Migrate Lightroom 6 catalog to "Lightroom" - requires 10.62 GB, 85GB available but it still fails

[Aidan5FCA]

This is literally incredible. ...  any thoughts on how to get Lightoom to import the old catalog ?

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( ErrorCode: INSUFFICIENT_SPACE_MAIN_VOLUME )
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INSUFFICIENT_SPACE_MAIN_VOLUME
, Not enough space on main storage: Additional Space Needed 10.62 GB , Available 85.92 GB

[SeanMcCormack]

Do you mean Lightroom, or Lightroom Classic? 

[Jim Wilde]

If you are migrating a Lightroom 6 catalog to the Lighroom (cloud-based storage) app, be aware that all the image files in that LR6 catalog will need to be initially copied to a local hard drive before they can be uploaded to the cloud. The default location for that local copy is on the system drive, but you can change that location to a more suitable place (e.g. an external drive) via the Lightroom preferences>Local Storage tab.....but obviously it's best to do that before starting a catalog migration.

[aidancoughlan]

Hi Jim, yes that seems to be a possible solution OK, but didnt; work for me... I had found that tip online, and changed the "Local Storage" Prefferences in "Lightroom CC" (the cloud version) to the D:\ drive (where I have over 1.5 TB free - my entire catalog is around 1Tb). .. however, it still insists on looking for space on the C:\ drive - and mistakenly thinks there is not enough space.  Even the message is confusing - "Not enough space on main storage: Additional Space Needed 10.62 GB , Available 85.92 GB".

I;ve seen lots of posts of users having the same problem, and tried the tip mentioned, but no success. I even tried changing Windows storage settings so that "new apps" would store info on the D:\ drive in case that would convice Lightroom CC to keep away from the C: drive, but the "Import Lightroom Catalog" option became greyed out until I switched back. It seems like Adobe have lost their way a little bit. I have only 7 days trial to see if I can make this work - they don;t make it easy to get started !

[aidancoughlan]

Hi Sean, I find the new naming (and Adobe tech articles referring to the various products) terribly confusing, but I do mean "Lightroom" OK, not Lightroom classic. It appears on the menu as "Adobe Lightroom", not "Adobe Lightroom Classic". I have since installed "Lightroom Classic" (the new V6 replacement) and it managed to import the catalog OK - it looks pretty much the same as the V6 I've been on for ages.  I'm trying to figure out which route to go - move to "Lightroom CC" entirely, or stick with Lightroom Classic.

[SeanMcCormack]

Hey Aidan, using Classic, you get the full range of tools, with the option to sync Smart Preview versions of the files online, which can be shared. With Lightroom, the entire catalog is online including full versions of the files. It doesn't have the same toolset, but does have Sensei AI tools for search etc. Classic is more robust, but Lightroom is catching up. As a pro, I prefer to use Classic as my base, but I do share via Lightroom, as well as use the Lightroom camera on my phone for DNG files. Using Smart Previews means I can still get medium resolution files in a hurry if I'm away. You can still upload the full files, which Lightroom will recognise and match/replace the Smart previews.. it's all a matter of cost. 

[aidancoughlan]

Thanks Sean, that helps... and correlates with what I have been reading here https://www.creative-photographer.com/lightroom-version/  (Basically stick with "classic" as primary software unless you are a mobile-only photographer). The fact that "Lightroom CC" (the cloud version) has failed to import my Lightroom V6 catalog is less of a concern to me now.

I now think I would be sticking with Lightroom Classic on my main desktop, and synching some collections to the cloud as required... with the hope that I can find a workflow where I can use Lightroom classic on my new Surface Pro tablet which I can use away from home (or on the couch) and also synch to the cloud, and from there synch originals back to my main computer without messing around with importing catalogs.  I'm not yet certain that's possible, but hopefully... I like Lightroom V6/classic, but the whole confusing experience with the new subscription service/apps is dissapointing  and making me seriously consider ON1 360 as an alternative - one desktop app, and one mobile app (no confusion), both synched to the cloud, and originals downloadable back to the main PC (or any device) for safe keeping no matter where they originated. I'll see how I get on with the trial. Fingers crossed.

[SeanMcCormack]

Your main issue there is Classic sync is based around a single catalog upload. For me, I'm pretty much doing as you described. I'm tethering in studio or on location to an SSD, where I have a job catalog and the files. It's faster than importing the files the other end when I do the catalog import, though catalog import ties up the machine. I like On1, but there are still performance issues. It has a bunch of pluses with layering and textures though.