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This Lightroom “Publish” plugin allows you to export copies of your Lightroom photos to local disk in a folder hierarchy that mimics the collection hierarchy you build within Lightroom.
This plugin works in Lightroom 4 and Lightroom 3 (though you must have at least version 3.5 for the latter).
The same download works for both Windows and Mac. See the box to the upper right for the download link link (in orange) and installation instructions.
Note: a Lightroom major upgrade, such as from Lr3 to Lr4, de-registers the plugin in the upgraded version, thus requiring a new (1-cent if you like) registration code in the upgraded version. It makes for a hassle every couple of years, I know. Sorry. See this note for details.
This is a sister plugin to my Folder Publisher plugin (which is similar to this plugin, except that plugin mirrors the images' folder hierarchy instead of a collection hierarchy).
Unlike a normal export, this Publish service allows you to create an ongoing relationship between the photo in Lightroom and the copy on disk. The tree on disk is refreshed for any changes (new images, removed images, and image changes) each time you “Publish”. I've found it very convenient to publish selected collections of portfolio images for my iPad.
Here's an overview of what it looks like in the Publishing Manager.. the areas marked in red are from this plugin (with the blue and green items being from other plugins that I happen to be using in this example):
The plugin is normally used in the following pattern:
- Initial setup of the publish service.
- Initial setup of the collection hierarchy within the publish service.
- Populate the collections with images.
- “Publish” them, causing copies of the images to be reflected into a hierarchy on disk matching the collection hierarchy in Lightroom.
- Going forward, any time changes are made (images updated, added, or removed), “Publish” causes those changes to be reflected on disk.
Publish-Service Setup
When setting up a new publish service, you first assign a name, though you can leave it blank if you'll only have one...
You indicate where published copies are to be placed by specifying the root of the publish tree. When first setting up a new publisher, you'll likely want to pick an empty folder as the root.
The next sections are all part of the standard Lightroom export. In them you decide the size and quality of the published copies...
The next two sections shown in the example aren't included unless you specifically add them:
They're from my crop for iPad and Metadata Wrangler plugins; I use them in my exports to allow me extra control of what metadata is included in each exported copy, and in the case of my iPad portfolio, special iPad-specific crops so that some images better fill the screen.
The next section controls what changes in Lightroom should cause published images to be slated for republish.
Then we have a plugin-specific seciton on file renaming that gives much more flexability than Lightroom's standard “File Naming” section, should you need it:
The next section provides a way to do an FTP sync of the published copies, should you need it. Photo-viewing iPad apps tend to allow updates via FTP sync, so this section is convenient for that.
It's here as a convenient tool rather than an actual part of the configuration; the FTP sync is never automatic... it happens only when you launch it manually from the Publishing Manager.
The plugin also provides a way to import and export settings, making it easier to set up comperable publish services on multiple catalogs (such as when part of your library is on your desktop, and part on your laptop, as is my case).
When first setting up a service, you'll have the ability to import settings...
... but once it's been set up the first time, after that the section allows for export:
Collection Setup
Once you've got the publish service created, its context menu (alt-clicking or right-clicking on it in the left hand side of Library) brings up a menu allowing you to create collections or “collection sets”, comperable to folders:
Unlike folders on disk (which can contain files in addition to other folders), Lightroom does not allow collection sets to contain images, so it's not exactly natural how to finally get files into a folder, but I've built two ways to do it. When you create a collection, you tell Lightroom whether images in that collection should go into their own subfolder, or whether they should be dropped into the sub folder where the collection sits in the first place:
If the “Collection Type” is “its own sub-folder”, the collection name (“Travel” in the example above) becomes a sub folder in the publish destination, and images in the collection are placed in the sub-folder.
However, when the collection type is “Part of its parent”, the name of the collection is not used by the publish system, instead dropping the images into the parent's folder.
Let's look at an example, two ways to put images into a “Japan” sub-folder within “Travel”:
Invoke “Create Sub-Folder” named “Travel”, then within it create a collection named “Japan”, being sure to select “its own sub-folder”.
Invoke “Create Sub-Folder” named “Travel”, then within it create another sub-folder named “Japan”, then within that create a collection, with any name, being sure to select “Part of its parent”.
Availability
This plugin is distributed as “donationware”. I have chosen to make it available for free — everyone can use it forever, without cost of any kind — but unless registered, its functionality is somewhat reduced after six weeks.
Registration is done via PayPal, and if you choose to register, it costs the minimum 1-cent PayPal fee; any amount you'd like to add beyond PayPal's sliding fees as a gift to me is completely optional, and completely appreciated.
For details on plugin registration and on how I came into this hobby of Lightroom plugin development, see my Plugin Registration page.
Version History
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Update Log via RSS
)
| 20120429.8 |
Added the ability to move/reset the root folder. As a byproduct, this should allow the "choose a root folder" situation to be repaired. In some crazy file-renaming situations, the plugin could get confused about the file extension. Enhanced the send-log dialog to hopefully make reports more meaningful to me, yielding, I hope, the ability to respond more sensibly to more reports. Added to the template tokens supported by the plugin: {FullMasterFile}, {FullMasterFolder}, {FullExportedFile}, and {FullExportedFolder} |
| 20120330.7 |
When a new collection is created, require that the type be explicitly selected. This may help avoid screwups when one doesn't notice that there are different types to being with. Update to handle 4.1RC |
| 20120315.6 | Add some extra debug logging to try to track down some network-folder errors. |
| 20120309.5 |
Update to the debug logging to better track down timing issues that might arise. |
| 20120228.4 |
Wasn't handling some kind of file-rename templates properly. Now handles things much more gracefully when some files are offline when the publish is started. Better support for video in Lr4. |
| 20120217.3 | Didn't handle XMP sidecars correctly when publishing original raw files. |
| 20120217.2 | Discovered why "metadata that triggers a republish" wasn't reliable, and fixed it. |
| 20120213.1 | Initial release, evolving from my earlier tree-publisher plugin, which dated back to the summer of 2010. |
Thank you Jeffrey!
Hi Jeffrey,
I think you swapped your description around between this and the folder publisher plugin. For this collection publisher it says:
This is a sister plugin to my Folder Publisher plugin, which does the same thing, except that it mirrors the images’ folder hierarchy instead of a collection hierarchy
which refers to the folder publisher and the folder publisher description refers to this one.
Thanks you for these plugins – they are great.
I think there was some ambiguity to the word “that”. I’ve rewritten that sentence to avoid the ambiguity. —Jeffrey
Clarification please … in your “normally used in the following pattern” list you’ve got building the collections after setting up the publish service. Does this mean that I would be unable to use the Collection Publisher with an already-existing collection?
In my case, I have a set of nested collection sets and collections where I’m keeping track of the photos that will eventually go into a new botanical field guide. There are some 1300 images in the collection sets to date.
Also, are you aware of any way within Lightroom, or a plug-in, to organize web galleries in a similar fashion so that images are grouped as they are within collection sets?
Yes, the plugin does not work with other collections. Come to think of it, I should build a “migrate” tool so that you can easily move from old non-Publish collections to these ones. Lightroom doesn’t supply the tools to allow smart collections to be migrated that way, but non-smart ones should be easy. I’ll give it a shot. As for the web galleries grouped as they are in collection sets, I don’t know of any off hand. —Jeffrey
Jeffrey,
I routinely create collection sets of my kids or family activities. Within these collection sets are collections organized by game #, or day, etc. If I understand the way this plugin works, if I want to duplicate an export of the collection hierarchy, I must duplicate the collection hierachy in an instance of the Collection publisher. Is that correct?
For example, I have a collection set Basketball, and within that set Game 1, Game 2, etc. If I want the export to duplicate that, I must create the same thing in the publisher.
Is there any difference, or advantage, in using Collection publisher vs. Folder publisher? Or, even Tree publisher?
Ken…
Yes, you’re correct… you’d have to duplicate (or, more likely, transition) the non-Publish collections to the publish service. Had this plugin existed from day one, you would have just created the collections in it to begin with. The Folder Publisher is the same as the Collection Publisher except that one mimics the collection hierarchy on disk, while the other mimics Lightroom’s folder structure on disk. For any particular use in mind, one is an advantage and the other a disadvantage, though which is which depends on the use. My old Tree Publisher is no longer supported and offers a subset of features, so it’s at a complete disadvantage. —Jeffrey
Jeffrey,
So to make sure I understand, I could just make my Collections in the Collection publisher instead of having them also in a collection set? But, if I also make Web galleries and put them in the original Collection set, I can’t put those in the publisher. Then, in this case I have collections related to the same event in two different places. I guess that can’t be avoided.
Ken…
I don’t know anything about Web galleries (I don’t use the Web Module, and I suppose that’s what you’re talking about), but if you want to mirror instead of migrate, you can try putting smart collections in the publish service where the rules for inclusion reference membership in the non-publish collections. The problem, if I recall correctly, is that Lightroom smart-collection rules, aren’t necessarily specific enough, and perhaps depend on the collection names in question. It’s worth giving a try, though. —Jeffrey
There are no words to describe the joy of working with your plugins, you – Genius! Thank you!
Tell me, whether you can upload via FTP the UPDATED files to the Photo Manager Pro? I do not succeed. Ftp loader stops loading when it tries to re-create an existing folder: (
Maybe I’m using the wrong plug-in for FTP downloads etc? http://www.presetsheaven.com/2009/10/27/export-to-ftp-with-lightroom/
Forgive me for my English, I use a website translator
Use the FTP client built in to the collection publisher. I use it with Photo Manager Pro all the time. —Jeffrey
Great stuff,
Would it be possible to move regular collections into the PubServ folders ?
It’s on the list, at least, to add support to copy regular collections over. But Lightroom doesn’t allow a plugin to see the rules for smart collections, so there’s not much I can do there. —Jeffrey
I am probably dense, but I can’t get rid of the “Choose a root folder for the publish tree” error, even when I chose a folder, and no matter where I choose it.
I have win 7, 64bit, LR4.0. Lightroom modules are on c:[long path here], my media is on f:\[various folders]
No matter where I pick a folder with “Browse”, the error stays and I cannot save my settings. The edit box shows the folder I picked correctly.
ideas what I am doing wrong? Thanks
If you could send a log after running into this, I’d appreciate it. I’ve had the bug reported numerous times, but I’ve yet to get a log for it. —Jeffrey
I had the same. I closed LR and opened it again, and as magic it worked.
I too found I couldn’t save the settings because of the “Choose a root folder for the publish tree” error until I exited and reentered LightRoom 4.
I also found I couldn’t set up the ftp “path on server” in the plugin configuration until I stopped and restarted the file server in PhotoManagerPro on my iPad2.
Peter
Writing from Kingston Ontario Canada
Hi Jeffrey,
Not sure how to send you a l0g of the “Can’t save until restart” bug. And unfortunately it disappears once LR4 has been restarted …
My config, FWIW LR 4, OS X Lion on a Mac Book Air
Cheers, and thanks, as always, for your great plugins.
I just pushed a version that should, hopefully, let you re-specify the root. —Jeffrey
Hi Jeff,
Longtime user of your plugins, great work! After a recent upgrade, not sure which one, I now get a series of popup progress dialogs whenever I start LR4.1RC1. The title of the progress dialogs is “Processing Updated Publish Criteria for info.regex.lightroom.export.collection-publisher”. Sometimes this takes a while before I can use LR as a series of these dialogs appear, go to 100% completion, and then close. Is this something that can be fixed?
Thanks, Dave
This is a bug in Lightroom that I think was fixed in 4.1RC2. It happens when you have more than one publish collection via the same plugin, but with different sets of will-mark-for-republish metadata. —Jeffrey
Thanks Jeff! I switched to RC1 because I needed some of the bug fixes. Adobe forum discussions on RC2 had me scared to try it. I’ll live with the issue for now until a new RC or the final 4.1 release. Thanks for the followup.
I use a plugin from Rob Cole to copy standard collections and collection sets into Publish Collections. When I do so the collections do not get marked whether the collection type should be “Part of its parent” or “Its own sub-folder”. When published the plugin treats all such collections as “Part of its parent” and dumps all images into the root folder.
In order to change this I have to individually edit each collection and set the collection type as “Its own sub-folder”.
Ideally I would like to be able to choose the default collection type in the plugin manager, but the next best would be to be able to select multiple collections and change the collection type for all of them at once.
Thoughts?
The problem with a fourth-party plugin like that is that it doesn’t set the plugin-specific internal data that might be needed (and, in this case, is). It’s really dangerous because it can create data skew that the plugin writer should never have to code for (because the plugin writer normally has complete control over how collections are built). I strongly recommend against using that kind of plugin unless you know it’s compatible; otherwise, all bets are off. I hope to add a collection-import function to the plugin, but with 30 plugins the todo list grows a bit faster than I can attend to it… —Jeffrey
Hi – I am looking for a plugin that automatically sends images to a folder based on the first 3 digits of the file name. For instance, we carry products from many vendors each with their unique 3-digit prefix. When I export from Lightroom, I name the file beginning with the vendor prefix then manually move the image into the corresponding vendor directory on one file server as well as a bulk image receptacle for archiving on a second server. I export about 1000 images per week and this would save a ton of time and hassle. Any ideas? Thanks!
If you can come up with a shell script to do the rename for you (a trivial matter on a Mac; I dunno about a PC), you can invoke it with my run-an-command plugin. —Jeffrey
Hi Jeffrey,
Thanks for this great plugin. However, one bit of it prevents me from using its full potential. As part of my workflow, I start new Lr catalog with personal pictures for every year. I have a collection set named “Albums” and below it — the hierarchy of collections with all worthwhile pictures I want to keep. My idea was to have this collection set configured once and then export it in any format I might need. For folder on a HD, for iPad, for printing, for a photoframe etc.
Your plugin seems to support this model perfectly, but. It requires that I create all my collections inside the publish service. And I cannot reuse it if I want to create several publish services. Is it possible to define a target collection set as part of publish service internal configuration? Just plain text box, so I can have a reference to one collection set from all my publish services?
Thanks a lot again for your great work!
Lightroom doesn’t allow for that, but you can simulate it by creating in this publish service a smart collection with a “member of collection” rule that points to your master collection. —Jeffrey