Shifting the catalog to Dropbox

[joelh33703351]

Working with the latest LR version on a Dell laptop. My catalog has gotten too large and I need to put the work in the cloud. Contemplating shifting the catalog to Dropbox and wondered if anyone had any experience with how successful that has worked out for them. I'm up around 3tb and while I am moving to a desktop, I think it best I offload the bulk of the work. thanks, 

[Rob_Cullen]

In one word- DON'T...

Catalogs often become corrupted when working from Dropbox - even if there is a local version on a hard-drive (necessary for LrC.)

"Offload" your photo files to a large external drive, or even run your Catalog from an external drive.

MOVING PHOTOS- 2 Methods

Move Your Lightroom Catalog | Laura Shoe's Lightroom Training Tutorials and Tips

[Bill Sprague]

Do not put the catalog on DropBox.   It is best to keep the catalog (*.lrcat) file on your primary drive.   It is highly unlikely that your catalog file itself is that big.  Your cataloged but independent image files may fill that much space!

If it were me, I would buy an external drive.  Then, using Lightroom Classic itself, transfer files the files to that external drive.  Once the drive is installed and registered in LrC it is an easy drag and drop process.  

[GoldingD]

I'm up around 3tb 

I recommend that you use Windows File Explore to show what files, folders, etc are in the hard drive, and specifically the LrC is in. Have the file extensions shown (not hidden) have the file and folder sizes shown. Take a screenshot if that and post in a reply. This so other members can get an idea on what is going on.

Some suspicions, and some items to see if they exist:

• Backup folder in wrong hard drive, that is on same drive as working catalog.
• Old backups that might no longer be helpful (you would need to look/decide)
• Several old catalogs that are from previous versions if LrC, before upgrades.
• Library preview folder for old unused catalogs (see above)

Also, in case it is in a different drive or other media, where do you keep your original photos?

Remember that Adobe does not recommend, nor support placing the LrC catalog on a network share, be that an actual Server, a NAS, or the Cloud. Some try this, but eventually the catalog gets corrupted.

Also note that while Adobe does state they support placing the photos on the Cloud, in troubleshooting documents, they contradict that and state that is problematic. Some have luck.

Also one wrinkle with OneDrive (yes I know, off topic, sort of). Some have automatic sync/copy with OneDrive in place for their catalog.Typically due to Microsoft trying to force use of MS accounts instead of local. Disable that, it eventually fouls up. If your Library path includes the words OneDrive in it, fix that.

'Some links on not putting catalog on network share:

• https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/kb/catalog-faq-lightroom.html

Some links on space:

• https://mastering-lightroom.com/lightroom-space-part-1/
• https://mastering-lightroom.com/lightroom-space-part-2/

[joelh33703351]

Thank you. Not going Dropbox, will go external HD. Dumb question - I can get rid of earlier LR catalogs?

[Bill Sprague]

Thank you. Not going Dropbox, will go external HD. Dumb question - I can get rid of earlier LR catalogs?

By @joelh33703351

Yes you can get rid of earlier catologs.  The idea is to keep only enough that you have a backup in case of a failure.   

[dj_paige]

Thank you. Not going Dropbox, will go external HD. Dumb question - I can get rid of earlier LR catalogs?

By @joelh33703351

Yes you can get rid of earlier catologs.  The idea is to keep only enough that you have a backup in case of a failure.   

By @Bill Sprague

It's not clear to me that the OP was talking about backups at all. The OP said "earlier LR catalogs". This doesn't sound like a backup to me, and in fact if he is discussing true eaarlier catalogs (like the LrC 12 catalog while using LrC 13), these cannot be in any way used as a backup.

[joelh33703351]

I have attached PNG showing both my catalogs and my backups. I also always save another copy to a portable HD when I import. I understand from many of you that I need to shift my catalog to a portable HD attached to my new computer (have not purschased but looking) but my concern is that I have 10K raw photographs and since I sometimes use focus stacking I have some photos that are 2 gigs. How do I figure out my storage needs? Where can I learn how much space the 10K files take up so I can plan how large an HD drive to get? Thanks

[GoldingD]

395 backups? Rethink that. Are they incremental or  (more likely) full backups? If via LrC, then full. Why?

Do you have additional backups as well? Common practice is 3-2-1, Three backups, one original backup, two copy's of the backup, see:

• https://www.veeam.com/blog/321-backup-rule.html#:~:text=As%20a%20widely%20embraced%20data,of%20media....

This often via one hard drive, internal or external connected to computer and kept their, one external that might be disconnected and stored elsewhere when not in use (think theft) and one offline such as Cloud. NAS can also be used.

One point. Do not keep backups on the same hard drive as the original data. If (when?) that hard drive fails, then both original and backup will be lost.

[GoldingD]

That second screenshot, `that apparently was to show the catalog file structure/contents does not.

[Bill Sprague]

..... How do I figure out my storage needs? Where can I learn how much space the 10K files take up so I can plan how large an HD drive to get? Thanks

By @joelh33703351

In Windows, you use File Explorer.  If your images are in a master folder, right click on that folder and select Properties.  It will tell you how much space is being used.  If your folders are spread out, you will have to check the properties of the various scattered folders and add it up.  

[dj_paige]

Thank you. Not going Dropbox, will go external HD. Dumb question - I can get rid of earlier LR catalogs?

By @joelh33703351

You have given us no information about what is in those earlier LR catalogs, or ever what they are named; and so we cannot know whether or not you will need to save them or not. However, YOU can open these earlier catalogs and see what is in them, and make the decision to keep them based on that.

[dj_paige]

Catalog should not be in a folder which is really a cloud drive. DO NOT DO THIS.

Why don't you figure out what is really taking up space on your laptop's hard drive instead of thinking that LrC catalog is the problem?

[joelh33703351]

will do