How do I transfer the "edits" from one hard drive to another??

[LaurindaS28]

Hi there, I am a photographer that recently added a lot travel into my business norm so I'm carrying and using my laptop and an external hard drive a lot more.

My bottom line goal -- While traveling, I want to be able to put photos onto my external hard drive, sync to my laptop and edit. Then, when I get home to my big desktop, I want to be able to transfer those photos WITH THE EDITS onto the desktop and then clear out the smaller travel external HD for the next business trip.

So far, I'm able to easily sync the pictures into my desktop, but the editing work is not transferring with it.

Can someone help me out??

[JP Hess]

When traveling and using your laptop computer and external hard drive, you want your catalog and your images on that EHD. When returning home you can start Lightroom on your main computer using the catalog that you always use and import from the catalog on the external hard drive. That will import the images as well as all of the adjustments that are contained in the catalog on the EHD.

[LaurindaS28]

Thank you for responding.

I think I'm seeing where the disconnect it, but I'm not sure how to remedy it.  My files on the EHD are just in regular file folders. Once I put the pics onto my EHD, and do some edits, should I be exporting them in a specific way so that I can then import a catalog vs a raw image?

[dj_paige]

There is no importing or exporting of photos.

You export a catalog (not photos) by using the  command File->Export As Catalog on the laptop. You use the command File->Import from Another Catalog on the desktop.

There is no importing or exporting of photos.

[JP Hess]

The catalog is the only place where your adjustments exist. Lightroom uses the catalog to display your image and then applies the adjustments that have been stored in the catalog. The image file itself doesn't change. If you put the catalog on the EHD along with your images then all you have to do is switch the EHD between computers.

[kentdesign]

Jim Hess is absolutely correct. So you now simply need to copy your entire Lightroom folder, which is by default in the Pictures folder on a Mac, to the Pictures folder on your EHD. Just be sure that all the files inside the Lightroom folder are copied to the EHD.

Those files would include:

the Lightroom Catalog.lrcat

The Lightroom Catalog Previews.lrdata

and if you had made them, you would also have a file called Lightroom Catalog Smart Previews.lrdata

and if you had previously set your preferences in Lightroom to keep the settings with the catalog, then a Lightroom Settings folder will be there also.

[dj_paige]

When you get home, connect the EHD to the desktop, then start Lightroom on the desktop, then select File->Import from Another Catalog and in the dialog box that appears, navigate to and select the catalog from the laptop on the external HD.

[pc58928560]

hello all,

I’d really like some help on this.

I’d like to be able to work with Lightroom on photos that are on a hard drive.

I’ve worked and edited them, but would like to be able to access them while I travel without carrying my hard drives around.

Is there a way to sync up my external hard drive with Lightroom without it being there?

Many of them have missing exclamation marks. I know where they are located on the drive and they pop up when they are plugged in but would like to just be able to upload the worked files into Lightroom without needing the drive.

I feel like I’ve tried everything and I don’t want to “sync” without losing the work.

[dj_paige]

Without your hard drive being there, you need to create Smart Previews (assuming your LR is new enough to create smart previews, but if it is LR 6 or LR CC2015 or LR Classic CC it will do this). Of course, this takes up space on your internal hard drive, but not as much space as the photos themselves.