Editing on a NAS Network Storage (Drobo)

[BoxcarPhotoBen]

I want to do the following on a Drobo 5n2 Network Attached Storage. I have heard not to every put your premiere files, or lightroom catalogues on the NAS, but can I do the following on it?

Store/Save Raw files on to NAS

Import to Lightroom (no catalogue, just straight Import)

Create smart objects (this allows me to edit when the files are not connected)

Export files

Sometimes I bring them into Photoshop and edit/save them or Use Jpeg mini to downsize the file sizes

Upload images to an online gallery.

In premiere,

Store/Save MPEG on to NAS
Use Handbreak, a file converter while on NAS

Leave premiere file on actual computer, but pointed to the NAS files after Handbreak'd.

Trim front/back of video (staggering and waiting is fine, I am not doing extensive edits)

Export via media Encoder to NAS

[Tony_See]

How old is the Operating System on your NAS thanks?

[BoxcarPhotoBen]

Its a brand new Drobo 5n2. They released within the last year.

[cmgap]

Store/Save Raw files on to NAS

Import to Lightroom (no catalogue, just straight Import) - What does this mean... no catalogue - just straight to import?

Create smart objects (this allows me to edit when the files are not connected) - yes, using smart previews is a good idea

Export files - export to where for what purpose?

Sometimes I bring them into Photoshop and edit/save them or Use Jpeg mini to downsize the file sizes

Upload images to an online gallery. - online gallery where? Lightroom Mobile?

[BoxcarPhotoBen]

Import to Lightroom (no catalogue, just straight Import) - What does this mean... no catalogue - just straight to import? -It means I drag and drop the files right from a the folder into the Library and hit import. I dont create a catalog. When done i remove the folder from LR in the library. I dont catalog anything

Create smart objects (this allows me to edit when the files are not connected) - yes, using smart previews is a good idea -which brings me to the question, would the NAS support it or would the files become corrupt.

Export files - export to where for what purpose? -export to a file on the NAS to later upload to an online gallery.

Upload images to an online gallery. - online gallery where? Lightroom Mobile? -smugmug

[cmgap]

-It means I drag and drop the files right from a the folder into the Library and hit import. I dont create a catalog. When done i remove the folder from LR in the library. I dont catalog anything.... Your accessing your catalog when you drag and drop... it is the same as if you hit the import button... Dragging and dropping still imports your images to your catalog. What is the purpose of adding them (drag and drop) and then taking them out (removing the folder)?

-which brings me to the question, would the NAS support it or would the files become corrupt. Would the NAS support what and get corrupt how? If you make a smart preview it exists in the catalog-smartpreviews.lrcat file in your Lightroom folder which is usually on your local drive in your Lightroom folder (pictures/Lightroom).

-export to a file on the NAS to later upload to an online gallery. Exporting to your NAS will work... try one image as a test... you could create  SMUGMUG publish folder and export images there. Or you can use Publish Services and set up Lr to publish directly.

[BoxcarPhotoBen]

-It means I drag and drop the files right from a the folder into the Library and hit import. I dont create a catalog. When done i remove the folder from LR in the library. I dont catalog anything.... Your accessing your catalog when you drag and drop... it is the same as if you hit the import button... Dragging and dropping still imports your images to your catalog. What is the purpose of adding them (drag and drop) and then taking them out (removing the folder)? -Thanks for that information. I didnt know it still made a .lrcat. So could I technically use the NAS HHD to hold the raw files and keep the .lrcat on my main computer? Drobo said there are issues with NAS systems and .lrcat files, but could not specify if it was ok to load the files to the NAS but the .lrcat is on a local system.

-which brings me to the question, would the NAS support it or would the files become corrupt. Would the NAS support what and get corrupt how? If you make a smart preview it exists in the catalog-smartpreviews.lrcat file in your Lightroom folder which is usually on your local drive in your Lightroom folder (pictures/Lightroom). -thanks for letting me know i was still making a .lrcat...I thought I was avoiding a .lrcat all together by import/export

-export to a file on the NAS to later upload to an online gallery. Exporting to your NAS will work... try one image as a test... you could create SMUGMUG publish folder and export images there. Or you can use Publish Services and set up Lr to publish directly. -Thanks, I tried exporting before posting and it worked, I just didnt know if the .jpeg files would have the potential of corruption like the .lrcat files while exporting, or running through a downsizing software like jpegmini

In essence I am trying to speed up my workflow by using two computers on a NAS. Loading two separate weddings to two separate computers but leaving them both on the NAS that way I can hit export on one when done editing and have the availability to take those .jpeg files into another computer. I dont plan to use the same files on two computers at one time though.

[cmgap]

Adobe installs Lightroom to your Pictures folder by default. If you go to your Pictures folder and then in your Lightroom folder you will see the files associated with Lr stored there: a .lrcat file, a previews.lrcat file and a smartpreviews.lrcat file... other files too but what Drobo is referring to as well as Adobe is that you can't put your .lrcat file on a NAS. It must be on your internal drive or an external drive.

Your images can be wherever you want them to be, NAS, external hard drive, cloud based storage... so yes. Keep your images on you NAS and your .lrcat file where Adobe installs it on your internal drive.

---

Lightroom = .lrcat. Anytime you open Lightroom you are in your catalog. There is no way to use Lightroom without making a catalog they are one and the same.

---

Catalog corruption can happen in a lot of ways. That said in the 10+ years of using Lightroom, I've never had a corrupt catalog. If you make frequent backups and store them on your NAS or Dropbox or other safe location you will be able to restore from a backup if you have to. A good rule of thumb is to make sure that processes are not interrupted. For example when importing, exporting, publishing or syncing... there are indicators that tell you when a given process is completed so watching for that feedback is important.

You shouldn't have to use a plugin to make smaller jps... its quite convenient to do that from within Lightroom upon export. No need to clutter the application with plugins. Too many plugins can cause the application to slow down.

---

You will not be able to put Lighroom on your NAS - only the images. If you want to access the same Lightroom catalog on both computers you can put Lr in Dropbox - however that is one of the best ways to create conflicts if you are unsure of how Dropbox works. You could have a fast external hard drive though that you can move in between computers.

Not sure that you will gain any efficiency or speed in your workflow outside of the actual import process... and even that is questionable. The NAS is only so fast when copying from two camera cards at the same time.