Lightroom on Two Computers Again

[travismcgee]

<p>Why isn't this working?</p>

<p>I have the same version of Lightroom 4.1 installed on my desktop and on my laptop. Before I leave town, I copy all my photos and the Lightroom catalog from the desktop to the laptop so I can edit images while I'm on the road. When I return, I copy all the photos and the Lightroom catalog, which now include the edits, back to the desktop.</p>

<p>I think that should work fine, but it doesn't. It corrupts the Lightroom catalog to the extent that I've lost images. Sometimes I'll click on a thumbnail of a flower and see a picture of a tree. Sometimes the thumbnail or large image will change to some other photo all by itself while I'm looking at it. Sometimes I'll have two copies of the same flower with different file names and the tree will have been deleted. It's a chocolate mess.</p>

<p>Any ideas? Does this method work for you? What other ways of running Lightroom on two computers actually work without having to keep everything on an external drive, which I really want to avoid doing.</p>

<p>Many thanks.</p>

[Charles_Webster]

<p>When I use my laptop while traveling, I export a catalog of pictures from my desktop to the laptop, edit, add photos, etc. then when I return I export a catalog from the laptop and import it into my main catalog on the desktop.<br>

I think LR uses some absolute location pointers in its database that get messed up when you move collections/catalogs without the export/import process.<br>

<Chas><br /><br /></p>

[mark_sirota1]

<p>Are you copying the catalog files while Lightroom is closed? That's the key.</p>

<p>Also, you probably don't need to copy the image files back to the original computer, just the catalog. If you're writing out your XMP data on the laptop, you can write it out again on the desktop, which is probably much faster than copying the files over.</p>

[richard__]

<p>It has been suggested to me that you start a new catalog on the laptop for those photos generated while traveling, and later import from that catalog into your main desktop catalog upon return. Adobe Lightroom Help has the following section detailing this option:<br /><br />Import photos from a different Lightroom catalog<br /><br /> File > Import From Another Catalog.<br /><br /> Copy New Photos To A New Location And Import <br /><br />So I don't understand why you would want your main image catalog available on a laptop which likely doesn't have the resources or capacity to deal with the main catalog adequately.</p>

[travismcgee]

<p>Thanks, Guys.</p>

<p>Yes, Lightroom is closed when I do the copying back and forth.</p>

<p>I don't use the little .xmp sidecar files or save as .dng. All the edits are stored in the Lightroom catalog.</p>

<p>I don't add photos to Lightroom when I'm on the road with my laptop. I just want a complete set of images and Lightroom data so I can edit, add key words, organize, rename and all that stuff. Just the housekeeping I don't have time for when I'm home.</p>

<p>I think the problem is created when I reorganize, rename and delete images. The catalog on the laptop understands it, but when I copy everything back to the desktop the catalog is confused about the reorganized photos. I don't know why.</p>

<p> </p>

[EricM]

<p>I can't say for sure what went wrong but I do suggest you start using the option to write your edits to xmp. It down right frightens me that people rely on proprietary databases and software like this. Best of luck.</p>

[travismcgee]

<p>Thanks, Eric. I think I have it figured out now. The software I was using to copy data across my network was introducing the errors. I made some changes and it seems to be working fine now. Fingers crossed.</p>

<p>I never saw the value of XMP sidecar files for my workflow. They just seem to add another layer of complexity. What am I missing?</p>

<p>Cheers,<br />Dave</p>

[EricM]

<p>I always copy the catalog to another folder first, then use that folder to jeopardize as I move across a network or drag to usb stick etc. And I store my personal settings with the catalog as well so you take your templates and presets etc with you.</p>

<p>I prefer xmp for the essence of your thread, you almost, or could have, lost your edits because of a database corruption. I love xmp as they are so small. I use windows os and like most, I have the folder option set to not show known files; so I never see them. Usually, lol. You might think it is another layer of complexity, but I think of it is another safety net. I want my edits and metadata (xmp file) to travel with the raw file and not be separated by a database or relying on my last LR back-up. Also, if you use back up software, it will only re-write the changed files. So, your huge nef's wont get re-written everytime like a dng will, but instead, only your tiny xmp file will. Back-ups are a lot quicker. And foresight tells me that when we go to the cloud for 100% of our computing soon, this will be a huge plus.</p>

[EricM]

<p>Also, with a fast internet connection, you could try a virtual database. I know of some that use Dropbox to store their catalog on and point their copies of lightroom to that catalog. </p>

[travismcgee]

<p>So if the edits are stored in the xmp sidecar file, is the Lightroom catalog a lot smaller or are they repeated there?</p>

<p>Would Lightroom run faster if it only had to access a small sidecar file for each photo instead of searching a huge database for the edits?</p>

[mark_sirota1]

<p>The data in the XMP sidecar is also in the catalog. The catalog contains far more information than the XMP sidecar.</p>

<p>Lightroom would be MUCH slower if it read only from the XMP files and not from the catalog. The disk I/O would kill it. And as I mentioned earlier, the XMP files don't contain everything -- they don't have virtual copies, develop history, collection membership, pick flags, stacks, previews, and more.</p>

[travismcgee]

<p>So then the only real advantage of an xmp sidecar file is having some of the catalog information in a second location that can be distributed with the image file if needed? </p>

[Brad_]

Mark, if the edits in the xmp are different than the catalog, do the catalog edits rule?

[EricM]

<p><strong>"So then the only real advantage of an xmp sidecar file is having some of the catalog information in a second location that can be distributed with the image file if needed?"</strong><br /> <br /> I believe that's how I tried to word it, yes. It's a back-up that might save your arse when otherwise, all your edits might be stored in one database. Instead of picks and flags, i use ratings and colours as they both are stored in xmp and can view/use in LR or Bridge. <br /> I'm not sure about speed. I use Bridge as well and the side car files do not hinder performance compared to folders of dng files.</p>

[EricM]

<p><strong>"Mark, if the edits in the xmp are different than the catalog, do the catalog edits rule?"</strong><br>

<br>

The ruling edit is the last change made to the xmp. Meaning, if you work in LR with the setting "write changes to xmp" the edits are written as you make them. If you then make changes to your file outside of LR, in Bridge ACR for example, those changes will rule over the LR edit and you will see them next time in LR</p>

[travismcgee]

<p>Got it. Thanks.</p>

<p>I have my Lightroom catalog backed up in 5 different places; three hard drives in my desktop, one hard drive in my laptop, and one external drive locked in a fireproof safe. Individual failures aren't a concern, but I suppose a corrupted catalog could get backed up to all those places.</p>

 

[sebastianmoran]

<blockquote>

<p>I think LR uses some absolute location pointers in its database that get messed up when you move collections/catalogs without the export/import process.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I don't think this can be true. I move Lightroom catalogs all the time.</p>

<p>My approach:<br>

- New catalog for each shoot.<br>

- Put the catalog in the folder with the image raw files on my primary hard disk.<br>

- Use the option to save edits in sidecar files. (To facilitate if I want to open the image without Lightroom.)<br>

- When the project is done, move the whole folder (raw files, sidecars, and catalog) to my secondary hard disk.<br>

- Backup everything, frequently.</p>

[Charles_Webster]

<p>Sebastian wrote:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>- When the project is done, move the whole folder (raw files, sidecars, and catalog) to my secondary hard disk.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>And you can then open that catalog in the new location without it losing track of your photos?</p>

<p><Chas><br /><br /></p>

[travismcgee]

<p>I'm guessing Lightroom will freak out until you tell it where the catalog and images are located, but then it will be fine.</p>