RAWSIE USER GUIDE, UPD JULY 9, 2020
Your workflow for reducing RAW files size
Installation
1. Open Rawsie.dmg installer and follow through suggested installation steps.
2. Run the app from your Applications folder.
3. If you don't have Adobe DNG converter, Rawsie will help you install it on the first launch. ADNG is used to pack compressed files into an open universal DNG format.
2. Run the app from your Applications folder.
3. If you don't have Adobe DNG converter, Rawsie will help you install it on the first launch. ADNG is used to pack compressed files into an open universal DNG format.
Before you start importing files. Are files linked to your LR catalog?
Before importing your files, please pay attention to whether your files are already linked to your Lightroom catalog or not, e.g. they come straight off your camera.
This is very important, as Lightroom doesn't allow substituting old files with newly compressed files automatically and will force you to relink just 1 file at a time manually (apart from images from the same folder that were already in dng format, see more), which makes it impossible if we are talking dozens of images.
To avoid this, please use "Optimize Lightroom catalog folders" feature.
This is very important, as Lightroom doesn't allow substituting old files with newly compressed files automatically and will force you to relink just 1 file at a time manually (apart from images from the same folder that were already in dng format, see more), which makes it impossible if we are talking dozens of images.
To avoid this, please use "Optimize Lightroom catalog folders" feature.
Because Rawsie will substitute the original files with compressed ones, your Lightroom will detected this change and ask you to relink files. As the file extension won't be changed in case your files were originally DNGs, it will be sufficient to relink just one file in the folder and all the other files from this folder will get relinked by Lightroom automatically.
1
If files are imported to your Lightroom, use the card on the left on the Home Screen to locate your catalog.
2
Alternatively, if the files are not connected to a catalog, for example, they just came from a camera or are stored somewhere on an old external drive with no edits applied, use the card on the right which says “Compress individual files”.
Click to browse for an lrcat file (left)
Click to browse for files not linked to your LR catalog or drop files on the card (right)
Compress files linked to your LR catalog
Step 1. Click the card “Optimize Lightroom catalog folders”, locate and select your catalog file.
Lightroom catalog files have '.lrcat' file extension and are by default located at System Drive/Users/Your username/Photos/Lightroom/Lightroom Catalog.lrcat. If you're not sure how to find your catalog file, open your LR, click Lightroom in the top left corner of your screen and choose Catalog settings. Alternatively, you can use your Spotlight or search in any Finder window to find it by simply typing in ".lrcat" into a search field.
Please note, that Rawsie will only accept a catalog if Lightroom app is closed, so Rawsie will ask you to close it before importing.
Step 2. Select folders to compress.
Rawsie will find folders inside this catalog and offer you to select a couple of folders to import them by ticking checkboxes next to folder names:
Rawsie will find folders inside this catalog and offer you to select a couple of folders to import them by ticking checkboxes next to folder names:
Step 3. Select output options and click Start.
When the files are imported, you may want to review the output settings below the list of imported files.
1
If you use culling software like Photo Mechanic, make sure that “Full-size previews” checkbox is ticked. This way Rawsie will add full-size previews to your compressed files.
2
"Relink files to LRcat" will show the name of the catalog where the imported files come from and will be relinked to after compression.
3
"Save compressed to" will show "Defined by catalog" as you are using the catalog compression mode and the files will get substituted in their original locations by compressed images.
4
In "Move originals to" section you can choose where you want Rawsie to move your original files to.
Rawsie follows a non-destructive pattern, meaning your original files will never get deleted, so you have to choose where you want Rawsie to move them to. Rawsie will substitute original files with newly compressed files, and original files will go the destination of your choice.
Alternatively, you can choose to store your originals where they used to be by choosing "Move originals to subfolders in their original location".
In this case, Rawsie will create a subfolder in the same folder where your originals used to be and backup the original files there.
Rawsie follows a non-destructive pattern, meaning your original files will never get deleted, so you have to choose where you want Rawsie to move them to. Rawsie will substitute original files with newly compressed files, and original files will go the destination of your choice.
Alternatively, you can choose to store your originals where they used to be by choosing "Move originals to subfolders in their original location".
In this case, Rawsie will create a subfolder in the same folder where your originals used to be and backup the original files there.
Now you are ready to go, just hit Start to initiate your compression session.
Compress new RAW files
The second mode, which is called “Compress individual files” is a bit different.
The biggest difference is that you can drop individual files not linked to your Lightroom catalog here to compress, which is super useful for new images, for example, if you are just back from a photo session.
The biggest difference is that you can drop individual files not linked to your Lightroom catalog here to compress, which is super useful for new images, for example, if you are just back from a photo session.
!
Please note, that if you compress your files using this mode, no edits introduced earlier in Lightroom or other software, will be applied to your compressed files. The only exception would be if you use XMP sidecar files to store edits, those would get applied (see why) if the compressed image files and XMP files will end up in the same folder on your disk.
XMP edits are applied to files detected by their file name and location on your drive. Since output compressed files have the same name as originals, when they are stored in the same directory, XMP will know that those are basically the same images and apply those changegs.
A nice trick to know about this mode is, if you’ve imported some images and then realised they are actually linked to your Lightroom catalog, you can still make it connected to this catalog by clicking “Relink files to LRcat” button down here and locating that catalog (see how to locate your LR catalog above).
Step 1. Click the card “Optimize individual raw files” to locate files or folders you'd wish to compress or just drop them onto the card to import.
After importing, you can delete some of the files from the list in case you've changed your mind, access Preview by hitting space bar like everywhere else on Mac.
After importing, you can delete some of the files from the list in case you've changed your mind, access Preview by hitting space bar like everywhere else on Mac.
Step 2. Select output options and click Start.
1
If you use culling software like Photo Mechanic, make sure that “Full-size previews” checkbox is ticked. This way Rawsie will add full-size previews to your compressed files.
2
"Relink files to LRcat". Here you can choose a Lightroom catalog where you wish imported files to be relinked in. For better experience on this we suggest using the Lightroom catalog mode.
3
"Save compressed to". Choose a folder where you want your compressed files to go, or leave "Original subfolders" in case you want Rawsie to create a subfolder in the same folder where your original files where and move compressed files there.
4
In "Move originals to" section you can choose where you want Rawsie to move your original files to.
Rawsie follows a non-destructive pattern, meaning your original files will never get deleted, so you have to choose where you want Rawsie to move them to. Rawsie will substitute original files with newly compressed files, and original files will go the destination of your choice.
Alternatively, you can choose to store your originals where they used to be by choosing "Move originals to subfolders in their original location".
In this case, Rawsie will create a subfolder in the same subfolder where your originals used to be and backup the original files there.
Rawsie follows a non-destructive pattern, meaning your original files will never get deleted, so you have to choose where you want Rawsie to move them to. Rawsie will substitute original files with newly compressed files, and original files will go the destination of your choice.
Alternatively, you can choose to store your originals where they used to be by choosing "Move originals to subfolders in their original location".
In this case, Rawsie will create a subfolder in the same subfolder where your originals used to be and backup the original files there.
Now you are ready to go, just hit Start to initiate your compression session.
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