Sync edits, flags and rating from the cloud to local files

[rct202tlrq]

Lightroom Version Number

8.0

Operating System

1. Windows 11

Hi ! I could not find docs or threads that helped me to figure it out, so posting here. if this has been discussed before, happy to close to avoid duplicates. Mostly found thread with issues the other way around, from local to cloud

I have device A (desktop pc) which has the original files that I want to edit, I start curling and editing and want to continue from the coffee shop, so I upload my progress to the cloud. I take device b (laptop or android phone), I can see where I left off, and continue working, the cloud has the latest edits from a and b, but when getting home, I want to sync the edits to my hard drive on device a, so that it also has the progress I made on device b. how can I achieve that?

I see this on the docs

What does the Copy to Cloud option mean in Lightroom?​

With the Local tab, you can access locally stored photos from your computer without importing them to Lightroom. This makes it easier to edit photos as you don't need to import every image to Lightroom before editing it. You can selectively copy pictures to the Cloud to access them on Lightroom for mobile and Lightroom on the Web.

When you copy a photo to the Cloud, the Cloud, and Local copies are separate. You can continue to edit the image in the Cloud section. If you edit the Local copy again, you can update the Cloud copy with the new edits from the Local section.

And have done that(continue editing local on device A and sync the changes later to the cloud), but then again, if I edit on the cloud on device b, I have not found a way to sync back to local. And I do read that it mentions Cloud and Local copies are separate, I am not looking for autosync, just a way to start a sync from the cloud back to local.

Also second inquiry (happy to open another thread if that is more adequate),
I am out on the field, I have my camera, my phone and a sd card reader. I want to start curling on the phone, without uploading to the cloud, is that possible? I am able to import my images from the sd card to lightroom in the phone, but it start to upload them. Does not seem I can only explore and flag/rate them.

I guess this kind of ties back to the original question, I would not have an issue of them uploading from the phone, if once I am back at home, and move the files from my sdcard to my pc, I could sync the flags and edits made on the phone, and not having to re upload/end up with duplicates. is that workflow possible?

I see the archive from cloud option, but that seems more meant to be used as for offloading cloud content to local that is not going to be kept in cloud going forward. am I misunderstanding that option, and that is what I am looking for?

I am new to photography (about a year in), and just started retouching my images on lightroom about a couple months ago.

Thanks in advance

 

[Jim Wilde]

You mention "local" several times in your post. Does that mean that you normally operate in Local mode on device A, but then copy xx images to the Cloud for subsequent work on device B, and you want any changes you make on device B to apply to the corresponding images when viewed again in Local mode on device A? If so, that would indeed only be possible by using the "Archive photo locally" option in Cloud mode. But if you want to keep the images in the cloud then you can't get the edits to appear when you view the images in Local mode, you'd have to export a copy of the image from the cloud to the local location.....but then viewing the image both in local and cloud means you're viewing two different files, and subsequent changes to one file will not be automatically synced to the other. Far simpler to leave those images in the cloud and use Cloud mode exclusively for those specific images.

 

[clee01l]

I agree with Jim. The Local option is a recent option with Lightroom. I don't think it is well thought ought before being implemented. Lightroom (Cloudy) was intended to be a cloud based mobile app. The Local option is just the opposite of that and IMO not designed for sharing across multiple devices.

 

[rct202tlrq]

Does that mean that you normally operate in Local mode on device A, but then copy xx images to the Cloud for subsequent work on device B, and you want any changes you make on device B to apply to the corresponding images when viewed again in Local mode on device A?

yeah, that is the workflow I am looking for. Gotcha gonna try a workflow with the archive option.

The Local option is a recent option with Lightroom. I don't think it is well thought ought before being implemented

Starting to see that. hope they keep working on it.

Thanks both!

 

[Peter van de Witte]

The workflow you are aiming for is possible with Lightroom Classic. The philosophy of the cloud based version of Lightroom is different in that the main location of the images is in the cloud, not on your local disk.

The local tab is a bit confusing because it seems like once the images are copied to the cloud the edits you make in the cloud get synced back and forth between the cloud version and the local version. But this is not the case. The local files stay linked to the cloud versions and you can still 'send' the edits you do locally to the cloud versions of the images. However, it is not possible to sync the edits you do in the cloud back to the images on your local disk.

Personally I find this limitation very annoying. It would give me tremendous peace of mind if the cloud version of Lightroom could keep a backup of my images on a physical disk accompanied with xmp files containing ratings, crops, edits etc...

 

[MikeRBiker]

The workflow you are aiming for is possible with Lightroom Classic. The philosophy of the cloud based version of Lightroom is different in that the main location of the images is in the cloud, not on your local disk.

The local tab is a bit confusing because it seems like once the images are copied to the cloud the edits you make in the cloud get synced back and forth between the cloud version and the local version. But this is not the case. The local files stay linked to the cloud versions and you can still 'send' the edits you do locally to the cloud versions of the images. However, it is not possible to sync the edits you do in the cloud back to the images on your local disk.

Personally I find this limitation very annoying. It would give me tremendous peace of mind if the cloud version of Lightroom could keep a backup of my images on a physical disk accompanied with xmp files containing ratings, crops, edits etc...

I find it strange how so many Classic users seem to want the Cloud version to run like Classic for file management in order to save a few pennies on storage. If your images are so important that you must have multiple backups, paying a monthly subscription to get that automatically seems value for money. The Local files function in the Cloud version is in my mind no more than an expanded pre-import preview function. If users want a fully functioning local files experience, stick with importing local files to a Classic catalog, and sync smart previews to the cloud for mobile editing. But then you won’t have full resolution files available away from your local drive, and soon you’ll be asking for full resolution file copies to be held on the Cloud too, which is exactly what the Cloud ecosystem supplies. Re-inventing the wheel?

As for backup, I’m pretty sure Adobe runs a far more resilient and comprehensive backup and disaster recovery system for their cloud image servers than any user can imagine or afford for £10 a month, let alone implement. There is always the option of storing originals from the cloud version locally as well for those, like me, who can’t yet let go completely.

 

[Peter van de Witte]

I find it strange how so many Classic users seem to want the Cloud version to run like Classic for file management in order to save a few pennies on storage. If your images are so important that you must have multiple backups, paying a monthly subscription to get that automatically seems value for money. The Local files function in the Cloud version is in my mind no more than an expanded pre-import preview function. If users want a fully functioning local files experience, stick with importing local files to a Classic catalog, and sync smart previews to the cloud for mobile editing. But then you won’t have full resolution files available away from your local drive, and soon you’ll be asking for full resolution file copies to be held on the Cloud too, which is exactly what the Cloud ecosystem supplies. Re-inventing the wheel?

As for backup, I’m pretty sure Adobe runs a far more resilient and comprehensive backup and disaster recovery system for their cloud image servers than any user can imagine or afford for £10 a month, let alone implement. There is always the option of storing originals from the cloud version locally as well for those, like me, who can’t yet let go completely.

Who said anything about saving pennies on storage? That is not what this is about at all. I prefer the cloud version of Lightroom and the whole cloud expierience as a whole. So I gladly moved away from Lightroom Classic and I don't miss it.

I also am pretty sure that Adobe runs very comprehensive backup systems. But I have 2TB of images in the cloud with edits, ratings, keywords and everything. If anything should happen that makes it impossible for me to reach the Adobe servers then I'd have a huge problem. Of course I would then have a backup of the originals on my local disk. But I would have lost years of edits, ratings, etc etc...

So the only thing I would like the cloud version of Lightroom to do in a future version is backup the originals (like it does now) with an xml file alongside it containing the ratings, keywords and edits so that, if push comes to shove, I can still browse this backup disk with non cloud based software, for instance Adobe Bridge.

I think you are right in that the 'local'tab is an expanded pre-import function. But personally I find it not very elegant, which is too bad because the rest of the software is. Very elegant, I mean.

 

[MikeRBiker]

I was commenting about the use of Local files in the cloud desktop version. As you correctly pointed out in paragraph one of your earlier post, Classic enables full local file management and local copies of all edits XMP etc., without relying on access to Adobe Cloud.

I suppose I was then confused by your second paragraph which appeared to seek to make the Cloud desktop local files work the same way as Classic, and I was hoping that by suggesting that local files should be considered as an extended pre-import file browser it might help clarify any confusion some users may have in thinking that it was more than that.

When working offline, my cloud desktop has no issues with applying synced edits, ratings etc., stored on my local machine to the full res local copies stored on my SSD, so I was also confused by your suggestion that Adobe needed to replicate what already exists.

 

[Peter van de Witte]

Haha... I am sorry that I have confused you. I guess the fact that English is not my native language is probably responsible for that.

But!
In your last paragraph you mention something that I completely overlooked, which is that Lightroom works without any restrictions without an internet connection. In that case Lightroom uses the files on the local SSD. So if the server is down I don't have a problem, like I was writing before.

Thanks for clearing that up.

Still... I have so many images (I started photographing in 2004...) with so many edits and ratings. I still find it a bit frightening to rely on the Lightroom database alone. Despite preferring the new Lightroom I liked the fact that Lightroom Classic stored all that metadata in an xmp sidecar file that would always be there even if my Lightroom Catalog would get corrupted or anything like that.

 

[clee01l]

I find it strange how so many Classic users seem to want the Cloud version to run like Classic for file management in order to save a few pennies on storage. If your images are so important that you must have multiple backups, paying a monthly subscription to get that automatically seems value for money. The Local files function in the Cloud version is in my mind no more than an expanded pre-import preview function. If users want a fully functioning local files experience, stick with importing local files to a Classic catalog, and sync smart previews to the cloud for mobile editing. But then you won’t have full resolution files available away from your local drive, and soon you’ll be asking for full resolution file copies to be held on the Cloud too, which is exactly what the Cloud ecosystem supplies. Re-inventing the wheel?

As for backup, I’m pretty sure Adobe runs a far more resilient and comprehensive backup and disaster recovery system for their cloud image servers than any user can imagine or afford for £10 a month, let alone implement. There is always the option of storing originals from the cloud version locally as well for those, like me, who can’t yet let go completely.

Classic users want Classic features and functionality. A lot of that is missing and a lot of things that are implemented are implemented differently enough that working in both environments is annoying..
Image files stored in the Adobe Cloud are not Backups. They are not even close. There is no versioning history so you can't recover a file as it was 6 months, 6 weeks, 6 days or 6 hours ago. Deleted files can only be restored for 60 days after being deleted and after that they are gone forever.

There are cloud based companies that specialize in System backup of your apps and user data. BackBlaze is one that I use. The Adobe Cloud has as its primary purpose of sharing images, with your other devices, with others. It has some basic organization features and some basic editing functionality. Classic exceeds these features and functionality on all counts.

 

[johnbeardy]

Image files stored in the Adobe Cloud are not Backups. They are not even close. There is no versioning history so you can't recover a file as it was 6 months, 6 weeks, 6 days or 6 hours ago. Deleted files can only be restored for 60 days after being deleted and after that they are gone forever.

And also include the work you've done on your pictures, which may be backed up but isn't a backup from the user perspective. Accidentally apply a rating to a large number of images, remove them from an album, or paste the wrong adjustment to them - then try recovering when you notice your mistakes tomorrow. Adobe having proper backup isn't the same as you having backup.

 

[MikeRBiker]

I'm perfectly aware that I only expect Adobe to have "backup" for the current state of user cloud catalogs and image files including the 60 days of deleted images, not full infinite rollback capability. Of course, if you want that, set up an offline solution which snapshots your LrDesktop installation, library files, OS system settings etc... Just as you would in Classic.

I don't understand Clee's statement that Adobe Cloud does not provide (I assume image-) versioning history, he must be looking at a different LrCloud than mine, because I can see a versioning history on every image file I hold in the cloud ecosystem, including which devices amended the file and when. It may be limited in some way, but I'm not sure how.

Perhaps I should mention that because I have enabled the option (under Cache preferences in Mac) to store a copy of all originals locally on an SSD, and all Smart Previews on my computer HD, I backup the Lr desktop LrLibrary file (which contains all the xmp data and smart previews) as well as the SSD local original image file drive via Time Machine, so I do have some local offline rollback "backup" capability up to the limit of my Time Machine drive size. At major points like system OS or Lr version upgrades I also take a snapshot copy of these files for recovery/rollback in case of need as any system admin would. So I'm pretty confident that if Adobe closed down overnight, I could use the software and files on my local machinery and/or backup drives to produce full resolution outputs of every image in my LrCloud catalog, including all edits and ratings. That's a good enough "backup" for me.

But realistically, how far back do you reasonably expect any "backup" solution to take you?

 

[clee01l]

I'm perfectly aware that I only expect Adobe to have "backup" for the current state of user cloud catalogs and image files including the 60 days of deleted images, not full infinite rollback capability. Of course, if you want that, set up an offline solution which snapshots your LrDesktop installation, library files, OS system settings etc... Just as you would in Classic.

I don't understand Clee's statement that Adobe Cloud does not provide (I assume image-) versioning history, he must be looking at a different LrCloud than mine, because I can see a versioning history on every image file I hold in the cloud ecosystem, including which devices amended the file and when. It may be limited in some way, but I'm not sure how.

Perhaps I should mention that because I have enabled the option (under Cache preferences in Mac) to store a copy of all originals locally on an SSD, and all Smart Previews on my computer HD, I backup the Lr desktop LrLibrary file (which contains all the xmp data and smart previews) as well as the SSD local original image file drive via Time Machine, so I do have some local offline rollback "backup" capability up to the limit of my Time Machine drive size. At major points like system OS or Lr version upgrades I also take a snapshot copy of these files for recovery/rollback in case of need as any system admin would. So I'm pretty confident that if Adobe closed down overnight, I could use the software and files on my local machinery and/or backup drives to produce full resolution outputs of every image in my LrCloud catalog, including all edits and ratings. That's a good enough "backup" for me.

But realistically, how far back do you reasonably expect any "backup" solution to take you?

I have gone back 6 months to a LrC back up to recover keywords on ~2000 images that I accidentally deleted and did not discover until months later.

As for your LrCloud (a Misnomer as Lr has little to do with the data stored in the Adobe Cloud). Can you recover an image state on an image that was deleted 61 days ago or 6 months ago?
How about the crop that was applied to an image last week on an IPad but changed again with Lr Desktop? Can you recover that crop?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[MikeRBiker]

I haven't tried, as I haven't needed to and dont use keywords, but I'm pretty sure that I could connect my ti.e machine and roll back to the earliest available state held there without connecting to the Internet.

But I guess that's the same thing that Backblaze would do.