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windhover_uk
Known Participant
June 7, 2024
Answered

Working with two external SSD drives

  • June 7, 2024
  • 1 reply
  • 531 views

Hi guys, thanks in advance for reading my post.

I use a Macbook Pro, I do not store images on my internal hard drive. Instead all my images are on my External 8Tb SSD drive. My only catalog is on my internal SSD drive on my Macbook Pro.  

Currently my workflow is. > capture images > download from SD card into LR Classic > Cull / Process images.

Now I have an additional 2Tb SSD card that I want to use while travelling to store, cull, rate, and edit photos while on the move. When I return home I want to get all the images over onto my external 8Tb SSD drive complete with edits and any other data I have applied. 

How do i do this ? Can anyone explain easily ? Could you kindly point me to a link or post where I can learn the correct way to achieve this please.

I have done some digging but I always seem to find conflicting advice and end up down a black hole lol

Yoiur help woud be appreciated.

I'm guessing its a simple answer but I havnt found it yet....duhhhh

Ta. !!!

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer dj_paige

3. If I folllow you right... >  copy  (not move) over the images from 2Tb external travel SSD to 8Tb external SSD > using LR not Finder ?

 

I specifically said: using copy using your operating system

 

and then use "Updating folder" instructions (thank you for link) to re-point so to speak, LR to my images on 2Tb external ? which will update all the metadata from my 2Tb external over to my 8Tb external so LR knows where everything is >  and once I am sure everything is copied over > erase the 2Tb and then ready to go again ?

 

That's pretty close, but I am going to re-write parts for clarity: 

 

and then use "Updating folder" instructions (thank you for link) to re-point so to speak, LR to my images on 2Tb external ? This points LrC to the images on the 8TB disk

 

which will update all the metadata from my 2Tb external over to my 8Tb external

 

there is no update of the metadata, its all in the catalog file and doesn't need to be changed or updated or moved

 

so LR knows where everything is >  and once I am sure everything is copied over > erase the 2Tb and then ready to go again ?

Correct

 

ADVICE: go take some 5-10 meangless photos, like photos of the bottle of ketchup in your fridge, in "travel mode" and store them on your 2TB, edit them using your "travel" catalog; and try this procedure out before you do it with real meaningful photographs.

1 reply

dj_paige
dj_paige
Legend
June 7, 2024

So just to make sure I understand, you come home after travelling with a separate SSD with your photos and a "travel" catalog. You want to merge the travel catalog into the "permanent" catalog which is on the internal disk of your Macbook Pro, and you want the travel photos on the External 8TB.

 

  1. Plug in the disk with the travel catalog
  2. In your "permanent" catalog, File->Import from another Catalog and select the travel catalog.
  3. Once that finishes: using your operating system, copy (not move) the photos from the "travel" SSD to the "permanent" SSD
  4. Point the "permanent" catalog to the new location of the photos by following the instructions in "Part 2 — Updating Folder Location" of this document.

 

 

    W
    windhover_ukAuthor
    Known Participant
    June 7, 2024

    Hi dj_paige and many trhanks for replying. 

    Your understanding was almost complete... but your kind reply was beneficial, I do however need to read it again and inwardly absorb but I got the drift of it...

    1. I use a Macbook Pro 2023 16inch maxed out. 

    2. I store ALL my photos on an external 8Tb SSD drive (desktop SSD plugged into power, not drawing power from my laptop). I have LR Classic (recent version) on my MBP. But no photos on my internal hard drive, however my main and only catalog is kept on my MBP internal drive. 

    3. My workflow to date is > download images using my MBP into LR > then work on my images with my external 8Tb SSD plugged into my laptop. This has been my method for years.

    4. Up to recent, I have taken my external 8Tb SSD with me to download images to, but its a pain. So I bought a smaller plug and play 2Tb SSD external so I can plug it directly into my MBP at the end of the day, download everything,  and then cull, rate, edit etc.

    5. Upon returning home, I'd like to offload everything from the 2Tb external SSD, complete with matadata onto my external 8Tb SSD (not to my internal drive on laptop) then wipe the 2Tb external SSD ready to use again. ( It is easy for me to shoot several thousand images in a burst using my Olympus OM-1 in Pro cap2 mode )

    So your reply was virtually correct, with the exception that I dont download to my internal drive but to my 8Tb external SSD.

     

    If I follow your guide correctly...

     

    1. Connect my 8Tb external  desktop SSD to MBP,  connect 2Tb travel SSD to MBP (I have already pointed LR classic to my 2Tb external SSD by creating a folder in that drive, LR can'see' it because it shows in the library panel)

    2. In my 'permanent' catalog in LR  > File- > Import from another Catalog and select the travel catalog.

    3. If I folllow you right... >  copy  (not move) over the images from 2Tb external travel SSD to 8Tb external SSD > using LR not Finder ? and then use "Updating folder" instructions (thank you for link) to re-point so to speak, LR to my images on 2Tb external ? which will update all the metadata from my 2Tb external over to my 8Tb external so LR knows where everything is >  and once I am sure everything is copied over > erase the 2Tb and then ready to go again ?

    Thanks again......

     

     

     

     

     

    dj_paige
    dj_paigeCorrect answer
    Legend
    June 7, 2024

    3. If I folllow you right... >  copy  (not move) over the images from 2Tb external travel SSD to 8Tb external SSD > using LR not Finder ?

     

    I specifically said: using copy using your operating system

     

    and then use "Updating folder" instructions (thank you for link) to re-point so to speak, LR to my images on 2Tb external ? which will update all the metadata from my 2Tb external over to my 8Tb external so LR knows where everything is >  and once I am sure everything is copied over > erase the 2Tb and then ready to go again ?

     

    That's pretty close, but I am going to re-write parts for clarity: 

     

    and then use "Updating folder" instructions (thank you for link) to re-point so to speak, LR to my images on 2Tb external ? This points LrC to the images on the 8TB disk

     

    which will update all the metadata from my 2Tb external over to my 8Tb external

     

    there is no update of the metadata, its all in the catalog file and doesn't need to be changed or updated or moved

     

    so LR knows where everything is >  and once I am sure everything is copied over > erase the 2Tb and then ready to go again ?

    Correct

     

    ADVICE: go take some 5-10 meangless photos, like photos of the bottle of ketchup in your fridge, in "travel mode" and store them on your 2TB, edit them using your "travel" catalog; and try this procedure out before you do it with real meaningful photographs.

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