P: Should be able to Sync full raw files to the cloud, not just smart previews

[Jao vdL]

Lightroom Classic, like Lightroom CC (what a confusion this naming causes!) should be able to upload full raw files to the cloud and not just smart previews. This is clearly a missing feature. This is especially handy if you mainly use Lightroom Classic because of its much more powerful editing and ability to actually print but would love to edit the full image from other machines.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

@Johan_Elzenga Thanks - better to know the facts.

[uweb86147253]

When I was trying to explain my wife how syncing of Lightroom Classic ans Lightroom mobile works, I (again) realized that syncing is NOT a well designed nor a well programmed feature.

And again, I realized that the missing feature is to be able to sync the Lightroom classic catalogue. This would instantly enable:

- work with the Photos on multiple computers (home, on the road, even modile phone)

- easily share full res images (the current limitation to the "smart previews" is terrible). Currently, only an export to a seperate cloud service works, which is again creating inconsistency and does not enable contributing by others.

- sort and develop photos jointly

Maybe, the backward compatibility gets lost, but that has happened before, so that is not an argument against developing such a syncing feature. Also, it is software, so there is no technical reason against it, since Adobe has proven the feasibility with the Lightroom ecosystem.

So, please "simply" add the same sync feature to Lightroom classic.

[evikne71]

I am sure many have asked for this before, but I couldn't find any ideas I could vote for. My biggest wish is to have all my original files available everywhere, without having to connect an external HD to my computer. Unfortunately, the LR CC is not relevant to me until it has the same features as LR Classic.

So I wish LR Classic also had the ability to store original files in the cloud. It should be optional of course, and you should be able to choose which files you wanted to store in the cloud and which to store locally.

I would gladly pay a higher subscription price to have this option.

[Wurstkrapfen]

Yes some simple switches that can also be used on mutliple files like:
"replace smartpreview with orignal"
"replace smartpreview with lossy compressed original"
"replace original with smartpreview" (to be able to clear cloud space again if needed)

Would make life and cloud backup so much easier.
At the moment classic is creating another local copy if you push your oringal into the cloud and you end up with the same file twice on your drive (do that with a 2TB collection).
Or you are forced to use LR cloud desktop that still spams your C: drive and genrally also uses up a lot of diskspace you don't care since you are using LR classic and just need this to organize cloud backups.

[Wurstkrapfen]

That phone sync to lr classic actually can work. You just need to have a shared autoimport on LR mobile and those file then sync to LR classic into the download folder you set in the sycn settings.

After that you can move it in your desired folder but you have to manually delete the orignal from the phone if you want to free up space, and reshare it manually as a smartpreview.

[Wurstkrapfen]

Of course that would also need some adjustment in LR mobile for the "story files locally" setting, it would also need a "store smartpreviews locally" and "store originals locally" switch, wouldn't want the phone to suddenly need to download 2TB, especially without working background sync on Android.

[just eirik]

It would make life so much easier for some of us.

I only edit on iPad and someotimes I don't edit all my photos. So after a while I've offloaded the photos to LrC on PC and removed them from the cloud. If I could sync them back to my iPad in full resolution, I would not have to use my PC to get my final full resolution jpegs.

Actually, why is it not possible? The "regular" version of Lightroom on desktop is able to do it, why not Classic? What is the reason for this?

[JimHess]

Because that is the way Adobe has designed the two versions of Lightroom. The "regular" version (as you refer to it) is designed specifically to enable the user to put full-sized images in the cloud. Lightroom Classic, on the other hand, is designed specifically to only enable the user to send smart previews to the cloud. As far as I know, that isn't going to change.

[just eirik]

What would be the harm in letting us select a group of photos in LrC to sync to iPad in full resolution though? Like what aspect of anything is ruined by that? 

I edit on my iPad. I use my PC for storage. I mostly use LrC to have a quick way of finding older photos I want to edit. (Windows takes forever to open folders with tons of files and doesn't show previews for my raw files.)

The way it works now I have to go back to my PC to to get my final jpegs because I don't have the full res files on my iPad. 

I just... I don't understand why we can not have full res syncing from LrC. Sure, my 20gb fills up faster, but it's just temporary. I don't need more than 20gb. If anything, letting LrC users upload full res photos would incentivize buying more cloud storage, I think. I truly don't get this design.

[grayj7988641]

 It is possible to do this in the other direction, but not practical. 

 Since Lightroom and Lightroom mobile are fairly capable, it would be useful to be able to select an album or collection to sync at full resolution originals while using the cloud storage quota. 

An iPad Pro using iPad Lightroom is good enough for many use cases, but the "remove" and other tools sync back to Classic at a low resolution, making them useless for anything but low resolution retouching. 

This could be solved if specific photos or albums could be synced at full resolution. 

[grayj7988641]

 My larger issue is that some tools such as the "remove" tool are worse than useless when exporting full size images. 

 Since it only syncs back the low resolution result, the replaced areas are a blurry mess in full resolution. You could accidentally use that tool on an iPad and submit a full size photo to a client without noticing.

[plaiditude]

Problem: main work and archives are in Lightroom Classic, but often like doing some photo editing in Lightroom Desktop or mobile. When you start the process in Classic, only smart previews will get uploaded.

For me, that is fine most of the time but not always. Some functions are quicker in the Lightroom Desktop, and some functions are quicker or only existant in Classic, so I sometimes move between both. As I work, I will run into an image that I had imported with Classic and I can't zoom in on the smart preview with enough detail to do the editing I'd like. Now I have to decide if I'll just be limited to working in Classic for these images, or do I want to go through all the bother of importing them again in Desktop.

In Lightroom mobile there is an option to "get original". To continue along the same way, I'd like to have one or both of the functionalities below:

a. In Classic a way to click "Upload original" on an image or selected images, or

b. in Desktop a way to click "Get original" on a smart-preview-only image or selected images.

Either/both of these options would eliminate so much complexity in working with images across the different Lightrooms. Please PLEASE please?!?

[Anette3030005901dg]

When Lightroom classic sync a collection of photos to the cloud (Lightroom on the web), it would be apreciated to have the option to upload the full size (high resolution) of the files. Currently a low resolution (smaller) version of the file is uploaded.

[Adam Malooly]

I 100% agree. What a gateway for them to sell more cloud storage as well! Seems like a miss. Have it turned off by default for the basic workflow folks and allow the full resolution to be turned. The sync the other way is so good! backing up photos directly to lightroom mobile while abroad where they all upload to the cloud and then download full res on my desktop and long term storage back home, not to mention access on my laptop via lightroom cc. Would just be great to upload a set of pictures from long term storage to work on remotely at full resolution.

[ccalberti]

Clearly Adobe does not care about customers' comments. 

[Uhl]

I wish I'd seen this idea before upgrading to the 1TB plan and spending a day "syncing" 31k photos! I had no idea only Smart Previews would be available from Lightroom cloud/mobile. 🤦 

Adobe should either do this feature correctly or not use the misleading word "sync". Sync is short for synchronize, which in computing terms means:

cause (a set of data or files) to remain identical in more than one location.

Adobe, please rename this feature "Smart Preview upload" (or similar) until you implement a true "sync" where original files and all metadata are copied to all locations.

[Uhl]

Well, I think I found a workaround. With both Lightroom Classic and Lightroom open on my Mac, I dragged some photos from Lightroom Classic into Lightroom and accepted the import. Lo and behold, those photos then showed as "originals" in the cloud…and no duplicates! 🙌

After this revelation, I spent a day feeding it more photos. There seems to be a ~4,000 photo import limit, so I had to do it in chunks, and each batch took a while. But now all my photos are in the cloud as originals.

I was able to replace OneDrive as my camera roll import solution, so now all photos taken on my mobile devices (both Android & iOS) eventually end up in Lightroom Classic. I say eventually because cloud sync is so slow and flaky. 

[tamarap40954479]

This is great to know, thank you. I'm having the same issue.

About mobile upload/sync, how did you get your iOS photos to end up in Lightroom?

[Uhl]

@tamarap40954479, I installed Lightroom mobile on my iPhone and turned on Photos and Videos import in App Settings. This way, all photos I take with my phone will eventually make it to Lightroom Classic. Lightroom's sync is kind of flaky, so I often have to re-launch Lightroom mobile and toggle sync in Lightroom Classic to force it, but ultimately, everything syncs.

If you're asking about how to get existing pics from Apple Photos to Lightroom, I never had to do that. I've used Lightroom Classic since my first digital camera. If you're okay with losing edits made in Apple Photos, here's an Adobe help page on how to migrate:

• Migrate Apple Photos Library to Lightroom 

[Thomas337255109z82]

• My plan has 1TB of space. This is enough to hold my files.
• I will only use Classic for editing my files.
• I will never use Cloud for editing my files except those rare occasions when something mobile is very useful.

For the life of me, I cannot imagine why Adobe would choose to NOT make a default possible for syncing my Classic catalog to the cloud in full rez. What's the worst that could happen? I have to buy more storage from Adobe?

I hope those at Adobe can see there's a revenue opportunity here.

Adobe, please make this happen, in full rez.

[DdeGannes]

@Thomas337255109z82 , You can create an idea on this issue, just ensure you will need storage for the original image files in Adobe Creative Cloud and a Hsrd drive connected to your Computer. 

[terasankka]

I use Lightroom Classic to to manage my 70k images catalogue. I make collections that I sync to Lightroom (mobile), so can work in them on the go on my iPad or Macbook. The issue is that it only syncs the smart previews and there is no option to sync the full resolution images. 

Adobe, please add an option to sync full res images. 

[Jao vdL]

Add your vote to this very old request: https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-ideas/p-should-be-able-to-sync-full-raw-files-to-th...

[terasankka]

Thank You