Lightroom usage strategy with two computers

[semillerimages]

Hi all,

I'm about to get a Macbook Pro and a 1 terabyte time capsule.
Currently I have Lightroom running on my PC, with a little more than 2 terabytes of files.

I spend a fair amount of time out of my home at my girlfriend's house and I need a strategy to make Lightroom usable on both machines without too many headaches.

Obviously I can't carry around my entire set of image files (they are stored on two RAID5 setups internally on the PC), but I think I might be able to store the catalog file on the time capsule so that both machines can access it and modify it.

At my own home, there obviously will be no difficulties in accessing the actual images on my PC (at least I think there won't be any difficulties) from the Macbook Pro, but when I leave the house and want to access the files I can only conceive that I would have to have an external drive all the time with the images on them - to be plugged into the PC and Mac depending on which I'm using)

The remote access of the files from the RAID arrays on my PC will be limited by the internet connection, so I can see just putting the most recently shot items on the external drive then transferring them to the RAID array when I'm finished with them. I guess I will have to point the library from the external drive to the RAID when the files are finally transferred.

Anyway, I guess I want to know if this is a feasible plan, if anyone else has been doing this, and if there is an easier way?

Cheers!

*steve

[dchew]

I think the easiest way is to simply put a copy of all your images on a 1T external drive.  I use Lacie rugged drives, but pick your poison.  This drive is then synced using your favorite syncing program to your RAID storage.

I use chronosync, but again, there are many options.

I carry two lacie drives:  one is the images and another is for new image backup.

Images on flash drives get copied to both drives in the field.  When I'm back those get synced to a raid drive and another portable drive.  Then I sync the raid with yet another portable back-up 1/month that gets stored off-site.  Same goes for the LR catalogs (except they aren't backed up in the field on the second lacie).

Dave