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simonsharayha
simonsharayha
Known Participant
January 10, 2018
Answered

How to manage RAW and JPEG files on Lightroom?

  • January 10, 2018
  • 4 replies
  • 13122 views

I'm trying to save some space on my computer by moving all the RAW files to an External Hard Drive. At the same time I want to have the JPEG's on the computer and I don't want to lose the capability to export and edit the photos. At the end of the day i want all the Raw files to go on the external hard drive and I want all the JPEG's to be on the computer and still work on light room. I want to still export the JPEG's on the computer not the external Hard drive.

Would any body suggest a better way to organize my photos or solve my problem? Thanks!

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Just Shoot Me

I have a couple of questions.

1) Do you record both RAW and JPG in the camera?

2) Or are the JPG images generated from the RAW files after you import the RAW images into LR?

3) It the external hard drive that you want to store images on always connected to your computer?

1) no, I only shoot RAW

2) Yes

3) Yes, I have Seagate Back up plus


simons17353190  wrote

I have a couple of questions.

1) Do you record both RAW and JPG in the camera?

2) Or are the JPG images generated from the RAW files after you import the RAW images into LR?

3) It the external hard drive that you want to store images on always connected to your computer?

1) no, I only shoot RAW

2) Yes

3) Yes, I have Seagate Back up plus

Then I suggest you import your RAW images directly to the External drive. You can do that in the Import Dialog by selecting the drive and folder you want to store them in in the Destination section in the right hand panel of the import window.

No need to first import them to your internal drive and then move them.

Also I suggest since the external is always connected when you do export to create JPGs they are also stored on the external drive in the same folder as the RAW images.

But there is no good reason to create JPGs for all your images and there is certainly no reason to ever Edit a JPG image. If you want a JPG to be able to send it to someone in an email or post it to social media, Facebook, Twitter, whatever, then do all the editing to the RAW file then Export it as a JPG and all the edits will be included.

Once you post it or email it you can, if you want, delete that JPG image because you can always create another from the RAW image.

NEVER EVER throw away RAW image files unless they are just Bad, Dogs, the worst image you ever took.

4 replies

Just Shoot Me
Just Shoot Me
Legend
January 10, 2018

You are missing the point of RAW files. RAW files are like Film negative. When, IF, you used a Film camera did you throw the negatives away once you had made prints of them?

More than likely not.

RAW files have way more data in them than JPGs do. Your reasoning to keep the JPGs on your internal drive and Work On Them doesn't make much sense. It is the RAW files you want to work on in LR and only export to JPG if and when you need to send it in an email or post it to a website, social media. Otherwise JPGs are just about useless for editing purposes.

Every time you edit a JPG and save those edit in the file or to another file you lose quality.

    R
    Community Expert
    richardplondonCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    January 10, 2018

    Of course, the OP might have shot some photos in Raw, and different photos in JPG - whereby the intentions / circumstances of these two classes of photo are independent (personal vs commercial work, say). Moving one such class to another drive may be entirely sensible. It works fine provided either the move is done from inside LR, or if done outside of LR that LR is subsequently made aware of this move by updating the location records which the Catalog holds (Find Missing Folder / Update Location).

    On the other hand when Raw+JPG versions exist of the same photo, because the camera was set to do that, IMO this is not better but worse than having just the Raw - when a product such as Lightroom is there to help you.

    • If the exposure has been chosen to get best results in the JPG, then that is likely an underexposure (compared with what would be technically optimal) so far as the Raw is concerned.
    • If both Raw and JPG appear side by side in LR, then that is an extra potential confusion ; if they don't, then the JPG is effectively useless to you...
    • If Raw and JPG versions of a photo are separated, that's a management difficulty
    • And the whole issue of visually matching Raw conversions to the appearance of JPGs, with all the thorny difficulties this entails. stands ready to entangle and frustrate the unwary.

    Personally speaking, IMO no end of grief is avoided by opting and committing to either shooting JPG or Raw: having one or the other type of "film" loaded - with one or the other aesthetic, and practical-strategic, approach in mind as you shoot.

    It's somewhat the same idea, as deciding before you press that shutter button whether this is a colour or a B&W photo that you are about to take: leaving options open, cavils best results. Creativity is a matter of decisiveness.

    dj_paige
    dj_paige
    Legend
    January 10, 2018

    richardplondon  wrote

    Of course, the OP might have shot some photos in Raw, and different photos in JPG - whereby the intentions / circumstances of these two classes of photo are independent (personal vs commercial work, say). Moving one such class to another drive may be entirely sensible. It works fine provided either the move is done from inside LR, or if done outside of LR that LR is subsequently made aware of this move by updating the location records which the Catalog holds (Find Missing Folder / Update Location).

    Except the original poster said no such thing about JPGs and RAW being independent (personal vs commercial). He said he want the JPGS "on the computer and I don't want to lose the capability to export and edit the photos." That's his reason for separating the files. And I think this is a very poor reason for separating files, since as I said, JPGs on an external drive work just fine. And in fact, photo files belong on the external drive, if you have one.

    dj_paige
    dj_paige
    Legend
    January 10, 2018

    simons17353190  wrote

    I'm trying to save some space on my computer by moving all the RAW files to an External Hard Drive. At the same time I want to have the JPEG's on the computer and I don't want to lose the capability to export and edit the photos. At the end of the day i want all the Raw files to go on the external hard drive and I want all the JPEG's to be on the computer and still work on light room. I want to still export the JPEG's on the computer not the external Hard drive.

    Would any body suggest a better way to organize my photos or solve my problem? Thanks!

    I think this is a poor strategy. JPGs don't have to be "on the computer" in order for you to use them in any way. Move all (JPG and RAW) of your photos to the external HD. There is no special meaning at all to having photos "on the computer" v.s photos on the external HD, you can use them properly from any attached drive.

    To move your photos, see this document (go to the section entitled "Part 2 — Updating Folder Location").

    Adobe Lightroom - Find moved or missing files and folders

    simonsharayha
    simonsharayhaAuthor
    Known Participant
    January 10, 2018

    Thank you for you reply. I get what you are saying, then how should I do my backups?
    I had the internal hard drive 1TB (it wont be enough for the RAW's and JPEG's on the long run) and I have an external HD 2TB.

    I was thinking in the beginning to put all my RAW's on the EHD (2TB) and have my JPEG's on the computer (1TB) with my other files and documents, and at the same time i will have a back up for my computer on another external drive (1TB)

    if you have a better way please share it!

    dj_paige
    dj_paige
    Legend
    January 10, 2018

    simons17353190  wrote

    Thank you for you reply. I get what you are saying, then how should I do my backups?
    I had the internal hard drive 1TB (it wont be enough for the RAW's and JPEG's on the long run) and I have an external HD 2TB.

    I was thinking in the beginning to put all my RAW's on the EHD (2TB) and have my JPEG's on the computer (1TB) with my other files and documents, and at the same time i will have a back up for my computer on another external drive (1TB)

    So for the first time in this thread, backups are mentioned. You need a separate (external) HD for backups. THey can't go on the external HD you are using to store your originals.

    Now, reading between the lines, are you considering the RAWs to be your backups and the JPGs to be your working images? This is a mistake. Furthermore, THIS IS NOT HOW LIGHTROOM WORKS. The RAWs are your originals. You make exact duplicates of them to make backups. Furthermore, reading between the lines, do you want to work with the JPGs instead of the RAWs in Lightroom? This again is a mistake, you should always work with the RAWs and not the JPGs (unless for a given photo, it was originally taken as a JPG).

    IMPORTANT

    Maybe you need to explain this whole backup/RAW/JPG situation you are in with a lot more detail. Please specifically state how the JPGs relate to the RAWs. Why is this important? Because now I think that without a good explanation of this matter, all of the advice given to you by everyone may be wrong.

    if you have a better way please share it!

    Again, I see absolutely no benefit to moving RAWs to the EHD but not JPGs. Keep them together, make your life simple, don't make your life difficult by deciding to move only the RAWs.

    Neox99
    Neox99
    Legend
    January 10, 2018

    Why do you want 2 versions of the same image?

    Locate/put the RAW files wherever you want, then 'develop' them using Lr.

    When you finish processing the RAW images, export as .jpg if you wish to a location of your choosing.

    What difference does it make where the .jpg files go? You don't intend to 'work on' them in Lr, do you.

    If a .jpg requires processing, the correct workflow is to don't. Go back to the RAW (remember it hasn't changed since the state it was in when in the camera), make adjustments then re export.

    Working on/processing/developing .jpg images in Lr after they have been exported, negates the need for shooting RAW.

    Unless you start by shooting .jpg, that file format need never see the inside of Lr.

      simonsharayha
      simonsharayhaAuthor
      Known Participant
      January 10, 2018

      Why do you want 2 versions of the same image?

      Locate/put the RAW files wherever you want, then 'develop' them using Lr.

      When you finish processing the RAW images, export as .jpg if you wish to a location of your choosing.

      What difference does it make where the .jpg files go? You don't intend to 'work on' them in Lr, do you.

      If a .jpg requires processing, the correct workflow is to don't. Go back to the RAW (remember it hasn't changed since the state it was in when in the camera), make adjustments then re export.

      Working on/processing/developing .jpg images in Lr after they have been exported, negates the need for shooting RAW.

      Unless you start by shooting .jpg, that file format need never see the inside of Lr.

      I'm not trying to have two files of the same format. I want to have only the RAW's on the EHD and the JPEG's on the computer, to save space. I work on the RAW's of course, the JPEG's I use them to send the pictures to my client or upload on the social media. Now what do you think about the backups, where should I do it ?

      Just Shoot Me
      Just Shoot Me
      Legend
      January 10, 2018

      I have a couple of questions.

      1) Do you record both RAW and JPG in the camera?

      2) Or are the JPG images generated from the RAW files after you import the RAW images into LR?

      3) It the external hard drive that you want to store images on always connected to your computer?

      john beardsworth
      Community Expert
      john beardsworthCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      January 10, 2018

      To manage the raw and JPEG pairs together, LR needs them to be in the same folder. So you can't have the raws on the EHD and the JPEGs on the computer. You do know that LR can edit the pictures whether they are on the computer or on an attached EHD?

      One idea is to generate smart previews, then move the raws and JPEGs onto the EHD. This means that you can edit the images (to some extent) even if the EHD isn't attached.

      simonsharayha
      simonsharayhaAuthor
      Known Participant
      January 10, 2018

      Thank you for your reply! Actually i was thinking of the smart preview but I don't want to put load on the SSD I have. I have over 600GB worth of photos (RAW and JPEG). I know that LR saves the smart preview in the same location where LR installed, correct me if i'm wrong.

      Just Shoot Me
      Just Shoot Me
      Legend
      January 10, 2018

      LR places both the normal preview and Smart Previews in the same folder the catalog is in and NOT in the same folder the actual LR Program is installed to.

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