iPad – Shuttersnitch – Lightroom Workflow Update June 2 2018

I’m posting this just so that I can rate images on my iPad to edit those images later in Lightroom on my office PC. This process shows you how to automate the rating process from Shuttersnitch to Lightroom. If you have no interest in that workflow, no need to read further.

Update June 5 2018

I just ran a test to see if two of my iPads would receive images simultaneously from my Canon 1DX II with the WFT-E6A dongle attached. Sadly no. Only one iPad can receive images through Shuttersnitch at a time. I had thought that since the Canon was simply a transmitting wifi signal both would pick up the images. Not so….sigh.

Update June 2 2018

I just returned from a client shoot for the production of Hunchback of Notre Dame. I took 1820 image during that live performance. Normally I do a backup on my Nexto drive and then wait until I arrive back at my office to do culling and editing. I HATE CULLING. Editing is much easier for me. But on this trip I did all of my culling on my iPad Pro as I waited at the airport and then on the flight back home which is only 2 hours. My wait time at the airport was about 1.5 hours and I worked on culling for about one hour. Then on the flight I worked on the iPad culling for about another hour. So in two hours I was able to cull 1820 images down to 576 and sent my Selection List to my email. Incredible time saver for me. I highly recommend the software I’ve listed in the Original Post.

Original Post

I’m going to start from the beginning. Back in 2012 I bought an iPad 2 and paired it with my Canon 1D Mark IV using a WFT-E6A Wi-Fi dongle and Shuttersnitch. I did this so I could shoot wirelessly tethered for my clients. For client work, being tethered is part of my workflow. Clients get to see images in real time without having to look at the back of my camera. For my work it’s much better than being tethered via Ethernet cables. I find that looking at the back of my camera by the client can ruin the flow between myself and the talent. It’s not to ensure color temp, focus, pixel peeping etc. during sessions. It’s to see if the shot mood, expression, concept are being executed as we discussed during our storyboard sessions. It’s so efficient to shoot tethered since a client lets me know when I’ve ‘got the shot’ and we can move onto the next scene.

And yes I realize that by shooting tethered via a cable allows me to shoot directly into Lightroom, but I much prefer a wireless tether. But like all things in life you don’t get something for nothing. My preference for shooting wirelessly tethered to my iPad meant that when I returned to the office, I had to download the files and Pick or Rate the images I wanted in Lightroom. I often had the client star the images they liked in Shuttersnitch during the session. I’d then export the Selection Files and manually enter the image numbers into Lightroom. A hassle….

And since half of my client work is via air travel, I’d have to open up my laptop, launch Lightroom and then go through my rating process in the air. I never edit on the plane, only pick the shots I think the client wants or has approved during the session. And if you travel 30-50 times a year you’ll understand using a laptop on an airplane is a PITA.

Fast forward to today, May 2018. After shooting for a new local client, my partner who is an Apple zealot wanted to just walk by the Apple store in downtown San Francisco. Since it was rush hour I mentioned that we should go in and look around to avoid the inevitable traffic. As I started to look around I saw the new iPad Pros which have keyboards built into the covers. I took my iPad Mini out of my bag and compared the weight of the Mini to the 10.5 inch Pro. Wow not much heavier if at all…hum…

So then I wanted to see if the larger iPad would fit into my camera shoulder bag. It was at that point that the salesperson, Justin approached me. “Oh gosh you would have to walk up just as I’m trying to steal this thing wouldn’t you!?” He laughed nervously and I started to ask him some questions. He suggested I type on the new keyboard and that’s when I was hooked. I’m NOT an Apple person, I use a PC. As a matter of fact my iPad Mini is/was the ONLY Apple product I own. So when I was presented with a keyboard for an iPad and a way better screen I started to calculate my credit card balances….

Long story short; I bought the 256 Gig, 10.5”, Wi-Fi, iPad Pro, the keyboard cover and the Pencil. I was determined to find out if I could replace my laptop for business travel with the new Pro since it has a great keyboard. BUT my main priority was to see if I could select images on the Shuttersnitch app and have those selections transferred to Lightroom. IF that could happen I would be very happy. Why? Because working to select images in Shuttersnitch is WAY easier than in LR. AND using an iPad on the plane is way more convenient. I do NOT edit on my iPad, only select image for editing once I’m back in the office.

Keep in mind that for production shooting per performance, it is not uncommon for me to have 1,000 to 2,000 images to cull. And my clients expect turnaround time anywhere from 24-72 hours. For studio publicity sessions the number of images ranges from 500-800 per day and the turnaround time is the same. So the most efficient manner to cull images saves me much time.

So here’s how it’s done, what’s needed: (BTW this works on a Mac as well as a PC. My partner uses Mac and she’s thrilled too!)

• iPad
• Shuttersnitch
• SnitchSync
• Lightning card reader (I bought this one)
• Lightroom CC or Classic (not the CC for iPad) For your office computer

I use three different brands of cameras. Fuji, Canon and Pentax. With the exception of my Fuji I can write to two different cards at the same time. So I send RAW files to one card and then low res JPGs to the second card. Why? When using SnitchSync you need both your RAW file and a JPG to match your selections when matching Shuttersnitch selections in LR. (Unless you’re using DNG files, then you only need those files) As a FYI using a Wi-Fi transmitting card like an Eye-Fi also works with the Shuttersnitch/iPad combo. It’s what I use in my Fuji and Pentax cameras.

When using a card reader hooked to the iPad, it downloads everything on that card including RAW files into the Camera Roll folder. That includes any RAW files and JPGs. If that doesn’t bother you then there is no need to direct RAW and JPG files to different cards. I always shoot RAW and the files are large, especially with the Pentax 645Z. So to speed up downloading to the iPad I just like to dump my small JPGs onto the iPad. I’ll leave that to your preference.

Please note that I have NOT outlined each and every step. You need to RTFM (read the fucking manual) for each product. It’s not my job to educate you on software.

Once the files are on your iPad then open up Shuttersnitch and create a new Folder

Then Import the images you downloaded into Camera Roll into the just created Folder

Once you select images in Shuttersnitch then export them to Selection List

Email the Selection List to your email account

Copy both your RAW files and JPGs into your main computer into the same directory. If you are using DNG files you only need to copy those onto your computer.

Copy the Selection List into your Clipboard

Open up your installed version of SnitchSync and paste your selection list into the proper field as show here.

Follow the onscreen instructions and you’re all done! The files you have flagged on your iPad are now rated in Lightroom! Note that the demo version of SnitchSync limits the number of Rated files to 5. You need to buy the full version to have all of your Rated images flagged. Hell it’s only about six bucks USD for crying out loud. And I had to check my Spam Folder for the registration number once I purchased it. So if you don’t receive yours right away, check your spam.

This process has been wonderful for me. Your own workflow may prove that this method is not valuable to your needs. But if so, it’s really a godsend! Also now that I have two iPads I will be testing to see if my cameras will send images to both iPads. I don’t see why it won’t work, but will post my findings. Why two iPads? One can be for the client to view and the other for the talent. Why not?!