9 Replies Latest reply: Sep 6, 2010 8:26 AM by billzimm RSS

    Moving to an external Ethernet Drive - Libraries and Photos are a mess - Cant Find Images

    harlandad Community Member

      I am in the process of wanrting to consolidate my LR3 files to an 2TB external ethernet drive (connected via airport extreme).  First, are there any issue with using the networked drive.  I've heard that there may be.

       

      Second, my libraries and photos are all over the place.  I cant seem to find the proper catalgues and sometimes files go missing or offline.  So, duringn this move to the new 2TB drive, I want to use this opportunity to find and move all the LR3 "stuff" i can and make the workflow better organized.

       

      How can I simply do that???

       

      Thanks!

        • 1. Re: Moving to an external Ethernet Drive - Libraries and Photos are a mess - Cant Find Images
          alabtpsu1 Community Member

          Yes, as I posted you cannot open/use your catalogues from networked drives. I learned that lesson the hard way.  You can though import the photos that are in the catalogue into another catalogue.

          • 2. Re: Moving to an external Ethernet Drive - Libraries and Photos are a mess - Cant Find Images
            b_gossweiler Community Member

            alabtpsu1 wrote:

             

            ... You can though import the photos that are in the catalogue into another catalogue.

            You don't have to import into another catalog, just move the catalog file together with the preview folder to another drive and open it.

             

            Beat Gossweiler

            Switzerland

            • 3. Re: Moving to an external Ethernet Drive - Libraries and Photos are a mess - Cant Find Images
              Jonathon LeFaive Community Member

              even if LR did allow you to use networks, working off of a wireless one would slow down LR.

               

              If you need to work off of an external drive, do so via Firewire or USB.  Otherwise, create a working catalog of recent images on your local machine and archive your old stuff to an external.

              • 4. Re: Moving to an external Ethernet Drive - Libraries and Photos are a mess - Cant Find Images
                harlandad Community Member

                Thans all for thr suggestions...

                 

                Ok - So i wont use the Ethernet drive!

                 

                How though do I clean up my catalogues and get them organized?

                 

                I love Jonathans suggestion of keeping current cataloge on internal/local drive, so I will do that (how???)  Abd then how do i archive or move and then access "older" cataloges to an external drive?

                 

                I always have issues finding them - thry are always "offline.

                • 5. Re: Moving to an external Ethernet Drive - Libraries and Photos are a mess - Cant Find Images
                  dj_paige Community Member

                  First, let me suggest that there are two issues here ... Storage (exactly where your photos and catalog file are located) and organization (how do you find/search for the photo(s) of interest. These are different issues.

                   

                  First ... storage:

                   

                  You can move your photos and catalog file anywhere to meet your storage needs. You move the catalog file simply by moving it in Windows or Mac Finder to the internal HD (or any other non-network drive). Recommended: put the catalog file on your fastest hard disk. Recommended: move the previews (that are located in subfolders where the catalog is) along with the catalog file. Once moved, you open it by double-clicking on it.

                   

                  You can move your photos anywhere you want them to be, including a network drive. Although I recommend you move them in Lightroom so as to not break the links, you can also move the folders outside of Lightroom and then reconnect (in the folder panel, right-click on a folder and select "Update Folder Location").

                   

                  Now, you have your files whereever you want them to be. They are stored properly. It makes sense to consolidate your photos on a single drive if possible, and it makes sense to set things up for ease of backup (i.e. all photos in subfolders under a single parent folder) but other storage schemes are fine if they meet your needs.

                   

                  Next ... Organization

                   

                  This is how you set things up so that you can find a specific photo(s) quickly. I strongly recommend that this be done in Lightroom, using keywords, metadata and collections. I strongly dis-recommend that you do this by moving this folder to that location or folder hierarchy to help you be able to find things. I strongly dis-recommend that you do this by renaming photos or folders. Leave them whereever they are (after you have met your storage needs above), and organize via keywords. Assign keywords and metadata religiously to your photos. Keywords give you much more organizational power than folders, because you can have many many keyworkds assigned to a photo, but a photo can be in only a single folder.

                   

                  I strongly recommend consolidating things into a single catalog. This will enable you to search for any photo, because you have one catalog. If you have multiple catalogs, and catalog A is open, you cannot search for a photo in catalog B.

                   

                  Once all of this is complete, your photos are where you want them (storage) on your networked drive, your catalog (singular, not plural) is on your fastest disk (storage) and your photos are completely well organized in Lightroom, enabling you to search for them quickly, using the Lightroom filter bar, the keyword panel, or smart collections.

                  • 6. Re: Moving to an external Ethernet Drive - Libraries and Photos are a mess - Cant Find Images
                    n781lc Community Member

                    Ok, dj, I have copied and printed out your replies and will use them in trying to set up again in LR.  I have evidently forgotten what I knew (???) in the past.  It has been a couple of years.  I have Kelby's book and am trying to read as much on-line as I can .. I do want to make the move permanently.

                     

                    I do really appreciate your thoughtfulness and patience,

                     

                     

                    Ed

                    • 7. Re: Moving to an external Ethernet Drive - Libraries and Photos are a mess - Cant Find Images
                      n781lc Community Member

                      Dj, I just realized I replied to another of your posts  .. but one that is also on the same subject so  great.

                       

                      don't know how my email alert put me to this instead of my original post but  ..

                       

                      ed

                      • 8. Re: Moving to an external Ethernet Drive - Libraries and Photos are a mess - Cant Find Images
                        Jan M33 Community Member

                        I am trying to do a similar move, I guess ... I have a desktop USB drive and a laptop USB drive. I have folder synchronizing software (PowerDesk) that can keep my photo files synchronized on the two different drives. But ... I can't figure out how to use the cat file on the desktop to the laptop. If I just copy the cat file, well, I had an issue that the harddrive was a different drive letter on the laptop vs the desktop so Lightroom refused to recognize the laptop hard drive... Well, I didn't copy the thumbnails file... just the cat file. I'd really like to be able to use the Lightroom features on the photos and be able to port the most recent changes back to the other computer. Any suggestions?

                        • 9. Re: Moving to an external Ethernet Drive - Libraries and Photos are a mess - Cant Find Images
                          billzimm Community Member

                          Harlandad should not give up without reading response #5 from dj paige.  You can keep you images on an ethernet external drive provided you keep the catalog on either an internal drive or a USB accessed external drive.  In fact, you can use the ethernet external drive with two different computers provided you keep the catalog on a USB drive which you can move back and forth.  If you elect to try the two computer setup, be careful that the ethernet drive is mapped exactly the same on the two computers so the catalog can find it correctly.