I don't know if others have my experience, but I've been using collections to do a huge amount of organisation.

Now with the new collection sets approach I find using collections incredibly non-intuitive. Its like a programmers idea of something rather than a users. I just want to be able to put collections or pictures inside boxes I don't want a special kind of box that can only contain other boxes not pictures!

*but theres worse*

I now cannot simply right click on a collection set and create a collection inside that, while adding pictures I already have selected in a folder!

Instead I have to choose a collection set to create the collection within, then select from a HUMUNGOUS list of collection sets that has to be scrolled down which takes ages.

This hurts because so much of LR2 is cool. Yet this single aspect is probably the thing I spend my time using the most to sort edit big commercial jobs.

>>> Yes I suppose someone will tell me I have to learn a new workflow... but none of the workarounds I can find are as quick and convenient as just right clicking on a collection and adding a current selection to an existing collection. Its at least one to two keystrokes or user operations less efficient in the new version. I get the 'target collection' idea for example.

and its ugly. Some of the new functions are unnecessary in the old way of doing things. It seems like adobe has had to make things far more complex to create this unnatural distinction between collections and collection sets.

There's just a slight difference. Click once on the collection set to make it active and then right-click. The resulting dialog will already have the active collection set filled in and you won't have to scroll through a list of sets.

Yes, you are right... but therein lies the problem. When you click on the collection set to make it the target of the right click, you lose the selection context that you had before.

So my workflow used to be (LR 1.4)

Select 5 pictures in a folder.
Scroll down the collections
Right click on the target collection
Select 'create new collection' from the context menu.

The great thing about this workflow is that I don't need to plan in advance where I'm going to put those pictures in my selection before I scroll down to the collection hierarchy, I can decide that once I look at how the collections are laid out and organised.

This isn't possible using the method you suggest. Instead I have a number of different ways of ending up with my new collection of those 5 images, but I have to 'pre-plan' where they are going in the collection hierarchy.

This is unnatural because while editing at the folder level I am creatively deciding how to group my images on the fly.

Examples of how I'd have to do it in LR 2.

Method 1

Create a collection set or collection read to receive the images I want to collect.
Make this the target collection
Browse images in the Folder view and use the 'quick collection' dot to add them to the target collection.

Method 2

Create a collection in the collection hierarchy.
Click on the new collection so that it is selected.
Browse images in the Folder view and select them
Then scroll to the new collection/set in the hierarchy and use right-button 'add to collection' to add the pictures

Method 3

Browse images in the Folder view and select them
Scroll to the place in the collection hierarchy where I want to add a new collection for these images
Right-button, then scroll through the horribly long list.

Only the inconvenient method 3 allows on the fly collection creation as a direct result of browsing and editing in the Folder view.

Am I missing something, or are nested collections gone in LR 2? I hope not, as this is a key part of my job organization.

You're now having to nest Collections inside Collection Sets, whereas previously a Collection could contain other Collections or images. That's not ideal. On the other hand, you're gaining Smart Collections, and you might try to see the awkwardness of the Collection Sets as a small price to pay.

John

I see now what you mean by losing the selection context. Another workflow which, while not as convenient as in LR1, is somewhat close.

1. Select images
2. click the + next to the Collections pane and create a new collection choosing to include the selected images and a collection set of none.
3. Drag and drop the new collection onto the collection set you want it in.