Lightroom CC - storage location of photos

[urss76743067]

Dear community,

I have been searching for this online for a while, but didnt find an answer (or I just misunderstand it). Try to describe my problem as best as I can:

My general question is: Where are the imported photos from Lightroom CC (the new one, phone or Laptop) saved?

All I can find is "the original files are saved to the cloud...".

I would like to add here, so that you know what I mean:

Lets say I am taking pictures on vacation with my DSLR, import them to Lightroom CC on my Laptop. I might even put them in an album. Do some adjustments.

To be honest I am really used to what they now call Lightroom Classic. But it all works perfectly.

I was just wondering where all those pictures are stored? It says its all in the cloud. But when I check my Creative Cloud folder, i dont see the new pictures.

As far as I understand, all my adjustments etc are stored on my adobe account. So when I get home, open Lightroom Classic, the pictures will appear (in case I put them in an album on my Laptop). The original file though: Am I supposed to import those pictures again on my home computer?

Please let me know if you need more information. I greatly appreciate some tips (knowing this is pretty basic and I just probably dont yet understand the logic)...

btw: In LR Classic I set the "location for LR ecosystem pictures" to be in a folder which is also in the creative cloud.

br, martin

Discussion  moved by moderator from Adobe Creative Cloud to Lightroom CC

[john beardsworth · Accepted solution]

As it says, they are stored in the cloud. But you don't see them in your Creative Cloud folder - they take up some of that space, you just don't see them.

If you only used LRCC, that would it - one original stored in the cloud. Delete it, and it's gone forever. You can store copies locally (it's a preference) up to the limit of the space you allow LRCC to use.

Because you also use Classic and are syncing your catalogue, the originals uploaded by LRCC are automatically synced down to the Classic and into the "location for LR ecosystem pictures". So at this point, you have an original file in the hidden bit of the cloud, and also the original file in whatever folder you want. You don't have to import again.

Clear as mud?

[urss76743067]

hi john

thank you very much for making this clear. it starts to make sense now for me...

I just checked in LR CC. It says: "storage location for originals:". If I understand you correctly, this is only for copies of the originals.

As long as I dont turn on my home computer with LR Classic on it, the originals will not show up (?). When I do, the specified folder, defined in LR Classic "ecosystem files " will start to fill up and I can work with them at home.

It seems quite practical - thank you again for pointing that out with the hidden part of the cloud!

[john beardsworth]

urss76743067  wrote

I just checked in LR CC. It says: "storage location for originals:". If I understand you correctly, this is only for copies of the originals.

As long as I dont turn on my home computer with LR Classic on it, the originals will not show up (?). When I do, the specified folder, defined in LR Classic "ecosystem files " will start to fill up and I can work with them at home.

Correct. From a Classic-user perspective, it's a debating point whether the files in "storage location for originals" are originals or copies of the originals. I feel they are my originals.

As long as you don't open Classic on your home computer, remember that the photos only exist once in the cloud. So if you do delete a photo in LRCC before you know it is in Classic, you will have deleted your only copy of the file and there's no way back.

I recommend that you are very cautious about using LRCC and Classic together. Adobe have deliberately failed to make them work together properly. For example,  keywords entered in LRCC don't update Classic, so as far as I am concerned they wasted their effort adding keywords in LRCC and I advise Classic users to ignore keywording in LRCC. But you are asking the right questions and if you just treat LRCC as being LR Mobile on your laptop, you should be OK.

[urss76743067]

thank you john, this was really helpful for me. at first, this was all a bit confusing (i am a LR Classic user, whi hopes they dont kill it)...

But now, it starts to make sense. i try to summarize (just to be sure):

1. i can take photos on the way, either with the dslr or smartphone. then add them using LR CC (ADD PHOTOS). I can also start making little adjustments, like stars or delete some. even develop.

2. If I have an internet connection, the picture originals will be stored in the cloud, but hidden.

3. they will also be stored locally on the path I can specify on LR CC. thats like a backup on the laptop.

4. When I come home, turn on LR Classic on the PC, the hidden files will start showing up in the Creative Cloud folder I specified as the "ecosystem folder* in LR Classic.

5. I can move the files on my NAS or whereever I want, when done editing.

6. the copied files mentioned in 3) on my laptop will stay there. I can delete them and this has no impact on my catalog.

Sorry to write so much. Just want to be sure if I understand this correctly.

Thank you !

[john beardsworth]

Yes. I'd just emphasize the point about not getting too clever with this, even if you know what you are doing. Think about my "treat LRCC as being LR Mobile on your laptop".

[Jim Wilde]

urss76743067  wrote

4. When I come home, turn on LR Classic on the PC, the hidden files will start showing up in the Creative Cloud folder I specified as the "ecosystem folder* in LR Classic.

If I am reading this point correctly, I think you're making a mistake. Think about it.....you upload images from whichever LRCC app you used, they go up to the cloud and are stored within your cloud allowance. Then back on your computer, you start Classic and it immediately starts downloading those new images to your hard drive....but if you've specified somewhere in the Creative Cloud folder to be the place that you store your ecosystem downloads, so what will immediately happen is that the Creative Cloud app will start uploading those images back to the cloud. Then, because they're a different part of the cloud to your LRCC images, they'll also count against your cloud allowance! But maybe I'm reading too much into your comment.

Personally, I specify that all such ecosystem downloads get automatically added into my Classic-managed folder structure. That way ALL my images, no matter what the source, are contained within the one file structure on my local hard drives.

[urss76743067]

Thank you Jim,

I believe you are right. By placing that ecosystem folder in the CC, it will then be uploaded twice (the "hidden" files are still around).

This ecosystem folder only serves as an input folder for me, when I am importing pictures on my laptop. What I usually do afterwards is moving those pictures to another location (NAS at home). This way, that ecosystem folder is only temporary.

As John points out, I should not play around too much (say, using kewords in LR CC and then expect them to show up in Classic).

I am still using Classic as the main instrument, not CC. I am not sure whether Adobe will push CC and ultimately kill Classic. but I guess thats another topic.

You brought up another question: Its regarding those files which are hidden: They will stay in the cloud, even when I already moved the pictures to my NAS? That makes no sense to me, because if someone is really taking lots of pictures, imports them via CC, wants to keep them: It would be wise to move them to another location, right? Otherwise, you need TBs of online storage, thats not what I want...

-->As I understand, the only way to delete them is when I also delete them in my catalog(?).

Thanks again for your time!

br

[john beardsworth]

I agree with Jim's point and I think you understand it too.

"Its regarding those files which are hidden: They will stay in the cloud, even when I already moved the pictures to my NAS? That makes no sense to me, because if someone is really taking lots of pictures, imports them via CC, wants to keep them: It would be wise to move them to another location, right? Otherwise, you need TBs of online storage, thats not what I want..."

Yes, that's potentially lots of space. So you might want remove originals from the cloud after a period, and you can do this either by deleting the files in LRCC (only after first ensuring you have them in Classic!), or by unsyncing them in Classic.

[MontyMontgomery]

You may already know this, but you can see all of your photos online at lightroom.adobe.com

Monty

[john beardsworth]

I do One way to think of this is that lightroom.adobe.com is LRCC-Browser, just like you have LRCC-iOS, LRCC-Android, and LRCC Mac/PC. These are what Adobe call the LRCC ecosystem, and LR Classic is outside it but can communicate with it.

[SkyScraperJon]

Context: New to lightroom, I have only used Lightroom CC

If what you said is true,  when you run out of storage on the cloud, where do the photos go? it is not like lightroom cc doesnt let you import/edit photos if you are out of cloud storage.

However I am here to ask another question: In lightroom cc you can make folders and albums: Are those folders/albums artificial, in that they do not exist it is just graphical?

I am wondering because I am getting an external ssd and I do not know how to organize it....

It seems like you upload photos onto your computer from the camera, those are in dated folders, and lightroom cc is just a graphical interface for organization. The  files are not put elsewhere and organized as you organize them in lightroom cc

Furthermore, I looked in the "originals" folder within lightroom cc library and it only had a handful of photos. I do not know what lightroom is deciding to put there at ALL. They seem to be copies of my originals as the originally uploaded (from my camera) are also there.

My best guess for how everything is working: It seems like the organization in lightroom cc is just graphical and structure data is stored on the cloud without any actual folders existing outside the cloud. Photos are saved up to your cloud storage and the amount of storage you are paying for is the limit. However,  the cloud saves your edits, and the the memory of edits and which photo is saved to cloud without limit?

Actually check this: I just checked my creative cloud storage and I am using 67%, but when I go to "open folder" or "view on web" both are empty. When i got into my creative cloud folder on my computer, I am even uncovering hidden files (I have a mac). How are both places empty but I am using 67% of my storage? soooooo confused

@urss76743067

[margaret burrell]

I too am new to this and it's confusing the hell out of me!  I don't really want to store my images in the cloud - although having a back-up of my .lrcat file there would be useful - and don't use the app on my mobile devices.  I essentially just want the updated version of LR6.  I want to be able to choose how my files are stored (eg as .dng files) and add the keywords at the time of upload. Does that mean that I should use LR Classic instead, and just use the same workflow that I'm used to?

[Stephen W]

I have nothing but respect  for anyone who has the energy, know-how and perseverence to use Lightroom CC.

Personally I find the software a complete nightmare and will be abandoning it just as soon as I am sure I can retrieve any image of mine that might have been hoovered into the Cloud.

I neither need nor want my images somewhere in cyberspace.  I'm at one with Margaret Burrell and will be reverting to an old version of LR Classic.    I understand this option is now going to be supported by Adobe ... can anyone confirm this?

Yours with a headache

[Rob_Cullen]

Reply to Margaret

Does that mean that I should use LR Classic instead, and just use the same workflow that I'm used to?

Yes!

Forget Lightroom  (Lr-CC the Cloud version) entirely!

[Soundings]

I have stuck with Lr Classic and shall continue to do so. It is a shame though as I do like LrCC and would happily use it if it were not for the fact that I am forced to use the cloud.