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MichaelMarkham
Known Participant
October 30, 2023
Question

Transferring edited photos from one computer/catalogue to another.

  • October 30, 2023
  • 3 replies
  • 2127 views

Hey,

I keep all my photos in Lightroom Classic on my big Windows desktop at home. I convert all of my RAW files to .dng upon import. Often, either for work or family I will import photo's I've taken into the Lighroom Classic Catalogue on my laptop (also Win 11) for editing when away from home. I save the files (Ctrl + S) after editing them, which as I understand it is supposed to save all the edited setting in the .dng file's metadata.

When I get home I'd like to transfer the photo's with all the edit's I've made onto my desktop computer. I copy the .dng files to a thumb drive and then import them into Lightroom Classic on my main machine which puts them in the appropriate folders, etc. I have tried this several times and my edits never seem to come through.

 

Am I doing something wrong? Is there some other/better way to do this? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Best,
Michael

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    3 replies

    dj_paige
    dj_paige
    Legend
    November 2, 2023

    Better way to do this: export a catalog from the laptop. You can select the desired photos to be in this exported catalog. Copy the exported catalog file to the desktop, then File->Import from Another Catalog and select the catalog you just exported.

    M
    MichaelMarkhamAuthor
    Known Participant
    November 16, 2023

    So what the hell's the point of .dng files? I thought they were supposed to carry the edit metadata with them?

    Conrad_C
    Community Expert
    Conrad_CCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 16, 2023

    It's two different levels. What you are doing should work (Save Metadata and Read Metadata), not sure why it isn’t. But XMP metadata stores edits only at the individual image level. It can’t store anything about how an image relates to other images, in other words, the other info in a catalog.

     

    That is where export/import catalogs comes in. The catalog database can also store information about image relationships, including which collections or projects (slide shows, print jobs, book layouts…) an image is a part of, and the catalog is also what tracks virtual copies. So if you ever wanted to preserve all that, DNG/XMP is not enough. You would then want to export a catalog containing those images, and you could either use the exported catalog alone, or import it into another catalog like at another computer.

     

    But, really, that is all a digression you might not have to get into. Because the fact is, the Save Metadata/Read Metadata method should be working, and should be all you need if you are only trying to transfer individual image edits.

    M
    MichaelMarkhamAuthor
    Known Participant
    November 2, 2023

    I should add an ademdum, After importing I even try right clicking - Metadata - Read Metadata from file and I don't get anything.

     

    Best,

    Michael

    DClark064
    DClark064
    Inspiring
    October 30, 2023

    Maybe you should do a CTRL-R.

     

    I don't use DNG files in the way you describe.  When I am traveling and using a LR catalog on my laptop, when I get home I move the RAW files and the catalog to my desktop computer, then import the travel LR catalog into my main LR catalog.  That gets all the edits into the LR catalog.  I may need to use LR to find the top level folder with the travel RAW files, and then move or rearrange the folder/files as needed. 

      M
      MichaelMarkhamAuthor
      Known Participant
      November 2, 2023

      Yeah, that's part of the reason I'm asking.  It was my understanding that all develop metadata got saved to the .dng file. that's part of the reason I started using them so if I needed to non-descructively give someone my edits I could. And I was trying to avoid always having to make new catalogs and import them etc. But if that's what I need to be doing, I'd love someone form Adobe to say that, or tell me why the dng files are not working as advertised.

      As for CTRL-R, I see that finds photos in Explorer. Is that what you were referencing? I know where all the files are. That's not a problem.

      DClark064
      DClark064
      Inspiring
      November 2, 2023

      Sorry, CTRL+R is wrong.  What I was thinking is Metadata>Read Metadata from File.

      I see that you gave that a try and it does not help.

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