Syncing LR Catalogue across Windows and Mac (Metadata not saving on .dng files but does for .tif)

[ryanlucenkiw]

I have a Windows Laptop and a Mac desktop. The Mac has been my main computer for years, but I have started using the laptop while away from home. I am trying to set it up so that I can have a seemless expereince transfering from one to the other. 

I am using Dropbox and am now accessing the same catalogue from both computers. Most of my files are kept on external hard drives that travel with me. 

I have been noticing that my metadata changes aren't being picked up by the other computer.

Any edits that I make, star or colour ratings won't apply to the other machine. 

I have noticed that there is one exception. Color and star ratings do show up on the other computer for TIF files. They do not transfer for DNG files. 

The TIF files are usually when I have already edited a photo in Photoshop by right clicking in LR and selecting edit in PS. 

Since a large chunk of the work I do in LR is culling and organization and rating, being able to access the same catalogue across computers doesn't do much for me.

Has anyone else run into this problem or know a solution?

[dj_paige]

You don't really say clearly — are you trying to use the metadata to allow sync across, or are you trying to use the same catalog and synchronizing via Dropbox?

The problem with Dropbox (and other similar cloud sharing services) is that they update on their own schedule. Yes you can force some sharing services to update when you want, but even then there may be a lag. And perhaps the reason you are not seeing edits and other metadata this way is because these are not being saved to the files (or in the case of raw sidecar files). The default mode of operation of Lightroom Classic is to NOT write this info to xmp.

[ryanlucenkiw]

Thanks, I had considered that option too, but admittedly I do need a better data storage situation too. I currently have three external hardrives. I only have so many usb ports on my laptop and may be working off one drive that the catalogue is not on. Dropbox too me seemed to simplify the situation. 

I do have tons of photos I would hate to lose and am considering a NAS system which I imagine would not be super portable either. 

It seemed to me like Dropbox was the most convenient solution for storing the catalogue. 

[ryanlucenkiw]

I am doing more research and I suspect XMP sidecar files are probably the culprit. I am trying to access the same catalogue - and all my work- across both computers seemlessly. 

[JohanElzenga]

Using one and then same catalog on both a Windows and a Mac computer causes the following problem. Windows uses drive letters, but MacOS uses disk names. That means that one one of the two computers the images will be missing. Using Dropbox to sync the catalog does not change this. Lightroom can't write a sidecar file to a missing image, so how did you tackle this problem (if at all)?