Import Connecting Lightroom CC to OneDrive on a Second Computer, No Download of Images Required, I.E. Read Catalog Only.

[andy.leggatt]

Lightroom Version

Lightroom CC

Operating System

1. Windows 10

This question has probably asked 100 times before, but could not find a match (so apologies in advance).

I have been using Lightroom CC on a Windows 10 desktop for several years. As 1TB storage came free with my Microsoft 360 subscription, it made sense to use this to back up my photo collection: this collection takes up around 750GB at present. These are stored on both my desktop hard drive and in the cloud using OneDrive. They seem to synchronise nicely.
As I am having health issues, it is often easier to use a laptop, hence a recent purchase. Lightroom CC is fine as it can be run simultaneously on two machines at no extra cost. Similarly with the Microsoft 360. However, I am very nervous about connecting the laptop version of Lightroom to the OneDrive photo folder as when I initially tried, Lightroom seemed to be not just connecting with the cloud and setting up thumbnails (or whatever it does) but downloading the entire collection onto the laptop. This is way to much data for the laptop hard drive. So, the question is, can I usefully use Lightroom CC with the OneDrive files stored in the cloud? I appreciate that when I wish to work on an image, I will have to allow it to be downloaded (or not?). I really would like to access my photo collection on the laptop, and surely there must be a way...
For the record, I thought I had adjusted the Lightroom import settings on the laptop to 'Add' (add photos to catalog without moving them), but this did not seem to be working, as the hard drive storage started to fill up...
All the best,
Andy

 

[Rob_Cullen]

First you need to clarify what versions of Lightroom you are using!
"for several years " suggests you are using Lightroom-CLASSIC.

If I understand you correctly, it would seem to me that a better course for you would be-
1) Continue to use Lr-Classic on your desktop (using one-drive)
2) Use Collections in Lr-Classic to sync previews of your photos to the Adobe Cloud. (unlimited! No cloud storage space is used.)
3) Run Lightroom (Cloud based) on the laptop (or any mobile device- iPad, etc) and edit these synced photos from the Collections.

You can also Import file to the Laptop (or mobile device) and have them sync down to the desktop, but these files DO occupy space in your Adobe Cloud storage. (20Gb plan?)

 

[andy.leggatt]

First you need to clarify what versions of Lightroom you are using!
"for several years " suggests you are using Lightroom-CLASSIC.

If I understand you correctly, it would seem to me that a better course for you would be-
1) Continue to use Lr-Classic on your desktop (using one-drive)
2) Use Collections in Lr-Classic to sync previews of your photos to the Adobe Cloud. (unlimited! No cloud storage space is used.)
3) Run Lightroom (Cloud based) on the laptop (or any mobile device- iPad, etc) and edit these synced photos from the Collections.

You can also Import file to the Laptop (or mobile device) and have them sync down to the desktop, but these files DO occupy space in your Adobe Cloud storage. (20Gb plan?)

Hi, and thanks for responding.
You are correct in assuming Lr-Classic is the version I subscribe to: not sure where I got the ‘CC’ from!
I very much like your suggestion to run the cloud-based LR on the laptop. I had not thought of that. The use of Collections, I will have to learn a little more about, but I’m sure its not too complicated.
Sadly, as my new Windows 10 laptop has just thrown up a blue screen and died, the challenge will have to wait a week or two...
A

 

[Rob_Cullen]

Sorry to hear about your BSOD. I hope your photo backups are secure. All the best for your laptop.

Adobe has stopped using the "-CC" suffix from all software names, but you will still encounter it used in a plethora of videos and web search articles, causing untold amounts of confusion. (even when trying to explain the names!!)
So Lightroom-Classic is now the desktop software we have known for many years as Lightroom v1-6
Lightroom is now the name for what was previously called Lightroom Mobile (and Lightroom-CC!!!).
Lightroom-CC is probably best understood as an umbrella name for all the various 'Mobile' versions of Lightroom (there are several).

This video has (in the first 4 minutes) a great introduction to using LIghtroom-Classic and syncing photos to the Adobe Cloud for remote editing on laptops and iPhones, etc.: (as I suggest in my other post)
Lightroom Mobile and Web with Classic | Laura Shoe