Using Adobe Lightroom 2 to catalog our library: backstory

While we have no immediate plans to migrate away from using Adobe Bridge CS4 to manage and maintain our image library, as I've noted in an earlier post we must be prepared for that eventuality. Bridge is not and has never been designed to allow easy access to such an enormous image library. That is has worked so far is a testament to the possibilities under the program (hint, hint Adobe) and to the willingness of our designers and writers to stay on top of reindexing their cache folders so that they may effectively search the image library.

OK, so why Lightroom? As I have said earlier, I tested Expression Media 2 last year and found it a very nice interface but have serious concerns about its future. Extensis Portfolio is too rigidly structured and allows little flexibility: one user,  three-user or enterprise-level configurations. I have experienced problems with their importing metadata from Adobe as well.

So, I tested importing our library into Lightroom 2  (1) to give me a complete visual record of what we have in the image library, (2) to allow me to work offline on tagging modifying image metadata and (3) to test whether a catalog-based system would work for us.

I should also say that setting permissions is, for us, the key selling point in any program. Working with our IT department we created a two-tiered permissions system for our present library: myself and three others on the team have admin access to the library, that is we can add, delete and modify files and metadata; everyone else who has access to the system can only read the files and in order to manipulate images must copy the files to their own machine.

Whether we can maintain the dual level of access to the library with a catalog-based system like we presently have with Bridge remains to be seen and tested.

Another consideration to bear in mind is that Lightroom 2 cannot import CMYK files -- but this problem has, I'm informed, been resolved in Lightroom 3. I'll soon be able to confirm this since I'm planning to upgrade to LR3 this next week.