# Best workflow if using Lightroom classic and Lightroom.



## sh1209 (Jul 18, 2021)

I’m a long time user of LRC and been using Lightroom since it’s release. We recently bought an iMac and still have a MacBook Pro. I’m contemplating trying to use LRC on the MacBook but really like Lightroom because of the mobile aspect. My main question is, is it best to upload images into Lightroom then have the originals sync into LRC or import directly into LRC and let smart previews sync in to Lightroom. I’ve done both ways over the years and have originals in two folders. So if I’m going to use both programs should I just import directly into Lightroom? Any input appreciated.


----------



## clee01l (Jul 18, 2021)

Did we not thoroughly cover this issue in your other thread?


----------



## sh1209 (Jul 18, 2021)

To my knowledge we were discussing mainly using LRC on two computers. I’m just wanting to know if I should upload photos directly into Lightroom cloud since it backs up to the cloud and internal hard drive for redundancy or straight into LRC which wouldn’t back up originals to the cloud? If we directly discussed this then my bad. Adobe told me a while back that it’s best if using both programs, to import directly into LR cloud so to have a cloud backup. I have done this with a few thousand photos and the only difference I see is it’s slower this way.


----------



## clee01l (Jul 18, 2021)

sh1209 said:


> Adobe told me a while back that it’s best if using both programs, to import directly into LR cloud so to have a cloud backup. I have done this with a few thousand photos and the only difference I see is it’s slower this way.


Adobe also recommends not using Lightroom (cloudy) and Lightroom Classic on the same machine.  I think you have been given bad information from Adobe or you misunderstood what was being said.   If you are using only one computer, then everything that I said about running Lightroom Classic on two computer applies to running on one computer except for storing the master catalog file and image on a portable disk drive.


----------



## MarkNicholas (Jul 20, 2021)

I use both LrC and Lr. I use LrC on my desktop and I use Lr on my IPhone.

If I take photos with my DSLR (quite rare these days) then I upload the photos from the camera to my desktop hard drive and import into LrC. I will then apply Keywords and then sync to the Lr cloud (which uploads smart previews). I regularly back up those photos on my hard drive to external drives.

If I take photos with my IPhone then I upload the photos to the Lr cloud using the Lr app on the IPhone (this uploads original photos to the Lr cloud). Then every few days or so I will go into LrC on my desktop and allow these original photos to sync from the Lr cloud to my desktop hard drive and into the LrC catalog. Once all the photos have been fully synced (you need to check and double check numbers as the sync process can sometimes be intermittent) I will remove these original photos from the Lr cloud. I then then treat the downloaded photos in the same way as I do for my DSLR photos.

Once my photos are safely on my hard drive and in LrC and have synced smart previews to the Lr cloud I will edit on my IPhone or on my desktop at my convenience.


----------



## sh1209 (Jul 24, 2021)

clee01l said:


> Adobe also recommends not using Lightroom (cloudy) and Lightroom Classic on the same machine.  I think you have been given bad information from Adobe or you misunderstood what was being said.   If you are using only one computer, then everything that I said about running Lightroom Classic on two computer applies to running on one computer except for storing the master catalog file and image on a portable disk drive.


So just out of curiosity is it best to store the originals and catalog on a hdd or ssd? Just wondering if there’s a real difference just for image and catalog storage. Thanks


----------



## clee01l (Jul 24, 2021)

SDDs are generally faster response for the same type of disk connection. I think this is a marginal benefit. So it really does not matter.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## sh1209 (Jul 24, 2021)

That’s what I’ve always heard as well. For the price difference I’m not sure the ssd is worth triple the price.


----------



## sh1209 (Jul 29, 2021)

clee01l said:


> SDDs are generally faster response for the same type of disk connection. I think this is a marginal benefit. So it really does not matter.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


I have definitely decided to use a OWC external raid drive for my originals. I purchased the drive today and should have it Saturday. My questions are what is the easiest way to move the originals? I’m assuming for Lightroom cloud I just change the destination in preferences once the new drive is connected. LRC is where I got really screwed up in the past and had multiple copies of my photos. Having said that, I’m pretty sure everything needs to be moved inside LRC. So do I create a folder inside LRC and drag the files over?  Also I’m going to leave my catalog on my iMac internal drive like I had it before. Any thoughts appreciated, thanks.


----------



## Jim Wilde (Jul 30, 2021)

sh1209 said:


> LRC is where I got really screwed up in the past and had multiple copies of my photos. Having said that, I’m pretty sure everything needs to be moved inside LRC. So do I create a folder inside LRC and drag the files over?  Also I’m going to leave my catalog on my iMac internal drive like I had it before. Any thoughts appreciated, thanks.


See this blog post: How do I move only my photos to another hard drive, leaving the catalog where it is? | The Lightroom Queen

I'd use Option 2, not Option 1.


----------



## sh1209 (Jul 30, 2021)

Jim Wilde said:


> See this blog post: How do I move only my photos to another hard drive, leaving the catalog where it is? | The Lightroom Queen
> 
> I'd use Option 2, not Option 1.


Thank you. Option 2 seems very confusing to me. I’ve always heard in the past to never Do anything outside of Lightroom? Either way scares me lol because of the mess I got into the last time. I’ll read the article again later today to see if it makes more sense.


----------



## Jim Wilde (Jul 30, 2021)

sh1209 said:


> Thank you. Option 2 seems very confusing to me. I’ve always heard in the past to never Do anything outside of Lightroom? Either way scares me lol because of the mess I got into the last time. I’ll read the article again later today to see if it makes more sense.


I don't know why you'd find that confusing. You are basically just copying the images from one drive to another, then when that's done you very simply tell Lightroom Classic to stop looking for the images on the old drive, instead to see them on the new drive.

Yes, you are correct that typically users are told to do any such move inside LrC, but that thinking has moved on. The problem with that approach is when transferring a lot of data from one drive to another using LrC, because LrC actually does a MOVE (copy then delete) which can be an issue if you get a drive/system/power failure in the middle of that. Option 2, however, is a lot safer as it does a COPY only, i.e. when the copy is complete or the operation fails, the originals are still available.

You can do it either way, I'm just saying that personally I'd never try to use Option 1 when doing a full drive transfer. But that's a user choice, which is why Victoria included both options in her post. But note her own recommendation.....


----------



## sh1209 (Jul 30, 2021)

Jim Wilde said:


> I don't know why you'd find that confusing. You are basically just copying the images from one drive to another, then when that's done you very simply tell Lightroom Classic to stop looking for the images on the old drive, instead to see them on the new drive.
> 
> Yes, you are correct that typically users are told to do any such move inside LrC, but that thinking has moved on. The problem with that approach is when transferring a lot of data from one drive to another using LrC, because LrC actually does a MOVE (copy then delete) which can be an issue if you get a drive/system/power failure in the middle of that. Option 2, however, is a lot safer as it does a COPY only, i.e. when the copy is complete or the operation fails, the originals are still available.
> 
> You can do it either way, I'm just saying that personally I'd never try to use Option 1 when doing a full drive transfer. But that's a user choice, which is why Victoria included both options in her post. But note her own recommendation.....


Thank you. I’m just very cautious after the last fiasco moving files. I’m in no way doubting what you’re saying. I did read it again and I think it makes sense. I need to first name a parent folder before moving. My other dilemma is, I have about 5k Lightroom cloud photos that I also have a copy of on my hard drive. This is where the wheels fell off the cart the last time. Should I create a new catalog first and sync those images over via the web after updating originals location in Lightroom cloud or just move everything as is with the current LRC catalog? I realize either way I’ll have to update the local storage location in Lightroom once I change drives.


----------



## MarkNicholas (Aug 3, 2021)

Jim Wilde said:


> Yes, you are correct that typically users are told to do any such move inside LrC, but that thinking has moved on. The problem with that approach is when transferring a lot of data from one drive to another using LrC, because LrC actually does a MOVE (copy then delete) which can be an issue if you get a drive/system/power failure in the middle of that. Option 2, however, is a lot safer as it does a COPY only, i.e. when the copy is complete or the operation fails, the originals are still available.


Jim does this new thinking also apply when moving large numbers of files from folder to folder on the same drive ? I am very comfortable moving moderate numbers of files within LrC but would hesitate at moving large numbers.


----------



## Jim Wilde (Aug 3, 2021)

MarkNicholas said:


> Jim does this new thinking also apply when moving large numbers of files from folder to folder on the same drive ? I am very comfortable moving moderate numbers of files within LrC but would hesitate at moving large numbers.


Whilst it is possible to use the same process if copying data from folder to another folder on the same drive, I would usually do that inside LrC. Mainly because data isn't moved, only the file system indices are changed when moving within the same drive, so it's obviously a lot quicker which reduces the risk of failure during the process. Also, doing it as a copy outside LrC would mean initially doubling up the space used on the drive, which might be more of a problem.


----------



## sh1209 (Aug 3, 2021)

Jim Wilde said:


> Whilst it is possible to use the same process if copying data from folder to another folder on the same drive, I would usually do that inside LrC. Mainly because data isn't moved, only the file system indices are changed when moving within the same drive, so it's obviously a lot quicker which reduces the risk of failure during the process. Also, doing it as a copy outside LrC would mean initially doubling up the space used on the drive, which might be more of a problem.


I have another unrelated question. If someone like myself frequently uses LRC and lightroom together, is it best to load the originals into lightroom because of the cloud backup or directly into LRC? Seems loading directly into lightroom would have another layer of redundancy but is a slower process initially.


----------



## Jim Wilde (Aug 4, 2021)

It's entirely your choice of course, but I personally wouldn't upload originals to the cloud purely on the basis of "cloud backup". If I wanted cloud backup I'd want it for all my critical data, not just images files....so I'd use a dedicated cloud backup program to do that, not the comparatively expensive partial solution from Adobe. 

I have all my originals in the cloud because I want access to them from wherever I happen to be, and that's the only reason I do it.


----------



## sh1209 (Aug 4, 2021)

Jim Wilde said:


> It's entirely your choice of course, but I personally wouldn't upload originals to the cloud purely on the basis of "cloud backup". If I wanted cloud backup I'd want it for all my critical data, not just images files....so I'd use a dedicated cloud backup program to do that, not the comparatively expensive partial solution from Adobe.
> 
> I have all my originals in the cloud because I want access to them from wherever I happen to be, and that's the only reason I do it.


That makes sense. I only have 5k images or so in the cloud that I’ve uploaded to my phone while traveling and have several thousand on my hard drive from LRC as well. It’s nice having access to them when needed but going over the 1TB that’s included could get expensive long term. I just hope one day all the functionality will end up in Lightroom from LRC. Things would be more clear cut and much simpler.


----------

