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Question

Cross-Account Sync for Lightroom Classic Edits (Multi-Location Workflow)

Forum|Forum|6 months ago
January 5, 2026
4 replies
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Hi everyone, I have a workflow challenge that I believe affects many users working across multiple locations with different Adobe accounts. My Situation: I work on photos at two different locations: Location A: Using Adobe account A (family member's subscription) Location B: Using my own Adobe account B When I edit photos at Location A, there's no practical way to sync those edits to my Lightroom Classic installation at Location B. What I've Tried: Yes, I know about "Export as Catalog" - but honestly, this is too cumbersome for regular use. I'm looking for something more seamless. What I'd Love to See: A way to sync edit metadata between Lightroom installations without going through the browser-based cloud interface. Something like: Lightweight export/import of develop settings that works across catalogs and accounts A "share edits" feature between linked accounts Or simply: CC cloud sync that works across accounts within the desktop app Why This Matters: Multi-location workflows with different accounts (family setups, work/personal separation) are common today. The current options are either using the same account everywhere (not always possible) or tedious catalog exports. Is anyone else dealing with this? And Adobe team - any chance this is on the roadmap? Thanks for reading!

Windows

JohanElzenga

Community Expert

"Lightweight export/import of develop settings that works across catalogs and accounts"

Have you considered doing this by writing to XMP/reading from XMP? Assuming you use raw images, if you 'save metadata to files' the develop settings will be written to a small XMP sidecar file. It's easy to get those files to the other location (you could even email them). At the other location, you save those XMP files in the same folder where the corresponding images are stored. Then in Lightroom Classic, select the images and choose 'metadata - read metadata from files'.

-- Johan W. Elzenga

T

Timo31395880hsfwAuthor

Participating Frequently

Hi @JohanElzenga,

Thanks for the suggestion - I understand the XMP sidecar approach in principle.

However, for my library of over 112,000 photos, manually managing XMP files across locations isn't feasible.

But here's the thing: Adobe could easily automate this exact workflow natively.

Imagine:

A dedicated Cloud folder that auto-syncs XMP sidecar files between linked accounts
Lightroom Classic watches this folder and auto-reads/writes metadata changes
No manual Ctrl+S, no file transfers, no external drives

The technical foundation (XMP sidecars) already exists. The Cloud infrastructure already exists. Adobe would just need to connect these pieces.

Compared to full catalog exports (which do work - and even include the original files so I don't need to re-import from camera at Location B), a lightweight XMP-only cloud sync would be far more elegant and bandwidth-efficient.

@Sameer K - This seems like a realistic feature request: Cloud-synced XMP metadata between trusted accounts. Is there a formal channel to submit this to the Lightroom product team?

Thanks!

JohanElzenga

Community Expert

You can file a feature request in this forum, in the 'Ideas' section. However, don't hold your breath. There are many feature requests and Adobe cannot possibly grant them all. Your request will be somewhere far down the list, unless so many other people vote for it that Adobe considers it. That will always take time, and may take forever.

-- Johan W. Elzenga

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Timo31395880hsfwAuthor

Participating Frequently

Hi @Sameer K,

Thanks for the quick response!

I appreciate the Contributor Albums suggestion - I was already aware of this feature. However, I have a follow-up concern:

My original request specifically aimed to avoid the browser/web interface. With your proposed workflow, I'd still need to:

Sync an album from LR Classic to the cloud

Open Lightroom Web in a browser to share

Access it from the second account

Additionally, this workflow has practical limitations:

No persistent partner link: I'd need to send a new invitation every time, rather than having a permanent connection between two trusted accounts

No direct sync: There's no option for direct computer-to-computer sync (like a VPN-style connection between two LR Classic installations)

What I'm really looking for is a "trusted partner account" feature - a one-time setup where two accounts are linked, and edits automatically sync between them without repeated manual sharing steps or browser interaction.

Is there any existing solution that addresses this? If not, I'd like to formally submit this as a feature request for the Lightroom team.

Thanks!

Jim Wilde

Community Expert

Your workflow across the locations and accounts isn't completely clear (to me at least). Can you clarify which apps you are using at each location, and whether you add new images into the mix from both locations. If you add only from one location, which one is it?

There may be opportunities using designated albums that allow contribution and editing, but can't really make any firm suggestions until we know more about your workflow.

T

Timo31395880hsfwAuthor

Participating Frequently

Hi @Jim Wilde,

To clarify my workflow:

Both locations: Lightroom Classic only (no cloud-based Lightroom)
Edits: At both locations
The core issue: Two different Adobe accounts, two LR Classic installations - no native way to sync catalog edits.

Concrete example from yesterday:

Shot 150 photos
At Location A (Pforzheim): Connected camera, imported into LR Classic (Account A), edited the photos
Drove to Location B (Bruchsal): Connected the same camera, imported into LR Classic (Account B)

What I wish would happen:

Lightroom recognizes: "These photos were already imported and edited under Partner Account A" and offers to sync/adopt those edits - automatically, based on file matching (filename, EXIF data, checksum, whatever).

What I don't want:

Export catalog to external drive
Manually transfer XMP files
Any additional hardware/media in my bag

Just: Camera → LR Classic → Partner account recognition → Edit sync. Done.

Is this clearer? I believe this "trusted partner account" concept would solve multi-location workflows elegantly.

JohanElzenga

Community Expert

Concrete example from yesterday:

Shot 150 photos
At Location A (Pforzheim): Connected camera, imported into LR Classic (Account A), edited the photos
Drove to Location B (Bruchsal): Connected the same camera, imported into LR Classic (Account B)

To me that sounds completely illogical. It means you now do have the photos also in Account B, but without the edits you made in Account A. The suggestion I made would have meant you saved 150 XMP files to a disk in Pforzheim, took that disk with you to Bruchsal, copied the XMP files to the folder of the imported images, and used 'Read Metadata from Files' in Lightroom Classic to load all the edits you made in Pforzheim into the Bruchsal catalog. The additional hardware in your bag would be one small portable USB drive (a few hundred MB will be enough). Is that really such a big deal?

-- Johan W. Elzenga

Sameer K

Community Manager

Hey, @Timo31395880hsfw. Welcome to the Lightroom Community. I'll help you figure this out.

You can explore the Contributor Albums, where you sync Albums from Lightroom Classic to the Lightroom Web.

Go to Lightroom Web (https://adobe.ly/4sv0bVG), on the left, go to the album you've just synced, and in the Album, you'll have the Share settings.

Head here to learn more: https://adobe.ly/4jqhh2x;

You can share this album with your secondary account and use this to work through. This may not be the best for your workflow. Feel free to give it a try.

Thanks!

Sameer K
(Type '@' and type my name to mention me when you reply)

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