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How to avoid All originals downloading from the cloud to Classic on Sync.

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DanTo

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Joined
Feb 8, 2021
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3
Lightroom Version Number
Lightroom Classic version 10.1.1
Operating System
  1. Windows 10
  2. macOS 10.15 Catalina
  3. iOS
  4. Android
Hi All -I'm a born again Lightroom person having use it a decade or so ago - and how everything has changed.

I have embraced the Lr cloud based app - its on my phones- my tablet, my decade old macbook air and my bang up to date windows 10 laptop.
I also downloaded classic on the windows machine.

My aim was to use Classic to triage new photos and do some editing on selected "best photos".
I prefer the interface of Classic and so this seemed to make sense.

First thing I found is that classic won't send originals to the cloud as far as I can tell. It sends smart previews but not the original.
On scouring the web i found a workaround to try- send the edited smart preview up to the cloud and then add the original to LrCC.
Clever LrCC will spot the duplicate and combine the original and smart preview with the edits in the cloud.
Haven't got to try that yet as the next stage has taken over my machine!

OK i said to myself - lets not worry about that - I'll change to using LrCloud for initial triage and upload -
But that means that when I take 200 photos and import them into LrCloud - they're all headed up to the cloud - even though I may then delete them they had to make the trip.

Second thing is that when I selected Sync on Classic I opened a floodgate - all of my 20k originals are arriving on the windows machine...
I quickly unchecked the double headed arrows against most of the collections which appeared in the From Lightroom collection set - but they're all still coming - all 200gb of them.

Is there a way to just have one or two collections sync? Do I really have to have the lot arrive on my laptop?
And if I delete the originals that are arriving - will I delete them from everywhere now that everything is connected?
Are there still originals in the cloud?

And will the kids kill me as the sync is sucking up all the bandwidth and they cant watch Netflix???

thanks!
 
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DanTo said:
Hi All -I'm a born again Lightroom person having use it a decade or so ago - and how everything has changed.

I have embraced the Lr cloud based app - its on my phones- my tablet, my decade old macbook air and my bang up to date windows 10 laptop.
I also downloaded classic on the windows machine.

My aim was to use Classic to triage new photos and do some editing on selected "best photos".
I prefer the interface of Classic and so this seemed to make sense.

First thing I found is that classic won't send originals to the cloud as far as I can tell. It sends smart previews but not the original.
On scouring the web i found a workaround to try- send the edited smart preview up to the cloud and then add the original to LrCC.
Clever LrCC will spot the duplicate and combine the original and smart preview with the edits in the cloud.
Haven't got to try that yet as the next stage has taken over my machine!

OK i said to myself - lets not worry about that - I'll change to using LrCloud for initial triage and upload -
But that means that when I take 200 photos and import them into LrCloud - they're all headed up to the cloud - even though I may then delete them they had to make the trip.

Second thing is that when I selected Sync on Classic I opened a floodgate - all of my 20k originals are arriving on the windows machine...
I quickly unchecked the double headed arrows against most of the collections which appeared in the From Lightroom collection set - but they're all still coming - all 200gb of them.

Is there a way to just have one or two collections sync? Do I really have to have the lot arrive on my laptop?
And if I delete the originals that are arriving - will I delete them from everywhere now that everything is connected?
Are there still originals in the cloud?

And will the kids kill me as the sync is sucking up all the bandwidth and they cant watch Netflix???

thanks!
Click to expand...
DO NOT DELETE THE IMAGES THAT HAVE SYNCED DOWN INTO CLASSIC! That WILL also delete them from the Cloud. Stop what you are doing until you understand the "rules of engagement" when trying to use Lightroom and LrClassic in a combined "hybrid" workflow.....Adobe's recommendation is that you use one OR the other, and not to try combining their usage. Those rules can be broken (I do that), but you're much better off learning how it all works rather than diving straight in.

Some of the things you have discovered are indeed "rules", specifically:

1. If you sync images FROM Classic to the cloud, only smart previews are uploaded. These do not count against your cloud space allocation, and in most cases are good enough for displaying and even editing on the connected mobile devices. About the only thing you can't do is export full-size originals from LrMobile if you've only got the SPs in the cloud. Other than that, this is the simplest (and cheapest) method of combining Classic with the benefits of the cloud ecosystem (and would also take some strain off your network bandwidth, so your kids would probably vote for this!).
Classic also allows for selective syncing FROM LrC to the cloud, i.e. the user decides what images are uploaded.

2. If you import images directly into any of the cloudy clients (mobile, web, Lightroom desktop) the full size original is uploaded. There is no selective sync, however....everything you import will be uploaded. Though for your triage method, you could pause syncing before you import, do your triage and delete the rejects, then unpause syncing to upload only your selected "keepers"....just be aware that until they are uploaded you won't have a backup).

3. When you enable sync in Classic, any images already in the cloud WILL download into LrC. You can control the location, and the folder structure, but you can't stop them downloading unless you pause sync in Classic...which rather defeats the objective.

4. If you delete synced images from Classic (or even just "unsync" them), the cloud image is also deleted.

4. Adobe's alternative approach is to use ONLY the Lightroom suite and forget about Classic, which is why they offer two different plans for the same monthly cost....the Photography plan which includes Classic and Photoshop, all the Lightroom products, and 20GB of cloud space (don't need much more than that if only uploading Smart Previews). Or the Lightroom plan which includes only the Lightroom suite of products and 1TB of cloud space.

5. The not recommended approach is to combine the two systems into one workflow, and there are various ways of achieving that.....but first you've got to want it and be prepared to accept the inefficiencies inherent in such an approach. I suggest you mull over how you really want to work, then come back if you have questions.
 
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Fantastic.. and thank you - I think i'm getting it.

So the unintended consequence is that I have a full backup in one place of my originals.
Previously scattered in all sorts of places - samsung cloud - google photos (tont get me started on trying to get them out of there!) - various apple photos and aperture libraries etc

Plan to let it run (3k to go - kids haven't worked out its me) .

I subscribed to the 1TB Photography plan with all the bells and whistles - It was supposed to be double the price of the 1TB lightroom plan but for some fortuitous reason when i got to checkout it was discounted by 25% - no brainer at that price. - and having everything in one place out in cloudland was worth it - the backup back here on planet earth will help me sleep at night and i parked it for now on a 512GB external drive.

The surprise that its all or nothing on that download to classic means that my workflow is indeed reversed. That initial import to the laptop from camera will go into the LrCCloud client and i will triage from there with sync paused - then let the floodgate open when the first cull is done. the backup is that they are still on the camera card until I know they are safe in bed.

on your point "4. If you delete synced images from Classic (or even just "unsync" them), the cloud image is also deleted."
is that images where the original is only in classic and smart previews are sent to the cloud or includes all of those new arrivals where the original is still in the cloud .

Big assumption in that last question:
I am assuming that the act of downloading originals to Classic does NOT remove originals that were already in the cloud via a cloudy client from still being in the cloud -thus leaving only those smart previews up there once the originals are downloaded?

I guess I do want it .. the LrCC client on the laptop just doesn't feel enough like Classic. I guess Classic is now my backup and also editor for those "best ones."

- related question - while i consolidate my archives how good is LrCC when it comes to recognising and avoiding duplicates? In other words if i end up sending multiple backup folders of originals back to the cloud will LrCC disregard duplicates which will certainly exist.

Thanks
Dan
 
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DanTo said:
on your point "4. If you delete synced images from Classic (or even just "unsync" them), the cloud image is also deleted."
is that images where the original is only in classic and smart previews are sent to the cloud or includes all of those new arrivals where the original is still in the cloud .

Big assumption in that last question:
I am assuming that the act of downloading originals to Classic does NOT remove originals that were already in the cloud via a cloudy client from still being in the cloud -thus leaving only those smart previews up there once the originals are downloaded?

I guess I do want it .. the LrCC client on the laptop just doesn't feel enough like Classic. I guess Classic is now my backup and also editor for those "best ones."

- related question - while i consolidate my archives how good is LrCC when it comes to recognising and avoiding duplicates? In other words if i end up sending multiple backup folders of originals back to the cloud will LrCC disregard duplicates which will certainly exist.

Thanks
Dan
Click to expand...
Any image (original or smart preview) would be deleted from the cloud if it is unsynced or removed from the associated synced Classic catalog. The logic is that when a Classic catalog is synced with the cloud ALL assets in the cloud are downloaded into the Classic catalog, in other words if it's in the cloud it also has to be in Classic. With that "rule" it logically follows that if you tell Classic to no longer sync an asset then either the cloud must immediately download it again (Live, Die, Repeat...), or the cloud must delete it to stop that repeating sequence. Adobe chose the latter option, not unreasonably.

Regarding the big assumption, Classic gets a COPY of the original in the cloud, i.e. the original remains in the cloud.

Duplicate detection? Depends what you mean by duplicates.....if you mean the exact same file that you previously imported (and is still in the cloud) then I would expect the duplicates detection to disallow that subsequent import attempt. But if you mean a derivative of an image that currently exists in the cloud, then I wouldn't expect duplicates detection to work as strictly speaking that's not a duplicate.
 
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Got it thanks -

yup - exact duplicates that are still in the cloud.

ok thanks for all of your answers - i just discovered that grid view in Lightroom Desktop App doesn't display things like filename, in collection, edited, other selected info- etc.
That's another on a growing list of reasons to keep classic in the picture rather than taking it out entirely.

thanks again.
Dan
 
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