Today’s Question: How do you create a new folder from within Lightroom?
Tim’s Quick Answer: You can create a new folder in any location by choosing “Add Folder” from the popup associated with the “plus” (+) button to the right of the Folders heading on the left panel in the Library module in Lightroom. You can add a folder within the currently selected folder by choosing “Add Subfolder” from that popup.
More Detail: There are a variety of reasons you might want to create a new folder from within Lightroom. You might simply want to create a folder so you can divide images from one folder into multiple folders. You might also need to create a new folder in order to be able to move photos to a different storage location, such as to move some (or all) photos to a new (and perhaps larger) external hard drive.
If you want to create a folder within an existing folder, you can use the “Add Subfolder” command found on the popup associated with the “plus” (+) button to the right of the Folders heading on the left panel in the Library module. Before choosing this command you’ll want to select the folder where you want to create the new folder, as that new folder will be placed inside the currently selected folder.
So, for example, you may want to place a subset of photos from a given trip into a subfolder. Perhaps you took a side trip to a different location, and just want to organize the photos from that side trip into a subfolder. Simply select the desired “parent” folder, and choose the “Add Subfolder” command to define a name for the new folder that will be created inside the selected folder.
In some cases you may want to add a new folder in a location that isn’t currently visible on the Folders list. This would be the case, for example, if you’re adding a new external hard drive to your overall storage structure, and you want to be able to move photos to that drive. Because Lightroom is initially not managing any photos on that new drive, you won’t see the drive or any folders on that drive within Lightroom. If you create a new folder on that drive from within Lightroom, however, that folder will be visible so you can move photos to that drive.
To create a new folder, click on the “plus” (+) button to the right of the Folders heading on the left panel, and choose “Add Folder” from the popup that appears. In the dialog that is presented, navigate to the location where you want to create the new folder. Then click on the “New Folder” button at the bottom-left of the dialog and provide a name for the new folder. When you are finished creating that folder (and click the “Choose” button to close the dialog), the new folder will appear in the applicable location in the Folders list on the left panel in the Library module.
Once creating a new folder, of course, you can drag and drop photos or folders to that new folder location to refine your overall organizational structure.