Skip to main content
D
Dave737
Participating Frequently
June 29, 2021
Question

Question about importing raw files to iPad Pro…

  • June 29, 2021
  • 5 replies
  • 4082 views

Just bought  an iPad Pro 2021 256G version. I have watched a lot of videos about using it to import images rather than into my iMac. While the work flow looks great. As I understand it, when done, full NEF RAW files will be stored on iPad, Adobe Cloud and on my iMac. Great for doing edits on whatever device but 45 MP images will fill a iPad’s SSD card up fairly quickly. How do I downgrade images on the Ipad to smart previews. I know if I go the other direction and import to the iMac, I will have RAW on iMac but smart previews on cloud and iPad. This negates having cloud as a real backup. This also then involves making collection which, as I understand it, if I delete an image on my iPad, it is deleted in cloud and the collection but not in the LR folder. This kills using iPad as a culling device, which it excels at BTW. At any rate, having a years worth of full size 45 MP images on my ipad is not an option. Any thought or ideas welcome. New to mobile CC not Classic so figuring this out as I go…

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    5 replies

    Theresa J
    Community Expert
    Theresa JCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 30, 2021

    The raw images are uploaded to the cloud when your iPad is connected to the internet. They only stay on your iPad temporarily for you to work on them. Over time the full resolution image will automatically be replaced by a smart preview on your device. You can speed this up by clearing the cache in Lightroom on your iPad. Here's how.

    1. From the library, tap the more options (3 dots) in the upper right corner
    2. Tap Settings
    3. Tap Local Storage
    4. Tap Clear Cache. This will remove the Locally Stored Copies.

    To check on the location of an image do this.

    1. Tap on an image to select it
    2. Tap on the cloud in the upper right corner
    3. Most likely you will see Smart Preview for Local and Original for Cloud Backup. This means the photo no longer resides on your iPad.

    IF you imported the raw photos to the Photos app before importing them to Lightroom you should delete them from Photos after they have completed the upload sync process in Lightroom. They do not need to stay in the Photos app.

      P
      Philip5DA9
      Participating Frequently
      June 30, 2021

      Thanks for your advice. This is certainly a great workflow for users, who always have a fast internet connection and have no problem with paying an additional 10€ a month for 1TB adobe cloud space...

      Unfortunately that doesn't work for me.

      Not only is it slower and more expensive to upgrade - it is also a workflow fully dependant on being online. But what if you shoot out in the field, where you have no Wifi/LTE/5G?

       

      Say you chose the workflow Adobe suggests...

      - you pay for your 1TB cloud space,

      - you pay a high price for a fast mobile internet with a really high upload limit,

      - you upload every RAW and have it all synched nicely with your desktop...

      - After a few months or a year you've reached your 1TB limit!

      What then? Simply delete your edits from last year completely? Of course you can export them as original + metadata (edit) on an external backup storage, but then you always have to reimport them, when you need them.

       

      Either way you would always have only your recent work at hand. You would't be able to quickly search for things like: the lighting set up from the last time you were at that same location, the first photos of a long time lapse series, how a person looked like 1 year ago, or simply which settings you used for a photo from last year (or later).

       

      If you had the ability to simply switch from original to preview and back (by relinking the RAW-files) without deleting your edit from the library, the mobile version would be a real benefit!

       

      So please help me here! Maybe I'm just completely lost. I really want to use Lr (mobile), but at this moment I can't. 

      Victoria Bampton LR Queen
      Community Expert
      Victoria Bampton LR QueenCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      March 13, 2022

      I uploaded about 100 GB of RAW files to Lightroom using my iPad. The photos are now on my Lightroom Classic hard drive. I have done basic editing, applied metadata (flags, keywords, copyright, Geotags etc.) and have created several collections separating the photos into categories I will use for editing and export.

      Since the photos are stored on my hard drive, I would like to delete the RAW files from my cloud storage but am not sure how to do that without losing my collections, flags, keywords and other information not stored in metadata.

       

      If I delete them from All Synced Photographs in my desktop catalog I will have my photographs but will I lose my synced collections?Will the collections remain in my Lightroom Classic desktop catalog and resync?

       

      I just want to be sure deleting the photographs from Lightroom Classic's All Synced Photographs won't remove the photos from the synced collections. Should I unsync the collections before removing the photos from All Synced Photographs and then resync them afterward?

       

      The collections on my iPad are now in neat hierarchies -- will they be scattered or will the albums rebuild  inside the Lightroom Mobile folders I've set up to organize the albums?

       

      Is there anything else I should do or a different way to delete the RAW files from my cloud storage?

       

      Thanks!

       

      El


      @bonanza3 wrote:

      I just want to be sure deleting the photographs from Lightroom Classic's All Synced Photographs won't remove the photos from the synced collections. Should I unsync the collections before removing the photos from All Synced Photographs and then resync them afterward?

       

      Yes, that's the way to do it. There's much more detailed instructions here: https://www.lightroomqueen.com/remove-photos-cloud-sync/ 

      Victoria - The Lightroom Queen
      JP Hess
      JP Hess
      Inspiring
      June 30, 2021

      Message removed by original contributor.

      JP Hess
      JP Hess
      Inspiring
      June 30, 2021

      I guess I'm not following your logic. If you are using your iPad, importing to your iPad with no Internet connection (Sync paused), if the raw files are somehow magically converted to smart previews what is going to happen to the original full-sized images?

      D
      Dave737Author
      Participating Frequently
      June 30, 2021

      No I have full internet. I want full res to go to cloud and iMac but then when done initial culling, be able to convert RAW files to smart previews on ipad to save space... 

      JP Hess
      JP Hess
      Inspiring
      June 29, 2021

      In reading the comments from both of you, I think (and I may be wrong) you are going about things the wrong way. If you are going to import the images onto the iPad then the full-sized raw images are going to be in the cloud. That's the way the system works when you use Lightroom (the cloud version). If you want smart previews in the cloud thing you need to import the images into Lightroom Classic, create collections, and then synchronize the collections. Then you can edit the collections, do the culling, etc. on the iPad. And you don't need 4 TB of cloud space. You don't even need 20 GB of cloud space. That's my take on it, but I could be wrong.

      D
      Dave737Author
      Participating Frequently
      June 29, 2021

      Thanks for the reply. Yes, I understand that part. It is the inability to remove the RAW files from the iPad that is the bump in the road. Delete them and they are deleted from everywhere. Just a simple, convert RAW to smart previews would do the trick.Would like RAWs in cloud and on iMac but not permanently on iPad. Input from iMac side and RAWs are on iMac but not in cloud ot iPad. 

      P
      Philip5DA9
      Participating Frequently
      June 29, 2021

      Thanks for writing this question! I have the same problem. You should be able to easily delete the raw version of a photo without losing your edit+smart preview.

       

      I'd like to import and edit the photos taken on one (!) day directly on my ipad (offline). Then export them on the go and keep only the edit+smart preview to save cloud/ipad disk space. When I then go online I don't have to wait hours to upload RAWs to the cloud but I have my edits synchronized with my desktop. 

       

      If I needed to, I could plug in an external HDD with the RAWs to edit or export the photos a second time.

       

      Please unlock this feature, because otherwise this whole "mobile-app-cloud-thing" is pointless!

      Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
      Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices