Transfer catalog and photos to external drive?

[Lonny34553405e09x]

I have read about this on several sites and Im still confused.

I have a lightroom classic catslog and all associated photos on my Macbookpro (4tb drive). The main folder is all my photos from 2023. I want to back these up to an external drive and free the space on my computer for this years (2024) photos.

1. I used the EXPORT AS CATALOG from the File menu.

This appears to have backed up the photos on my external drive.  However they are still on my macbook. 

Im just very confused about what seems like it should be a simple procedure.  Im reticant to delete anything without understanding how this works. in iphoto its so easy (Move your photolibrary to an external disk-1 step!).

Can I please get some solid, step by step direction to backing up my ohotos and catalog so I can remove 2023 from my laptop to make space? I intuit that I keep the same catalog (am I correct) on the laptop but point it to 2023 files on the back up disk. Then save the 2023 files on the computer. Will I then see a 2023 AND a 2024 folder and be able to access all my work? Each Year I move the files off but they still show up in the same catalog so that in ten years one catalog will access ten years of hotos on different external disks?

THank you!

[Bill Sprague]

You probably know this first part. 

Backups come in parts.  Inside Lightroom Classic you should be creating periodic catalog backups to ensure you have a recovery plan for a rare corrupted catalog. 

That backup catalog, all your photos, videos, word documents, reference files, etc need a backup plan outside of Lightroom.   That's a hardware and operating system thing.  Many (including me) use a program like GoodSync to keep backups on dedicated external drives.  Others use cloud storage like Backblaze.   The idea is that when your computer itself fails, burns up, gets lost or stolen you can recover.   Remember that your photos are not "in" Lightroom, they are separate and referenced (or "cataloged") by Lightroom.  

Part two is moving photo files to an external drive to make room on your computer.   You must do this within Lightroom.  If you don't Lightroom won't know where they are.   There are a couple ways to do this but my favorite is to "drag and drop" in the Folders section on the left in the Library module.   You pick images or folders and drag them to your external drive.  It seems slower that moving files in your operating system, but Lightroom does not get confused!

My catalog remains on my fast primary drive.  My current image files are there too.  Older image files are on my external drive that has to be replaced every few years with a larger model!   My single Lightroom Classic catalog keep track of all of them.

Did I answer your questions?

[dj_paige]

I want to back these up to an external drive and free the space on my computer for this years (2024) photos.

Can I please get some solid, step by step direction to backing up my ohotos and catalog so I can remove 2023 from my laptop to make space?

Let's stop right here. Backup means you have (at least) two identical copies of your important files, meaning Catalog file and photo files. If you free up the space on your computer, then you are not making backups. This is not recommended as a backup process, and these are not backups. Maybe you have other backups somewhere else that hasn't been mentioned, which is fine.

To move photos, there is no exporting in this process. You simply use your operating system to move everything to somewhere else. Then you will have to reconnect the photos in Lightroom Classic's Library Module, see this document (particularly Figure 4)

Next, as mentioned by @Bill Sprague , leave your catalog on the internal disk of your computer, and all photos are imported into this one catalog (not separate catalogs for separate years). Furthermore, make your life simple, put the photos on the external drive straight out of the camera, use the Import panel named Destination to put the photos on the external drive when importing and then you won't have to move the photos once a year; rather than putting the photos on your internal hard drive and then doing this move (which clearly is causing you problems) every year.

[Lonny34553405e09x]

1. I have all the originals always on the cards I shot them on Labeled by Date range.

2. I also have regular time machine Back ups of the computer. I know this wont cover If I delete the photos on the computer but it does give working backups of current photos and the catalog. Then I have the photos Backed up on the external 4TB NVME SSD which is instantly backed up in a raid configuration so its duplicated. This is a fast drive I can work off of in real time. Lastly I have the very same photos backed up to another Spinning disk in a raid configuration so I literally have like 5 backups (I run apublishing company and am crazy this way). 

Since I have used the EXPORT AS CATALOG feature and my 2023 photos seem to have been moved to the external disk do I just back up my catalog by dragging and dropping? AND..........How do I let the catalog on the internal disk know to now look for the photos on th external backup? If I do this are all the edits preserved and ranking, favorites, tags etc?

THank you both VERY much!

[Lonny34553405e09x]

1 last: Since I have preferences set to back up every time I leave light room is that saving a duplicate Catalog in a separate location in case of corruption? I know my time machine backups will do this. But it looks to me like using the backup feathure in LR just saves the catalog to one location (not as a duplicate in case of a problem.)

[Lonny34553405e09x]

OH sorry, I see the zip file in a folder called backup. I assume thats the backed up catalog? THank you again!

[dj_paige · Accepted solution]

How do I let the catalog on the internal disk know to now look for the photos on th external backup? If I do this are all the edits preserved and ranking, favorites, tags etc?

Good that you have backups. I am consistently shocked by how many people don't have backups.

Regarding the question above, have you actually looked at the exported catalog and tried to use it? I am assuming from your description that this exported catalog ought to work properly without any other effort on your part.

[Lonny34553405e09x]

 I see the dated folders from 2023 and their contents. Lsee no .lrcat or .lrcat-data file. I created a TEST folder on this drive a copied a file into it from the moved catalog. When I use "add folders" it tells me "this is a suspected duplicate" (it is!) and wont let me import. When I put a different photo in that is NOT in the moved catalog it imports it and adds the photo under folder and photo libraries. 

1. I assume it has not moved the photo back onto the internal drive? THis seems borne out by right clicking and selecting "reveal in finder". 

So......Having exported all my original photos to the external drive do I then A. RENAME the catalog folder on my Laptop then B. Import the catalog from the external disk, C. then start a 2024 folder on the lap top?

Then over years I'd keep working on the Catalog on my laptop and it will show me a list of libraries by year? 

Question: When I search for a tag or for 5star photos will it search all available libraries or just the one on the coputter.

Thank you!

[Lonny34553405e09x]

OH and yes I just bought two no 4tb SSD so Ill begin importing all new photos to the backup disks and not the computer. 

[dj_paige]

Not understanding. You say "So......Having exported all my original photos to the external drive", but I thought you exported the catalog to the external drive as well. Now you don't state that fact, and you can't find the catalog file. Did I misunderstand about exporting the catalog? If you did export the catalog, it doesn't have to be in the folder you show there. You should always know where your catalog files are — and if you don't know, then search the entire disk (using your operating system's search feature) for files whose name ends with .LRCAT

A. RENAME the catalog folder on my Laptop then B. Import the catalog from the external disk, C. then start a 2024 folder on the lap top?

Really unclear what you are trying to do here. As far as I understand what you are trying to do, there is no renaming, no importing of a catalog, and you can create any folder you want for any reason you want. But really, you can simply let LrC create folders for new years for you automatically, by choosing the proper Import settings. I never create new folders for new year; I let LrC do it for me.

Then over years I'd keep working on the Catalog on my laptop and it will show me a list of libraries by year?

Have you decided to go with one catalog now? You haven't said so.

Question: When I search for a tag or for 5star photos will it search all available libraries or just the one on the coputter.

If you have one catalog, it will search every photo in the catalog, regardless of what disk the photo might be on.

so Ill begin importing all new photos to the backup disks and not the computer.

Please stop calling the files on these disks "backup". They are not backups in any sense of the word. The photos you import to the external disk will be your ORIGINAL photos.

[Lonny34553405e09x]

1. I Understand the distinction about "back up" i call it that because its a Raid and the primary files are instantly duplicated to a mirrored disk. And, backed up to a second raid. 

2. I've started my new year and thats of the external disk. 

3. IUsed the EXPORT CATALOG feature for my 2023 folder. It put copies of all the photos in their folders on my external disk. I cannot see that it actually duplicated the .lrcat folder and put that anywhere. All I need to know now is how can I can direct LR to those back up files so I can delete the files on my computer to free up space.

THank you.

[dj_paige]

There still should be a distinction between the original file, and a backup file. Nevertheless ... you have backups.

When you Export as Catalog, LrC asks you to put the exported catalog into a folder somewhere. This is the first dialog box you will se when you select File->Export as Catalog. You need to always know where your catalog file (and folder containing it is). If you don't, use your operating system's search feature and search that disk for all files whose names end with .LRCAT, and once you find it, make sure you remember where it is from now on.

[Lonny34553405e09x]

Im still very confused. I have a folder in my LR catalog named "2023" it has 16,894 photos and is 959.81 GB

A. I highlighted it and selected "Export as catalog" to an external disk labelled photolibraries. 

B. I see that folder on the disk I exported to. It has 9770 items and is 556.78 GB-Many folders are missing. 

C. I know where my LR catalog and the backups are (Laptop hard disk: Users: Admin:pictures:lightroom)

What I want to know is: (A) how can I copy my folder "2023" and all its subfolders to an external disk B. Point lightroom to it so I can continue to access that content to work on it. And confidently delete the FOlder "2023" from my laptop? 

I Just want a single catalog that will eventually show me and search all photos by year. Again, in iphoto this is a no brainer....Just back up the photo library, click on it and your good to go.  Not so here.....(Not criticizing just saying its not obvious to me why when I selected "Backup Catalog all the foldrs and filers were not included.)   Thank you. 

[Lonny34553405e09x]

OK ID raged and dropped within lightroom and that seems to be doing it. Thank you everyone.