Library module Using SSD while travelling

[tim.rupp]

Lightroom Version Number

LrC 11.5

Operating System

1. Windows 11

Hello! Wondering if someone could help me figure this out. I am headed to Colombia next month and my photos are on my external RAID. I don't want to take all the photos, just my 2022 folder. So I have copied that folder unto an SSD drive to carry with me and use on my laptop. The LrCat files are on the laptop drive.
First, how can I get this copied 2022 folder from the external SSD to appear in the LR library so that I can import photos and edit whilst in Colombia.
Finally, when I return and can use my external RAID at home, how do I add the files that are on the SSD back onto the RAID?
Thanks in advance, for your assistance.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

It’s better not to copy the raw files but to generate smart previews for them. This scenario is exactly where smart previews are for. Import new images into a temporary ‘Travel’ folder and move them to the 2022 folder on the raid (by dragging and dropping in the Lightroom folder panel) when you get back home.

 

[GregJ]

I'm a travel photographer (which means I travel a lot, carry lots of cameras with me and shoot every day while traveling). So, what you are talking about is always my biggest problem or challenge. I think about it all the time and am willing to learn. But I'm stuck in my ways. I know what I want, what I need and what I like.

What do I take with me from my home studio 8TB internal SSD on my PC (that I built) which stores my life's work (backed up a bazillion times to external 10TB spinning drives)? Nothing. Why would I?

My travel-shooting 4K high-end 15-inch laptop is a blank slate with a zeroed-out catalogue. I shoot and edit in LR on the road and post the results (export full-size JPEGs) to Flickr daily. (I'm shooting in Sardinia right now if you want to look - I've posted 500 shots the past 2 weeks.)

I back up my work on the road from the laptop to a 2TB external SSD. When I get home, I copy my images and their sidecars into my base-PC 8TB SSD and import them to my only catalog. Then I delete everything off my laptop.

1. I don't use Raid. Been there. Done that. No way. Raid is dead to me and soon will be to everyone. What we need is big 8TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 4 or 5 SSDs. Will happen soon at less than 400 bucks. Nirvana. That is the equivalent of storage paradise. That will kill Raid forever. Thanks be to God.

2. I would not touch LR cloud and those small smart previews unless someone flew to San Antoino and paid me a lot of money while giving me the best sales-pitch since I bought that boat I didn't need.... But I could be wrong. Never used it. Won't use it. Why? Because I want to see my work at full pixel res while I edit, export and the entire work-flow.

3. If you want to take some previous work with you on the trip (but why?), copy the files and their sidecars to an external spinning drive or SSD. Take them with you. If you want to use them on the road, just import them into your travel cat. Takes 30 seconds. Then you can use them in your laptop however you want. But why? When you are traveling, you just care about what you are shooting on that trip.

But that is just me. We all have different needs and expectations.

 

[tim.rupp]

It’s better not to copy the raw files but to generate smart previews for them. This scenario is exactly where smart previews are for. Import new images into a temporary ‘Travel’ folder and move them to the 2022 folder on the raid (by dragging and dropping in the Lightroom folder panel) when you get back home.

Thanks Johan. That is what I have done. Exported my 2022 files to a new catalog on my laptop SSD using Smart Previews as I don't need full files for working with other editors. I can then import and edit in LrC whilst on the road. Also gives me a chance to catch up on the editing backlog I have for 2022. When I return in December, I can export the local catalog back to the RAID drive where everything is residing at the moment. Appreciate your response.

 

[tim.rupp]

I'm a travel photographer (which means I travel a lot, carry lots of cameras with me and shoot every day while traveling). So, what you are talking about is always my biggest problem or challenge. I think about it all the time and am willing to learn. But I'm stuck in my ways. I know what I want, what I need and what I like.

What do I take with me from my home studio 8TB internal SSD on my PC (that I built) which stores my life's work (backed up a bazillion times to external 10TB spinning drives)? Nothing. Why would I?

My travel-shooting 4K high-end 15-inch laptop is a blank slate with a zeroed-out catalogue. I shoot and edit in LR on the road and post the results (export full-size JPEGs) to Flickr daily. (I'm shooting in Sardinia right now if you want to look - I've posted 500 shots the past 2 weeks.)

I back up my work on the road from the laptop to a 2TB external SSD. When I get home, I copy my images and their sidecars into my base-PC 8TB SSD and import them to my only catalog. Then I delete everything off my laptop.

1. I don't use Raid. Been there. Done that. No way. Raid is dead to me and soon will be to everyone. What we need is big 8TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 4 or 5 SSDs. Will happen soon at less than 400 bucks. Nirvana. That is the equivalent of storage paradise. That will kill Raid forever. Thanks be to God.

2. I would not touch LR cloud and those small smart previews unless someone flew to San Antoino and paid me a lot of money while giving me the best sales-pitch since I bought that boat I didn't need.... But I could be wrong. Never used it. Won't use it. Why? Because I want to see my work at full pixel res while I edit, export and the entire work-flow.

3. If you want to take some previous work with you on the trip (but why?), copy the files and their sidecars to an external spinning drive or SSD. Take them with you. If you want to use them on the road, just import them into your travel cat. Takes 30 seconds. Then you can use them in your laptop however you want. But why? When you are traveling, you just care about what you are shooting on that trip.

But that is just me. We all have different needs and expectations.

Thanks for your insight Greg. If I had 8TB on my laptop, I would certainly keep all my files local...sadly, 2TB won't cut it for me. (I'm with you on the LrCC, not for me either!) The reason I am taking 2022 files with me is because I am woefully behind in editing and I may have a moment or two of free time to actually do some of that! Appreciate you taking the time to respond with your solutions!

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Thanks Johan. That is what I have done. Exported my 2022 files to a new catalog on my laptop SSD using Smart Previews as I don't need full files for working with other editors. I can then import and edit in LrC whilst on the road. Also gives me a chance to catch up on the editing backlog I have for 2022. When I return in December, I can export the local catalog back to the RAID drive where everything is residing at the moment. Appreciate your response.

Don’t export to the RAID on your return. When you get back home, start Lightroom on your main computer and use ‘Import from Another Catalog’ to import the ‘travel catalog’ into your main catalog.