Travel catalog

[Cerianthus]

Victoria's last blog mentioned a travel catalog. I just used a copy of my main catalog (without the actual pictures) , but is it possible to export your main catalog empty, but with all the keywords etc and use that as a base catalog ?

Gerard

 

[clee01l]

That is exactly what I do. I simply copy a copy of my master catalog from the desktop to the laptop. When I open it on the laptop. it says that i have a bunch of missing photos. To tidy up, I select all of these missing photos in the travel catalog and remove them from the travel catalog. This give me a clean, empty catalog with keywords and smart collections on the Laptop to import new images while I travel. When I return from my trip I copy this catalog along with the Digital Negative files to the Desktop and import using the "Import from Another catalog" function

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Because my main catalog is synced with Lightroom Mobile, and contains many publishing services, I do it a little differently. Just to make sure that I can't make any mistakes and remove photos from a publishing service or from LrM. Instead of using a copy, I select the 'All Photographs' view and then choose 'Export as Catalog'. Lightroom will ask me if I want to copy the images and the previews, so I check to export 'all photos', but uncheck to include previews and include masters and such. This will create a full copy of the catalog (without previews) with all collections and keywords, but without the publishing services and not synced with LrM. I open that catalog, remove all images just like Cletus does, and copy the empty travel catalog to my laptop.

 

[Cerianthus]

Thanks for the tips both of you!


Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met Tapatalk

 

[rob211]

I have vastly different hardware, and I use my catalogs on my desktop and aging laptop different, so I have catalogs optimized for each. But I can still use Johan's method for transferring back and forth.

But for certain images I store permanently on both machines (and mobile devices and NAS) I now use Mylio more. It basically syncs folders across the devices, and can do many Lr adjustments, faces, non hierarchical keywords, etc. It doesn't need an internet connection, so when I'm on my LAN it just makes sure certain folders are the same and allows me to do some editing. I've found it more flexible than publishing to a drive via Lr for some uses.

 

[johnbeardy]

My preference is to take my main catalogue with me, copying it to the laptop and then back to the desktop afterwards.

I don't take the previews folders, and instead take a large number of smart previews. This includes smart previews for the area I'm visiting, images shot over the last year, and maybe a couple of other categories. The idea is to have pictures available for location research, copying metadata (and ensuring consistency), and to have available any current pictures that I may need to send out.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

I don't take the previews folders, and instead take a large number of smart previews.

I think the word 'instead' is a bit misleading and might confuse some people. Smart previews have nothing to do with normal previews, so you can't use smart previews 'instead of' standard previews. They are replacements for missing originals. If you don't copy the preview folders to the laptop, then Lightroom will simply rebuild the standard previews for every image with a smart preview that you view while you're on the road. And of course for every new image that you shoot and import on the road.

Also, don't forget that you can only send out images at the reduced size of the smart preview in this case.

 

[johnbeardy]

I don't take the previews folders, and instead take a large number of smart previews.

I agree I could have worded that better - I don't take the regular previews folders, but instead take the smart previews.

While the laptop does start building regular previews from smart previews and new images, its previews folder remains very small compared to the desktop's, and is only on an as-needed basis.

And while one can't send full res images, a smart previews-only catalogue is a big step forward from having an empty catalogue and avoids taking large amounts of data on the road. I used to do export as catalog, with photos.

 

[camner]

My preference is to take my main catalogue with me, copying it to the laptop and then back to the desktop afterwards.

I don't take the previews folders, and instead take a large number of smart previews. This includes smart previews for the area I'm visiting, images shot over the last year, and maybe a couple of other categories. The idea is to have pictures available for location research, copying metadata (and ensuring consistency), and to have available any current pictures that I may need to send out.

So, to be clear, John...when you say you "take [your] main catalogue with [you]" do you mean that you simply move the catalog file to the laptop, as opposed to exporting the catalog?

Because my main catalog is synced with Lightroom Mobile, and contains many publishing services, I do it a little differently. Just to make sure that I can't make any mistakes and remove photos from a publishing service or from LrM. Instead of using a copy, I select the 'All Photographs' view and then choose 'Export as Catalog'. Lightroom will ask me if I want to copy the images and the previews, so I check to export 'all photos', but uncheck to include previews and include masters and such. This will create a full copy of the catalog (without previews) with all collections and keywords, but without the publishing services and not synced with LrM. I open that catalog, remove all images just like Cletus does, and copy the empty travel catalog to my laptop.

I am unclear as to what the functional difference is between simply copying the catalog file to the laptop and deleting unwanted photos (as described by Cletus) and exporting the catalog (as John does). I, too, like Johan, have my master (on desktop) catalog synced with LR Mobile, and I also have a number of publish services...does this mean I should prefer the technique described by Johan/Cletus?

What I would like to do is to have a catalog on my laptop that:

1. has all of the keywords, collections, and smart collections from my master catalog
2. is synced with LR mobile, as there will be times when I will only have access to my iPad and not the laptop
3. has a few hundred smart previews of images I would like to continue to process while I'm away

What's the best way of accomplishing this?

In particular, since my master catalog has more smart previews than I want to bring along this time, I'm unclear how to get just the desired smart previews to the laptop. I can think of a couple of ways of doing this, but perhaps there is a better approach than either of these:

1. Discard all existing smart preview, rebuild smart previews for those I wish to travel with, and move the catalog as well as smart preview file to the laptop
2. First move just the catalog file (either via a direct move or via an export)...then do another export selecting only those images for which I want smart previews, and then import the second catalog into the first (master) on the laptop

 

[Johan Elzenga]

I am unclear as to what the functional difference is between simply copying the catalog file to the laptop and deleting unwanted photos (as described by Cletus) and exporting the catalog (as John does). I, too, like Johan, have my master (on desktop) catalog synced with LR Mobile, and I also have a number of publish services...does this mean I should prefer the technique described by Johan

If you use an empty copy of your main catalog, your publishing services and your Lightroom Mobile sync are still active for that catalog. Because you deleted all the images (to make it the travel catalog), you would delete these images from these services and from Lightroom Mobile as well if you don't realize that and cancel the synching.

Of course, this is fine if you want to sync that travel catalog with Lightroom Mobile, but do remember that this will clear all existing entries from Lightroom Mobile. The only images you'd have left in Lightroom Mobile are the ones you took during that trip and synched.

 

[camner]

If you use an empty copy of your main catalog, your publishing services and your Lightroom Mobile sync are still active for that catalog. Because you deleted all the images (to make it the travel catalog), you would delete these images from these services and from Lightroom Mobile as well if you don't realize that and cancel the synching.

Of course, this is fine if you want to sync that travel catalog with Lightroom Mobile, but do remember that this will clear all existing entries from Lightroom Mobile. The only images you'd have left in Lightroom Mobile are the ones you took during that trip and synched.

So, if I understand correctly, by NOT exporting from the master catalog (moving it instead) and then deleting the images to make it smaller, in the travel catalog all the images are removed from the publish collections and from LR mobile, But, as Cletus then imports the travel catalog back into his master catalog at the end of his trip, the fact that the travel catalog has the images disconnected from LrM and publish services doesn't matter.

Your approach is to export from the master catalog, so the travel catalog does not have the LrM sync and publish services to begin with.

Unless you accidentally move the travel catalog back to your desktop rather than export/import, these two approaches are functionally the same (other than losing the original LrM sync), yes?

 

[rob211]

So to be clear Johan the idea is to select all images and then "export as catalog..." with ALL the options unchecked (so you are not exporting negatives, previews, etc...essentially ALL the options are NOT checked, right? Then copy to the laptop, open, and delete all the images (since if you open it on your desktop it will find the existing images and start building previews).

 

[clee01l]

So to be clear Johan the idea is to select all images and then "export as catalog..." with ALL the options unchecked (so you are not exporting negatives, previews, etc...essentially ALL the options are NOT checked, right? Then copy to the laptop, open, and delete all the images (since if you open it on your desktop it will find the existing images and start building previews)

Lightroom Mobile can only support one catalog at a time. The master catalog should be that catalog. LightroomMobile syncs only those images in the designated collections that are in the Master catalog. A travel catalog should not be sync'd with LR Mobile as LR Mobile currently exists since it will break the current sync with the master catalog. When you import as a catalog the Travel catalog into the Master catalog, you import images and LR catalog metadata pertaining to those images This will not negatively affect those master catalog collections being sync'd to LR Mobile.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

So, if I understand correctly, by NOT exporting from the master catalog (moving it instead) and then deleting the images to make it smaller, in the travel catalog all the images are removed from the publish collections and from LR mobile.

Correct. An identical copy of your main catalog will contain the same information as the original, so it will also contain the information that this is the catalog that is synched with Lightroom Mobile. And it will also have all your publishing services. So imagine what could happen if you delete all the images from this catalog (to make it your travel catalog). Depending on the kind of publishing service, Lightroom may start deleting the images on the publishing service as well. And if you didn't disable the sync with Lightroom Mobile first, it will also delete all the images from Lightroom Mobile.

If you export all your images as a new catalog on the other hand, you will get a copy that does not contain publishing services and is not synched with Lightroom Mobile, so this can't happen by mistake.

 

[clee01l]

Correct. An identical copy of your main catalog will contain the same information as the original, so it will also contain the information that this is the catalog that is synched with Lightroom Mobile. And it will also have all your publishing services. So imagine what could happen if you delete all the images from this catalog (to make it your travel catalog). Depending on the kind of publishing service, Lightroom may start deleting the images on the publishing service as well. And if you didn't disable the sync with Lightroom Mobile first, it will also delete all the images from Lightroom Mobile.

If you export all your images as a new catalog on the other hand, you will get a copy that does not contain publishing services and is not synched with Lightroom Mobile, so this can't happen by mistake.

A copy of your master catalog is recognised by Lightroom Mobile AS a different catalog. If you open the catalog copy, Lightroom Mobile will ask you if you want to sync this catalog instead of the one currently being sync'd Unless you want Lightroom Mobile to remove all of your current sync'd images your should answer "no" when Lightroom Mobile asks if you want to sync this catalog.

As for publish Services, when you open a catalog copy, you need to set up each Publish Service in the new catalog before you can publish. Once set, you can publish images from this travel catalog without affecting and images on the Publish Service that were uploaded by any other process including other LR catalogs.

Travel catalogs that were created by export as a Catalog do not contain all keywords. or installed plugins. They only contain keywords that were assigned to the images included in the exported Travel Catalog.
Now when I need a travel catalog, I use a copy of my master. When I open that copy on my laptop, I cancel Lightroom Mobile syncing and usually do not initialize any Publish Services Usually I remove any existing cataloged images (since they are now listed as "missing").

 

[rob211]

Huh. I've copied my only Lr catalog and then opened without any alert, dialog, or such notice from Lr Mobile. Seems a sensible caution; wonder why I haven't gotten the warning? maybe because I'd copied to a different volume or machine before I opened it?

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Yes, I agree that's how it should work, but I do remember a publishing service that started to delete the images on the server when I tried to make my travel catalog this way. It didn't ask me for a new setup and I certainly didn't do that myself (although I must have pressed publish somehow). That's why I decided to use this 'better safe than sorry' method of exporting a catalog. If you select all your images when you do the export, you will get all your keywords unless you have keywords that are not assigned to any image at all.