Migrating additional full size images to the Adobe Cloud.

[clee01l]

Lightroom Version Number

9.0

Cloud vs. Local

Cloud Sync

Operating System

1. macOS 26 Tahoe

I have identified ~260 images in the Adobe Cloud that by filter are determined to be Smart Previews only synced from my Lightroom Classic master catalog . I created an albume of these images and when that Album showed up as a collection in LrC, I Exported that collection as a Catalog. I then used Lightroom Desktop to migrate that exported catalog to the Adobe Cloud. My expectation was that these full size images would replace the Smart Previews already in the Adobe Cloud. This did not happen. Instead I now have duplicated and the Smart Previews remain.

Why? And how can I rid my Adobe Cloud content of Smart Previews?

 

[Johan Elzenga]

I think the explanation is as follows: What you should have done is import the images directly -from the location where Lightroom Classic stored them- in Lightroom. By exporting them as catalog, they became new images as far as Lightroom is concerned, because Lightroom doesn’t know what you did in Lightroom Classic. Of course you can still do this now (and delete the duplicates).

 

[clee01l]

I think the explanation is as follows: What you should have done is import the images directly -from the location where Lightroom Classic stored them- in Lightroom. By exporting them as catalog, they became new images as far as Lightroom is concerned, because Lightroom doesn’t know what you did in Lightroom Classic. Of course you can still do this now (and delete the duplicates).

Suggestions on how to Isolate and import (not migrate) ~260 images out of 15,000+ that are in date named folders covering 50+ years? Presumably the Edit adjustments from the Smart Previews already in the Adobe Cloud would get applied.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Suggestions on how to Isolate and import (not migrate) ~260 images out of 15,000+ that are in date named folders covering 50+ years? Presumably the Edit adjustments from the Smart Previews already in the Adobe Cloud would get applied.

You could select them in Lightroom Classic and then move them to a subfolder not containing any other images. Then you can simply import all the images in that folder into Lightroom and let them sync. After you’ve done that (wait till they have all synced) you can move the images back to their original folders if you want to. Edits will indeed be applied, because the originals replace the smart previews.

 

[Jim Wilde]

You could select them in Lightroom Classic and then move them to a subfolder not containing any other images. Then you can simply import all the images in that folder into Lightroom and let them sync. After you’ve done that (wait till they have all synced) you can move the images back to their original folders if you want to. Edits will indeed be applied, because the originals replace the smart previews.

That works well, but if the moving of the 250 images back to the original dated folders is a bit of a hassle, an alternative method would be:

1. Move them to a new subfolder within LrC as per your suggestion.
2. Then select them all and Cmd-S to save edits etc. to XMP.
3. Then remove them all from LrC, (Remove only, NOT Delete from Disk).
4. Import that sub-folder into LrD.
5. The new images will be synced back to LrC and will be placed into the original date-based folders (assuming Cletus has the correct master folder and dated sub-folder options selected in LrC Preferences, which I think he has). All original LrC metadata and all edits will be preserved.

 

[clee01l]

That works well, but if the moving of the 250 images back to the original dated folders is a bit of a hassle, an alternative method would be:

1. Move them to a new subfolder within LrC as per your suggestion.
2. Then select them all and Cmd-S to save edits etc. to XMP.
3. Then remove them all from LrC, (Remove only, NOT Delete from Disk).
4. Import that sub-folder into LrD.
5. The new images will be synced back to LrC and will be placed into the original date-based folders (assuming Cletus has the correct master folder and dated sub-folder options selected in LrC Preferences, which I think he has). All original LrC metadata and all edits will be preserved.

Thanks for the support. I do have the Adobe Cloud syncing to the same date named folders as in a conventional import.

I am in the laborious process of trying to remove all of the previously migrated images from the Adobe Cloud and my master catalog where they ended up when I subsequently migrated 3 partial catalogs to update the Adobe cloud. I have in both places duplicate images, duplicate albums/collections. Apparently, I missed the "memo" that said I shouldn't try to migrate partial catalogs to replace Smart previews added by the Master catalog.

Once I have identified the images in my Master catalog that only have Smart Previews in the Adobe Cloud, could I export these as "original"? It would seem that this would create a copy suitable to import with Lightroom Desktop/

 

[Johan Elzenga]

That works well, but if the moving of the 250 images back to the original dated folders is a bit of a hassle, an alternative method would be:

1. Move them to a new subfolder within LrC as per your suggestion.
2. Then select them all and Cmd-S to save edits etc. to XMP.
3. Then remove them all from LrC, (Remove only, NOT Delete from Disk).
4. Import that sub-folder into LrD.
5. The new images will be synced back to LrC and will be placed into the original date-based folders (assuming Cletus has the correct master folder and dated sub-folder options selected in LrC Preferences, which I think he has). All original LrC metadata and all edits will be preserved.

Google idea, but that will remove them from synced and non-synced collections as well and also from publishing services, so there are always a few pitfalls. Nothing too serious as long as we are talking about 250 images and not 2500 or 25000.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Once I have identified the images in my Master catalog that only have Smart Previews in the Adobe Cloud, could I export these as "original"? It would seem that this would create a copy suitable to import with Lightroom Desktop/

No, that would lead to the same problems that you had when exporting them as a catalog. Exporting them means you create a copy that Lightroom doesn’t know is a copy, so Lightroom considers it a new original.

 

[Swingman]

That works well, but if the moving of the 250 images back to the original dated folders is a bit of a hassle, an alternative method would be:

1. Move them to a new subfolder within LrC as per your suggestion.
2. Then select them all and Cmd-S to save edits etc. to XMP.
3. Then remove them all from LrC, (Remove only, NOT Delete from Disk).
4. Import that sub-folder into LrD.
5. The new images will be synced back to LrC and will be placed into the original date-based folders (assuming Cletus has the correct master folder and dated sub-folder options selected in LrC Preferences, which I think he has). All original LrC metadata and all edits will be preserved.

Jim, Could this method be deployed to transfer full size LrC edited images to the cloud? Also does LR automatically update the images using the accompanied XMP file?

 

[clee01l]

Jim, Could this method be deployed to transfer full size LrC edited images to the cloud? Also does LR automatically update the images using the accompanied XMP file?

Full size edited images not already synced to the Adobe Cloud can use the Lr catalog migration method. However, if the images have already been synced and you need to replace the Smart preview with a full size image, you only need to import the image file. The XMP edits are already in the Adobe Cloud and associated with the Smart Preview that you are going to replace.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Swingman]

Full size edited images not already synced to the Adobe Cloud can use the Lr catalog migration method. However, if the images have already been synced and you need to replace the Smart preview with a full size image, you only need to import the image file. The XMP edits are already in the Adobe Cloud and associated with the Smart Preview that you are going to replace.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I am enquiring about files edited in LrC exporting full size image to cloud, where previous edits are no longer current, regardless of the version already in the cloud either smartpreview or full size.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

I am enquiring about files edited in LrC exporting full size image to cloud, where previous edits are no longer current, regardless of the version already in the cloud either smartpreview or full size.

As long as your Lightroom Classic catalog is synced, the edits in the cloud are in sync with the edits in Lightroom Classic.