My Cloud EX2 Ultra remote access and Lightroom

[sallym92435132]

I'm a photographer and save all my images onto a WD MyCloud EX2 Ultra NAS drive (Raid 1).   I edit in Lightroom and am working on a MacBook Pro with OS Catalina.  My Lightroom Catalogue is saved on my computer hard drive.  

I can access my images remotely, but I'm trying to work out how to remotely access my photos via Lightroom so I can upload and edit while I'm away from home.  

Anyone know how to do this?

[JohanElzenga]

You can't access Lightroom Classic remotely, unless you keep your computer running and access the computer over a VNC connection. Lightroom Classic does not allow its catalog to be accessed via a network and/or store the catalog on a network drive.

[sallym92435132]

Thanks for the reply Johan.  Is that the case with all NAS drives?  I thought I'd read that you can access Synology drives remotely with Lightroom.

[JohanElzenga]

Thanks for the reply Johan.  Is that the case with all NAS drives?  I thought I'd read that you can access Synology drives remotely with Lightroom.

By @sallym92435132

You confuse two things. Your images can be on a NAS, your catalog can not be on a NAS and can not be accessed via a network.

[JP Hess]

One way would be for you to generate smart previews for the images you want to work on while you are away from home. The smart previews would be generated on your computer hard drive. You would be able to edit the smart previews with the external hard drive disconnected, and the editing performed on the smart previews would impact the master images when the external hard drive is reconnected. Of course, this would assume that you will disconnect the external hard drive and take your MacBook Pro with you.

Another approach would be to create a collection of the images you want to work on and synchronize that collection. Then, even from another computer, you could log on to Lightroom.adobe.com With your Adobe ID and password and have some limited editing capabilities. Or, if you install the cloud version of Lightroom on your MacBook and have it with you you could edit the images in the collection that you shared.

[sallym92435132]

Thanks Jim, good suggestions.  I've got two scenarios coming up....one where I would like to have access to my entire 2022 catalogue on a 2 day printing course - I don't want to select which images to work on in advance.  The other, where I will be taking photographs every day for a week and would like to upload and edit at the end of each day.  I will have my laptop with me on both occasions.  Creating smart previews would work for the second scenario, not sure how to resolve for the first.  

[JP Hess]

If you're going to a printing course, the problem with working with smart previews is that they are not full resolution. And, working remotely with Lightroom.adobe.com doesn't give you any printing capabilities. So I don't know what to tell you other than maybe get another portable SSD that you can transfer your entire library of images to. There's just not capability for working remotely with LrC other than what I outlined before.

[sallym92435132]

Yes, I think a portable SSD is going to be the way to go.  Thanks for replying Jim - appreciate it.