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LR space management on a laptop

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RobOK

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Joined
May 20, 2008
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195
Location
Arlington, VA
Lightroom Experience
Advanced
Lightroom Version
Lightroom Version Number
Cloudy latest version
Operating System
  1. macOS 10.15 Catalina
I imported a large set of originals onto LR (not LrC) and they synced up to the cloud. Am i correct that the RAW files are no longer on my laptop? That is what I want because I am short on space, but I just wanted to confirm. I do NOT have the setting for storing local copies checked off.

Thanks,
Rob.
 
Not necessarily, In Lightroom (mobile) You need to use Settings (Cloud Storage and Sync) and (Local Storage) to store only Smart Previews. I'm not sure the exact settings, but there are others here that can be more specific.
Also you need to make sure that your Photos app is not storing a copy of your RAW files in addition to Lr's copy.
 
Am i correct that the RAW files are no longer on my laptop?
No. Lightroom copies the files into the default or specified location on the hard drive, from where they are synced to the cloud. Subsequent deletion of those copies should happen eventually, but it won't be immediate. Even worse, if you have the setting to store a local copy enabled, then they won't be deleted at all from the local drive.

Also, where did you import from? If from a memory card or camera, then that's not an issue....but if you imported from another hard drive location those files are not managed by Lightroom, so they'll still be there after the import and sync and it'll be down to you to manage them.

Even if you do as Cletus suggests, and uncheck the Store a copy of originals option, and check the store all Smart Previews option, you will still usually have a number of locally stored original files....as Lightroom will always download an original when editing if there's an internet connection. The main advantages of the Smart Previews option is that there'll be no apparent delay while the download of the original happens, and also you can work offline (i.e. Lightroom will use the SP for editing if the original cannot be accessed).
 
I may have made assumptions on your first post that in light of your title make me reconsider.
Is this laptop running MacOS. Or Windows? If so then the option to store locally is just that, an option. However Lr will store what it needs in Cache to properly edit your images.


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Thanks for multiple replies. Running MacOS. I imported directly from a card reader.

So to confirm, i do NOT have the option to store local copies.

So it sounds like LR will gradually get rid of the RAW files?
 
Thanks for multiple replies. Running MacOS. I imported directly from a card reader.

So to confirm, i do NOT have the option to store local copies.

So it sounds like LR will gradually get rid of the RAW files?

You do have an option in Lightroom (cloudy) to store originals locally. It always stores the originals in the cloud (subject to the storage plan in your subscription.). Storing original. RAW files locally is an option IN Addition to storing those RAWs the cloud storage. It sounded from your original post that you do not want originals stored locally for space considerations.


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Yues Clete, correct. I loaded them on the laptop to the cloud but don't want them to stay on my laptop. I think I have achieved that.
 
OK, I am back on this topic. I think LR is acting buggy. i have both checkboxes UNchecked for storing locallay and i set cache to 10%.

If I go into Lightroom Library.lrlibrary and select "Show Package Contents" in Finder (that is Mac hidden folder construct), I see tons and tons of ORIGINALS on my hard drive (NEF files).

Reviewing this thread at Adobe (which Victoria was very helpful with in the beginning in 2018), and the problem persists for a lot of people.
https://community.adobe.com/t5/ligh...getting-bigger-and-bigger/td-p/9484373?page=1

Part of me thinks I should just delete the LIbrary (remember this is cloud version), but i have this nagging feeling that I would delete some originals that somehow did not sync.

I have 118 GB in the cloud and the Library (local) is 82.7 GB, nearly 1:1 in size.

I found some other files to delete, so my immediate crisis is solved, but 85 GB is a lot to take up on my laptop.

I guess i can start comparing my local to online Lightroom, but that would be tedious at best.

Any further thoughts?

Thanks,
Rob.
 
Rename Lightroom Library.lrlibrary. This will take it out of LRs purvey and LR w7ii create a new replacement. If that causes cloud versions to go missing, then you know what to do.


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OK, i did that and deleted the local catalog. It re-synced and now that folder is 6 GB as opposed to 85 GB. Case closed for me.
 
I guess i can start comparing my local to online Lightroom, but that would be tedious at best.

Any further thoughts?
Although you have fixed the space problem, I thought it might be worth mentioning for future issues that if the photo count of the Lightroom desktop app matches the photo count in the LrWeb app, and sync status is "Synced and Backed Up", then it's not likely (theoretically impossible) for there to be original images present in the local Originals folder which have not yet been synced to the cloud. In that scenario, deleting the local originals folder should be perfectly fine.

Note, however, that the local originals folder will still slowly increase in size over time (as you import new images and as you edit exising images in Lightroom desktop app). Adobe are aware that they have not been agressive enough in cleaning up infrequently accessed local copies, and are supposed to be looking at improving that.
 
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