Backup strategie for Lightroom Classic

[default7t78mtrc5r51]

Hi everybody,

I want to set up a backup strategy for my lightroom catalogue and RAW files (DNG actually) on a network location. Of course I want it to be the more easy to do as possible for a regular use.

The catalogue part is easy with the existing lightroom tool. The RAW files part is more tricky I'm afraid, as I don't want to backup the entire folders but only a subset of it (not all my rushes but only the published images). The initial backup is easy, I can just select my images with lightroom attributes filters, "export as a new catalog" and put it on my network location. But after ? Of course, I don't want re-export all the files each time I do a backup, only the new or modified ones and put them in the existing backup catalogue. I can't see any easy way to achieve that.

Does anybody have already set up such a configuration or have idea how to do it ?

thanks for your advices,

Pascal

[dj_paige]

Advice: do not create a backup strategy that backs up just SOME photos, depending on whether or not you have published them or not. With a strategy that only backs up the published photos, and there is some disaster that harms your original files, then a file that you might have wanted to publish tomorrow is gone forever, no backups.

Advice: create a strategy that backs up 100% (that's all, every single one, no excpetions) of your photos. Much easier to do. There are many software applications that will do this for you, on an automated basis, no human intervention or confusing logic needed.

[hbbk]

hi

Don' know if you can do that only with LR but with help of an external program such a freefilesynch for ex this could be done easily. Add something sepecific in the name of the files you want to backup (for ex -published) and do the back with a filter on that part with freefilesync...FFS will backup only new an dmodified files.

This is how I proceed, I backup automaticaly (ffs have a batch mode) nightly and this work pretty well 

hope that help

[dj_paige]

"Don' know if you can do that only with LR but with help of an external program such a freefilesynch for ex this could be done easily. Add something sepecific in the name of the files you want to backup (for ex -published) and do the back with a filter on that part with freefilesync...FFS will backup only new an dmodified files.

This is how I proceed, I backup automaticaly (ffs have a batch mode) nightly and this work pretty well"

This doesn't overcome the problem I mentioned, which is that if you only make backups of published photos, then that photo you are planning to publish tomorrow isn't backed up, and if a disaster strikes, no backups, its gone forever.

[JP Hess]

Unless you have the option selected to write changes to XMP files, there are no changes be written to your DNG files. Yes, I know, there are no XMP files with DNG files. But when that option is selected then the changes are written directly to the DNG file. But if you don't have that option selected then the changes are only saved to the catalog and nothing at all is ever changed in the DNG file. Those files are simply left completely unmodified.

[TheDigitalDog]

Backup anything and everything you can't afford to ever lose. And back that up to multiple drives/locations.

DNG is useful in this regard, you can embed the metadata instructions for edits AND a rendered JPEG of the current processing (previews). I'd use ONE catalog, Save Presets to Catalog, back all that up, DNG camera profiles (unfortunately scattered around the OS but embedded in a DNG), all images etc. Daily. 

I have a daily backup unattended (at night) using a software utility, and everything is also backed up to the cloud (BackBlaze), I rotate external HD's of all my LR data, one is always in a fireproof safe. Belt and suspenders, you'll be fine. 

[Jon-M-Spear]

I back up my LrC folders with Acronis True Image.  It is flexible and customizable.  I individually back up various master raw and post-prod folders across several drives.  It works flawlessly.  

[default7t78mtrc5r51]

Thanks everybody for your useful advices and informations.

thanks for the tool's pointers. I'll check thoses.

About backing up everything or just published images : "published" in my first post maybe not the exact word, "selected" would be more accurate. I keep everything on my local drive, never deleting a image and it's 1,7To right now + 7 or 800Go/years. As long as I have free space on my local RAID 1 drives I don't have any interest to delete anything but I don't want (and actually I can't for many reasons) safe this amount of data on expensive NAS space. So I keep on "Backup anything and everything you can't afford to ever lose" as thedigitaldog said and I don't think that mean just everything.

The problem that is not resolved is how can I tell an external sync tool which images are to select as lightroom folders are organized by date and the selection information are only internal to LR catalog... I guess I have no other choice than a manual and not so simple process inside LR.

thanks again,

Pascal

[dj_paige]

So I keep on "Backup anything and everything you can't afford to ever lose" as thedigitaldog said and I don't think that mean just everything.

I will not attempt to speak on behalf of @TheDigitalDog, so here is my opinion on what he said. If you don't want to back it up, then you must think it is not important, and then you should delete of it. Every photo (and other important file) that you choose to keep (that's 100% every single one, no exceptions) should be backed up. Again, that's my interpretation and may not be what thedigitaldog meant.

[GoldingD]

see: https://www.acronis.com/en-us/articles/computer-backup/