Photoshop Lightroom 4 FAQs

Q

How do I make Lightroom open automatically when I connect my camera or storage card?

A

When you are ready to transfer photos and videos from your camera or storage card to Lightroom, there are a number of ways to do it. If you already have Lightroom open, in the Library module, choose File → Import Photos and Video, or click Import at the bottom of the left panel. But if you have plugged in your memory card before opening Lightroom, set the Lightroom preferences so that Lightroom opens automatically to the Import dialog box.

To do this, navigate to the General tab on the Preferences dialog box and select the Show import dialog when a memory card is detected check box in the Import Options panel.

Q

How do I set how often backups run and how many backups do I need to keep?

A

Lightroom regularly creates a backup and stores it with previous backups. If a catalog problem occurs (such as a catalog not opening), you restore a previous backup, redo the work you lost in the catalog, and move on. However, with a large number of photos, these multiple backups can take up a great amount of hard drive space. On my home computer, I create a backup once a week and delete all but the last two on the first of each month.

You must create a backup scheme for each catalog you have. To do this, choose Preferences → Catalog Settings and then click the General tab. Select a backup scheme that you ...