[Digikam-users] DAM, DAM with Digikam. Moving files.

[Anders Lund]

On Onsdag den 25. januar 2012, Mark Hayes (Hotmail) wrote:
> Dear all,
> 
> Following a period of just 'playing around' with the software, I am just
> starting to really try and use Digikam as a serious part of my workflow. 
> As such, I have a bunch of questions that I can't seem to find real
> answers to - either in the documentation or the website etc, so I'll just
> post them here and see if you can point me in the right direction.
> 
> I'll send multiple e-mails with different headings to help differentiate
> between them all - and help make it easier to read later.
> 
> Firstly - DAM (Digital Asset Management).
> 
> I have read the (thoroughly excellent) DAM Book, by Peter Krogh - and would
> recommend it to anyone who is serious about preserving and then finding
> their photos.  It has really helped me mould an idea of what I want to do
> in terms of keeping my photos accessible and searchable etc.  And I'd like
> to follow some of this through with Digikam.
> 
> However, not being very competent with databases, I just don't know if some
> of the methods he describes will break links etc in Digikam.
> 
> In particular - Krogh moves photos about a lot during the process.  I mean,
> he physically moves through a bunch of folders as part of the process,
> until they end up in the final filing location, all completed and fully
> set out with metadata.  For example, he downloads them to a specific
> folder, renames them, and then moves them to another holding folder for
> review.  Then in that new folder they are reviewed and rated, metadata
> attached and then moved out again.
> 
> My question is this - will moving files within a folder structure 'lose'
> files within Digikam?  Will it cause problems with Digikam not knowing
> where to find a particular file or which file to associate a particular
> set of metadata with?
> 
> Is this correct?  And if so, how might I get around that?
> 
> Should I do it only 'inside' Digikam?  Will Digikam automagically update
> the database info?  What happens if I was to move them in Dolphin?  Does
> this cause problems and break things?
> 
> Any help on clarifying this would be most helpful.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Mark.

The workflow you describe is supported by digikam itself. You download your 
pictures and rename them in the process, rate them and manage metadata. So why 
use a cumbersome workflow outside digikam?

That said, digkam can be configured to scan folders at startup, which will 
find out about new/removed images. If metadata is in the image files, there 
will be no ṕroblem. Not sure about the state of xmp sidecars in this respect.

-- 
Anders