Help please with syncing/catalog stuff for a non techie person?

[Charity Feb]

Lightroom Version Number

Lightroom Classic version: 9.3 [ 202005281810-476e492c ]

Operating System

1. macOS 10.14 Mojave

Hello all. I just bought a MacBook Pro (running Catalina) so I can show galleries to clients in coffee shops in this time of Covid. I'm trying to sync photos from Lightroom Classic on my desktop (running Mojave). In trying to start a "LightroomCC Sync" collection ala Sean Bagshaw, and have one folder for all my best photos from which I can run slideshows as needed, I think I inadvertently created a *different* catalog on the MacBook Pro from the one I have on my desktop (I only have two Lightroom catalogs; Current Projects and Picture Archive - and, now, "Lightroom Catalog" on the laptop, which I don't want ... I don't think? Or do I?). Now, I can't figure out how to add new photos on the desktop to the LightroomCC Sync collection; the little sync icon is only visible on my MacBook Pro now, not on my desktop. I've succeeded in burning two hours searching Sean Bagshaw's original video, other videos and trying a power cycle (and barking at my kids once), but that hasn't found me an answer. Should I be calling Apple support, or can anyone here help me?

 

[Rob_Cullen]

You may get different answers, but here are my thoughts-
It is difficult trying to sync Catalogs on two computers. So you do not need a Lr-Classic catalog on the laptop. And you can only ever 'Sync' ONE catalog to the Cloud- you will need to decide which catalog you sync- Current Projects or Picture Archive

1) In your (chosen) desktop catalog you create Collections of all the photos you want to display on the MacBook.
You mark these Collections to Sync and set the Catalog to Sync.

2) On the MacBook you use Lightroom (not Lr-CLassic) and all the Collections you have synced will automatically appear as Albums in the laptop to both edit and show anywhere.

3) The next bonus is that you can 'Share' the Albums by providing friends (& clients) with a link that will display to them the photos. An example- RHC SAMPLE COLLECTION by Robert Cullen

Let's see what others have to say

 

[Charity Feb]

So ... to get to where I need to be, do I delete the fledgeling (3-photo) catalog on the MacBook Pro? Will that somehow restore the ability to sync from my desktop, I wonder?

Also ... I don't use LR Classic on the laptop? It can't be on both the desktop and laptop?

I am paying for not updating for all these years, trying to wrap my brain around what to use where ...

Amazing work, btw.

 

[Charity Feb]

Okay ... I deleted that little incidental catalog, and downloaded Lightroom on the MacBook (now I see how this all works) ... but it looks like I am NOT able to share these synced photos as a slideshow in this new setup - from Lightroom, on my laptop. Am I seeing this right? I can do a gallery reveal, but only as a static gallery ... ?

 

[Charity Feb]

I guess I've answered my first question, and branched off to a second one. Thank you, I-See-Light, for helping me! I'll put this next question in its proper thread now.

 

[clee01l]

I replied earlier to your slideshow question in the slideshow post.
I have a workflow that uses Lightroom Classic and Lightroom (cloudy). First, you need only one LrC catalog because only one LrC catalog can be sync'd with the cloud. And that or part of it can be sync'd to Lr (Cloudy). Once you have this sync'd setup, any sync'd folders in LrC become Albums in Lr.

 

[Jim Wilde]

Once you have this sync'd setup, any sync'd folders in LrC become Albums in Lr.

.....sync'd collections (not folders) become albums in LR.

 

[clee01l]

.....sync'd collections (not folders) become albums in LR.

Sorry,
Senior moment...