Part 2 - Building the Cache

Next I discuss the aspect of File Browser that seems to confuse users the most - the Cache! Once you point to a folder containing your images File Browser will immediately check to see if it has already got a record of it's contents. For new folders you will see the text message "Getting directory file list" and for folders that have changed (e.g. those that have been moved or renamed) you will see "Updating directory file list" in the window status bar. This record is usually referred to as the File Browser cache and comprises three files for each folder (i.e. thumbnails, previews and metadata). However, doing a search of your hard drive won't ever find anything called the "File Browser Cache". To find the cache files you'll need to look in a dedicated folder found at: "Users/yourname/Library/Application Support/Adobe/File Browser/Photoshop CS" on the Mac or " \Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Adobe\File Browser\PhotoshopCS" on the PC. To keep things simple I'll call this cache the Dynamic cache since it's being continually updated. If a cache for this folder isn't found then Photoshop will begin the process of building it and as discussed in Part 1 this can take from only a few seconds to many hours.

Building the dynamic cache from scratch always follows the same sequence: getting the thumbnail, gathering the metadata, and generating a preview image. The preferences that I suggested earlier should in most cases be the best, but this may also depend upon how you've actually stored the images on the hard disk. In the remaining paragraphs of Part 2 I'll try to explain the four commands that are be used to manage the File Browser cache.

 

Figure 5 - File Browsers File Menu

 

As I mentioned above moving or renaming an existing folder will mean that the File Browser needs to rebuild a new dynamic cache for that folder, and as we know this can be very time consuming. File Browser provides a means of ensuring that this time is minimised, but it must be used correctly and at the appropriate time. By choosing Export Cache from the File menu you are in fact instructing File Browser to create a localised version of the dynamic cache for the selected folder. Again for simplicity I will call this version of the cache the Local cache.

So what's special about the local cache? The local cache is static; i.e. it doesn't get updated when images are added or changed. The local cache is created at a point in time from the data making up the dynamic cache. Once exported the local cache is stored as three files (i.e. AdobeP8M <metadata>, AdobeP8P <preview images> and AdobeP8T <thumbnail images>) within the same folder as the actual images. Therefore all of the data associated with the images that existed within the folder when the local cache was originally created will be saved. This data includes: the Thumbnail and Preview images, Metadata, Flags and a lot of other important  information. However, any subsequent changes to the images, folders or sub folders will not be recorded by the local cache.

Tip: If you rename an image a folder or sub folder, append metadata, rotate or even flag an image then always follow that action by exporting the cache. Remember the local cache does not automatically keep track of changes so you must manually update it after making any kind of change to an image or folder.

There are arguments for and against exporting the cache but I think the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. One of the disadvantages that you will probably have already observed is an increase in the amount of hard-disk space used. This happens because two sets of cache data are now stored (one dynamic and the other static). However, the local cache can actually be viewed upon as a backup, which can also substantially reduce the time needed to rebuild the dynamic cache should the need ever arise. Even better is the folder mobility and naming flexibility that having a local cache offers. Best of all you can save the images complete with cache files to CD or DVD for future use in the knowledge that they'll be instantly ready for use.

So what does Build Cache for Subfolders do? Well that's a tad more complicated and might be easier to explain using an example project. Figure 6 shows the folder structure that I tend to follow for each photo-shoot. Typically the master folder for the shoot will include a number of subfolders. The example shown in figure 6 has subfolders for each day and/or the camera used on that day, although this can vary a lot according to the specific circumstances of the shoot.

 

Figure 6 - Typical Job Folder Structure

 

Unless you specifically instruct File Browser to build a cache for subfolders then it will look no further than the selected folder. Taking the Iceland 2004 Raw Images folder in figure 6 as an example. By pointing to this folder File Browser, by default, caches details on that folders contents (i.e.10 subfolders). However, since this folder itself doesn't contain any images then no thumbnail images, metadata or previews will appear in File Browser window. To build a useful cache; i.e. extract the thumbnails, gather the metadata and generate the previews you must either point to each individual subfolder or choose "Build cache for Subfolders" from the File menu. Be aware that choosing "Build cache for subfolders" means that Photoshop will dedicate all of its resources (normally depicted by the progress bar appearing on screen) to building the cache, which means that you will  have no access to Photoshop until the cache is complete. This may not be a bad thing, but don't go thinking that it will significantly speed up the process of building the subfolder caches.

This brings me to a "Gotcha". When you choose "Build cache for subfolders" don't be fooled into thinking that you can simply follow it up by choosing "Export the Cache". If you do all that happens is that the three files associated with the master folder (Iceland 2004 Raw Images) will be exported. If there were images in that folder then the local cache will have the data for them, but there will be no local cache exported for the contents of the individual subfolders. To export the cache correctly you must select each individual subfolder and then choose Export cache. It's time consuming but worth the effort. The last two File commands that I've highlighted are Purge Cache and Purge Entire Cache.

Fortunately purging the cache is something you'll need to do on very rare occasions (e.g. if it gets corrupted).With Purge Cache you are only deleting the dynamic cache for the selected folder; therefore if you've previously created a local cache then this version will remain. It's the fact that the local cache remains that catches many users out. No sooner have they purged the cache than all the thumbnails, etc reappear. The headache gets worse when in desperation they choose Purge Entire Cache. With this option all of the dynamic cache files are deleted, but again the local version will remain intact, and you guessed up pops all of the thumbnails. The only way to remove the local cache from a folder is to manually delete it. Remember that other than the Export Cache command all other cache related commands only affect the dynamic cache.

Part 3 - Working with your Images

Once File Browser has completed building the cache for a particular folder and/or sub folders it's time to begin the process of renaming, appending copyright details, sorting, flagging, etc. However, each photographer will tend to handle this aspect of their workflow in a way that best matches their own requirements. Even so you should find that File Browser has all the tools you need to make this a fairly quick and straightforward process. In my case I tend to begin by renaming the images before appending copyright information. The following screenshots show my normal procedure.

Figure 7 shows the contents of a subfolder from the Iceland project after it has been copied onto my hard disk and the File Browser cache built. The folder contains images and the 3 files making up the local or static cache discussed in Part 2.

 

Figure 7 - Image Folder before Renaming

 

Renaming the Images

• Highlight the folder containing the images that you want to rename.
• Choose Batch Rename from the File Browser Automate menu.
• Configure the fields in the Batch Rename dialog as appropriate.
• Click OK
• Remember to export the cache (this is very important).

 

Figure 8 - File Browser batch Rename

 

In the example shown above the files have been renamed according the location of the photo shoot and given a 4 digit serial number. Remember that the starting point for the serial number need not be 1. For cross platform compatibility I always check the appropriate Compatibility box. Figure 9 shows the renamed images.

 

Figure 9 - Image Folder after Renaming Images

 

The next step is to append the copyright details. For this I’ve already created a File Info template (Photoshop or File Browser File menu), which also includes information relating to my web site, etc. and I recommend that you do the same. With a template renaming the images and appending the metadata is fairly simple. Without the template you’ll need to type the information into the editable fields

 

Appending Metadata

• Highlight the folder containing the images and choose Select All from the File Browser Edit menu - Cmd+A (Mac) or Ctrl+A (PC)
• If you have a ready made template you can click the little triangle button (circled red in screenshot) on the metadata palette to open the menu otherwise you’ll need to type in the information to each of the fields provided.
• Choose the relevant template and File Browser will automatically begin writing the copyright info into the file (or as a sidecar file if the images are camera raw format).
• Export the cache (again, this is very important)

 

Figure 10 - Appending Metadata

 

The process of writing the metadata to file can take a few minutes for folders containing a large number of images, so do be patient. Once completed you are ready to write the renamed and copyrighted images to CD or DVD for safekeeping.

Contd. on page 3