Using elements on laptop then syncing to a desktop

[El Barto619]

Hello,

I'm currently using Photoshop Elements 11 but am looking to upgrade to 15 soon.

My question is if I have the software installed on my desktop & laptop, then take my laptop on a trip and do some photo editing on new photos I've taken on the trip while I'm away so they're tagged & stacked in the organiser, what is the best way to sync this back with my desktop at home?

Thanks for any help,

Neil.

[MichelBParis · Accepted solution]

El Barto619 wrote:

Hello,

I'm currently using Photoshop Elements 11 but am looking to upgrade to 15 soon.

My question is if I have the software installed on my desktop & laptop, then take my laptop on a trip and do some photo editing on new photos I've taken on the trip while I'm away so they're tagged & stacked in the organiser, what is the best way to sync this back with my desktop at home?

Thanks for any help,

Neil.

Common situation and common solution:

Put your catalog and your media file library in an external drive that you plug in alternatively to each computer.

More details, assuming you also take into accout the necessity of backups both at home and on travel.

It's best to have two external drives, one for the library, the other for backups. With a single one, you can use your desktop and/or your laptop to store the backup folder.

To start, it's obvious that if you have a catalog backup on an external drive, you can restore it on both your computers. In that case you would be in sync so long as you don't edit in any computer. The problem starts if you edit on one computer: the only way to sync the second would be to do a new backup and restore... too cumbersome.

So start with a full backup on an external drive from your desktop. You restore ideally to the second external drive or to a new partition or master folder of the same external drive (not ideal for performance and safety, but that works).

The restore is made to 'custom' location, that is under a new folder created to accomodate the library folder tree as well as the catalog folder. That external drive must be recognized with the same identification (drive letter) in both computers. Both computers see that catalog in 'custom' location. Anything that is written in a computer is immediately ready when you plug the external drive to the other.

Backup management on travel or at home: to the other external drive. If you are paranoiac about safety, you can even restore such backup to each one of your two computers...

[El Barto619]

Thanks very much, seems to pretty much be a case of using an external hard drive for the catalogue. Is the organiser able to hand drive letter changes? So if I plug the external drive in initially and it's drive letter is D but the next time I've got a USB drive plugged in first so it becomes drive letter E?

Thanks again for the detailed response.

[MichelBParis]

El Barto619 wrote:

Thanks very much, seems to pretty much be a case of using an external hard drive for the catalogue. Is the organiser able to hand drive letter changes? So if I plug the external drive in initially and it's drive letter is D but the next time I've got a USB drive plugged in first so it becomes drive letter E?

Thanks again for the detailed response.

You change the letter drive in Windows. If another device has taken the same letter, rename it before renaming the external drive.

How To Change a Drive Letter (Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP)