Folder hierarchy sync Lightroom to Lightroom Classic

[jedesq]

First, apologies if this has been addressed in this forum. I did a search but did not find any relevant CC to Classic solutions.

I recently started to use Lightroom and Lightroom classic. I synced about 14,000 photos from Apple Photos to Lightroom.  Photos sync’d with no issues including the nested folders and albums and my Lighroom structure perfectly mirrors my Apple Photos structure (kudos to Adobe for such a seamless process).

I then synced the Lightroom photos with Lightroom Classic. But the folder/album structure from Lightroom did not sync with Lightroom classic. None of the folders sync’d; instead only the albums sync’d. For example in Lightroom I have this folder structure (identical to original Apple Photos structure):

Photos

   2010s (folder)

      2010 (folder)

         2010 Event 1 (album)

         2010 Event 2 and so on (albums)

After sync with Lightroom Classic (clean install) this is the result:

From Lightroom (collection set)

   2010 Event 1 (collection)

   2010 Event 2 and so on (collection)

The photos are all correctly categorized in the cloud (lightroom.adobe.com) and on my iOS devices, so it seems this is an issue with Lightroom Classic.

My workflow is to store photos in Lightroom first via the cloud from my iPhone or by importing from DSLR and GoPro. I make basic edits in the mobile or desktop app. Then I open the photo(s) in Classic for more detailed edits. This all works well, except for the LR Classic hierarchy issue, which makes it sometimes difficult to find a photo.

Is there a work-around for this or is it a limitation in the sync process between the two Lightrooms? I’m currently running Lightroom 3.2 and Lightroom Classic 9.2 on a Mac running Catalina.

Thanks in advance for any insights!

[Rob_Cullen]

It is a "limitation".

Classic, it seems, was never designed for syncing anything.

For the moment I guess we can be pleased that it does download from the Cloud at all.

I understand Lightroom (Cloud based) does not recognise 'Folders' - everything is in 'Albums' so I am not surprised that Classic will not show your folder structure.

[jedesq]

Thanks! I was hoping that it wasn't, but it's more or less what I expected.

[JohanElzenga · Accepted solution]

Lightroom (cloud) does not store images in real folders in the cloud. Folders in Lightroom (cloud) are what Collection Sets are in Lightroom Classic. They could easily sync, but Adobe chose not to support that. You will have to create those sets yourself.