How can I use one Lightroom catalog on a desktop and laptop without networking?
Asked 1/16/2013
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2 answers
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I use Lightroom on both a desktop and a laptop. While traveling, I often import and edit photos on the laptop, then move the raw files to a large external drive when I get home. I’d like a workflow that lets me continue working on both systems without relying on a network connection.
I’m considering keeping the Lightroom catalog on a USB stick and the image files on an external hard drive, then opening the same catalog from either computer. My questions are:
- If Lightroom is only referencing image files rather than storing them in the catalog, does the catalog stay relatively small?
- After editing on the laptop, is it straightforward to reconnect the catalog to files once they’ve been moved to the external drive?
- Is there a better workflow for keeping edits in sync between two computers?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
1
The catalog contains the catalog and any previews. You also, of course have the image files themselves.
The best way I see to use LR with a desktop/laptop combo is to make the desktop the 'home base' computer with the main, singular catalog and all the files.
When you go out on trips/shoots, you can copy the image files to your laptop or your external hard drive, then import those photos by Adding to your laptop's catalog. Make your rating/passes/edits.
When you're finished with a shoot, export the whole folder (or just your 'picks' if you like) by Exporting as Catalog. You can choose to have it export the image source files if needed (not needed if you have them on a transferrable hard drive). It's also a good idea to save metadata to file after making edits.
When you return to your desktop, you can Import as Catalog, where it will take your exported catalog, and merge it to your main catalog on your desktop. It will ask you where you want to place the image files.
If you are working on the same files but on two machines, you can keep a copy of the image source files on both computers, and simply transfer or sync the Exported catalog file. Do note that 1:1 previews on a lot of pictures may take up a decent amount of space.
Originally by user15804. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15804
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—Lightroom catalogs are mainly the database plus previews; the original image files are separate unless you choose to export/copy them. So the catalog is usually much smaller than your photo library, though previews can still make it sizable.
The key issue is not catalog size, but file paths. If you put the catalog on a USB stick, Lightroom still needs the photos to appear in the same location on both computers. If the external drive is mounted differently, you’ll need to relink folders or keep the drive path/letter consistent.
A simpler, safer workflow is to let Lightroom manage the transfer:
- Keep your main catalog and photo storage on the home/desktop system.
- On the laptop, import and edit trip photos locally.
- When finished, use Export as Catalog from the laptop.
- Back home, use Import from Another Catalog on the desktop.
This preserves edits, ratings, and organization and avoids manually shuffling catalog files around. If your external drive is easily portable, another option is to keep both the catalog and photos on that drive and open it from either machine—but back it up, because any single drive can fail.
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