Syncing between LR Mobile and LR Classic without using Cloud Storage 2024

[Kingbingo1]

My current workflow is to sync Photos to LR Mobile.  Then LR Mobile syncs to LR Classic on my desktop.  I have a location where the photos are synced on an external HD,  Pictures 2024>Mobile Uploads>yyyy-mm-dd.  

First, the sync doesn't start until I open LR Mobile.  Isn't there a way this can happen without me having to open LR Mobile?

I got a message saying my Cloud storage was getting full.  I realized that the photos being synced are also being stored on Cloud storage.  So will my workflow have to change to cleanup the Cloud Storage periodically? Is there a way to bypass the photos being stored on the Cloud? 

I also want to confirm that when I delete photos in the Cloud that they will not cause some sync to delete the photos that were stored on my external HD. 

[Rob_Cullen · Accepted solution]

Some of the workings of 'Sync' as I know them-

1) Photos stored locally on a local hard-drive, and added to the Lr-Classic catalog can be synced from Lr-Classic Collections up to the Lightroom Cloud. They 'go to' the Cloud as small proxy files (aka Smart Previews).  These proxy files do not use any of your Cloud storage- nil, nothing. So files synced UP from LrC do not affect Cloud storage.

2) Photos you Import or Add to any 'Mobile' version of Lightroom (phones, iPads, including Lightroom-Desktop on the Mac)  are synced up to the Cloud as full-size files and do occupy Cloud storage. They also then download as full-size to the preferenced folder on a local hard-drive {Pictures 2024>Mobile Uploads>yyyy-mm-dd. }.

3) Now if ALL files in the Cloud have downloaded to the Mac, they can be deleted from the Cloud and they remain in the preferenced local folder.

Some have stated they do not want to use Cloud storage at all- and that can be done by using Lr-Classic for your 'Master' DAM (Digital Asset Management)., and Lightroom-Desktop in 'LOCAL' mode only on the Mac. Lr-Classic is referencing photos locally, Lightroom is 'browsing' files locally.

The question to ask yourself is- Why do you want to sync photos to the Cloud?

[Kingbingo1]

Hi Rob,

I do not want to sync to the Cloud. I just want Photos be auto imported to LR Mobile so that they are synced to LR Classic on my desktop. If there is a way to do this without going through the Cloud, that would be fine with me. Based on #3, I can safely remove the photos uploaded to the cloud to save storage space. Thank you. 

[F. McLion · Accepted solution]

If using LR Mobile for the import, it's not possible to circumvent the cloud.

[john beardsworth · Accepted solution]

I think you meant "My current workflow is to sync import Photos to LR Mobile."

So:

• "So will my workflow have to change to cleanup the Cloud Storage periodically?" - Yes
• "Is there a way to bypass the photos being stored on the Cloud?" - No

The key is that when a photo appears in All Synced Photos in LrC's Catalog panel, at that point you know it is safely on your hard drive. Now you can remove it from ASP and the cloud space is cleared.

If you then want the photo online, add it to a synced collection or to ASP. This syncs to the cloud a "smart preview" which doesn't count against your 20gb.