Anyone else having recent sync issues with catalog on Dropbox?

[mbernhardt]

Lightroom Version

12.3

Operating System

1. macOS 13 Ventura

I've been using Dropbox to sync the catalog files between 2 Macs. It has worked for a couple of years with no issues, as long as only one copy is open at a time and enough time is provided for syncing . All LR and Dropbox are up to date.

But recently I have had problems, where one Catalog folder is up to date and the other one is...not quite. The .lrcat file updates with no issue. But the lrcat-data, and the 4 .lrdata" files," (on a Mac at least, they are package folders that appear as single files) do not update across properly. On the "good side"" those 4 are dated 5/24 but on the "bad" side they are dated 5/19.

I worked with sometime with the Dropbox folks and they are escalating there, but I was wondering if anyone else is using Dropbox to sync and if they've had issues lately?

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Califdan]

As a general rule, I don't reccomend syncing the LrC catalog folder with services such as Dropbox. These sorts of services have trouble figuring out when things change inside the Catalog database (and some associated files). Also with the rapid updates done in the catalog when using LrC, if Dropbox uses multiple threads to update the cloud version, I suspect it is possible for two updates to be applied out of order (IMHO). I also suspect that Dropbox is not aware of when SQLLite updates are "committed" by LrC as opposed to being rolled back by LrC.

I have no trouble with Dropbox as a backup for the catalog, but would have it operate as an on-demand "copy" operation when LrC is not open rather than a "sync" operation trying to keep up with LrC database operations in real time. This is all just my opinion.

 

[Paul McFarlane]

Hi Mike

We did write a blog on this, specific to Mac:

https://www.lightroomqueen.com/catalog-on-dropbox-beta/

Make sure all those files are forced to be held locally, at least. But I'm with Dan - I wouldn't hold a catalog on Dropbox, but to sync a backup works fine of course.

 

[mbernhardt]

I never had issues until recently, but I can't say exactly when it began. It had been some time since we'd last needed to use LR on both computers. I know I'm not on beta versions of Dropbox. I did have a long convo with DropBox about this and it will be escalated there.

I am holding the files locally, though LR doesn't seem to have a problem with cloud-only, it just pulls the files down. It's the syncing back after quitting, TO the cloud and to the other Mac, that's an issue.

As far as on-demand backup for the LR files, not sure that's possible unless we remember to pause syncing every time we use LR. That's probably less reliable than Dropbox!

Any experience with other services that work better for this, like iCloud?

 

[mbernhardt]

As far as files syncing out of order, I wouldn't think it should matter--I'm obviously not using the database on the 2nd computer while it's open on the 1st. As long as everything syncs up to date after LR closes, it should be OK, right? It worked perfectly for years. Perhaps it is indeed a change in DropBox functionality.

I have an open case with DropBox about the issue. I suppose it could also be some change in LR (I updated to 12.3 recently) but since Adobe doesn't support doing this, I can't open a case with them.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Dropbox had to change the way it works considerably, due to changes imposed by MacOS Ventura. The Dropbox folder is no longer a folder in your Home folder, but is located in a special place that makes it appear to the system like a separate drive, just like iCloud Drive. I believe the Dropbox installer moves all your stuff, but also creates a symbolic link to your Home folder so it seems the Dropbox folder is still there. This might be an issue with Lightroom Classic, because it uses paths to all its files. Maybe it does not get file modification time changes correctly, or maybe Dropbox doesn’t. I had multiple issues with this change that the Dropbox team was never able to answer, so in the end I had to change a special publishing service because it simply did no longer work correctly.

 

[Gnits]

I avoid all file synch style services for direct Lr related activity, because ...,, I never fully understand the rules that apply, the subtle differences between their handling on Win and Mac and never feel I am in control and because I got into serious trouble when I introduced a 3rd computer (ie a new MacAir ).

I do believe these services have valid uses, but I only synch copies of originals. That means I can lose all my Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud type files and just be inconvenienced, but no loss of original data.

I think when apps designed for single user database access become dependent on a database synched in the background is going to run into a glitch at some stage.

Are your machines mostly synched when at base. If so, consider a tool like ChronosSynch or Beyond Compare over a wired or wireless home network, where you have realtime visibility of the status of the synch.

 

[mbernhardt]

Johan, I think you're on to something. Last night I looked at file permissions on the command line and they were not the same on the 2 machines. The DropBox told me that they had a similar issue with Apple Kenynote files, which it sounds like they resolved. So here's hoping they can get it right with LR. For now I'm only using it on the 1 computer that we began with the other day.

I keep the original photos on a shared hard drive, which is backed up to another drive and also to 2 cloud services!

 

[info_94]

I've been using Dropbox to sync the catalog files between 2 Macs. It has worked for a couple of years with no issues, as long as only one copy is open at a time and enough time is provided for syncing . All LR and Dropbox are up to date.

But recently I have had problems, where one Catalog folder is up to date and the other one is...not quite. The .lrcat file updates with no issue. But the lrcat-data, and the 4 .lrdata" files," (on a Mac at least, they are package folders that appear as single files) do not update across properly. On the "good side"" those 4 are dated 5/24 but on the "bad" side they are dated 5/19.

I worked with sometime with the Dropbox folks and they are escalating there, but I was wondering if anyone else is using Dropbox to sync and if they've had issues lately?

Thanks,

Mike

Yes, I have the same problem after updating from OS12 Monterey to OS13 Ventura. I have used Dropbox for years to sync what I call “self contained” job folders which include a lightroom catalog and all the image files used in that catalog. I do this so I can work on files in the office, at home or in the field. It worked great as long as you don’t have the same catalog open in 2 locations at the same time or before syncing has completed.

Since updating last week, it’s been a disaster with conflicting copies and corrupted catalogs. The only thing I’ve found as a temporary work around is to pause Dropbox syncing before opening Lightroom.

 

[mbernhardt]

Yes, I have the same problem after updating from OS12 Monterey to OS13 Ventura. I have used Dropbox for years to sync what I call “self contained” job folders which include a lightroom catalog and all the image files used in that catalog. I do this so I can work on files in the office, at home or in the field. It worked great as long as you don’t have the same catalog open in 2 locations at the same time or before syncing has completed.

Since updating last week, it’s been a disaster with conflicting copies and corrupted catalogs. The only thing I’ve found as a temporary work around is to pause Dropbox syncing before opening Lightroom.

What do you mean? If you pause syncing before opening Lightroom, what do you do when you’re done? Is it syncing to the other computer correctly if you pause while LR is open?

 

[info_94]

What do you mean? If you pause syncing before opening Lightroom, what do you do when you’re done? Is it syncing to the other computer correctly if you pause while LR is open?

I pause dropbox syncing on the computer I will be working on (before opening Lightroom). I open Lightroom and edit photos. I quit Lightroom, then resume dropbox syncing. This syncs correctly to the other computer as long as syncing has been completed and is paused before opening Lightroom on the other computer.

 

[mbernhardt]

That is weird but I will give it a try. I have an open case with DropBox about this so if it works for me that might be a clue for them.