Multiple catalogs to work on laptop (small hard drive)

[Erick]

Using Mac OS X.6.2, Lightroom 2.5 I think

A question about Lightroom catalogs:
I'm living in Brazil for a few months and have only a Macbook Air to work with. It has just one USB port. I want to edit images in Lightroom using my USB mouse, so I can't have my external mini hard drives connected while working in LR.

I think I can find a work-around by
1. creating multiple catalogs that
2. will be LR edited on my MBA then can be continuously backed up to my externals
and
3. later recombined when I get home to my regular desktop computer.

I'm sorry if this is a silly question, but how do I do this?
I already created a "Brazil" catalog. I think I should organize catalogs by city/region so I can work on 3'GBs or less at a time.

Can I
4. Sync up a catalog from my internal HD onto an external? I want not just the photo images, but the Lightroom edits backed up.

Any step-by-step instructions or points would be appreciated.
*Thanks in advance* for the help.

PS I can't just use a USB hub … the HDs are self-powered (G-Drive Mini and Seagate Freeagent) And I am traveling so I don´t want to buy and carry more hardware. I know that a bluetooth mouse or powered hub would make an easy solution, but I would like to know how to manage catalogs with Lightroom anyhow.

 

[erro]

Why not use a USB-hub?

 

[RikkFlohr]

Welcome to the forums!

I travel to Costa Rica several times a year. I carry a Macbook that has approximately 1'' GB free and I don't have use multiple catalogs as a result. Simplified, this is how I do it.

I create a blank catalog on my Macbook with all the keywords and metadata presets imported in advance.
I import to the catalog from my memory cards and work on my images (edit, tag, rate, etc)
I back up the images and catalog periodically to a second hard drive.
When I return home. I export my catalog by using the Export as Catalog… function to a portable hard drive.
I attach this drive to my primary system and open my master catalog.
Use Import from Catalog… will copy the picture files to the location of my choosing and integrate the catalog settings into my master catalog.

As to your item 4: Normally I have a drive and a card reader both connected but it sounds like you are using a machine with limited USB ports. When I download my card it makes a copy on my external drive automatically so my images back up on import. Then at the end of the day, I copy my LR catalog to the drive as well.

I tend to work with only one catalog at a time. If I am traveling, everything goes into a single catalog. I don't have to keep track of multiple catalogs (and multiple backups) and I can work on everything at once. When I return home I have only one catalog to re-integrate. If you don't have room on your MBA for everything, you will have to split (the image files at least) into chunks.

 

[sizzlingbadger]

The bluetooth mouse option would certainly be the way I would go. However... you could create a new catalogue on each mini drive and just plug in the one you want to use. The performance wouldn't be great though.