Catalog Size on new installation

[AdeC]

Lightroom Version

Lightroom Classic CC 8.1

Operating System

1. macOS 10.14 Mojave

Hi I have just re installed LR on a new iMac and have my Catalog on 4TB external HD.
I have just imported 1337 CR.2 files and the catalog size is 5.62GB . The LR previews ir data is 4.51GB and LR Smart previews lr data 1.1GB which makes up the 5.63GB.
I am using the 4TB HD to keep all of my images on as well as the Catalog which is obviously in a folder of it's own.
So far the1337 CR.2 files have used 45.21 GB
I have made no edits etc to any of the images in LR so there is no history etc.
I have made standard previews on import and the Smart Preview box is ticked.

I wondered if this is the right size for catalog with the amount of images i have imported or have done something wrong

Also when i go to import i receive a dialog box on the screen
I used the My Book Studio for my previous installation of LR but it failed so have had to purchase a new external HD which i am now using for
the new installation on my new iMac
The question is am i able to stop the dialog below from appearing each time i use the new lightroom
Any help will be gratefully received

Regards Adrian


The destination folder “/Volumes/My Book Studio/Ade's Lightroom CC” is not available. Using “Pictures” folder instead.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

That catalog folder size is not unusual. Lightroom has created previews for these 1337 raw files, so 5.63 GB is not extreme depending on the screen resolution of the iMac. The higher the screen resolution of the iMac, the larger the previews need to be. Do you have a specific reason to make smart previews as well?

 

[AdeC]

Hi.
Thanks for your advice.The iMac is a 27" Retina display (5120 X 2880)
Regarding the Smart Previews i think i became confused between the options and ticked the box and i have no intention of
disconnecting the drive as it will be a dedicated external for all of my older images which i have to import over the next few days
and also for my new images in time to come.

 

[Jim Wilde]

Also when i go to import i receive a dialog box on the screen
I used the My Book Studio for my previous installation of LR but it failed so have had to purchase a new external HD which i am now using for
the new installation on my new iMac
The question is am i able to stop the dialog below from appearing each time i use the new lightroom
Any help will be gratefully received

Regards Adrian


The destination folder “/Volumes/My Book Studio/Ade's Lightroom CC” is not available. Using “Pictures” folder instead.

You get that message because LR has remembered the old drive from previous imports, and as it's no longer available it defaults to the "Pictures" folder instead (that's a fairly recent change, it used to just silently switch to Pictures without warning). Have you now done a successful "Copy" or "Move" import using your new preferred destination (which should have resolved that conflict)? If not, do one and the message should stop. If you have done an import using a new destination drive, yet still getting the message, that might indicate that you have an older Import Preset still in use which referenced the old drive. In which case, delete or update that preset to stop that message.

 

[AdeC]

Hi Jim,
I still get the message even though it is a clean install on the new drive.
How do i Delete/update the Import preset please

Adrian

 

[Jim Wilde]

What type of import are you doing when this message pops up? I wouldn't expect it when doing an "Add" import, for example, so perhaps there's always a memory card mounted whenever you start the import, which would cause LR to default to a Copy or Copy as DNG import. It should only be necessary to run a valid Copy import to a different drive to have LR "forget" about that old drive.....have done one yet?

Bottom centre of the Import screen in the Import Preset panel....does it read "None" in the selection box?

 

[AdeC]

Hi Jim,I am doing an Add import when i get the message.
I have just imported a couple of images via the copy option and the message has stopped appearing.
The Import preset panel does say "None"

Many thanks for your help it is very much appreciated.

Regarding the first part of my post would you recommend that i delete the Smart previews which have been created for the images
which i have already imported and the deselect the build smart previews option for further imports.
The external HD will be permanently attached to the iMac

 

[Jim Wilde]

Regarding the first part of my post would you recommend that i delete the Smart previews which have been created for the images
which i have already imported and the deselect the build smart previews option for further imports.
The external HD will be permanently attached to the iMac

There no "right answer" here as there's a couple of uses for smart previews.....one is to allow editing of images when the originals are not available, though you appear to be discounting the need for that. The other use is to allow you to use smart previews for editing even when you have the originals available, as generally speaking performance is better when editing SPs instead of the originals (there's a preference setting to allow that). So the choice of having them or not is really a personal one.....some users use them in that way, others don't bother. I'm in the latter camp, so I don't generate SPs.....but you might have a different viewpoint. So it's your call really.

 

[AdeC]

Hi Jim.
I have just been experimenting with a couple of images.
I deleted the smart previews of them and edited them via Photoshop and didn’t notice any difference in the editing process.
To my mind it would seem pointless to waste HD space especially at the catalog grows in size to have a smart preview which I would not
make use of.
I should have had a refresher course via Victoria’s Books before I jumped in I think. Time to take them off the bookshelf I think.
Regards Adrian

 

[Hal P Anderson]

I deleted the smart previews of them and edited them via Photoshop and didn’t notice any difference in the editing process.

Smart previews aren't passed to Photoshop for editing there. They can optionally be used to edit within Lightroom. As Jim pointed out, there's a preference for that. So if you want to experiment, do it all within Lightroom.

 

[Califdan]

Sometimes that message is caused by having the default folder for "synced" photos originating in the cloud pointed to the drive that's not there anymore. Got to preferences for Sync and see if that's the case.

Sometimes if your default location for LR generated backups is still pointing to that old drive you could get that message as well.

 

[AdeC]

Sometimes that message is caused by having the default folder for "synced" photos originating in the cloud pointed to the drive that's not there anymore. Got to preferences for Sync and see if that's the case.

Sometimes if your default location for LR generated backups is still pointing to that old drive you could get that message as well.

Hi,
I followed Jim's advice and made an import via copy instead of Add and this has stopped the dialog box from appearing when i now import via Add which is my normal process.
Thanks for the advice

Adrian