Photoshop elements 2020 - unstoppable downloading

[Michael Meade]

Can anyone help me with this isssue - I freed up an almost full c-drive of my extensive photo and video collectrion by saving c500GB it to the cloud (One Drive - 1TB) but everytime I run Adobe Elements Organizer the programme immediately starts downloading everything again. I see that I can stop it but it still keeps trying to restart the downloads and I'm wondering does the whole functionality require that my entire photo and video collection all be on the c drive in which case this software id unsuitable for me and I need to try elsewhere? Thanks in anticipation. Michael 

[MichelBParis]

1 - Photoshop Elements and common image editors can't access directly files 'In the Cloud'. You need specific applications like the Cloud version of Lightroom.

2 - OneDrive, or Dropbox or other similar services work by synchronizing a real folder on your computer with the Cloud. Elements works on the files and folders dedicated to those applications in your drive just like with any other folders, but OneDrive monitors the changes in the dedicated folders and updates the Cloud copy in the background. That way you can share the Cloud copy with other users or devices AND if the files are deleted in your drive, they will be restored automatically as a backup from the Cloud. That's what happens if you believe you can work directly with the files in the Cloud and want to save space on your drive.

 3 - A better solution would be to move your library to another drive than the master (internal or external) and to have OneDrive sync that location. However, you will be able to share your image files on the Cloud, but not the catalogs.

An interesting discussion on OneDrive on the feedback forum:

https://feedback.photoshop.com/photoshop_family/topics/how-to-transfer-pse-2020-to-new-computer-curr...