# LR preview files



## IanW (Jan 7, 2018)

Operating System:mac OS10.12.6
Exact Lightroom Version (Help menu > System Info):LR Classic 7.1

I would appreciate someone's help. I have for sometime now had a number of LR preview files as shown by the attached screenshot from Finder. Can someone tell me if this is OK as it is? ? Will this be slowing down my LR ? How should I go about correcting this if I need to ?

regards

Ian


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## Jim Wilde (Jan 7, 2018)

Well, it shouldn't be "slowing you down", but it is probably needlessly taking up disk space (though only the Lightroom Catalog Smart Previews.lrdata is taking up any substantial space).

Looking at the listing, I assume Lightroom Catalog-2.lrcat is your current catalog, yes? In which case all the previews files/folders that you see listed can be deleted apart from those belonging to the current catalog, i.e. do not delete the Lightroom Catalog-2 Previews.lrdata and the Lightroom Catalog-2 Smart Previews.lrdata.

If Lightroom Catalog.lrcat is your previous version catalog, and is no longer used, you could think about deleting (or maybe archiving) that file.


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## IanW (Jan 7, 2018)

Thanks Jim, yes Lightroom Catalog-2.lrcat is my current catalog. This was created automatically when I upgraded LR to the current version.
I shall proceed as you have directed.
Thanks again.

regards

Ian


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## sallynewcomb (Feb 5, 2018)

I have a similar dilemma as to what I can safely delete. I can't remember now how I dealt with existing catalogs each time I upgraded, but it's most likely I used the default recommended method, so can I delete old catalogs? and what about the temporary import data files? Also, I'm sure I read somewhere that it's ok to delete previews and smart previews if you've finished working on a batch of photos, but Jim, are you saying don't do that?  If it is ok, which is the best way to delete any preview folders to save most space? Just drag and drop to trash or use the Library - previews - discard smart previews option in LR?
Many thanks


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## Johan Elzenga (Feb 5, 2018)

You can delete old catalogs and old previews, and also all those 'Temporary...' files. Deleting you current previews is not very useful. Lightroom will rebuild them because the images you are looking at in the Library grid and in loupe view are previews. In other words, you can only view a photo if a preview of that photo exists.

Smart previews are different. They are used for editing when the original is offline, so if you do not want to edit an image any further, you could delete its smart preview if that exists.


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## Linwood Ferguson (Feb 5, 2018)

Incidentally if you are a paranoid sort and worried (and Johan is completely right so  you do not need to be but...) you can always renamed files like this to something else, run LR for a few days and see that nothing bad happens, then delete them.


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## sallynewcomb (Feb 5, 2018)

Lol, not that paranoid.... Just checking! Deletion complete 
Thanks for your help!


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## Vel Balais (Aug 25, 2018)

Hello Everone! 
Could somebody help me!  When Lightroom is running, there is a lock file present next to the catalog
and when closing lightroom The lock file is normally  gone . 
I have sent the catalogue to my client after editing his photos  but he said that the photos are missing

Please help me fix this. thank you


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## Johan Elzenga (Aug 25, 2018)

Vel Balais said:


> Could somebody help me! When Lightroom is running, there is a lock file present next to the catalog
> and when closing lightroom The lock file is normally gone .


That is completely normal. That file is created temporarily to avoid that other applications open the same catalog. When Lightroom quits it deletes that file.



Vel Balais said:


> I have sent the catalogue to my client after editing his photos but he said that the photos are missing


That has nothing to do with the lock file, but with another thing. Your images aren't inside the catalog, they are somewhere else on your hard disk. The catalog only contains a reference (a link) to the images. Like your address book, that contains the names and addresses of your friends, but your friends do not physically live in your address book. If you only send the catalog to somebody else, then that person will see 'missing' images in the catalog, bcause the links in that catalog still point to the images on _your_ disk.


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## Vel Balais (Aug 25, 2018)

Hi Johan,
What should i do?  so my client see my edited photos.


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## Johan Elzenga (Aug 25, 2018)

Vel Balais said:


> Hi Johan,
> What should i do?  so my client see my edited photos.


The most important question is: what is your client going to do with the images? If he just needs the edited images and is not going to make any further edits, then don't send the catalog. Send exported TIFF or JPEG images, so he gets something that is 'ready for use'.

If your client needs the catalog because he will make further edits, or because he will import the images into his own Lightroom catalog, then it's best to use the 'Export as catalog' feature. See the other thread as well.


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## Vel Balais (Aug 25, 2018)

My clients need a catalog  because he wants to make further adjustments or edits and he will import the images back to his own catalog.
This is one of my problem now. 
please see photos below. photo1 - file could not be found photo2 - catalog of my client.


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## Johan Elzenga (Aug 25, 2018)

Like I said, that's because the catalog image is linked to a raw image on *your* hard disk.

In order not to have this discussion in two threads, I close this one and refer you to the other one.


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