Project files and setup

Broadfoot

Newbie Location: Selah, WA Joined: Aug 24, 2016 20:31 Messages: 4 Offline

Solved by

Apr 15, 2018 15:19

I am a newbie and want to make sure I get started right.

I have a Pictures folder mapped as drive E on my computers. In that folder are subfolders and subfolder trees containing the vast majority of my photos.
Also in the Picture folder is a folder called "PhotoDirector 9 Jobs" which is where all Project PhD files, _Cache folders and _faces folders are located.
Is this a correct way to set things up?
Should all Project files & folders be together or does it matter?
Does PhotoDirector contain a file with a list of current Projects or does it just remember location of the last .PdH file it opened?

I have not found instructions for proper removal of a PhotoDirector "Project". Is the correct way to use Windows to remove the .phd file and the _cache & _faces folders and contents? If not, what is?

Thanks, John Broadfoot

Hatti

Contributor Location: Bonn, Germany Joined: Feb 21, 2017 15:54 Messages: 576 Offline

Apr 15, 2018 15:57

I think, it doesn't matter, where your project files are. PhotoDirector just stores information about your files in a sqlite database. The PhotoDirector project file is just that sqlite database file. PhotoDirector will not do anything to your pictures. The changes you make are only stored in the database. You have to export a photo with the changes. Then, a completely new picture is created from the original with the desired changes.
What you can do is make a copy to a specified location. But also then, PhotoDirector just cpoies the pictures from the original.
So the last question is answered easily: Yes, it is enough to use windows functions as you described to remove a project.
I don't see a list of last opened projects, so I don't think, that PhD has a list of last used projects.

Hatti Win 10 64, i7-4790k, 32GB Ram, 256 GB SSD, SATA 2TB, SATA 4TB, NVidia GTX1080 8GB, LG 34" 4K Wide, AOC 24" 1080

Broadfoot

Newbie Location: Selah, WA Joined: Aug 24, 2016 20:31 Messages: 4 Offline

Apr 16, 2018 10:52

Hatti,

Thanks so much for both of your replies to my posts. I started some time ago with purchase of PhotoDirector 7. I created a couple test projects and then did nothing untill now. I purchased the PhotoDirector 9 upgrade and then applied the latest update. Installing PD9 removed PD7 but not the projects. I moved the old projects to the new area I wanted to keep them. It seemed to work fine except the issues I posted about. Your replies helped me understand how it works. I removed the old projects completely and recreated them from scratch. I found the system wants to create a folder with the Project Name and then creates the .PhD file and the _Cache and _Faces folders within it. I have created a number of new projects and have imported a lot of folders into them and everything is going fine.

Thanks again.
John Broadfoot

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Apr 16. 2018 10:53

Hatti

Contributor Location: Bonn, Germany Joined: Feb 21, 2017 15:54 Messages: 576 Offline

Apr 16, 2018 11:09

That is a way of doing it, but with the deletion of your old project files you lost all your adjustments that you made with the old version. Maybe you have exported all pictures, that were adjusted, so you did not loose at least the adjusted pictures.

Hatti Win 10 64, i7-4790k, 32GB Ram, 256 GB SSD, SATA 2TB, SATA 4TB, NVidia GTX1080 8GB, LG 34" 4K Wide, AOC 24" 1080

Broadfoot

Newbie Location: Selah, WA Joined: Aug 24, 2016 20:31 Messages: 4 Offline

Apr 17, 2018 23:01

Fortunately, I never got further in PD7 than trying to establish some structure to all our pictures. All adjustments to photos had been made with Gimp and the gimp photos and originals are all in the folders I am importing. Re-importing was easy.
Thanks again for your help.

PIX

Senior Contributor Joined: Sep 21, 2011 00:02 Messages: 2910 Offline

Apr 18, 2018 01:13

Hello Broadfoot,

Welcome to the PhotoDirector forum

Hatti's got you off to a good start with PhD9, & you seem to be quite well organised yourself.

Aside from one-off projects, I generally import folders of photos so that my PhD Library refelcts the structure of my Pictures folder. That may suit your way of working too.

Personally, I keep my PhD project folders quite separate from my photos. That's only a personal preference &, as Hatti says, it really doesn't matter.

Don't be afraid to post if you run into any issues.

PIX PIX YouTube channel

Dalstar09

Newbie Joined: Aug 18, 2014 20:45 Messages: 19 Offline

Jun 24, 2018 18:01

Can someone point me in the right direction to learn the filing system that Photodirector uses? I've noticed that PhD is creating folders named as the date created "051218" and has the file of what was imported into PhD. Since I've worked on a number of pictures, I have quite a few of these folders which are expanding my folders in File Explorer.

When can I delete these folders? If I delete, do I lose the ability to go back into a project and change the layers? If so, what is a better organization method for these folders?

PIX

Senior Contributor Joined: Sep 21, 2011 00:02 Messages: 2910 Offline

Jun 30, 2018 16:03

Hello Dalstar09,

If PhD is generating extra folders, it's because you have that option checked in the Advanced Import settings. If you don't want that, please uncheck "Make Extra Copy".

PIX PIX YouTube channel