File management workflow - in and out...

I am getting used to using LR in my workflow and find it great for a simple shoot where I sort/cull, process and export. However I am getting into a bit of a muddle on the file management side



1) Moving files in and out of PS

I often create complex manipulated images - here I edit in photoshop and tend to create many versions. I save a version whenever I feel I have got somewhere with the file. However if I use 'save as' the file doesn't appear in Lightroom - I would have to go and re-import them. I've noticed that lightroom does create a new edit each time I close and reopen the edit, but this is time consuming and I don't want to do this.



My process in PS CS would be to flag relevant raw files, open in PS and save to a Work in Progress folder. Here I would store the various versions. Then once the images had been finalised I would save to a Final folder.



At present with LR - I am importing into LR, sorting/culling, using Develop for basic edits, opening in PS for manipulation and then getting into a muddle with files and versions.



How do other people deal with the interlink between LR and CS?



2) Creating a final portfolio

I tend to export any final images as Tiffs in to a Final subfolder, as I am slightly wary of leaving them as Raw with an attached xmp in case things get messed around when I archive them to a separate HD.



What is the best way of creating a ''portfolio'' library, versus a working library? Re-importing the Tiffs and keywording/rating for portfolio? Or creating a separate LR Library where only final files are deposited?



I would be grateful for any tips/workflows you find work.



Thanks

Emm



Mac OS X, PS CS (not 2)
File management workflow - in and out...
%26amp;gt; ) Creating a final portfolio
%26lt;br /%26gt;I tend to export any final images as Tiffs in to a Final subfolder, as I am slightly wary of leaving them as Raw with an attached xmp in case things get messed around when I archive them to a separate HD.
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%26lt;br /%26gt;One way around the latter is to convert to DNG as a final step. When i do this, I know the file is pretty complete. By using ''Edit in PS'' my work gets linked with the original RAW or DNG file, has ratings, key words, etc. But I've not done a lot in that area, and not sure how I'd handle multiple versions of photoshopped images from one RAW file. I might be inclined to save snapshots within PS or layer comps.
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%26lt;br /%26gt;MacBookPro 2 Ghz Intel Core Duo, G-5 Dual 1.8; Canon DSLRs