R.H.L. a écrit:
On your point 3 we just disagree. The product allows multiple catalogs and has always handled them correctly for me, so why not use that feature if it makes sense to a user. In my case I come home from a trip with 2000 to 4000 pictures and I don't want them mixed up with other trips or with pictures of my grandkids. Plus, in my experience (through PSE9) the organizer slows down considerably over 5000-6000 pictures. And I have over 75,000.
First, I also have nearly as many picture files as you have. I also have batches of thousands of pictures of various trips, events or projects. But I would never separate them into several catalogs except for the following situations:
- Catalogs with totally different contents. The common example is home vs professional pictures. I happen to keep catalogs for friends, and the contents are totally different.
- I have created 'sub-catalogs' to be able to share important events easily on a laptop. With today's affordable external drives, I don't think I'll do that again. Users should be aware that splitting and merging catalogs are very difficult with Elements. If they need it, they should have a look at Lightroom.
http://www.johnrellis.com/psedbtool/photoshop-elements-faq.htm#_Merging_Catalogs
http://www.johnrellis.com/psedbtool/photoshop-elements-faq.htm#_Splitting_and_rearranging
The reason I would not split my catalogs otherwise is that I always have to search through all catalogs at the same time, and that would be impossible with different catalogs. Having small catalogs means shorter backups, I agree; some catalogs won't change equally. But you have discovered that migration can be made more complicated. Instead of splitting catalogs I do use categories, keywords and albums. Everything is clear and not 'mixed up'.
My experience with the Organizer since PSE4 is that the organizer does not slow down.
Photoshop Elements 6/7/8 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Organizing tip 3 - Speed and statistics - Elements Village
I find it important that users be aware of the above issues when choosing how to use the catalogs. In your case, I wonder if you should not have a look at Lightroom which professionals use with catalogs of one million pictures, with the ability to split, merge and 'export as catalog' as well as the powerful use of 'smart previews". You could easily edit and organize while on a trip or assignment on a laptop and merge afterwards.
