Albums are missing after migration from Lightroom classic to Lightroom

[Arien__]

After migrating my catalogue to Lightroom, all 65K photos are there, but no albums. I realized a bit too late that the albums would be based on collections, not my imported folders. Should I delete all photos from Lightroom, create collections in Lightroom CC and migrate all over again or can I, after the sync at some point finishes, go back into Lightroom CC and create collections which then can be synced to Lightroom? Or will this just be a mess? 

[JP Hess]

I have not migrated a catalog from Lightroom Classic to Lightroom. However, it is my understanding that collections are ignored, and the way the images are migrated and organized is the way it is done and trying to create collections in Lightroom Classic isn't going to change anything. The migration is what it is. You cannot expect to have things organized in Lightroom the way they were organized in Lightroom Classic.

[Arien__]

It says on this site : 

NOTE:

Collections of your photos in Lightroom Classic automatically become albums in Lightroom. (It says that smart collections are ignored, though). 

So to the ones who have experience with this, it would be great to know if collections will sync to albums if I create them in Lightroom classic now, after migration?

[JohanElzenga]

Jim is wrong, collections do migrate as albums (and do sync). Creating collections in Lightroom Classic now would only work if you sync your Lightroom Classic catalog, and if you sync the collections you create. Adobe does not recommend to keep a migrated catalog synced as well. The idea of migration is that you move to Lightroom desktop, not use both.

It is probably better to start again. Remove all photos from the cloud, rename your Lightroom Classic catalog (needed because otherwise you will get an error saying that the catalog has already been migrated), create the collections and migrate again. If I remember correctly, collections sets will migrate as cloud folders ('album sets'). They do not sync however, so that is another reason why migrating again may be a better idea.

[Arien__]

Thanks a million for you support Johan! Also, the sync to cloud is stuck, so hopefully it will be better when I try again. What are the best ways to delete everything from both cloud and desktop? And my catalog and photos in lightroom classic will not be affected by deleting on cloud and Lightroom, right?

[JohanElzenga]

The quickest way is probably to use Lightroom desktop. Deletions will sync to the cloud, so you only have to delete the images there. Your Lightroom Classic catalog will not be affected.

[Theresa J]

Are you migrating to Lightroom because you want to switch from Classic to Lightroom? If you migrate your photos you should discontinue using Lightroom Classic going forward.

If you wish to continue using Classic,  you should sync individual collections instead of migrating. 
Do you understand the difference between the applications and how they work together? If you continue to use both applications without understanding this you may create a big mess of duplicated photos.

[Arien__]

Hi Theresa_J

Ah, I understand that there is a lot I do not understand. 🙂 Thank you for trying to enlighten me and I hope you can explain a bit further.

Sync vs Migration is a very good point. If it is possible to continue using both Lightroom and LR classic, that is what I want. How do I do this? If I now delete everything from Lightroom desktop, I will be back where I started.

What you suggest is to sync one collection at a time. This means changes in the collection in classic will be updated if I make changes in the album in Lightroom and vice versa? 

How do I sync collections and is there something in particular I need to do to prepare?

Thank you again, this is extremely helpful. I find the world of Ligthroom a bit of a jungle to be honest.

[Theresa J]

Lightroom is a jungle. Adobe calls the jungle, the Ecosystem. I have a course on LinkedIn Learning about the ecosystem to help you navigate the jungle. Here's a link. 

https://www.linkedin.com/learning-login/share?forceAccount=false&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin...

Here's a link to the help docs that show you how to sync a Lightroom Classic collection to Lightroom.

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/how-to/sync-photos-lightroom-mobile.html

When you sync a collection changes made in Lightroom will show up in Lightroom Classic. When you upload photos to Lightroom, they will download to Lightroom Classic. For this reason you should delete everything in Lightroom before you sync your Lightroom Classic catalog to it. Otherwise you will end up with a bunch of duplicates.

[Arien__]

Thank you so much for your help. It is a jungle, indeed! How about cloud storage? I have recently signed up for the 1TB and want all my photos saved on the cloud. Since I want to use both Lightroom and classic, should I start syncing from Classic or from the new lightroom? And will it duplicate photos on the cloud if I sync from both? (I hope it is smarter than that..)

[Theresa J]

Why do you want to use Lightroom and Lightroom Classic together? Things can get really confusing if you do, and it sounds like you are already confused enough. Using both apps together on the same computer is not recommended.

Do you want all of your photos is the cloud because they are safely backed up there? Or do you want all of your photos in the cloud just so you can have access to them anywhere you are?

[Arien__]

Hi again, I want to both have i) access to a good editing tool with smart import/export solutions, ii) access to my photos from anywhere and iii) safe storage for my photos. This is why i want it all:

i) well, that's obvious, I guess? It seems to me the new Lightroom gives very few options. Question is, would it work to go back and forth; importing in classic, working in Lightroom and exporting from classic. ii) I have a big job ahead of me, sorting old photos, deleting rubbish and I figure it will be easier to do a bit of work on it every now and then on an ipad while traveling, instead of having to slot a time to sit down with my disk and mac, as that "never" happens. iii) I do want safe storage and I considered using a different storage, but price-wise, it made sense to use Adobe for it all. 

Would this only create a mess or could I use Lightroom classic on my mac and Lightroom on my ipad and phone? 

Or, is Lightroom classic available for phone/ipad and does it work well? If so, I should probably stick to classic, as long as I still can put all my photos on the cloud? 

[JohanElzenga]

Importing in Classic, editing (the synced smart preview) in Lightroom and exporting from Classic is very well possible. Lightroom Classic is not available on the iPad, only Lightroom for iPad is.

[Arien__]

Hi again Theresa, I just started watching your course, thank you for the link. I will not use both Classic and CC on the same computer, but would like to use CC on the ipad and classic on the computer. I see your other questions above as quite sentral. As I explained below, I do want both safe back-up of my photos, but is that possible for my Classic catalogue? To me it seems like the cloud cannot be used for back-up of my photos on lightroom classic? Does it only store smart previews? Or, since I'll opt to sync (not migrate) to CC, will the files be uploaded to the cloud from CC, like it does with photos added directly to CC? 

[Theresa J]

Classic syncs smart previews, not the originals. You can NOT use Classic to upload your original photos to the cloud.

[DdeGannes]

The horse has already left the stable, however the link below will provide an article with useful info.

https://www.lightroomqueen.com/migrate-from-classic-to-lightroom-cloud/