Ingesting

[bobgoldstein]

By ingesting, I mean the process of moving all or some image files from an SD card to the file system. In my case, I would prefer to move only some images into a dated hierarchy of folders, where the photos taken on a given date ended up in the same folder. How is this done with ASP, assuming that one mounts the card in a card reader and then starts ASP ion the File System tab.

[PeterMarxen]

The User Interface of Aftershot is not nice. I haven't found an possibility for this workflow...

[bobgoldstein]

Well, I should say that I am serious about using ASP as my Aperture replacement, and in large part it is because of the UI, which is non-modal and thus avoids the main thing I dislike about Lightroom. I also like the tools, the speed, and richness of functions. But I am still figuring out how to get those image files in.

[PeterMarxen]

Well, I should say that I am serious about using ASP as my Aperture replacement, and in large part it is because of the UI, which is non-modal and thus avoids the main thing I dislike about Lightroom. I also like the tools, the speed, and richness of functions. But I am still figuring out how to get those image files in.

I know, I'm doing the same...

[Hobgoblin]

Consider purchasing a copy of AFX'x 'Survival Guide to Aftershot Pro'
http://aftershotsurvivalguide.com/

This extract may help you.
5.5. Complete Workflow
Below is a suggested complete sample workflow from ingest to output.
5.5.1. Ingest
First, get your images from the memory card to the computer. This is
accomplished easily with the Download batch queue. Adjust this batch
queue to your needs for file and directory naming, and then you have
a rather efficient download mechanism (you could even add a second
copy target to generate backups at the same time). You should not
delete the source images during download. This prevents images from
getting lost if something goes wrong. It's better to explicitly reformat
the card later, when you are sure the images are safely on disk.
If you shoot specific environments often enough and also import into
catalogs, you might want to apply a metadata preset in the download
queue during the catalog import to have the appropriate information
already loaded.
If you name your download queue "0Download" it will always be the
first queue in the popup list for selecting the queue. "How Do I Organize
My Images?" (p 135) has a sample download queue definition that uses
rename variables to put the images in their proper place right away.
If you plug in the card reader or card after AfterShot is already running,
AfterShot might not show you the drive letter or mount point of the
card in the file browser. Using the right-click menu and then selecting
"Refresh" allows AfterShot to rescan the list, and you should see the
card. Right-clicking on the card and then selecting “Send to batch” is
recursive, so you do not need to navigate to the actual image directory
on the card.
.........................

Caveat: Some of this information may be less relevant with newer 'Improved' versions of ASP.

[bobgoldstein]

Wow, that's looks very good! I will try it. Thanks for taking the time to write.

[bobgoldstein]

I am trying to set up the Download export batch as described in the manual and in the survival guide. If I right-click the word Download, and then select Settings, nothing happens! If I right-click it and select destination folder, and then Set..., still nothing happens! What am I missing?

Also, if I type D, nothing happens. I need some tutorial or something!

[afx]

It sounds puzzling that you can not edit the settings of the Download queue.
hat might point to an installation/permission issue.

But in any case, you can easily ignore it and set up your own from scratch, maybe name it Ingest.
If you have the ASG, see chapter 7.1 for directory / image naming and then page 137 for the queue setup (Ok, Corel decided to re-arrange the queue setup window, but the information is still the same).
Basically select a base directory where all images reside and then subdirectories for the job for example like this:
[YEAR]/[MONTH]/[YEAR]-[MONTH]-[DAY]-[jobname]

cheeers
afx

[bobgoldstein]

Thanks, that's probably the reason. I have my system on an external SSD drive, and want to keep the original image files on another external drive, so I have to make sure the permissions are correct.

[afx]

Thanks, that's probably the reason. I have my system on an external SSD drive, and want to keep the original image files on another external drive, so I have to make sure the permissions are correct.

Hmm, I was thinking about permissions for the batch queues, not the image files.
But yes, image file permissions could be an issue as well, but only when running the queue.

cheers
afx

[bobgoldstein]

And I was thinking that wherever ASP puts its files (which I guess includes the batch queues, defined by some kind of text files), may not have permissive enough permissions. So I will start by having everything on the boot volume.

[afx]

Anything user specific should be in your home directory, depending on the OS you use.
On the Mac it is in ~/Library/Application Support/AfterShot* (don't remember the exact location).
Under the Help menu there is a system information entry which will tell you exactly where.

cheers
afx

[bobgoldstein]

OK, all the advice worked quite well. After a few pilot errors, I got the ingesting to work just as I wanted, and as usual the speed is amazing.

When doing the Settings for the Download batch, I put in some bad input (I guess) and when i clicked on Save, the application crashed and was reported to Apple. But as I went back and got things in hand, the Save worked and the Download worked. Thanks to all!