I have lightroom classic. Want to share entire LARGE catalog

[straightlife]

A friend who lives in Belgium is willing to help me tag (keyword) the photos in my catalog. He knows most names, faces, locations. We talk and zoom regularly. Should I create a whole new catalog in the cloud?  Using Lightroom CC? Which he can edit and add keywords to? I can do that if that's what's necessary. I'm grateful for any. ideas as to how to go about this. THANKS (we're both on macs) 

[JohanElzenga · Accepted solution]

You cannot create a catalog in the cloud. Lightroom Classic catalogs are local. You can send him a copy of your catalog with smart previews. Then he can edit and add keywords. After he is done he sends it back to you. You should then use 'Import from Another Catalog' and import this catalog.

[straightlife]

But I can create a catalog in lightroom cc, can't I. I thought that's what Lightroom CC does. It stores a catalog in the cloud, right?  Except I don't think he would be able to work on it unless I create a team membership which is too expensive.

[JohanElzenga]

But I can create a catalog in lightroom cc, can't I. I thought that's what Lightroom CC does. It stores a catalog in the cloud, right?  Except I don't think he would be able to work on it unless I create a team membership which is too expensive.

By @straightlife

You can, and you could call it a catalog, but it's not the same as a Lightroom Classic catalog and more important: keywords are not synced between Lightroom cloud and Lightroom Classic. That means it wouldn't work for what you want to do.

[Ian Lyons · Accepted solution]

@straightlife 

The procedure that @JohanElzenga describes above is tried and tested, and works very well for many LrC users requiring input from remote users. The easiest way to share the catalog with 'Smart Previews' is to upload it to Dropbox or similar, then share the link with whomever you're coworking with.

[straightlife]

So he needs to. own his own copy of. Lightroom, correct? Thanks.

[Rob_Cullen]

"So he needs to. own his own copy of. Lightroom, correct?"

Not "Lightroom"!  He needs to have a subscription to the Photography Plan and have Lightroom-CLASSIC installed.

Then he can make edits to the LrC Catalog you provide to him as suggested in the correct answers above.

[richardplondon]

Your friend would need to run his own copy of Lightroom Classic specifically - not "Lightroom".