Catalog vs library
Lightroom's catalog is a database, not a folder of files. It tracks where photos live on disk, every edit you make and all metadata. One catalog can comfortably handle 500,000 images — split only if you have truly separate businesses.
Folder structure on disk
Use a simple Year → Year-Month-Day structure: /Photos/2026/2026-03-15. Lightroom mirrors disk folders, but you'll spend 95% of your time in collections, not folders. Don't rename folders outside Lightroom — it breaks the link.
Collections
Collections are virtual albums — the same photo can live in many. Create one collection per project, plus an Inbox collection for new imports. Drag a photo to add it; the original file never moves.
Smart Collections
Right-click in Collections panel → Create Smart Collection. Set rules like "Rating ≥ 4 stars AND Keyword contains client-name". The collection self-updates as you tag — perfect for portfolios and client galleries.
Keywords and hierarchies
In the Keywording panel, build a parent → child hierarchy: People → Family → Anna. Drag-drop in Keyword List to nest. Apply keywords on import; export hierarchies as a text file to share between catalogs.
Flags, stars and color labels
Use flags (P/X) for first-pass selects, stars (1–5) for ranking, color labels for status (red = client review, green = delivered). All three are independent, so you can combine them in smart collections.
Preset library
Presets panel → + → New Preset. Save white balance, tone, color and grain settings separately so you can stack them. Organize presets into groups (Portrait, Landscape, Black & White) and back them up from the Develop Presets folder.
Backup ritual
Edit → Catalog Settings → Backup: Once a day, when exiting. Store the backup on a separate drive. Catalog corruption is rare but unrecoverable — the backup is your lifeline.