Moving photos and Catalogs LR Classic

[Sherry Ferrante]

We have LR Classic 2018 & PS CC 2018 on Windows 10 computer. The drive is 2TB. Photos use 320GB on that drive as default folder with catalogs. We want to replace this 2TB SATA drive with 512GB SSD. Want to clone from 2TB SATA to 512GB SSD but size of photo file used by LR & PS is too large. Want to have Windows 10 with programs running from SSD and all other data (photos, etc.) stored on the 2TB SATA drive. Since catalogs and photos are on 2 TB drive now, how do we temporarily migrate photos and catalogs as default in LR-PS to perhaps a 4TB external drive. Now when we clone from 2TB SATA to 512GB SSD, the photos don't go over. Then we would like to migrate that newly setup photo folder and catalog from the external 4TB drive to the 2TB SATA drive as the default catalog and photos for LR & PS?

[SeanMcCormack]

Make sure that you have all the photo folders in side one folder. Right click on a top level folder in Lightroom and choose Show Parent folder.

Do this until you have only 1 top level folder with all the others in it. Hopefully it'll be My Pictures or something like that. Copy this to your 4TB drive. Now in Lightroom right click on the top level folder and choose 'Update Folder Location'. Go to the copy you made on the new drive and select that. Lightroom now uses the files on the 4 TB drive.

Would make a good tutorial video.

[Sherry Ferrante]

Hi Sean,

Thanks you for responding so quickly.

When able, I will follow those instructions to see if I correctly interpreted it.

If able to do this first, when I then have cloned the 2TB drive to the 512GB drive, I should be able to reproduce the same folder update from the external 4TB drive to the now 2TB, data drive. Correct? It seems the key to keeping everything in order is to do it all from Lightroom. So, no loss of metadata, etc?

[SeanMcCormack]

As long as you have everything in one folder in Lightroom,  you can copy outside Lightroom and reconnect using Update Folder Location.

[Sherry Ferrante]

That's great. When I finally do this, I will let you know.

Thanks again

[Sherry Ferrante]

Is there anything we need to do with Photoshop CC 2018 regarding moving our photos to a new hard drive? As we have to with Lightroom Classic CC

[SeanMcCormack · Accepted solution]

Nothing. It works from wherever the photos are.