How can I use Lightroom efficiently on two computers with a shared photo library?

Asked 7/13/2015

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2 answers

I edit photos on a desktop and also on an Ultrabook, and I’d like an efficient workflow for working across both machines. My images may start as RAW files, but I often want edited JPEGs available on a shared/network drive for quick viewing without needing Lightroom.

Right now I edit in Lightroom and then export everything, but I’m looking for a better way to:

import photos from an SD card on the laptop,
edit on either computer,
keep edits synchronized,
and maintain easy access to finished images on shared storage.

What workflow and storage setup works best for this?

sync storage workflow lightroom catalog

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

11y ago

2 Answers

This is exactly why Adobe made smart previews; they aren't just for local network drives.

Save you RAW files to a portable hard drive, and have lightroom generate smart previews with each new import. You can then use Adobe CC to sync you catalog between computers, or something like Dropbox, SpiderOak, OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.

With this, you can edit the photos on either machine (or even your phone or a tablet), and the edits will be applied next time lightroom sees the portable hard drive.

Originally by user48455. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user48455

9y ago

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

A practical Lightroom workflow is to keep one catalog and sync it between the two computers, while storing the originals in one consistent location.

Common approaches from the community:

Keep RAW files on a portable drive or shared storage.
Let Lightroom build Smart Previews so you can edit even when the originals aren’t locally attached.
Sync the Lightroom catalog via a cloud service such as Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive, or via Adobe’s ecosystem where applicable.

Important caveats:

Only open the catalog on one computer at a time.
Always close Lightroom before switching machines.
Wait for catalog syncing to fully finish before opening it on the other computer, or you can get file conflicts.
Large catalogs, previews, and RAW files may require substantial cloud storage.

If you want photos viewable without Lightroom, you’ll still need to export finished JPEGs to your shared/network drive. Lightroom edits to RAW files are non-destructive and stored in the catalog (or metadata sidecars), not baked directly into the image for normal viewing apps.

How can I use Lightroom efficiently on two computers with a shared photo library?

2 Answers

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