd. Great video and thank you very much

[@forestchaput]

Wow that is outstanding! Great job!

[@solusionbaba]

thanks a lot!!! so nice reverb

[@MitchKosterman]

This is simply great. Thank you.

[@forestchaput]

You're welcome!

[@davesdigitalnomadlife]

Great information! Thanks for posting! Total LRC Rookie here and learning quickly! :)

[@forestchaput]

so glad to help!

[@marcosny2010]

congratulation , excellent material

[@paulkrepps3270]

I recently indexed thousands of photos into Lightroom Classic and was seeking some guidance of where to start in organizing them. This was very helpful and I took notes! Thank you for taking the time to explain the five points so effectively.

[@forestchaput]

Glad it was helpful!

[@GaroSlayer]

This is a fantastic video, thank you!

[@forestchaput]

You're very welcome!

[@jcurtis4082]

I key word and rate with stars. You really helped my brain make sense of this. Now I need to import my pre 2016 Aperture files. (; Liked and subscribed. The map module would be cool. Thank you

[@cynikalX]

overwhelmed with a few thousand photos scanned from my late mom's albums that span a few decades, i came across this video while researcing how to make sense of them all and organize them in a way to share with the rest of my family - thanking the heavens that this video now gives me great hope i'll actually get this task completed efficiently.. cheers for the inspirational content!

[@forestchaput]

Awesome! I’m so glad I could help 😀

[@hurleygreen927]

Great info! Just updated to Lightroom Classic and needed help with organizing files..thanks!

[@forestchaput]

Glad it helped!

[@yourcare464]

Excellent explanation. Thank you!

[@forestchaput]

Glad it was helpful!

[@user-by9ou2ko9x]

You talked about GPS. This is very powerful and I use it a lot. Phone images are tagged unless you turn it off. Some cameras have the ability for GPS but usually by some external means. As a tip, Google Maps will take either Degrees/minutes/seconds or Decimal Degrees. Lightroom will also take either format and convert. So use Google Maps, click on a location to get the coordinates and past in either format into LR Maps. If you drag an image in LR to LR Maps, it will be tagged with that GPS coordinate. If you have a group of images with coordinates, it gets messy trying to 'unstack' the coordinates, but it can be done. Would love to see a full video on the subject.

[@forestchaput]

Roger that!

[@mf3960]

Great video! You are good methodician! I've learnt in one video, what I'm strugling with, started using Lightroom...I thought it was going to take several videos to understand organizing..thanks

[@forestchaput]

You’re welcome!

[@MadMattsGoodTimes]

Loved it!

[@forestchaput]

Thanks!

[@allenyarberry7502]

Good job explaining LR!

[@gavinjmcgrath6983]

Once again, an excellent tutorial video! The best bit for me? "Collections are like Spotify playlists" - that makes things so much clearer for me. Now I need to find some videos on the interchange between LR and Photoshop. Cheers!

[@forestchaput]

Glad to hear it!

[@ljohn50014]

Totally agree with the Spotify analogy!! Thank you RMSP!!

[@philiplee63]

Excellent tutorial. Love the organization into chapters with summary of each and the quick links. I like your practical workflow and organization better than Scott Kelby's.

[@forestchaput]

Thank you so much!

[@zoebirrell3712]

Super helpful video thanks.

[@forestchaput]

Glad it was helpful!

[@pattytoler6134]

Love your video. Very helpful. Would love to see more on the map module.

[@forestchaput]

More to come!

[@cschebel]

Excellent. Thankyou.

[@joshvrolyk]

Definitely would be interested in a video on the map module!

[@forestchaput]

Awesome. I will add it to the list!

[@enricotittarelli5776]

Useful and clear!

[@forestchaput]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jonasmp8741]

THIS HELPED SO MUCH!

[@forestchaput]

Awesome!

[@longboardfella5306]

Thanks. Just adding that keyword search is not case sensitive. They are great and you can use dynamic smart collections that use them plus other attributes with Boolean logic. you can also rename or delete keywords if needed.

[@sheilacvaldivia7777]

so clear and useful thanks

[@forestchaput]

Glad it was helpful!

[@HRWG99]

Damn, you are a good teacher Forrest.

[@robinmay-davis3209]

super helpful-- learned a lot!

[@forestchaput]

Glad it was helpful!

[@janettebritton5800]

Great video would love to see more on organising images.

[@forestchaput]

More to come!

[@florencethompson3546]

Thanks for clarifying so many details that were colored "grey' for me. I would love to see more videos in greater depth on using collections.

[@forestchaput]

Noted!

[@spokesdog9958]

Just found your video. Well done and appreciated.

[@forestchaput]

Thank you kindly!

[@marslan1]

Best video I have ever watched. More info about locations without gps pls. Thanks

[@forestchaput]

Awesome! Thank you.

[@ShooksExpressions]

hey, great video, would be great if you zoomed in more on the lightroom menu's. Found it quite hard to see what you were clicking on.

[@Readingworld2023]

why i didn't see your video along time ago?! perfect video and i loved how you made it easily understandable

[@forestchaput]

Thanks!

[@nickmccarley1580]

Great explanation!

[@forestchaput]

Thanks!

[@trevorwright6165]

thank you so much very helpful to me all the best and happy christmas from trev in sussex uk

[@forestchaput]

Happy holidays!

[@fredgibson9533]

Thanks -- life saver!

[@forestchaput]

You're welcome!

[@SJ-gj7mx]

Very good video. Thank you

[@forestchaput]

Glad you liked it!

[@charlesbarrack3223]

There are a lot of folks out there trying to tell people how to organize files in LRC who don't understand database construction. This guy gets it! Well done. The only thing I might add is that keywords could be standardized and organized in an excel sheet and imported for use in LRC. I previously made the mistake of making up KW's on the fly in LRC and things quickly spiraled out of control. Best to be deliberate and carefully think through KW structure in advance IMHO. Fantastic job and thanks for this video!

[@forestchaput]

Thank you! That’s a great point for advanced keyword users!

[@mariabarrera1122]

i bought a Crehana online course and it was so confusing. You made much easier to understand. thanks!

[@forestchaput]

Glad it was helpful!