Fresh Frames

A Lightroom Classic plugin for film photographers working with scanned negatives (or other raw files) and equivalent edited versions.

Fresh Frames analyzes a folder of photos and intelligently creates a collection containing only the "freshest" version of each shot. When you scan film and later edit some frames in Photoshop (creating files with an "-Edit" suffix), this plugin automatically selects the edited version when it exists, or falls back to the original scan when no edit is present. The result is a clean preview collection with one photo per frame—always the most recent version.

Perfect for film workflows where you import raw files from scans or a DSLR, edit select frames in Photoshop (resulting in TIF/PSD files with "-Edit" suffix), and need an easy way to preview your final selections without manually sorting through duplicates.

Features

• Analyzes folders and groups photos by base filename
• Automatically selects edited versions ("-Edit" files) when available
• Falls back to original files when no edit exists
• Creates collections in a configurable collection set
• Dry run mode to preview results before creating collections
• Configurable settings via Plugin Manager (collection names, file suffixes, log levels)

Installation

1. Download the FreshFrames.lrplugin folder
2. In Lightroom Classic: File > Plug-in Manager
3. Click "Add" and select the FreshFrames.lrplugin folder
4. Configure settings in the Plugin Manager panel (optional)

Configuration

Open File > Plug-in Manager and select Fresh Frames to configure:

• Collection Set Name: Where to stick the new collection (default: "35mm")
• Collection Suffix: Append a string to the destination collection name (default: " Previews")
• Edited File Suffix: What indicates an edited file (default: "-Edit")
• Log Level: Controls logging verbosity (Off, Error, Warning, Info, Trace)

Usage

1. Select a folder in the Folders panel
2. Go to File > Plug-in Extras > Create Preview Collection from Folder
3. Choose "Dry Run" to preview, or "Create Collection" to proceed
4. Find your new collection in the configured collection set (default: "35mm")

Potential Future Enhancements

• Check whether this supports PSD and other output files as well or just TIFs. (if > 1 we'll need to consider priority)
• Modify logging to use a different location or consider switching to LrLogger
• Option to update existing collections instead of requiring deletion/recreation
• Support for custom filename patterns beyond simple suffix matching
• Batch processing multiple folders at once
• Smart collection option with search criteria instead of static collection
• Support for multiple edit suffix patterns (e.g., both "-Edit" and "-Edited")
• Option to include/exclude specific file types (RAW, TIFF, PSD, etc.)
• Keyboard shortcut support
• Export preset integration for quick collection exports
• Undo/rollback capability for collection creation

Technical Details

• SDK Version: 10.0 (compatible with Lightroom Classic 9.0+)
• Language: Lua
• Log File: Documents/FreshFrames.log

Version History

• 1.3.0: Renamed to Fresh Frames
• 1.2.x: Added configurable settings via Plugin Manager
• 1.1.0: Added collection set support
• 1.0.x: Initial release with core functionality