Transfer DNG from iPhone to iPad while off the grid.

[ronaldr76633461]

I use LR CC app to take DNG photos with my iphone. I have a subscription but I’m usually far from cell or Wi-Fi coverage so LR can not sync to my IPad. In other words, I’m off the grid. I would like to transfer my LR DNG photos taken on my iPhone to my IPad and then organize, rate and edit them on the IPAD daily while I’m in the field. I can Airdrop from the iPhone to my iPad’s camera roll but the DNG photos taken on the LR app on the iPhone show up as jpegs on the iPad.  I prefer to edit the DNG photos in the LR app on the iPad. Is there a way to transfer the DNG photos to my iPad so I can develope the DNG photos in the LR app on my iPad?

[99jon]

On my iPhone I had to change a preference setting.   

Go to: Settings >> Photos >> Transfer to Mac or PC

Choose “Keep Originals”

This was previously set to automatic which results in conversion to jpeg. But after changing this setting files remained as original HEIC. 

Not sure if this will work with airdrop as I use a USB cable to transfer to computer and then delete from camera roll but it may be worth trying.

[Jim Wilde]

I don't think there's an answer to this problem. If you are totally offline, with not even cell reception, I cannot think of any way to get a copy of the original DNG out of the LR app on the phone to the iPad. The reason that Airdrop produces a Jpeg on the iPad is because Airdrop is one of the various sharing options which is basically an export process....and at the moment Jpeg is the only output format (you would ideally want an Original + Settings option simliar to what's available using the LR Desktop app, but that's not possible on the LR iOS apps).

The only current way to get the original out of the LR app on the phone is by syncing it to the adobe cloud, but that syncing requires a cell or WiFi connection. A local sync option has long been requested, but still isn't available. You could add your vote to this request: https://feedback.photoshop.com/photoshop_family/topics/lightroom_mobile_local_sync

[ronaldr76633461]

Misery loves company. And yep, totally offline out in the boonies. I’d say 70% of my photos are shot when off the grid and I can be off the grid for as long as a month. That’s a lot of wasted evenings that I could be working with a manageable amount of daily photos. Now I have to wait and wade through hundreds of photos when I get back home. It takes time I don’t have. BTW: I voted. Thank you.

[Jim Wilde]

The only things I can suggest in the meantime is either shoot with your phone using the phone camera (thus Jpeg or Heic), then airdrop them to the iPad.....or alternatively shoot with the iPad rather than the phone. Neither would please me particularly, but in the absence of any sensible alternative at this time.....

If you use the first alternative, I'd suggest you do NOT auto add the phone captures to LR Mobile on the phone.....add them to the LR app on the iPad instead, and let them sync to the cloud from that device whenever you get a cell or WiFi connection.

[selondon]

Will the advent of iOS13 help? I don't know that much about it, but will it be possible to Export Original from the iPhone, with no edits made, to a connected drive (Passport or whatever) , then connect that drive to the iPad and import from there? 
Then deleting the photo from the iPhone.

[Jim Wilde · Accepted solution]

Thinking about this a little more (and thanks to @selondon for reminding me that there IS an "Export Original" option in the LR app on iOS), you could use that Export Original option to save a copy of the original to the Camera Roll (and maybe eventually to an external drive with iOS13). Once in the Camera Roll you can then Airdrop it from the Photos app to your iPad, which should trasnfer the same full resolution DNG file. Once in the Camera Roll on the iPad you could them import it into the LR app on the iPad. A couple of issues:

1. Airdrop (or the LR Export Original process) seriously messes with the file-name, though it does seem to preserve the original filename followed by a very long string of alphanumeric characters. 

2. You'd now have two copies of the same file (but with different names) in the LR "ecosystem", which would likely result in some complications when both apps get back on the grid and start syncing to the cloud. It might therefore be prudent to think about removing the original photo from the phone app before you allow it to sync (and after you've safely transferred it to the iPad!).

[ronaldr76633461]

This is awesome. I will give it ago and truly appreciate you help. Thank you!

[ronaldr76633461]

I have returned from a long trip off the grid and wanted to report that this worked well for me. It was exactly what I needed.  Yes, it is not the quickest process but when the days are short and weather bad, having the ability to get work done by rating and editing on the iPad is invaluable to me. When I got home, most of the work was done. Thank you so much!