Forcing redownload of photos from cloud?

[phil_pav]

Hello,

I have several photos in Lightroom Classic with only the smart preview downloaded even though the original exists in the cloud. Is it somehow possible to force LrC to redownload those pictures or to reset a collection to download the images again?

Thank you!

[JohanElzenga]

I wonder if that is correct. Lightroom Classic never downloads a smart preview if there is an original in the cloud. That's an option in the mobile apps and in Lightroom to save space, but not in Lightroom Classic. Lightroom Classic always downloads what's in the cloud, so if it downloaded a smart preview, then that means there is only a smart preview in the cloud. And no, there is no option to reset the download so it downloads the image again.

[JohanElzenga]

By the way: the most likely explanation is that Lightroom Classic did download the original(s). They were either stored in the default location, or in a folder you specified in Preferences - Lightroom Sync. That folder is currently offline however, so the image is missing. If you have smart previews, then a missing image does not show the infamous exclamation point, but only 'Smart Preview' below the histogram. That may be why you concluded that Lightroom only downloaded a smart preview.

[phil_pav]

I have all RAW files synced from LR mobile so that I can edit the original versions on my other devices. As soon as I create a panorama, enhanced photo, or edit a photo in Photoshop then only the smart preview gets uploaded by LrC and the originals reside only on the computer they were created. Hence, I tried to find a workaround to upload the original versions. I installed Lightroom Desktop and dragged the panoramas and PSD files to the synced Lightroom album, and the original versions are now available also in the cloud. But in LrC on my other device, the original versions don't get downloaded. 

This is an example of an image on Lightroom Web. You can see that I can download the original version here.  

Thank you!

[JohanElzenga]

But in LrC on my other device, the original versions don't get downloaded. 

That is as expected. Lightroom Classic can only sync one single catalog to the cloud, even if you use it on two different computers. So Lightroom Classic cannot be synced on your other computer as well.