How to Import & Organize Photos in Lightroom Classic

▶ Download the 41 sample images and PDF guide for this tutorial (free with a PHLEARN account): phlearn.com/tutorial/lightroom-classic-import-o…

Good organization is what makes editing fast, and in this first episode of our free Intro to Lightroom Classic series, Aaron shows you exactly how he imports and organizes his own photos, from the first import dialog all the way to a folder system he can find years later.

You'll get a full tour of the Lightroom Classic interface, learn how to add copyright metadata and keywords right at import, and see two different organizing systems, folders and collections, so you can decide which fits how you shoot. Download the free sample images from the tutorial page and follow along.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro to the Free Lightroom Classic Series
00:48 Importing Photos with the Import Dialog
03:15 Adding Copyright Metadata and Keywords
05:04 Quick Tour of the Lightroom Interface
08:02 Importing from a Memory Card by Date
10:56 Organizing Folders by Date and Name
12:30 Creating Capture, PSD, and Output Subfolders
16:37 Organizing Images with Collections
18:58 Recreating Collections as Folders
20:25 Recap and Free Preset Giveaway

THE STEPS
1. Go to File, then Import Photos and Video, and drag in the folder of images you want to bring into Lightroom
2. Choose Add, Copy, or Copy as DNG depending on whether you're importing existing files or RAW images from a memory card
3. Create a metadata preset with your name and copyright info, and add keywords, so they're embedded into every imported photo
4. Explore the Library module's grid, loupe, compare, and survey views, plus the Develop module for editing
5. When importing from a memory card, organize your destination folder by date so your library stays consistent over time
6. Rename folders with a descriptive name in addition to the date so they're easy to find later, since Lightroom's folders sync directly to your computer's folder structure
7. Create Capture, PSD, and Output subfolders inside each shoot folder to separate raw images, edited files, and web-ready exports
8. Build Collections to group similar images across a shoot, such as by subject or by wedding event, or recreate that same grouping as folders if you want it to work even outside of Lightroom

Get the full step by step breakdown here: phlearn.com/tutorial/lightroom-classic-import-o…

Go deeper with the PHLEARN PRO course “The Beginner’s Guide to Lightroom Classic”: phlearn.com/tutorial/beginners-guide-lightroom/

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