P: Ability to sync Lightroom Classic keywords with the Lightroom Ecosystem

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Keywords do not sync correctly: When added on the mobile app (iOS), they do not appear in LR classic and not in LR Web (I deleted the new LR CC immediately, this version does not make sense to me).
Same problem into the other direction: Keywords from LR classic do not appear on the mobile app. 
Attention: At this stage the whole keywording within the iOS app should not be used!

[Charlyw64]

Really? You need to ask? Lightroom CC has almost none of the functionality needed to replace Lightroom Classic and it mandates use of the cloud for the RAW images, something that is impossible for most because of bandwidth constraints - I have the fastest internet connection available in the street where I live, to upload a single RAW image takes minutes (and they aren’t that big). My mobile plan is expensive and is capped at 200 MB/month - any mobile use of original RAW images is out of the question.

But for those asking here the killer of the new dumbed down Lightroom CC would be the lack of hierarchical keywords!

[Victoria Bampton LR Queen]

Thanks Karl. I'm well aware that it doesn't have most of the features - I was looking to understand your priorities and workflow, because you obviously like the idea of cloud computing. 

The mobile CC app doesn't have hierarchical keywords either, but that was ok for your hours of keywording? How did you end up working around that one?

[Charlyw64]

I was answering your question more genericly, I myself didn’t spent as much time on keywords in LR on my mobile device in the end (unlike the guy you responded to). Still I was pissed that I have spent time on a lost cause, LR CC has a bug if it even allows keyword entry for images where it knows not to sync them back!

I do use a combination of hierarchical and non hierarchical keywords, so even to have those non hierarchical ones sync back would have been helpful for me. But it’s a major bug to even give the impression that you can keyword for smart previews originating from LR Classic. I am a software developer myself and if I were to be given the task to implement a feature like that then I would have to make it work for all input data or at the very least prevent it’s use when it’s not feasible to work.

And the sorry excuse of “LR CC users don’t understand hierarchical keywords” doesn’t work, if LR CC is ever to get to replace LR Classic then it must provide these as well!

[Victoria Bampton LR Queen]

Ah thanks Karl, I didn't spot that you weren't Lewis!

I do agree that Adobe's communication on the lack of keyword sync with Classic has left a lot to be desired, and I think we'll see more of these issues crop up as the gap starts to widen, with more features being added to the mobile apps without being synced back to Classic.

In Adobe's mind, the LRCC mobile apps are intended to sync with the LRCC desktop apps from this time on. They didn't remove the existing sync functionality from Classic, but they didn't add new keyword sync functionality to Classic either. They are trying to separate the two different mindsets (desktop based vs cloud sync), because trying to shoehorn cloud sync into a desktop-focused app just doesn't work well. I'm not going to comment on the rights or wrongs of those decisions, but that's what they're thinking.

[Charlyw64]

I think some things they have done are indefensible. Like the impression that you can enter keywords for smart previews in LR CC. LR CC knows these are originating from Lightroom Classic! If I were a photographer that makes money off his photos then I would have sent an invoice for the time wasted on keywording in LR CC!

For me - and many others - the cloud is only a supplement to the desktop version and there simply isn’t a way to make the cloud version viable, not today, not ever. I am often photographing in remote areas where I will not even have cell phone reception - and even if I had then having to manage battery charges due to the large draw of a mobile data connection would prohibit the use of the cloud anyway!

Somehow I think the “cloud is everything” developers seem to sit on high bandwidth backbone connections. Maybe Adobe should send their LR CC developers to the suburbs of smaller towns where there are more realistic bandwidth or even make them use mobile Edge connections (because they are commonly encountered as soon as you leave the urban environment) to see how well their apps scale...

[Victoria Bampton LR Queen]

> you can enter keywords for smart previews in LR CC. LR CC knows these are originating from Lightroom Classic! 

That would certainly be a good way of distinguishing them, although I imagine some people would still try to add keywords to originals added directly to the mobile apps and wonder why the keywords aren't appearing in Classic.

[john beardsworth]

If I were a photographer that makes money off his photos then I would have sent an invoice for the time wasted on keywording in LR CC!

My Syncomatic plugin could recover some of that wasted time. Using LRCC, they could export copies of the images they were misled into keywording in Mobile or LRCC, then use the plugin in Lightroom "Classic" to sync the keywords from these temporary copies to the originals.

I sincerely wish I didn't have to suggest this workaround, and wish Adobe had put effort into implementing a proper mobile keywording solution.

[Lewis Craik]

The features I'd miss from moving over to Lightroom CC full time are mainly around import and export:

• Applying import preset
• Applying metadata presets
• Creating a second copy
• Push collections
• Export presets
• KEYWORDING

That's before I get onto how much it would cost to have my whole archive in the cloud!

My way of working is that when I am on the road, I want to get my images processed, keyworded and uploaded as soon as possible. Then when I get back to base, I want them added into my main catalog.

When Lightroom CC was announced I was one of the few photographers who felt positive towards it - I thought I would be able to do away with my clunky workflow of creating and importing new catalogs each trip. However Adobe were ever so slightly off target - what could have been really helpful turns out to be not much use at all.

On my laptop I've got both CC to access the important pictures from my archive and Classic CC, to use my clunky workflow for new images.

[Charlyw64]

Isn’t that the other way around? Classic CC for the archive and CC for the botched cloud?

[Charlyw64]

Isn’t that the other way around? Classic CC for the archive and CC for the botched cloud?

[Lewis Craik]

Not when I’m on the road using my laptop. I only need Classic CC on my main workstation. Prior to Lightroom CC cloud I couldn’t take my archive on the road easily.

[astrosven]

why the hell is Adobe designing like that? Do they listen to LR Classic users still?

[astrosven]

So they want us to move away from Adobe. Sad.

[evgenyd14458540]

Hey Adobe! That about the keyword sync fixing ?

[jonas013]

I fully agree with Kaffeesegler. I have been using Lightroom since LR1 and I am really fond of this software. Lightroom CC seems to me a huge step forward and I try to use it on my laptop for more than 2 months. However key-words are a serious issue. Compared to Lightroom Classic Lightroom CC handles key words very poorly and above all sync between LR Classic and LR CC doesn't really work for key words. For me this is a huge drawback and prevents me tu use LR CC efficiently on my laptop. I hope that Adobe will change his mind and reconsider key words in LR CC.

[Stovelin]

Hello!

I have some issues related to meta-tagging a rather large collection of images. Specifically I need to know how to manage images in Lightroom CC vs Lightroom Classic.

I need to metatag about 10K images with many different tags - e.g. animals, history, buildings. When I save the meta-tags for an image I want the tags to follow the image from Classic to CC and vice versa.

With Classic the tags AKA keywords can be saved to the image file. When I upload the images with keywords to CC it is not obvious what happens... I need a safe workflow to secure my keywords and I am not sure if the best way will be to do all the keywording in Classic or in CC. Obviously I want to be able to move images from CC to Classic and vice versa and still be able to search the images for given keywords.

I would prefer not to have to choose between them - I need the best form both of them...

[john beardsworth]

Adobe has chosen not to integrate keywording in LRCC with Classic's keywording. Keywords added in LRCC (mac/pc, iOS, Android) will not sync with Classic, and keywords assigned in Classic won't generally appear in LRCC. So it's really over to you - you're going to have to make a choice.

[Yves-CH]

Look hier : https://feedback.photoshop.com/photoshop_family/topics/auto-keywords-tool-for-pictures-sensei?topic-...

[PhotographyMD]

In response to Johan it has been my experience that it doesn't matter what file type you upload (RAW, DNG, TIF, JPG and even virtual copies) it will only sync the keywords one time from Classic to CC. I only use sidecar files for a specific something else so I can't speak to that here. All I do is type them into the keywords box before the original upload and they get synced even if they are for a RAW file. Most of what I sync is Nikon RAW. Yes I know I am digging up a 3 month old post but it is SUPER aggravating that this is still a thing.

[johnrellis]

Unfortunately, it will likely remain a thing:
 https://feedback.photoshop.com/photoshop_family/topics/keyword-bug?topic-reply-list[settings][filter...

[Antoine HLMN]

Sad news indeed. This attitude of “we know what you want and what’s best for you” is really frustrating!

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Indeed, not syncing keywords from LR CC to LR Classic makes keywording in LR CC useless. So, their "mobile solution" is not as mobile as promised 😞

[florentp57706261]

That's annoying.

Choice is made for me i'll stay with classic.

I don't understand why they remove the keywords feature ; it's essential for a catalog.

[ianmao]

Good evening!
Should not keywords be synchronized between Lightroom Classic CC and Lightroom Mobile?
Those that I insert in the Mobile version should end in the Classic version and vice versa ...
I am wrong?

[johnrellis]

Unfortunately, Adobe has indicated that they don't plan on improving the sync between LR 7 (desktop) and LR CC (cloud).