Opening Lightroom for the first time
When we start Lightroom for the first time, it asks us to either create a new catalog or locate an existing one. Whether you have put any thought into this decision or not, we will go through the whole process so that everyone understands the aftermath of this choice.
Figure 2.1 – The Select Catalog dialog
This catalog that Lightroom asks us to create is a database that will house references to all the photographs we will ever import into Lightroom in the future. Once we create our catalog, which will have the lrcat file extension, Lightroom will also create a few additional files with the same base name and added words – Sync, Previews, Smart Previews, and Helper. These files will hold information that helps us to keep Lightroom working as smoothly as possible.
This is how it looks on my computer.
Figure 2.2 – The catalog structure
Our first and last catalog
I use just...
