Switching from Raw to Smart Preview in Creative Cloud

Question

Hi everyone,

I have a question regarding an iPad centric workflow and the combination of Lightroom CC (mobile) and Lightroom classic.

I will start by importing raw files in Lightroom mobile during a vacation for example. Back at home I will sync my album (including lots of adjustments in the images) to Lightroom classic. Since I uploaded raw files both storage on my iPad and the Creative Cloud storage will be very limited.

Scince I have the raw images now in Lightroom Classic and thus on my Mac I would like to take advantage of the Smart Preview. Basically after downloading the raw files on my Mac I'd like to delete the Raw files in the cloud and on my iPad and instead replacing them with Smart Previews which would have been created if I would have started my workflow on the Mac and uploaded the RAW images in Lightroom Classic. Is this somehow possible?

justdennis84 · Accepted Answer

Mobile Workflow with permanent storage on a desktop: How to free up space on the mobile device and in the cloud:

First: What I want to do is Upload and work with raw files on my iPad. After the work is done I don’t need the full size raw files either in the cloud nor on the iPad anymore and would be happy with the smart previews instead.

At the end I store my full size raw files on a desktop but still have a fully mobile workflow. This is the workflow I came up with:

Import Raw Files to the iPad camera roll
Import from Camera Roll into Lightroom Mobile and deleting the raw files from the iPad Camera Roll
Sync Album with Lightroom Classic
Lightroom Classic will download the original raw files to the desktop
Lightroom Classic will create smart previews and upload them to the cloud
After the smart previews became available on the iPad: Empty cache. This will delete the original raw files from the iPads “Lightroom storage” and replaces them with the smart previews.
Stop Sync of the album in Lightroom Classic
Delete the relevant pictures within the folder “All synced images” within Lightroom Classic. This step will delete the original raw files in the cloud. However it will not delete the pictures in the album.
Activate Sync of the album again. This will upload the smart previews to the cloud.

After activating the sync again, the iPad will receive the smart previews. In the process no changes to the image, either made on the iPad or desktop, have been deleted.

Michael J. Hoffman · Answer

Not only is it possible, but this happens automatically and is the ONLY way you can work with Lightroom Classic.

The original, full sized files are uploaded to the cloud when your iPad syncs, where they queue up waiting for your Desktop with LR Classic CC to come online. When that happens:

1. The full sized originals are synced down to the desktop and stored on the local system in the location designated in your LR Classic CC preferences.

2. Smart previews are generated in the background for all new originals received.

3. The smart previews are pushed back to your Creative Cloud storage

4. The originals are deleted from the Creative Cloud and replaced with the smart previews.

With a LR Classic CC workflow, there is no option to permanently maintain original files in the Creative Cloud storage.

Mike

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