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

[Timo31395880hsfw]

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!

[Sameer K]

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)

[Jim Wilde]

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.

[Timo31395880hsfw]

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:

1. Shot 150 photos
2. At Location A (Pforzheim): Connected camera, imported into LR Classic (Account A), edited the photos
3. 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]

Concrete example from yesterday:

1. Shot 150 photos
2. At Location A (Pforzheim): Connected camera, imported into LR Classic (Account A), edited the photos
3. 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?

[Timo31395880hsfw]

Hi @JohanElzenga,

"Is that really such a big deal?"

For 150 photos and a one-time transfer? No. But consider the real-world scenario:

The SSOT problem:

• Day 1: Edit in Pforzheim → XMP to USB
• Day 2: Continue editing in Bruchsal → now which XMPs are current?
• Day 3: Back in Pforzheim, edit some more → USB again? Overwrite? Merge?
• Multiply this across 112,000 photos over months/years

Where is my Single Source of Truth? Which folder do I copy to? Which XMPs are the latest version? This becomes unmanageable fast.

What would actually solve this:

Adobe hosts XMP metadata in the cloud (they already do for Lightroom CC). Why not offer:

• Auto-sync XMPs to a cloud location tied to my account
• Partner accounts can subscribe to this XMP feed
• LR Classic auto-reads changes - no manual folder management

The infrastructure exists. The file format exists. It's just not connected.

A USB stick works for a weekend trip. It doesn't work as a permanent multi-location workflow for a large library.

[JohanElzenga]

A large catalog fits on a USB portable drive too. You have a 112,000 images catalog, I have a 200,000 images catalog. The total size of my catalog folder is about 500 GB, and that includes normal previews and smart previews for all my images. That still easily fits on a portable USB drive, so instead of just taking XMP files with you, you could backup your entire catalog folder to a USB drive when you finish working at location A, and replace the catalog folder at location B with that backup before you start there. And vice versa. Use a 4 TB SSD drive, so you can also store new images on that drive.

I understand that this would be less ideal than some clever synchronization option (so do file that request), but that option is wishful thinking for now, while using a portable USB drive works today.

[Timo31395880hsfw]

Hi @JohanElzenga,

Thanks - I see what you're suggesting. A portable catalog on a 4TB SSD would technically work.

But this creates a sync triangle:

• External drive (master?)
• PC at Location A (copy?)
• PC at Location B (copy?)

Which one is the source of truth? What happens when I forget to sync before leaving? Now I have three potentially conflicting catalog states.

Also: This still doesn't solve the two-account issue. The catalog belongs to one Adobe account. If I work on the external drive at Location B logged into Account B, am I not still locked out of cloud features tied to Account A?

Your workaround trades one problem (edit sync) for another (catalog version control).

The cleanest solution remains: Adobe enables cross-account sync natively.

[JohanElzenga]

This still doesn't solve the two-account issue. The catalog belongs to one Adobe account. If I work on the external drive at Location B logged into Account B, am I not still locked out of cloud features tied to Account A?

Lightroom Classic catalogs do not belong to a specific account. You are not locked out of cloud features such as Generative Remove or any other edit features that require internet. The only thing that is indeed locked to one account is if you sync your catalog to the cloud. If you do that, then you have to decide which account syncs the catalog.

Alternatively, you could use a system where you export new and edited images as a (temporary) catalog and import that catalog at the other location. That way you can use two different catalogs, and still share all the edits between these catalogs so you do not have to do all the work twice.

Yes, if you use the method where you copy the entire catalog folder, then you do have to make sure that you don't forget to do this before you start working and after you stop working. That requires discipline, but because it's something you do every day this should not be too difficult. But if you do not trust yourself with such a workflow, then don't do it.

The cleanest solution remains: Adobe enables cross-account sync natively.

Yes it is indeed and I don't dispute that. But keep day dreaming that this will soon solve your problem.

[Timo31395880hsfw]

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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:

1. Sync an album from LR Classic to the cloud


2. Open Lightroom Web in a browser to share


3. 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!

[JohanElzenga]

"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'.

[Timo31395880hsfw]

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]

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.