How to · 5 min
Build a useful Library
Keep originals, folders, and your editing catalog distinct.
Library is where a group of pictures becomes a body of work. Your selected Library Folder holds the originals; the system-managed catalog holds organization and editing information. They serve different purposes, and both matter to a backup plan.
The method
Step by step.
- In Settings, choose the folder you want to use as your Library Folder. Choose intentionally: changing this setting points the application at a library; it is not a request to reorganize every folder on your drive.
- Use Import Photos for photographs you want copied into the managed date structure. The import structure is YYYY/MM-DD-YYYY.
- Browse in Grid, List, or Filmstrip. Adjust Size for larger thumbnails, and use Sort to change the order without renaming files.
- Double-click a photograph to edit. Show Library returns you to browsing; use the file metadata to distinguish similar frames.
- Keep backups of your originals and catalog. Thumbnails are disposable caches, not substitutes for original photographs.
Keep this close
Control reference.
- Library Folder
- Photographer-owned original files.
- Catalog
- Ratings, tags, albums, recipes, and continuity.
- Thumbnail cache
- Re-creatable browsing previews.
At your own pace
Try it.
Create a small practice library containing copies of a car, a field, and a misty hillside before organizing a large archive.
Watch for
Do not delete an original because its preview still appears in Library. A cached thumbnail does not prove the source is available.
Monochrome Lab Pro workflow guide. Interface details may evolve. Example settings are creative starting points, not automatic corrections.