Catalog and images all on external, imports eating internal space(mac)...

[miketrapp]

Hello, So I have my l have my catalog and the images all on an external drive. I created a new catalog after getting a smaller ssd in my macbook. As i am importing these images, something is taking up space on my hard drive but I cannot figure out what. Normally I would understand the problem to be that I have the catalog on my startup disk and the previews take up space but this is all on the internal. Does anyone have any insight as to what may be taking up space on the startup disk? All of my images and the catalog are being held on a 3tb external. Thanks in advance!

[dj_paige]

One possibility is that you are accidentally importing the photos to the internal HD. This is an easy mistake to make in Lightroom, and easy to check.

I don't understand why you mention you started a new catalog and put a new SSD in the computer. What does that havee to do with the problem you described?

[miketrapp]

I'm just explaining why i am importing such a large amount of photos at once. I have imported about 80,000 (approx 1 TB) photos to this point and it has taken up approximately 18 gbs. I re checked to make sure the catalog was on the external which it is and I have also checked the images and they are being imported to the external as well. In the past my catalog was on the internal and I had a large amount of previews taking up space which is why I am confused as the catalog is not on the internal.

Is there a cache that gets saved for lightroom itself in the computers library files that I am not aware of? The only thing that is on the internal is the actual program itself.

[Just Shoot Me]

miketrapp  wrote

I'm just explaining why i am importing such a large amount of photos at once. I have imported about 80,000 (approx 1 TB) photos to this point and it has taken up approximately 18 gbs. I re checked to make sure the catalog was on the external which it is and I have also checked the images and they are being imported to the external as well. In the past my catalog was on the internal and I had a large amount of previews taking up space which is why I am confused as the catalog is not on the internal.

Is there a cache that gets saved for lightroom itself in the computers library files that I am not aware of? The only thing that is on the internal is the actual program itself.

How did you check that the catalog LR is opening is on the external drive?

If you go to the LR Preferences and to the General tab there is a Default Catalog section. Make sure that is pointing to the External drive.

It should say something like "Volume/External Drive Name/Folder Name(the catalog is stored in)/Catalog Name.

If it says something like "Load Most Recent Catalog" then possibly even though you copied over the catalog to the external drive LR is still using one that is stored someplace on you internal drive.

That would explain the 18Gbs of space being taken up on your internal SSD after importing 80,000 images and previews for them.

[miketrapp]

It comes up as missing if the external is not plugged into the usb and I cannot find a lightroom anywhere on the internal ssd.

[Just Shoot Me]

Just how do you know it is LR taking up that 18GBs of space?

Search your internal drive for .lrcat.

Also do you use the LR Mobile/Web system for getting images from your phone or pad? If you do what are your settings for storing those downloaded images.

Also search your SSD for .lrdata to see if some other file LR is using is stored on your internal SSD.

[miketrapp]

Fresh osx install, all of my apps etc took up about 110 gbs or so (128 ssd) first app that i am actually getting in order and have not used others yet. Since import i estimate roughly 18 additional gigs used with no other application used since. I have a second 500 gb internal for storage of important images, music and some movies and a 3 tb external specifically for lightoom catalog and images.

[Just Shoot Me]

If this is a Mac notebook and you don't have a backup drive connected OS X and Time Machine will create local, Temp. backups and store them on the internal drive.

That could be the cause of the missing space. To get rid of them you have to go into the system preferences and turn off Time Machine. That will erase any local, Temp, backups the Time Machine system has created.

When I used a Mac notebook the only time I turned Time Machine on was when I did a Time Machine backup to a connected external drive.

[miketrapp]

I'll look into that, I didn't think I set it up but maybe i did. And the Movie/photo cache could be it, ill have to check when I get home. I appreciate all of the comments/suggestions from all in the thread and I will comment to let you know what happened.

[Just Shoot Me]

IIRC OS X always has time machine turned on by default. Some kind of Safety Net for users.

I haven't used a Mac in about 4 years but that is how it was back then when I did.

[JoeKostoss]

Are you placing a second copy of the images on your Internal Hard Drive during import?

[miketrapp]

I am fairly sure I'm not as it is only taking about 18 gbs and there is about a TB of images.

[cmgap]

If you go into About this Mac > Storage Tab you will see a breakdown of what is taking up space. If you tap into the Manage button you will be able to see more detail.

[richardplondon]

One thing to check (in LR Preferences) is the location of the ACR Cache - as well as its size limit.

If you have got a small startup disk plus a larger internal disk, plus an external disk then the best location for the ACR cache is probably on that larger internal disk. It's fine to restrict how big this can grow - though a few Gb will be useful - since whenever it runs out of room for new stuff it just discards some older data.

[ItWasNotMe]

Could be the Camera Raw Cache if you haven't reset that in 'Preferences'

Could be the Video Cache if you are importing videos, unfortunately you can't move this; just purge it

[Edit: mistyped purge as merge - whoops]