Moving library and catalog to a different computer....

[wlemann]

I am using LR 5.

I have the program on two separate Macs.
My Library, catalog and preference folder are ALL on a 1TB external HD.
I have not yet used one of the two Macs with the external HD.

What should I do?  Please indicate step by step.

Thanks

[Tony Jay]

Hi wieman.

If I understand your setup correctly then when you want to use Lightroom on the other computer just attach your EHDD to that machine, navigate to where the catalog is and double-click on the catalog and everything should load and work normally.

Perhaps the only potential issue subsequent to the steps above is the next time that the EHDD is attached it may be designated a different drive letter. However, if you open Lightroom by navigating to the catalog and double-clicking on it there will be no issues.

Tony Jay

[Jeremy Roussak]

Perhaps the only potential issue subsequent to the steps above is the next time that the EHDD is attached it may be designated a different drive letter. However, if you open Lightroom by navigating to the catalog and double-clicking on it there will be no issues.

Macs don't use drive letters, Tony, so that won't be an issue.

Jeremy

[Tony Jay]

Macs don't use drive letters, Tony, so that won't be an issue.

Ahem, well, um, ahem...

Thanks for pointing that out Jeremy I am an Apple novice so that is useful for me as well as the OP.

Tony Jay

[PhotoEcosse]

Ahem, well, um, ahem...

Thanks for pointing that out Jeremy I am an Apple novice so that is useful for me as well as the OP.

Tony Jay

But, despite Apples not using the same C:, D:, etc., protocols of PCs, I imagine that Lightroom still has to be able to identify the correct path to the files you want it to access and, if that path changes, it might get a wee bit angsty.

[Manoli]

But, despite Apples not using the same C:, D:, etc., protocols of PCs, I imagine that Lightroom still has to be able to identify the correct path to the files you want it to access and, if that path changes, it might get a wee bit angsty.

To fix a change of path, right click on the top level folder you moved and select "Find Missing Folder." Navigate to the new location and click on "OK." So long as everything you moved retains its original relationship to this main/top folder, fixing it fixes them. All the missing file question marks will go away as Lightroom refreshes its display.

[john beardsworth]

Another follow up to Manoli's post is that on your initial computer you should make sure you display parent folders in LR's Folders panel. For a simple example, the Folders panel may show folders such as 20121225, 20121226, 20121231 but does not list their parent folder "My Photos". So when you take the catalogue to the other machine all three folders would be missing and you'd have to go through "Find Missing Folder" three times.

By contrast, if on the first computer you right clicked 20121225 and chose "Show Parent Folder", on other computer My Photos would still show as missing but would need "Find Missing Folder" to be run once, and its subfolders would be fixed automatically. The more folders you have, the more time you'll save if you make sure their parents are displayed in Folders panel.

Not sure if I explained that clearly!

John

[wlemann]

Thank's all for your thoughtful, helpful input.
Not sure the exact procedure to "navigate" to the catalog or folder.

Since the EHDD has everything on it, can't I just make a new catalog in the program on Mac #2, it will find the EHDD and its off to the races?

[Tony Jay]

...Not sure the exact procedure to "navigate" to the catalog or folder.

Since the EHDD has everything on it, can't I just make a new catalog in the program on Mac #2, it will find the EHDD and its off to the races?

wieman, how do you find any folder or file?
This is not a Lightroom issue you just have to know how your OS and its utilities works.

Don't make a new catalog - it will be empty.
As suggested just open the catalog that is on the EHDD from its location on that drive.

Tony Jay

[wlemann]

Finally,  If I scanned an image and have it as a tif on Mac #2 I know I can import that into the Catalog on the EHDD.  But if I've done LR work on that image and the instructions for those changes on the default Catalog (the one I don't want to use), how do I bring those into the Catalog on the EHDD?  What I am saying is that this is an image on the computer I am moving to with the big catalog from Mac #1.  I hope that is at least as clear as mud.  Sorry, Walter

[mlewis]

Finally,  If I scanned an image and have it as a tif on Mac #2 I know I can import that into the Catalog on the EHDD.  But if I've done LR work on that image and the instructions for those changes on the default Catalog (the one I don't want to use), how do I bring those into the Catalog on the EHDD?  What I am saying is that this is an image on the computer I am moving to with the big catalog from Mac #1.  I hope that is at least as clear as mud.  Sorry, Walter

You should be able to import the default catalogue into the one you want to use.  Alternatively, if you don't mind losing the editing history, save the Lightroom adjustments to xmp and the settings will be written into tif (and jpeg) files.  Import the tif file into the catalogue you want to use and all the current adjustments carried out will appear.

[john beardsworth]

Finally,  If I scanned an image and have it as a tif on Mac #2 I know I can import that into the Catalog on the EHDD.  But if I've done LR work on that image and the instructions for those changes on the default Catalog (the one I don't want to use), how do I bring those into the Catalog on the EHDD?  What I am saying is that this is an image on the computer I am moving to with the big catalog from Mac #1.  I hope that is at least as clear as mud.  Sorry, Walter

On one computer, select the image(s) and choose File > Export as Catalog. In this case you don't need to tick the box for include negatives - the negatives/originals are already on the other computer. So this creates a folder with a small catalogue which contains the work you've done on the images.

Move that folder to the other computer, open your Lightroom catalogue, and the use File > Import from Another Catalogue to import the work from that folder.