Hallo,
is it possible to order photos manually (not depending on a criteria like name, date, …)?
This will be helpful to build sequence with good storyline e.g. to export them in this order (renamed like 001x, 002x, 003x, …).
Thx, lightsearch
I think you are asking whether you can manually sort the thumbnails in the browser?
If so, no, this is unfortunately / oddly not possible with Photolab.
Otherwise if you’re just talking about exporting with a sequential numbering, then @Wolfgang is showing how to do that.
It’s also possible to put a number in the image IPTC data and then reference that field in the export/rename functions.
Yes, with a trick.
You have to click randomly (according to your own criteria, in fact).
This order will be preserved in the incremental sequence.
Pascal
yes, my main question is to sort the photos manually in the bowser.
Thx. Yes, I know … my main question is to sort the photos manually in the bowser
yes, my main question is to sort the photos manually in the bowser like paper print on a table or dias on a lighttable. It’s a feature I don’t want to miss. I use it for all my projects (small or big) since years in Capture One. That’s more than helpful it’s fundamental for a fluend workflow.
I understand that’s not possible.
If that is indeed the question; Rename sequentially according to personal order.
It is possible, as I indicated.
Pascal
Thx, to build visual a good storyline in moving and ordereng photos in a project is a main step (e.g. renaming a subordinated step).
Yes, I do this all the time in Faststone - Before I open them in PL.
Faststone presents a “slide sorting light box” just as you would use with slides (film). You drag and drop the images into the order you want.
Once sorted, you can then rename them as you like and then open in PL.
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I just want to clarify, since there are several responses about ways to accomplish a sort of manual sequencing/ordering of the photos, but I don’t agree that any of them directly solve what you are asking for:
Yes, some of them are workarounds to achieve a sorting that you desire in the browser, but they aren’t the simple “drag and drop” of the thumbnails that I believe you want.
If that’s what you’re looking to do, I totally understand because sometimes when you are preparing photos for a gallery, or even the sequence you might want to have them display on your website or social media, it is nice (even important) to be able to quickly move the thumbnails around to achieve the artistic combination you are looking for.
This, in its direct simplicity - i.e., drag and drop the thumbnails wherever you please inside Photolab itself - is definitely NOT possible. Not even when you create projects, which is completely ridiculous to me. But, alas, that’s “just the way it is.”
The closest you will get is what @Allan suggested, because at least you can move them around willy-nilly. I, however, prefer that everything is wrapped up in the same app rather than having to go back and forth, for several reasons - but not least of which is that other applications cannot “see” your PL edits, and so crop and color won’t come though, which may play a large part in how you want to display your photos next to each other.
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Yes, this can be a problem. I always review my exports in Faststone before I close PL. I can use the multiple image view to see how images look next to each other.
This way, I can see how things are and I can easily return to PL to make further changes.
The other point is that PL does not always show the final result until the image is exported. PL9 is better in this regard but there are sometimes still differences.
That’s a good way to do it if you’re going to use the two applications.
I have tried similar methods and I just can’t get myself to mentally be okay with the flipping back and forth.
So far, I have not noticed any discrepancies in PL9’s thumbnails with my actual edits, so there’s that.
We are using modern applications on modern computers, DxO should be able to easily implement such a tool… I understand - and encourage - using a workaround if necessary. But I also feel that it should acknowledged that it is a workaround, and not be taken as “normal” or even “acceptable” that DxO can’t/won’t add this feature which exists in almost all other RAW editing + DAM suites.
For my photo books, I used Lightroom back then to sort and organize the pictures, which was very easy, but I don’t remember the details of exporting or renaming.
Later, I used photo book software for organizing and arranging the photos, as well as for creating different layouts.
You can put the photos in a Project and use the “image addition order” to list them.
I use Affinity Publisher (now Affinity/Layout) to organize photos and text for travel diaries. I do the colour-grading/cropping/etc. in PL9 and then a export to jpegs for linked-inclusion in the book. This creates a much smaller document than trying to use Affinity for the photo edits
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This works IF the links are to the local machine and, only IF the source is not moved or renamed.
In the past, I have had a lot of problems with links and I no longer do this. These days, a larger document is not really a problem like it used to be.
The jpg size can be smaller and still provide a good quality image in a book.
Picasa has the ability to renumber files in it’s export function. The app is a little old, but it has some features, like face recognition, that helps organization. Unfortunately, Google no longer supports Picasa, but it is still available for down load from independent sites.
When I initially tried using “image addition order” it appeared to work. With images from several folders it does not. Sorry for the confusing comment.