lightroom classic to cc syncing problems (6 months without solution so far)

[freekv71496515]

Hello, dear Adobe friends,

Fearfully I'll give it another go, I'm trying to synchronize my Lightroom classic with my lightroom cc/mobile. This is my third try, haven't been able to find the correct answer since my original question in 2019. I'm 50% tech-savvy and should be able to understand this, but frustratingly I keep taking the wrong turns.

I will try to add as detailed information as possible, I hope you can help me sort out my syncing and lightroom problems?

I have one lightroom classic catalog, with all my original pictures/previews on an external hard drive ( D ) that I plug into different PC's. This works great.

Part 1: 

I have a main laptop where my lightroom previews and backups are also available. These are the screenshots of my lightroom folder on my laptop. And the second one is of my only catalog folder, "lightroom Master Catalog".

Here I'm getting into my first issue! When I open lightroom classic (without the external hard drive plugged in), it doesn't recognize the files on my laptop's local hard drive ( C: ). I know you can find the files by right-clicking and "find missing folder", but I think this is not possible because my files are on the external drive ( D )?

Part 2:

Trying to sync my lightroom Classic catalog to lightroom cc

I have tried dozens of different combinations to do this, but I have continually failed to properly sync my classic photo's to cc. Below I'll try and show you all the relevant screenshots of the main things to do to get proper sync.

Pictures below and questions:

1) You can see I have a total of 3805 synced photo's and they are synced in the collections tab. But when I look at the top left op the screen if syncing is activated, I can see it is activated... but has only used 32.43MB of 100GB. This can not be, right?

2) Edit - preferences - Lightroom sync. Here it states that I have 1670 photos synced? And the specified location for syncing is still on my external hard drive ( D:), is this correct?

3) The picture is to show that syncing is activated at my lightroom cc.

4) Picture of the preferences in lightroom cc, I'm not sure what to do here? I hope it does give you some more information. (Storge location for originals is still my external drive ( D Samsung T5) 

Picture 1:

 

Picture 2:

Picture 3:

Picture 4:

Well I truly hoop that anyone can help me out of this mess!? I need it to get my workflow up and running and level up my photography. Been struggling for so long now, please help!

Thank you in advance!

Freek Van Ootegem

[JP Hess]

If you are trying to synchronize FROM Lightroom Classic to Lightroom, you understand that it is necessary to create collections, right? And it's the collections that must be synchronized.

If the images are located on an external hard drive, why is that EHD not connected? It's required in order to have access to those images unless you have created smart previews for all of them. Have you done that?

Which way are you trying to synchronize? From Lightroom Classic to Lightroom, or the other way around?

[freekv71496515]

Hello Jim Hess, Thank you for your reply, my answers to your questions:

You understand that it is necessary to create collections, right?

In the first pictures added on this topic, you can see that I have created collections and that these should be syncing.

Why is that EHD not connected?

Ths second pictures shows that my EHD is connected, it's the Samsung T5 (D : ) 

Which way are you trying to synchronize?

From Lightroom Classic to Lightroom.

I hope you can help me further now!?

Kind regards

Freek

[Rob_Cullen]

Part 1:

If you have the Catalog and Photo files on an external drive- You do not need either of these at all on the C: drive!

You will need to ALWAYS open the Catalog on the External Drive- with the external drive attached.

Trying to 'Sync' a catalog between internal and external drives with 'copies' of catalog is fraught with problems.

Part 2:

IMO and understanding: 

1) Lightroom-Classic does NOT "Sync" full-size files UP to the Cloud. It does, however, 'send' Smart Preview (DNG) files (2560px long edge) where they are visible in Lightroom-mobile, and can be edited in Lr-mobile for the 'edits' to sync with the Classic Catalog. Classic will only 'send' the Smart Previews of photos in Collections that are marked to sync.  These Smart Preview files in the Cloud do NOT occupy any space what-so-ever of your Cloud space allocation, so in theory, you could place all your (local D-drive Catalog) photos in a Collection that syncs, and not use any of your Cloud space.

So, "only used 32.43MB of 100GB. This can not be, right?" Yes it can!

2) 3) & 4) the specified location for syncing is still on my external hard drive ( D:), is this correct?

Yes it is!  If you 'add' (import) photos to the Lightroom-Mobile or Lr-Desktop Cloud based versions- the Full-size files occupy Cloud space, and 'copies' are synced 'DOWN' and saved in to the folder you have specified. These are different photo files to those that sync 'UP' from Classic.

Any clearer now? 🙂

[freekv71496515]

Hello Wobert C, 

First and foremost thank you for the kind and clear reply! I've read this, re-read it, and going to read it one more time to try and fully understand it.

1) I didn't know I would always need the external drive. I thought that if all the smart previews of my catalog were located on the computers C drive, I could work without the external hard drive plugged in. Then I could make the changes on the smart copies and when plugging the external hard drive back in this would be automatically copied. 

To be completely clear, this is not the case?

2) I have already synced many images in my collections and they all have smart previews, so in theory, there should be images in my cloud? Below an example of my collections that are synced and a screenshot of my phone in the lightroom app. There are no images in my Lr application to be found? So something is going wrong here?

I hope you might be able to assist me further with this burning problem! Or anyone else who could chip in and help me solve this issue?

Thank you in advance and kind regards!

Freek

[Rob_Cullen]

I thought that if all the smart previews of my catalog were located on the computers C drive, I could work without the external hard drive plugged in.

This is true only for editing your photos in the Develep module of Lr-Classic.

The Smart Previews you create and use on the C:drive are for this purpose only.

For photos to Synct to the Cloud (and Lightroom on mobile devices) Lr-Classic must have (one time)  access to the full size original files on the 'external drive'.

Smart Previews that YOU create are not the same as the 'Proxy' files that get synced.

So something is going wrong here?

Yes, I would expect to see the number of photos synced as per my clip (from Lr-Desktop)-

Is syncing 'Paused' on the mobile device? (Click on the Cloud icon)

Do you have 'Cellular Data' turned 'on' in your iPad/iPhone?

If you open 'Settings' (the cog icon) are you subscribed on the mobile device with the same email Identity as used for Lr-Classic?

If all this looks OK, then I think you will need to contact Adobe Customer Care!

[freekv71496515]

I'm still searching for an answer to my problem, anyone out there able to help me? I've added a lot of details about my problem and screenshots below.

Thank you in advance!

Freek

[Rob_Cullen]

I have read, and re-read, your posts and yet I still have no more suggestions.

But- I have just noticed this-

In your screen-clips in your very first post I see you have TWO different catalogs. (there are two differently named 'Preview' files). And note the dates on these files! The {Master} doesn't appear used since 6/1/2020

Are you positive you are always using (opening) the same Catalog that is set to 'sync'?

The presence of a {xxxxSync.lrdata}suggests it is the {Lightroom Master Catalog}.

Lightroom-Classic can only sync from one (and only one) catalog.