Moving photo files and re-routing location information

[nbmasson]

Hello,
I have a fairly simple question, and I am sure it has been asked before but I didn't find an anwer when searching the archives.

The time has come for me to dedicate an external HD just for my photo files, but I already have a significant number of photos that I have already edited that are located on my computer's HD. My two questions are:

1)How can I move my files from my computer to the external HD and change the path that lightroom uses to locate them...

2) Where is the editing information stored, and do I need to move any additional files besides the RAW files in order not to lose the editing work that I have already done on all the pictures.

Thanks alot!
NICK

 

[b_gossweiler]

Nick,

Welcome to the forum

1) Moving
The absolute best way of doing what you want is to move your folder(s) from within LR. Just drag and drop the folder(s) in the folder panel to the new location. If your new drive is not shown in the folder panel yet, create an empty top-level folder on it and add it to lightroom by using the little + right next to the word "Folders" and then move your folders to there.

2) Editing Info
Your editing information (metadata, development, ....) is primarily stored in your LR catalog. Additionally (if you chose so in your catalog settings), it can be stored in so called sidecar files (*.XMP) for RAW files or within the original files (DNG, TIFF, JPG, PSD).

Beat

 

[clee01l]

Nick, Welcome to the forum.
If you do your move inside Lightroom, you will be fine. The only files needing to be moved are the RAW (master) files and any sidecar files associated with them and residing in the same folder.
You have not completed your Forum profile So I am going to assume your OS is one of the versions of Windows. If you are a Mac user, you have no drive letters and your EHD volume is named and assigned to a folder under the root folder and much of what I am describing will not apply.
For you the windows user, the simplest way to go about this is to prepare windows so that it can always associate the same drive letter with the External Drive. Unless another removable drive has claimed the drive letter your EHD will claim the same letter each time it is connected. This is important since LR only keeps a pointer to the absolute path for each image file.
Lets assume the EHD is assigned the drive leter E: by windows. If you give the Drive a "Volume" name, windows will assigne that volume the same drive letter each time it is connected and LR stays happy.
For both Mac and Windows users:
Now on your new EHD, create a parent folder for your images. In LR in the folder panel header click on the (+) and choose {Add Folder...} from the drop down menu. In the Windows dialog that pops up, navigate to the image parent folder you created on the EHD. Select it and now you have two volumes listed each with a green rectanglular icon on the left. This will be gree whenever the driv volume is connected. Click on the triangle on the righ side of the Volume line and expande thes volumes. Take a folder from your old phoyo location and drag it to the new parent folder. It is that simple.

 

[Denis Pagé]

Welcome to the forums Nick!

If you are on Lightroom 1.' as you say in your profile, you will have to put a dummy image on your external drive and import it for Lightroom to see the drive. You can then delete that dummy image. It is then a matter of dragging dropping the folders from one drive to the EHD.

While we are at it, I suggest you to upgrade to the last free upgrade to Lightroom 1.' which is 1.4.1. You can do that easily from the help menu.