"can I delete photos from my C drive after I have backed up my catalog to an external hard drive?"
It appears that there is ambiguity both about the definition of a backup and of a catalog.
First, we don't know what you mean by a catalog. If you are using the definition of Elements, a catalog is a folder containing a number of files and subfolders organized around a 'catalog.pseXXdb' sqlite database. Greg is right, the catalog folder does not contain the media files, only links.
You can backup (or copy) your catalog folder from any external tool, including the explorer or finder.
You can't use the catalog manager to do just that.
The 'backups' from the organizer deal both with the catalog folder AND the media folders trees referenced by the links in the database. The 'move catalog' process, based on a backup and a restore do the same.
- if you have simply done a copy of the catalog, you lose all your media.
- if you have made an organizer backup, you just have a catalog folder, which is not useable without a restore. It's not a useable copy, it's everything you need to restore your media and your catalog where you want while keeping the links connected to the new location of the media files. If you delete your originals, you don't have a useable catalog without a restore, but you can restore where you want, even on several drives. Once you have restored, you have a useable catalog and media together with a backup, since the backup folder is still available.
Important: this is very different from the definition of catalog backups in Lightroom in which only the catalog folders are backed up.
6
Replies
AdChoices