Running Lightroom with 2 Libraries
Discussion
Is this possible and does anyone have experience of doing it and keeping organised?
As an example of what I mean, I've just picked up a new MacBook Pro and will use this whilst 'on the go' or on holiday etc. I have a main edit machine with an external HD for 'proper' work at home but I always find it a massive pain to have to plug in the external drive to the laptop to access anything.
What I would like to do, is use the laptop as a scratch-pad effectively, where I can work on something and then at the appropriate point, archive it to my main library and clear the drive space on the laptop.
Does anyone work this way? I know I should just use the external HD and keep it simple, but I have a real thing for working late at night, slumped on the sofa, and hate having a drive dangling about the place!
Thoughts welcome!
As an example of what I mean, I've just picked up a new MacBook Pro and will use this whilst 'on the go' or on holiday etc. I have a main edit machine with an external HD for 'proper' work at home but I always find it a massive pain to have to plug in the external drive to the laptop to access anything.
What I would like to do, is use the laptop as a scratch-pad effectively, where I can work on something and then at the appropriate point, archive it to my main library and clear the drive space on the laptop.
Does anyone work this way? I know I should just use the external HD and keep it simple, but I have a real thing for working late at night, slumped on the sofa, and hate having a drive dangling about the place!
Thoughts welcome!
Or actually, perhaps I'm asking the question the wrong way.
Looking at how LR handles Libraries and Catalogues, perhaps there is a more elegant way to achieve what I'm after.
What I'm looking for is really a 'local' workspace on my laptop where I can capture the odd snap, picture in the field or whatever, tinker with it a bit, send to a client if need be and ultimately save it to my main external photo drive as and when I'm done and want to clear space.
I also want to be able to plug in my external HD and work on bigger projects if need be...
Is there a better way of doing that?
Looking at how LR handles Libraries and Catalogues, perhaps there is a more elegant way to achieve what I'm after.
What I'm looking for is really a 'local' workspace on my laptop where I can capture the odd snap, picture in the field or whatever, tinker with it a bit, send to a client if need be and ultimately save it to my main external photo drive as and when I'm done and want to clear space.
I also want to be able to plug in my external HD and work on bigger projects if need be...
Is there a better way of doing that?
noell35 said:
Doesn't lightroom have a cloud service that you could use? i use lightroom cc and I'm sure it comes with some cloud storage. Could be wrong, I usually am!
It does but it won't really suit my needs (I don't think - I'm very new to CC so perhaps I'm wrong and it would be perfect?). I've got a LR mobile library synced between my main machine and my laptop/ipad, but my main concern is not duplicating loads of images and ultimately being able to consolidate in the one location.I'm trying to get my head round the relationship between catalogs and libraries as I feel there must be something clever to be done here.
Disastrous said:
It does but it won't really suit my needs (I don't think - I'm very new to CC so perhaps I'm wrong and it would be perfect?). I've got a LR mobile library synced between my main machine and my laptop/ipad, but my main concern is not duplicating loads of images and ultimately being able to consolidate in the one location.
I'm trying to get my head round the relationship between catalogs and libraries as I feel there must be something clever to be done here.
This is how I use LR between various machines as recommended by Adobe, I also, when importing RAW NEF files have LR save a copy them to a NAS.I'm trying to get my head round the relationship between catalogs and libraries as I feel there must be something clever to be done here.
Adobe said:
How do I combine catalogs or move photos from one catalog to another?
To combine or merge catalogs — or to move photos from one catalog to another — you import one catalog into the other.
Choose File > Open Catalog and select the catalog that you want to be the master, or primary, catalog (the one you want to add to).
Choose File > Import From Another Catalog and navigate to the catalog that contains the photos you want to add from. Then, click Open (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS).
In the Import From Catalog dialog box, do the following:
Under Catalog Contents, select the folders that contain the photos you want to import.
Specify how you want to handle new and existing photos. For more information on these options, see Import photos from a different Lightroom catalog.
Click Import.
Repeat steps 1 – 4 for additional catalogs or photos that you want to add to the open one.
How do I use my catalog on multiple computers, such as a laptop and a desktop?
The easiest way to use Lightroom on more than one computer is to keep your catalog and photos together on an external drive. Then, in preferences, tell Lightroom to open that catalog by default.
To combine or merge catalogs — or to move photos from one catalog to another — you import one catalog into the other.
Choose File > Open Catalog and select the catalog that you want to be the master, or primary, catalog (the one you want to add to).
Choose File > Import From Another Catalog and navigate to the catalog that contains the photos you want to add from. Then, click Open (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS).
In the Import From Catalog dialog box, do the following:
Under Catalog Contents, select the folders that contain the photos you want to import.
Specify how you want to handle new and existing photos. For more information on these options, see Import photos from a different Lightroom catalog.
Click Import.
Repeat steps 1 – 4 for additional catalogs or photos that you want to add to the open one.
How do I use my catalog on multiple computers, such as a laptop and a desktop?
The easiest way to use Lightroom on more than one computer is to keep your catalog and photos together on an external drive. Then, in preferences, tell Lightroom to open that catalog by default.
Thanks pickled. Let me see if I'm reading you correctly:
You mean you keep an external HD with your library and catalogue that is shared with both machines and also a local library and catalogue on your laptop. If you want to merge some work on the laptop with the shared drive, you follow the instructions to do it inside LR as in the first part of the post?
That seems to make a bit of sense to me if I have understood correctly.
Apologies for the questions btw - I'm just trying to take the opportunity to set up a 'correct' workflow whilst the computer is still new!
You mean you keep an external HD with your library and catalogue that is shared with both machines and also a local library and catalogue on your laptop. If you want to merge some work on the laptop with the shared drive, you follow the instructions to do it inside LR as in the first part of the post?
That seems to make a bit of sense to me if I have understood correctly.
Apologies for the questions btw - I'm just trying to take the opportunity to set up a 'correct' workflow whilst the computer is still new!
Pickled said:
Disastrous said:
It does but it won't really suit my needs (I don't think - I'm very new to CC so perhaps I'm wrong and it would be perfect?). I've got a LR mobile library synced between my main machine and my laptop/ipad, but my main concern is not duplicating loads of images and ultimately being able to consolidate in the one location.
I'm trying to get my head round the relationship between catalogs and libraries as I feel there must be something clever to be done here.
This is how I use LR between various machines as recommended by Adobe, I also, when importing RAW NEF files have LR save a copy them to a NAS.I'm trying to get my head round the relationship between catalogs and libraries as I feel there must be something clever to be done here.
Adobe said:
How do I combine catalogs or move photos from one catalog to another?
To combine or merge catalogs — or to move photos from one catalog to another — you import one catalog into the other.
Choose File > Open Catalog and select the catalog that you want to be the master, or primary, catalog (the one you want to add to).
Choose File > Import From Another Catalog and navigate to the catalog that contains the photos you want to add from. Then, click Open (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS).
In the Import From Catalog dialog box, do the following:
Under Catalog Contents, select the folders that contain the photos you want to import.
Specify how you want to handle new and existing photos. For more information on these options, see Import photos from a different Lightroom catalog.
Click Import.
Repeat steps 1 – 4 for additional catalogs or photos that you want to add to the open one.
How do I use my catalog on multiple computers, such as a laptop and a desktop?
The easiest way to use Lightroom on more than one computer is to keep your catalog and photos together on an external drive. Then, in preferences, tell Lightroom to open that catalog by default.
To combine or merge catalogs — or to move photos from one catalog to another — you import one catalog into the other.
Choose File > Open Catalog and select the catalog that you want to be the master, or primary, catalog (the one you want to add to).
Choose File > Import From Another Catalog and navigate to the catalog that contains the photos you want to add from. Then, click Open (Windows) or Choose (Mac OS).
In the Import From Catalog dialog box, do the following:
Under Catalog Contents, select the folders that contain the photos you want to import.
Specify how you want to handle new and existing photos. For more information on these options, see Import photos from a different Lightroom catalog.
Click Import.
Repeat steps 1 – 4 for additional catalogs or photos that you want to add to the open one.
How do I use my catalog on multiple computers, such as a laptop and a desktop?
The easiest way to use Lightroom on more than one computer is to keep your catalog and photos together on an external drive. Then, in preferences, tell Lightroom to open that catalog by default.
rottie102 said:
But how does it work when my "travel" computer is not connected to internet and I want to use Lightroom? It will not have access to the catalog, so it will create a new one and it still will be messy because all the edits will be on the new one, correct?
I'm assuming that the only way to make that work is the 'copy from catalog' command once you'rre home and have connected up the drive with your main catalog?Agree it's a bit messy though but I suppose less so if you get in the habit of clearing the travel computer out of images every so often so it's just used a work surface.
This forum http://www.lightroomforums.net has loads of excellent info about Lightroom - I am sure you will find the answer there.
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