I want to completely move my whole photo library from Lightroom Classic to the cloud based Lightroom CC. Of course I don't know if I will be using these services in eternity and also as I am working in very remote areas (without internet connection) it is very important for me to have local backups as well. I need to understand how the new Lightroom CC is saving the .xmp files, and all its changes before I dare to completely make the shift. A few things i found which are disturbing me: Lightroom CC can store your orignal photos locally on your desktop, but it is not saving the .xmp files in the same folder (as was possible with Lightroom classic). It is saving the .xmp files in a database which are stored in C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Adobe\Lightroom CC\Data\1cb3b4e40800479eadc0593254c63df5. And the files have difficult names, and are not possible to link to the original photo without using Lightroom CC (i.e. e72e120e54bf887514b5f88ccfdf9.xmp). At the moment I dont see a solution to make a local backup of all my original photos including .xmp files. I need to have this option as I can loose the data on my laptop before i have made the backup to the cloud. Also if you want to switch to another program in future i want to have all my edits available. When you are using 'Lightroom Downloader' to download all your photos which are in the cloud back to your desktop it is downloading all the RAW .CR2 files WITHOUT the .xmp files. It is only downloading the .xmp files of photos you have editid recently, but not the .xmp files which I previously had for all pictures (and edited before i started using Lightroom CC)). I know that you can export your photos in your albums by using 'save to' and than 'original + settings' which gives your the raw files + all the .xmp files. But this will take a long time if you need to do this for each album everytime you want a backup.

Participant

Question

XMP file storage in Lightroom CC

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
November 9, 2018
2 replies
9854 views

I want to completely move my whole photo library from Lightroom Classic to the cloud based Lightroom CC. Of course I don't know if I will be using these services in eternity and also as I am working in very remote areas (without internet connection) it is very important for me to have local backups as well.

I need to understand how the new Lightroom CC is saving the .xmp files, and all its changes before I dare to completely make the shift.

A few things i found which are disturbing me:

Lightroom CC can store your orignal photos locally on your desktop, but it is not saving the .xmp files in the same folder (as was possible with Lightroom classic). It is saving the .xmp files in a database which are stored in C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Adobe\Lightroom CC\Data\1cb3b4e40800479eadc0593254c63df5. And the files have difficult names, and are not possible to link to the original photo without using Lightroom CC (i.e. e72e120e54bf887514b5f88ccfdf9.xmp).
At the moment I dont see a solution to make a local backup of all my original photos including .xmp files. I need to have this option as I can loose the data on my laptop before i have made the backup to the cloud. Also if you want to switch to another program in future i want to have all my edits available.
When you are using 'Lightroom Downloader' to download all your photos which are in the cloud back to your desktop it is downloading all the RAW .CR2 files WITHOUT the .xmp files. It is only downloading the .xmp files of photos you have editid recently, but not the .xmp files which I previously had for all pictures (and edited before i started using Lightroom CC)).
I know that you can export your photos in your albums by using 'save to' and than 'original + settings' which gives your the raw files + all the .xmp files. But this will take a long time if you need to do this for each album everytime you want a backup.

This topic has been closed for replies.

J

Jao vdL

Community Expert

If you work in remote areas, rely on xmp files and need backups, you should probably not go to lightroom CC but stay in Classic and use Lightroom CC as ancillary instead of the main if you want, It is not ready for main use if you need lots of offline access and need backup. CC is great if you don't need to print, don't need strong backup, don't need a bunch of other features and are almost always in places with high grade internet

C

cristianb37339127

Participant

I would assume Adobe uses the brain too when making some of it's software's features. No proffesional in his right minds will rely solely on Lightroom Mobile. I for one, have an iPad Pro which I use for edits and storage on the go, but when I get home I want to be able to save and store "locally" the raw files alongside with xmp files. And I want to to this pressing one button.
Having to rely on Google for finding workaround it definitely a Adobe failing to offer the user what he needs. Is it Adobe undercutting my investment in top of the line 5k iMac 27'' ? That's the place I want to finally edit my photos, and archive on my external HDDs/NAS using my own "system".

Rob_Cullen

Community Expert

You do not even have to press one button!

1) Import and edit files remotely on the iPad.

2) Turn on Syncing in your LR-Classic catalog.

No button pressing required. Your images download as edited and appear in the LR-Classic catalog on your 'home' desktop system.

Is that what you are asking for?

Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.1.1, Photoshop 27.3.1, ACR 18.1.1, Lightroom 9.0, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.2 .

D0nald

Inspiring

Yes, I think the "Lightroom Downloader" should have an option to also export .xmp sidecar files along with the originals to preserve the edits. To make things worse, LRCC still does not have a trashcan of any kind. And even if you set "store a copy of all originals" in LRCC preferences, this local copies will always be in sync with the cloud, so pictures will eventually be deleted.

The *only* way I came up with to have a local backup including originals AND edits, is using Classic Lightroom as an additional client syncing *from* LRCC. So you have to import everything via LRCC and then sync down to Lightroom Classic. This is because if you import via Lightroom Classic only Smart Previews would be uploaded to LRCC. Drawback is you need to subscribe to both LRCC and Lightroom Classic. And the first sync down to Lightroom Classic has been really slow for me.

agjeAuthor

Participant

And even if you set "store a copy of all originals" in LRCC preferences, this local copies will always be in sync with the cloud, so pictures will eventually be deleted.

It will only be deleted if you will say so right? But indeed, without a trashcan you will loose them...

to have a local backup including originals AND edits, is using Classic Lightroom

Yahh... What I don't like about this option is that it is a work around. And in the long run Lightroom Classic will probably not be updated anymore...

agjeAuthor

Participant

If you delete a picture in the cloud, this very same picture will also be deleted from your stored local originals. "The truth is in the cloud" with LRCC, the cloud version is the master version.

Yupp, syncing down from LRCC to Lightroom Classic is a workaround to have a local backup, and an expensive one. I expect LRCC to get more features in the future, especially backup functunality, and then this workaround and subscribing to Lightroom Classic will not be needed anymore.

Further, you can not only use sync down to Lightroom Classic for backup, you can also use some advanced editing functions in Lightroom Classic, which will then sync up again to LRCC (e.g. file renaming, or an external controller like MIDI2LR)

Yeahh, i also hope more features will develop in future regarding backup and sidecar files. However I am afraid that this will not be the highest priority... Renaming would be a good one as well.

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