Copying files in lightroom

[pennicottlane]

Due to technical issues, I have only one copy of many of my images - on my laptop hard drive. I want to copy these onto 2 separate external hard drives (and ultimately remove them from my laptop). I do not want to risk losing the images completely by moving them without first copying them. What is the best way of doing this in lightroom please?

[gary_sc]

Hi Pennicottlane,

Good idea to do this while you're not having issues.

Here's a very good video of what that intails. Let me know if you have any other questions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9B0lq6GJZc

[JP Hess]

It isn't really necessary to use Lightroom for this purpose. You can simply use your file browser (Finder on the Mac or File Explorer on Windows) as a simple method of doing this. Or, you can utilize backup software that would do it for you automatically.

There is an option in Lightroom in the import process that will allow you to store a second copy in another location. That second copy is not part of your Lightroom process, But it would enable you to send the second copy to that external hard drive. There is not an option to send the third copy, however 

[gary_sc]

Hi Pennicottlane,

If the images are not in your catalog than yes, you can simply do this in the finder. However, since you mentioned you wanted to do this in Lightroom I assumed that the images were IN your catalog. If they are in your catalog, you do need to do this in LR or you'll have to go through the process of "finding" the image in Lightroom to show LR where they are. 

If you have questions on this, please ask otherwise you will be giving yourself some unnecessary extra grief time. 

[JP Hess]

It's possible to copy images to an external hard drive even if they are in Lightroom. The copy process using Finder or File Explorer will have no effect on the catalog, nor will they have any effect on the images in their present location. The copy process will simply create a copy of the images on the external hard drive, basically the same as what would happen if using a software such as Time Machine.

We are not talking about moving images. I read the inquiry as making copies of images. However, if the OP really wants to ultimately move the images, then following the procedure under part two in this link will really help. (I went back and read the initial question again). Follow this procedure after copying all the images to the external drive.

http://www.computer-darkroom.com/lr2_find_folder/find-folder.htm 

[dj_paige]

There is no way to COPY files to another disk in Lightroom Classic.

The only option in Lightroom Classic is to MOVE files.

So this COPYing of files to two different external HDs can only be done in your operating system.

[gary_sc]

Hi DJ,

I used to think that as well but the video I linked ti, Terry White shoes how it CAN be done. Check it out.

[dj_paige]

Mr. White is talking about doing a MOVE. He consistently uses the word MOVE. He does not show how to do a COPY. He does not use the word COPY in the video.

[gary_sc]

Hi DJ,

He doesn't say he is making a backup of the images (which would be only the Copy), and the vast majority of time people want to get their images OFF of their main drive because they are taking too much space, I did assume that that was his intent. If all he wants to do is to have a copy of the images, without any of the keywords that he's added, any of the corrections that he's corrected, any of the functionality of what he's done in lightroom on these images that he's copying to a 2nd drive, than sure, that can be done in the Finder/Explorer. But if he does want to make room on his main hard drive, and have access to all of the work he's done in Lightroom, he will find it best be done via moving them.

If he's going to do just a copy, he best be advised of what the ramifications of such an action are. 

HTH of why I suggested what I did. 

[dj_paige]

The OP didn't use the word backup, but essentially that is what copying the photos to 2 external hard disks is, a backup of those photos. Backups (or copies) of the photo files don't need keywords or edits, those are in the Lightroom Catalog. (The catalog file also must be backed up somehow, but that doesn't seem to be the question at hand)

So what ramifications are you talking about?

[Jens Gaethje · Accepted solution]

Hi

Having had the same question and not finding it fully answered, I wanted to add the way to  COPY Image Files from within LR Classic on a Mac.

1. In Library folders tab, open the folder with the images to copy, select them and click command +S to save all the metadata to the photos on disk.
2. Rightclick the folder you want to copy to, and click show in Finder > Finder window will open
3. Go back to LR (command +tab (App switcher) select all photos you want to copy and start dragging, so they are hovering "under" your cursor
4. While holding the images under your cursor, use command+tab (App switcher) to switch to Finder, and drop them in the desired window. The files will start copying
5. Switch back to LR, right click the folder holding the new copys (still shows 0) and choose "sync folder" to have LR registering the copies including their edits/metadata

Once familiar with thsi workflow its very fast.

This works great on Mac OS

Switching Apps while holding files under your cursor also works with hot+corners, or via the App icons in the Dock,

you can freely drag and drop between different Apps these ways.

Hope this helps!

😊

[richardplondon]

You have responded to an old thread (from 2020).

Also, like nearly all the other posts, you have somewhat mixed together the two questions than were asked.

The OP wanted to know 1) how to make backup copies of their primary image FILES onto a different drive for safety, and whether LrC could help them do that or whether some other method was needed - so, that would not change the Catalog's locations for these. This is a file backup question. I would add, saving LrC edits to file first is fine to do but that is only partial information - so having Catalog backups happen and including some recent Catalog backups in this same safety duplication to other storage, as is done for the image files, is far more important to do IMO.

then SEPARATELY 2) how to proceed in some future scenario where they wanted to change where some images lived (as seen within the Catalog) to some different drive, for space reasons.

[Jens Gaethje]

There are certainly several ways to create proper backups of your files and LR catalogue. However, as far as I understand I have answered the original OPs question, which is how to copy files from within LR to another location (drive) without loosing the files on the existing drive. The fact that this thread is 4 years old does not stop it from being one of the first search results in Google for the question how to copy files in LR.

[dj_paige]

The much simpler method of copying files is simply to do the entire copying process in your operating system, something I assume everyone knows how to do. No need to switch back and forth between LrC and your operating system and no need to do part of the process in LrC and part of the process in your operating system.