Move PS Elements Catalogue & Photos to OneDrive

[malc708]

Help please. Objective is to move both my current PSE Catalogue and Photos onto OneDrive. Thus, providing an always up-to-date Remote/Cloud Backup complemented by my current Local Backup.

Advice on achieving this move safely (I am terrified!) will be appreciated. I have considered a full restore, to the OneDrive folder, from my F drive Full Backup. Both with or without first removing all Photo files first. Or alternatively, within the PSE Organiser/Folders facility – to drag or copy the Picture folders (66GB) into OneDrive.

Currently my software and catalogue are on the C drive and pictures on the D drive, but outside the OneDrive folder, which is also on the D drive. I also do a Local Full Backup to a freestanding F drive plus a periodic Remote/Cloud Full Backup to the OneDrive folder within the D drive. (takes a day or two for OneDrive to do catch-up using fast fibre broadband!)

Having been a PSE user for almost 20 years, purchased updates every couple of years and having ported it across several computers you can well imagine that my File structures are not ideal! This has not been helped by the more recent arrival of shared feeds from other devices and people. Therefore, I would not object to a move to a tidier file structure.

Current configuration is PSE 2021 on 64 bit, Windows 10 with mainly software on C, data on D and most Backups on F and OneDrive.

I notice that PSE 2021 Preferences defaults the Pictures location to OneDrive/Adobe/Pictures and now provides auto backup of the Catalogue. It would be good to know the backup location. Also, advice on why PSE Catalogue Manager will not let me change the Catalogue name, with message – “Cannot rename Catalogue is it is being used by another program” – but nothing else appears open.

[MichelBParis · Accepted solution]

"Help please. Objective is to move both my current PSE Catalogue and Photos onto OneDrive. Thus, providing an always up-to-date Remote/Cloud Backup complemented by my current Local Backup."

If your project is to get a Cloud backup for your pictures and catalog folders, why not? What is more than problematic is to use OneDrive as a convenient way to share your files and your catalogs between different computers. The problem is that the catalog copies saved as a 'backup' point to the files in the original computer, not to the files in the synced photo files library. So, let's concentrate on optimizing your backup solution via OneDrive.

As you have discovered,  Cloud syncing takes time. My library is ten times bigger than your 66 GB, so I only use OneDrive for a limited selection of recent files or some older archives. I don't see any problem to copy your photo files folder trees directly to a master folder of your choice in the OneDrive folder. However, for the catalogs, I would not store the working ones in OneDrive for performance issues, I would only copy the catalog folders myself periodically, which is fast and easy.

"I notice that PSE 2021 Preferences defaults the Pictures location to OneDrive/Adobe/Pictures and now provides auto backup of the Catalogue. It would be good to know the backup location. Also, advice on why PSE Catalogue Manager will not let me change the Catalogue name, with message – “Cannot rename Catalogue is it is being used by another program” – but nothing else appears open."

I would completely ignore the default 'Pictures' location suggested by Windows and followed by Adobe.

Be aware that the new PSE2021 catalog structure backup only creates a copy of the catalog folder (without the thumbnail cache, which can be recreated at will). That's something you can do already (recommended), so the nice thing is that the auto backup is automatic after exiting each session. The default location is on C :\ProgramData\Adobe\Elements Organizer\_Autobackup_

I would simply copy the current catalog folder somewhere within the OneDrive folder.

I'll have to test the rename of a catalog, I believe you have to be on another catalog (even an empty one) to be able to rename other catalogs. You can also rename your catalog folder from the Explorer and browse after to locate it.

[malc708]

Thanks Michel, made me think about what I need to do.

Some feedback, thoughts and more questions:-

1. The rename Catalog worked by selecting an alternative.

2. I made made a typo and my Library size is 166GB(not66) Every thing not wanted is deleted. But I wish to keep it as one library as I often re-use items from past years and have multiple cross refencing via the Organiser.

3. I have no current need to access the Library across multiple platfroms. Might change if Elements Organiser was available on iPad.

4. Performance is important. Am I right in thinking the editor works on the local file and not on the Cloud item?

5. You say copy photo files folder trees directly to OneDrive. How do I do that whilst ensuring the Catalog database is updated with the new locations? i.e. Being sure of not creating any disconnects.

Many thanks - Malc708

[MichelBParis · Accepted solution]

2. I made made a typo and my Library size is 166GB(not66) Every thing not wanted is deleted. But I wish to keep it as one library as I often re-use items from past years and have multiple cross refencing via the Organiser.

All good.

3. I have no current need to access the Library across multiple platfroms. Might change if Elements Organiser was available on iPad.

You can access your photo files easily from other devices like iPad or phone, but you have to rely on the folder structure to find files, since the organizer can't be shared. Adobe's choice for sharing is Lightroom and its Cloud offering.

4. Performance is important. Am I right in thinking the editor works on the local file and not on the Cloud item?

Yes, you are working locally.

For max performance, you need a lot of RAM, enought scratch disks, ideally on an SSD. Even if the catalog and photo files are on conventional, even external drives they are ok in those conditions both for the catalog and heavy editing.

5. You say copy photo files folder trees directly to OneDrive. How do I do that whilst ensuring the Catalog database is updated with the new locations? i.e. Being sure of not creating any disconnects.

If you move the files from the organizer, there is no difference with moving to a standard folder tree. You can drag and drop from the folders panel in tree mode. The organizer updates its links, and OneDrives takes care of syncing to the Cloud.

[johna14769956]

I discoverd, the hard way, that One Drive does not work on multi-disk sysems - 'C' and  'D' for example.

OneDrive is installed on 'C' and cannot sync anything that is not already on 'C'. In my case, using Explorer, I moved all my pictures and documents from 'D' to OneDrive in the cloud. Then, as a test, I created a small document but it would not sync to OneDrive! I found the only solution was to have OneDrive software installed on 'D' until Microsoft does something.

Recently I tried to edit a photo on 'D' and got a 'missing files' message. I must have neglected to copy the catalog - catalog.buc - to OneDrive in the cloud.

[MichelBParis]

I discoverd, the hard way, that One Drive does not work on multi-disk sysems - 'C' and  'D' for example.

OneDrive is installed on 'C' and cannot sync anything that is not already on 'C'. In my case, using Explorer, I moved all my pictures and documents from 'D' to OneDrive in the cloud.

By @johna14769956

The principle of OneDrive, like other similar syncing apps like DropBox, is that you create a dedicated special folder which is kept in Sync with the Cloud. By default, this special folder is created on the system 'C' drive, but it can be created of moved to a different internal drive like 'D' following the procedures in the OneDrive help. I did find that help doc from Microsoft, but I did not decide myself to move my 'OneDrive' system folder on 'D'. You can't move the OneDrive folder from the explorer directly to another drive while keeping things in sync. Once your files are synced to the Cloud, if they are deleted on your computer, you can't access them from Elements and the syncing process will try to restore the files from the Cloud to the original OneDrive folder location.

Only what is included in the 'OneDrive' system folder is synced to the Cloud.

For your photos, if you are storing them in the default Microsoft 'Pictures' system folder, that folder will be a subfolder of the 'OneDrive', so it will be synced independently from the fact the 'OneDrive' folder is on C or D.

If instead, you create your own 'My photos' custom master folder as a subfolder directly under 'OneDrive', your photos will be synced in the same way (that's what I would choose).