LR on two computers-how do I synchronize catalogs?

[fabthi]

Hi everybody
I am working with two Macs, a laptop and a desktop; on both machines I have the same LR 2.5 version with the same catalog (I imported it from one to the other).
What I would like to find is a way to "synchronize" the two catalogs.
Let's say I am working on a certain folder on the laptop and makes changes on Develop mode and Ratings to some of the files (or all), when I am finished I would like to transfer these changes to the same folder and images on the desktop
Looking around on the net I found this procedure: from the machine on which I did the last work on LR I should go to File>Export as Catalog and save to an external disk. Then on the machine that needs to be updated I willI go to File>Open catalog and look in the external disk for the Catalog just created.
Well, this is fine except that it actually creates a new catalog rather than "copying" the changes into the existing foder/images, and this is precisely the option I would like to achieve, if it is possible .
Thanks to all
Fabio

 

[dj_paige]

If you put the catalog and photos on the external disk, then it is synchronized between the two computer. Otherwise, you will find that you have to work continuously, via export as catalog and then import catalog, to keep things synchronized, and quite honestly, I don't recommend that. There is no way to "copy" photos from one catalog to another.

 

[fabthi]

[quote author=dj_paige link=topic=8614.msg58235#msg58235 date=126'532961]
If you put the catalog and photos on the external disk, then it is synchronized between the two computer. .........
[/quote]
Of course connecting the same external HD gives the two computers the same source for the LR catalog which are then "synchronized"; but I probably didn't explain myself correctly. When I said to use the external disk I didn't mean the main external disk where the LR catalog is stored but a smaller portable HD where to upload (and download) only the possible "update".
Also because to export (and import) a whole catalog is, as you correctly underline, not really advisable and, last but not least, comfortable.

 

[ndtking]

Fabio -

My solution to this problem is to keep all my photos and LR catalogs on a portable external drive (5''GB) which i move from computer to computer. The drawback to this is slower response time and the annoying tendency of Windows to change the drive letter. I keep a backup on my desktop drive which I sychronize with the external drive once or twice a week, depending on how much work I've done. I also keep another backup on a separate external drive which I keep elsewhere, and synchronize this every two weeks or so.

I've been doing a lot of HDR recently and that is a storage hog (3 to 9 original files, combined HDR file and final tonemapped TIFF). I'm reaching the point where the 5''GB drive is getting rather full, so I may have to go with a just a working catalog and photos on the portable. ( I usually start a new catalog and photo directory structure every year.) I'm hoping to see 75'GB or 1TB portables soon, that should keep me going for another couple of years.

 

[Jim Miller]

IIRC, LightRoom uses SQLite as its database. Aren't there tools available to syncronize such databases?

jtm

 

[johnbeardy]

You'd need to be a mad geek to do so. Even I'm not that far gone.

The best ways are to use Export and Import as Catalog, or the colostomy bag method (an external hard drive).

John

 

[Denis Pagé]

How figurative you are John! :icon_lol: :icon_lol:

 

[wilderw]

If there is any possibility that two users on two computers might at the same time or near the same time work on their respective copies of "THE" catalog then you have a tough sync issue (perhaps impossible to resolve).

If you are the sole user and would be working on only one of the Macs at one time AND you completely exit from Lightroom when finished working - you now have a simpler issue. Fundamentally the Lightroom catalog and associated photos are simply files and folders (or packages) at the OS level. Any utility that can replicate a folder structure from one Mac to another - copying only changed files - could (over a network) efficiently replicate changes from the just-used-Mac to the dormant Mac. Were you on a PC, ROBOCOPY or Synctoy might suffice. I am less familiar with the Mac but the rsync utility might do. This also presumes the file and folder paths on the two Macs are also the same as the catalog file would reference specific folder locations for the photos. If you cannot ensure that, then likely exporting and importing catalogs is a safer course.