- Joined
- Nov 13, 2017
- Messages
- 140
- Location
- Southeastern US (Currently)
- Lightroom Experience
- Intermediate
- Lightroom Version
- Classic
- Lightroom Version Number
- LR CC v10.2
- Operating System
- macOS 11 Big Sur
Hello all -
My 2TB external hard drive is finally full, and I need to move my LR folders to a new 5TB external hard drive. My LR Catalog now resides on my MacBook Pro SSD, which is where I want it to stay. However, I prefer to keep my photos organized on separate external hard drives, hence the need to move them. The goal is to leave the LR catalog where it is, and have the catalog point to the new drive to reference the images. I followed, or tried to follow, the directions here to move the picture folders from one external hard drive to another, and found them to be incredibly confusing. I have not had success.
My LR catalog was admittedly a bit unorganized before I attempted the move, Now, it is a complete jumble and in total disarray. A couple of days ago, I was a millimeter away from ditching LR and going back to Camera Raw and PS. (If I could have tossed it all and reopened my darkroom, I would have!) I have seriously contemplated deleting the catalog completely, and re-importing and reorganizing everything - I haven't done that. But amid all the gasps of horror and wails of anguish at the thought, understand that every single Image I've worked in LR is saved as a Master PSD file and JPEG file across multiple multiple hardrives as well as in the cloud. Accordingly, and I could be mistaken, I don't believe any of my prior work would be 'lost' per se, except those processed image files within the LR Catalog. However, as those processed files are already saved elsewhere as final master and output files, the likelihood I would go back to LR to rework them is practically nil.
Having said that - I'd much prefer to get LR back to where it was and put some time into re-organizing the catalog in the correct way within LR. I'm ready to try this move again, but need to have better guidance at what I'm doing. Any help is appreciated.
Many thanks -
My 2TB external hard drive is finally full, and I need to move my LR folders to a new 5TB external hard drive. My LR Catalog now resides on my MacBook Pro SSD, which is where I want it to stay. However, I prefer to keep my photos organized on separate external hard drives, hence the need to move them. The goal is to leave the LR catalog where it is, and have the catalog point to the new drive to reference the images. I followed, or tried to follow, the directions here to move the picture folders from one external hard drive to another, and found them to be incredibly confusing. I have not had success.
My LR catalog was admittedly a bit unorganized before I attempted the move, Now, it is a complete jumble and in total disarray. A couple of days ago, I was a millimeter away from ditching LR and going back to Camera Raw and PS. (If I could have tossed it all and reopened my darkroom, I would have!) I have seriously contemplated deleting the catalog completely, and re-importing and reorganizing everything - I haven't done that. But amid all the gasps of horror and wails of anguish at the thought, understand that every single Image I've worked in LR is saved as a Master PSD file and JPEG file across multiple multiple hardrives as well as in the cloud. Accordingly, and I could be mistaken, I don't believe any of my prior work would be 'lost' per se, except those processed image files within the LR Catalog. However, as those processed files are already saved elsewhere as final master and output files, the likelihood I would go back to LR to rework them is practically nil.
Having said that - I'd much prefer to get LR back to where it was and put some time into re-organizing the catalog in the correct way within LR. I'm ready to try this move again, but need to have better guidance at what I'm doing. Any help is appreciated.
Many thanks -