# Processing Images on Laptop Away From Non-Portable External Hard Drive



## MPRamsey (Mar 2, 2012)

My current PC configuration is a desktop using a non-portable external hard drive.  I recently purchased a laptop to allow me to shoot then process my photos while on location.  I plan to abandon the use of my old slow desktop once I transfer LR to my laptop.  I don't anticipate any problems with the transfer of Lightroom 3.6 and its supporting files to my laptop.  However, I do have concerns of how my workflow will change while processing on location, away from my main storage non-portable external hard drive.

I'm afraid if I don't go into this new workflow with some knowledge, I risk a disconnect from LR to my main storage device.  Does anyone have any advice on how to properly do this?  Here are some question I have:
1) Before disconnecting my external hard drive from my laptop to take my laptop on location, is there anything I should do to let LR know the external hard drive will not be present?
2) While on location with my laptop and not connected to my external hard drive, how should I handle LR complaining about the absence of my external hard drive?
3) Likewise, after I return from location and re-connect my laptop to my external hard drive, is there anything I need to do?
4) Finally, after returning from location with processed photos on my laptop's internal hard drive, what is the best method to move those photos to my main storage external hard drive (keeping in mind my desktop is no longer used)?

Have I missed anything? Any advice would be appreciated.  Thanks in advance,
Mike


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## clee01l (Mar 2, 2012)

To get the Desktop Catalog copied to the new laptop would be the first point to consider.  This Link will help you identify the default locations of all of the critical files.  Once you have moved the critical LR files, you need to concern yourself with the location of the master images.  If they are all on the non portable EHD on the desktop, then if you map that same drive letter on the laptop, your laptop copy of the catalog should fine these master images in the Drive letter/path that it expects.  If It doesn't, thhen we can investigate the reasons in more detail.  This should permit you to use your laptop catalog exclusively for LR. 

Your second issue is not an issue at all.  When you disconnect the EHD from the laptop, LR will show the normally green icon on the EHD drive as dark in the folder panel.  When you reconnect the EHD, the icon turns green again. Simple.  WHat should be noted though is that you have limited access to these images if the master file is not available.  Also if you want to import more images, you need to import to a folder on a drive that IS availabel.  Logically that will be your C:\ drive. 
In my master catalog, I have two top level folders showing in the folder panel. One is on the C:\drive in the Pictures folder, the other is on an Archive drive which is the EHD.  I started this when my Laptop was my primary computer.  On the Archive drive, I keep the older 250GB of image that are (for the most part) complete and only accessed for new exports or to make a print. The most recent three months of photos I keep on my local drive.   As Images age, I migrate the older folders from the local drive to the archive drive.  If (at that time) I needed my laptop in the field, all of the images that I might need to be working on and my master catalog are on the local drive of the laptop.  Any new imports would be imported to the usual placce in the local drive. 

While i no longer use my laptop as a primary computer, I maintained the same arrangement for locating current and older LR cataloged images. (Full disclosure here:  I no longer use my laptop at all, having replaced it with an iPad. I use PS Express for a quick process of any new images that I acquire when in the field with the iPad.  iCloud picks up the original RAW files from the iPad and if LR is running at home, LR Auto Import imports them into my master catalog)


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## MPRamsey (Mar 2, 2012)

clee01l said:


> This Link will help you identify the default locations of all of the critical files.



Thanks Cletus!  You may have forgot to provide the link you referenced.
BTW...sounds like you have a sweet configuration.  Don't think I am ready to be that advanced...still recovering from my recent laptop purchase 

So once I reconnect my laptop to my EHD, what is the best method of moving the processed photos on my laptop's internal HD to the EHD?  Simply "drag-and-drop" them into the desired area of the EHD?

Mike


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## clee01l (Mar 2, 2012)

This Link will help you identify the default locations of all of the critical files.


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## clee01l (Mar 2, 2012)

MPRamsey said:


> ...So once I reconnect my laptop to my EHD, what is the best method of moving the processed photos on my laptop's internal HD to the EHD?  Simply "drag-and-drop" them into the desired area of the EHD?
> 
> Mike


I'm not sure what you are asking?  Are you referring to after the abandonment of the Desktop  or a part of the transition?

If you are talking about after , I would recommend to always keep some of the most current images on the local Laptop drive. After about three months have passed, if I have a folder located on "C:\users\{userName}\Pictures\2011-12-25"   *IN* the LR folder panel, I will drag and drop that folder from its original location on C:\ to "A:\Archive\" (or however you have your Drive and folders named that represent the image on the EHD).


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## flash37 (Mar 27, 2012)

OK, here is a question from someone that doesn't have an IPad. How do you get photos from a compact flash card onto an IPad in the field??? I looked at them for that use and decided it couldn't fit the bill. Jenny


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## clee01l (Mar 27, 2012)

flash37 said:


> OK, here is a question from someone that doesn't have an IPad. How do you get photos from a compact flash card onto an IPad in the field??? I looked at them for that use and decided it couldn't fit the bill. Jenny


There is an SD card reader that plugs into the power adapter port of the iPad. It will take unpowered Camera formatted cards (I think the DCIM folder needs to be present on the card) Insert the SD card into the adapter and the iPad will permit you to import all of the images or none of the images.
While that works only for SD cards, there is also a USB to PowerPort adapter than can be used with a camera (like Canon) or a *powered* CF Card Reader.  The same camera formatting rules apply.


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## Bruce J (Mar 28, 2012)

flash37 said:


> OK, here is a question from someone that doesn't have an IPad. How do you get photos from a compact flash card onto an IPad in the field??? I looked at them for that use and decided it couldn't fit the bill. Jenny



The Camera Connector kit that you can buy as an option for the iPad also contains an adapter with a USB port.  If your camera has a USB cable, you can use that to import directly from the camera, no matter what kind of card the camera uses.  I do this all the time with both my Canon G9 (SD card) and my Nikon D200 (CF card).


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