Working in field with LR on small laptop and portable hard drive

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Hi,

I need some help understanding whether I can do what I'd like to do and, if so, how
to set it up....

I'm taking a long trip and expect to take, perhaps, hundreds of images each day.
I'll shoot in RAW and back up 2x a day onto a portable Hyperdrive with enough capacity for my images.
I'll have a laptop with me (a PC) that has LR on it, but it doesn't have enough memory to hold a full
catalog of RAW images. Thanks to the answer to a prior post, I can understand how to view thumbnails on it without any trouble.

I'm wondering if there is a way to edit out the absolutely useless images on the laptop
and not have to repeat that process when I download either my media cards or the images
on my portable Hyperdrive to my desktop Mac when I return. I understand it's not a compatibility
issue between the PC and the Mac. I just can't figure out if there is any workflow that will accomplish this since I don't have the ability to create a catalog to hold all the RAW images on the laptop.

thanks
Stephanie
 
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Can this Hypedrive function as an external drive to your PC or Mac? If it can, you can store your trip images that and point your catalog to the external drive as your image repository.
 
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How much space do you have on this laptop? A catalog on it should not take up much space. For example, I have a 2'''' images catalog using ±3'' megs. You can also opt to keep the previews at minimum in the "Catalog Settings".

You can keep your raw files on the Hyperdrive making sure you see a top level folder in Lightroom to help later and have your catalog on the laptop (space permitting). The catalog can also live on the Hyperdrive (slower method) if needed.

Back home, copy the Laptops's catalog to the Mac and plug the hyperdrive to it. Open that copied catalog by double-click on it. Navigate to the top level folder and right-click to choose "Find Missing Folder" navigating to the corresponding top level folder on the Hyperdrive. This is because on the Laptop, the catalog was looking at a drive letter it won't find on the Mac that will look for the Hyperdrive's name. Once the images are linked back, close this catalog and open (menu -> open recent ?) your normal catalog; The one you work with normally on the Mac. Then from the menu, "Import from Catalog" choosing the one copied from the laptop.

If you worked with the catalog on the Hyperdrive, the method will be similar except that you won't have to copy the Laptop's catalog and will just do the same with the Hiperdrive's catalog.

In any case, do a backup of the catalog on the Mac FIRST. Better safe than sorry as they say...
 
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A couple of observations. If you are only getting rid of the "useless" images, you could just delete right in the camera and be done with it. Regarding your gear, are you only copying the images to this Hyperdrive? If so, I would strongly recommend buying a USB HD from WD or Seagate. One copy on a drive is somewhat risky if that drive should get lost or fail on you. And, if you have a USB HD, you should have plenty of storage space. These drives are quite compact and affordable, now come in sizes as large as 64'GB, and yet they can fit into your shirt pocket. In short, I am not certain of the value of the Hyperdrive if you choose to have a PC and USB HD's with you. Perhaps I am not understanding your set-up?

--Ken
 
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[quote author=clee'1l link=topic=78'6.msg53282#msg53282 date=125269'57']
Can this Hypedrive function as an external drive to your PC or Mac? If it can, you can store your trip images that and point your catalog to the external drive as your image repository.
[/quote]
The Hyperdrive is a media storage device that stores any data that can go on one of many kinds of media cards. Mine is 16' GB.
So it sort of functions as an external drive and it is where I store my trip images on a temporary basis. I don't understand what you mean when you talk about "point the catalog..." Please explain. Thanks

[quote author=Denis Pagé link=topic=78'6.msg53284#msg53284 date=125269'841]

How much space do you have on this laptop? A catalog on it should not take up much space. For example, I have a 2'''' images catalog using ±3'' megs. You can also opt to keep the previews at minimum in the "Catalog Settings".

You can keep your raw files on the Hyperdrive making sure you see a top level folder in Lightroom to help later and have your catalog on the laptop (space permitting). The catalog can also live on the Hyperdrive (slower method) if needed.

Back home, copy the Laptops's catalog to the Mac and plug the hyperdrive to it. Open that copied catalog by double-click on it. Navigate to the top level folder and right-click to choose "Find Missing Folder" navigating to the corresponding top level folder on the Hyperdrive. This is because on the Laptop, the catalog was looking at a drive letter it won't find on the Mac that will look for the Hyperdrive's name. Once the images are linked back, close this catalog and open (menu -> open recent ?) your normal catalog; The one you work with normally on the Mac. Then from the menu, "Import from Catalog" choosing the one copied from the laptop.

If you worked with the catalog on the Hyperdrive, the method will be similar except that you won't have to copy the Laptop's catalog and will just do the same with the Hiperdrive's catalog.

In any case, do a backup of the catalog on the Mac FIRST. Better safe than sorry as they say...
[/quote]

It's about 2''GB with 1''GB free. When I last traveled and tried to COPY Images to a Catalog on the laptop it just
ran out of space 1/2 way through the trip. Which, given the size of RAW files makes sense to me. How a 3''GB machine
has 2',''' RAW images seems impossible, though I'm not any kind of math whiz :-)!
At any rate, I need to do something that is not COPYING images to the laptop (eg, ADD Photos to catalog without moving)
I don't see how you could have 2',''' RAW images on your computer, but math isn't my strong suit :-)!
I have always kept previews set at medium...I'll have to give small a try!

I don't really understand your description of file transfer. If I (as I now know I can) view thumbnails on the laptop, edit out the 1'''s of truly bad shots I'll take (maybe 1'''s each day, who knows?), always keeping the Hyperdrive connected to the laptop, when I delete from disc on the laptop, those bad shots will no longer be on the Hyperdrive. Once I get home (and have used LR to edit and mark picks, etc, --the flags would, I think, stay with the file when I transfer the file--or would they?), can't I just import what's left directly from the Hyperdrive and use my media cards simply as backup?

[quote author=Replytoken link=topic=78'6.msg53296#msg53296 date=1252694326]

A couple of observations. If you are only getting rid of the "useless" images, you could just delete right in the camera and be done with it. Regarding your gear, are you only copying the images to this Hyperdrive? If so, I would strongly recommend buying a USB HD from WD or Seagate. One copy on a drive is somewhat risky if that drive should get lost or fail on you. And, if you have a USB HD, you should have plenty of storage space. These drives are quite compact and affordable, now come in sizes as large as 64'GB, and yet they can fit into your shirt pocket. In short, I am not certain of the value of the Hyperdrive if you choose to have a PC and USB HD's with you. Perhaps I am not understanding your set-up?

--Ken
[/quote]

I really don't like to delete in camera--I've been taught that it's not the best thing for the media card (something about stray pixels...) and the screen is really too small to judge if focus is really as sharp as I want it to be. So, I'll pass on that idea.

I do have a "real" portable external HD, an OWC, but unless I put the RAW images on the laptop (which I really think I don't have the room for, having tried and failed before...not enough room on the laptop), there's no way for me to get them to the OWC. The Hyperdrive can't be connected to anything but a computer and there's no way that I see to have the OWC get the data from my media cards. Am I missing somehing here?

I posted this exact question on two forums. On the other forum (DPnow.com) this is the answer I got and I think it makes sense:
"think what you need to do is to copy to the external drive from your camera flash card. Then import the images on the external drive with the setting 'Add photos to Catalog without moving', rather than Move or Copy. With the external drive connected, if you opt to delete a photo using the delete from disk option, it should delete the unwanted original image on the external drive - at least that is what I would expect to happen. Not actually tried it myself."

I tried it and it seems to work. But the answers here are raising still more questions.....

thanks
stephanie
 
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[quote author=sbrand link=topic=78'6.msg533'5#msg533'5 date=12527'92'3]
[quote author=clee'1l link=topic=78'6.msg53282#msg53282 date=125269'57']
Can this Hypedrive function as an external drive to your PC or Mac? If it can, you can store your trip images that and point your catalog to the external drive as your image repository.
[/quote]
The Hyperdrive is a media storage device that stores any data that can go on one of many kinds of media cards. Mine is 16' GB.
So it sort of functions as an external drive and it is where I store my trip images on a temporary basis. I don't understand what you mean when you talk about "point the catalog..." Please explain. ...[/quote]The catalog and the images do not need to reside on the same drive. This is what the others are saying too. If your Hypredrive is drive 'E:" The catalog can be on Drive "C:" When you import to the catalog, Choose Import from Disk and point to the External Drive
 
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The Hyperdrive functions only as a media storage device. It has the capacity of a small external drive (16' GB) it is not possible for it to have a catalog on it. There is a temporary catalog on the laptop and a primary catalog on the desktop. I do understand that rather than have my primary catalog on my desktop it could be on a free standing external drive but that's not how I'm set up now.

s
 
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[quote author=sbrand link=topic=78'6.msg533'5#msg533'5 date=12527'92'3]
It's about 2''GB with 1''GB free. When I last traveled and tried to COPY Images to a Catalog on the laptop it just
ran out of space 1/2 way through the trip. Which, given the size of RAW files makes sense to me. How a 3''GB machine
has 2',''' RAW images seems impossible, though I'm not any kind of math whiz :-)!
At any rate, I need to do something that is not COPYING images to the laptop (eg, ADD Photos to catalog without moving)
I don't see how you could have 2',''' RAW images on your computer, but math isn't my strong suit :-)!
I have always kept previews set at medium...I'll have to give small a try!


[quote author=Replytoken link=topic=78'6.msg53296#msg53296 date=1252694326]

A couple of observations. If you are only getting rid of the "useless" images, you could just delete right in the camera and be done with it. Regarding your gear, are you only copying the images to this Hyperdrive? If so, I would strongly recommend buying a USB HD from WD or Seagate. One copy on a drive is somewhat risky if that drive should get lost or fail on you. And, if you have a USB HD, you should have plenty of storage space. These drives are quite compact and affordable, now come in sizes as large as 64'GB, and yet they can fit into your shirt pocket. In short, I am not certain of the value of the Hyperdrive if you choose to have a PC and USB HD's with you. Perhaps I am not understanding your set-up?

--Ken
[/quote]

I really don't like to delete in camera--I've been taught that it's not the best thing for the media card (something about stray pixels...) and the screen is really too small to judge if focus is really as sharp as I want it to be. So, I'll pass on that idea.

I do have a "real" portable external HD, an OWC, but unless I put the RAW images on the laptop (which I really think I don't have the room for, having tried and failed before...not enough room on the laptop), there's no way for me to get them to the OWC. The Hyperdrive can't be connected to anything but a computer and there's no way that I see to have the OWC get the data from my media cards. Am I missing somehing here?

I posted this exact question on two forums. On the other forum (DPnow.com) this is the answer I got and I think it makes sense:
"think what you need to do is to copy to the external drive from your camera flash card. Then import the images on the external drive with the setting 'Add photos to Catalog without moving', rather than Move or Copy. With the external drive connected, if you opt to delete a photo using the delete from disk option, it should delete the unwanted original image on the external drive - at least that is what I would expect to happen. Not actually tried it myself."

I tried it and it seems to work. But the answers here are raising still more questions.....

thanks
stephanie

[/quote]

I will probably be repeating some of the advice you have quoted above, but I will hopefully try to put it in a different context. First, I am assuming that you already have the Hyperdrive. If so, then you can bring it along as one of your back ups (placing the memory card directly in the Hyperdrive).

Now, if that assumption is correct, I recommend that you back up to a second device for safety. For this, I would recommend a USB HD. If you computer does not have a built-in memory card reader, you will need to purchase one as I am assuming, and I very well could be wrong, that the Hyperdrive will not act as a card reader for the laptop. You will then copy the files from the memory card to the USB HD via the PC (either by card reader of by Hypercard if I was wrong in my previous assumption). Copying the files directly to the USB HD will not take up any space on your PC (and assuming that your RAW files are approximately 1'MB each, 2',''' files should consume 2''GB of space). As I previously mentioned, these drives are as big as 64'GB now and they cost between $1''-$15', so you will have more than enough space for very little cost. I hope this helps a bit more.

--Ken
 
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[quote author=sbrand link=topic=78'6.msg53315#msg53315 date=1252727'44]
The Hyperdrive functions only as a media storage device. It has the capacity of a small external drive (16' GB) it is not possible for it to have a catalog on it. There is a temporary catalog on the laptop and a primary catalog on the desktop. I do understand that rather than have my primary catalog on my desktop it could be on a free standing external drive but that's not how I'm set up now.
[/quote]If the PC does not see the Hyperdrive as an external HD (E:, F:, G: etc.), then you would be better off getting a real portable External Drive as suggested by Replytoken. You can have a temporary catalog on the PC local Drive (C:) and not store any image files on C: All of the image files referenced by LR can be on the external drive. Lightroom can care lees on where the Master image files live. As someone suggested earlier LR can catalog 2',''' images and not use more that ~3''MB of local HD space for the Catalog.

I run LR on a laptop. The catalog is on C: Most of the madter image files are on a Networked drive that has been mapped to my PC, Some of my master image files are stored in my Picture folder. The could just as easily be on one of my USB attached External drives. When I go mobile, my catalog shows the part of my master files that were left at home on the network drive as 'Offline'. If I wanted to take along a USB drive, I could load image files from an SD card to the attached USB Drive using the Laptop, its builtin card reader and the Lightroom import process.

I shoot RAW+JPEG in my camera and each DNG and associated JPEG out of the camera total about 3'-35MB each. I can fit about 4'' photos pairs on a 16GB card, I have enough cards to carry about 12'' image pairs before I run out of cards. If I were taking my camera and a Laptop, I would not worry about a Hyperdrive that needed frequent battery charges and access to external power. It seems to me that if you already have the Laptop, the Hyperdrive is redundant unless it can function as a USB External drive for the PC.
 
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Thanks to all patient enough to help me through this :) .
I took my OWC portable HD and (eventually) got it reformatted so that I can use it
with both the PC (laptop) and my Mac. Now I can back up to the Hyperdrive quickly and then
load images into the OWC portable HD to see and work with on the laptop. Two back up copies safely stowed away and my card is OK to reformat! SUPER! thanks again!
Stephanie
 
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