I expect there are some Lightroom experts on UKC who can provide enlightenment more effectively than the usual tutorials and photo websites etc? I suspect some of my questions are too numpty for them to help.
I have Lightroom 6.0 on my laptop (and the original installation CD which I bought new)
I've used LR chaotically and ineffectively up until now and not used it for organising my pictures. I've used file manager instead of LR to move pictures around which are scattered in various folders on my laptop and also back up drives because of limited space on my hard drive. I have RAW photos, full size jpegs, reduced size jpegs for web, tiffs from my film scanner, and also go pro videos (does LR handle videos now?)
I'm now keen to make amends, sort out my photos and start using LR properly from now on; and I could do with some guidance.
I'm thinking of getting a dedicated external drive, maybe an NAS and suitable back up drive (or maybe cloud storage)
Can (should) I use LR as a file manager to gather my scattered files and store them all in the external drive? I'm guessing that this way LR should keep track of my files and know where they are? eg loading files from my SD card to my laptop, then moving them to external drive when I get home. Do I need to "import" each file individually in order to do this, or is there a way of handling whole folders in one go?
As part of this exercise I'm assuming I can use LR to delete the unwanted files to save space, or do I need to use file manager for this
I understand that I can add key word tags to files so that I can search for subjects, no matter where I store them so long as the catalogue keeps track of where they are?
Does the latest subscription version of LR offer many improvements over LR 6.0? if so what are the main benefits?
I have Capture One on my ipad which I find to be an intuitive self contained RAW processor and editor when I am away on trips when I'd rather not take my laptop, especially as it enable wireless transfer of files from my Pentax and Olympus cameras using their appropriate apps. I understand that the subscription version of LR (but not LR 6.0?) can also work on an ipad, is this a fully functional programme, or simplified version, or just a web access that I need internet access for?
I'll probably have more questions later, but any help on the above would be very helpful, thanks!