Cleaning laptop - delete raw but keep smart preview and catalog?

[richarddd]

When I travel I store photos to my laptop. When I get home, I export catalog and negatives to my desktop and merge the catalogs.  The problem is that the laptop drive is getting full. I'd like to delete the raw files from the laptop, but keep the catalog plus the ability to view and edit photos.

If I understand correctly, I could create smart previews on the laptop (library - previews - build smart previews), delete the raw files and keep the catalog.  I could then edit, keyword, etc. on the laptop and, from time to time, export the laptop catalog (in whole or part) to the desktop and merge catalogs. This would save a substantial amount of space.

How do I then delete the underlying raw files? Do I just use the operating system? 

Is what I've outlined the proper way to do what I want or is there a better way?

[Schewe]

Assuming you have successfully transferred the location catalog and all raw files to your main computer, yes, create smart previews on the laptop and then delete the raw files...but ONLY AFTER you've confirmed all the raws on on the other computer.

Thereafter, you'll be able to work on the smart previews with the understanding you are working at a reduced resolution and sharping and noise reduction won't be accurate. Pretty much everything else will work.

Depending on how you have your laptop catalogue you can import from the laptop catalog to the main catalog by doing an import from a catalog. The smart object settings will transfer in the import. Pretty easy actually.

[richarddd]

Assuming you have successfully transferred the location catalog and all raw files to your main computer, yes, create smart previews on the laptop and then delete the raw files...but ONLY AFTER you've confirmed all the raws on on the other computer.

Thereafter, you'll be able to work on the smart previews with the understanding you are working at a reduced resolution and sharping and noise reduction won't be accurate. Pretty much everything else will work.

Depending on how you have your laptop catalogue you can import from the laptop catalog to the main catalog by doing an import from a catalog. The smart object settings will transfer in the import. Pretty easy actually.

Thank you.

What do you mean by "Depending on how you have your laptop catalogue"?  How could I have it such that exporting from the laptop catalog and importing to the desktop wouldn't work properly?

Does it make a difference if I delete with the OS or with LR?

[Schewe]

I mean that if your laptop catalog is set up ONLY for the most recent project or shoot, then you shouldn't have an issue. But if you have other images beyond the project catalog, it might get complicate. And you should toss the raws outside of LR...otherwise you won't keep the smart previews which gets tossed when the raws get tossed from within LR.

[richarddd]

I mean that if your laptop catalog is set up ONLY for the most recent project or shoot, then you shouldn't have an issue. But if you have other images beyond the project catalog, it might get complicate. And you should toss the raws outside of LR...otherwise you won't keep the smart previews which gets tossed when the raws get tossed from within LR.

Please write more about how things might get complicated (or point me to a longer discussion of the subject).

My goal is to keep older images on the laptop, in the form of smart previews.  I could just highlight recent pictures and export a catalog based on those, but I might also export the entire catalog. For example, I could see something I want to change in older pictures, then be unsure which ones I changed, so I'd export the entire catalog to make sure I transferred all changes.  I would have hoped that when importing that catalog to the desktop, it would reflect the changes, but not do anything to photos that weren't changed.

[john beardsworth]

It should work as you think, updating only the changed photos. However, you have no need to be unsure which ones you changed - just create a smart collection based on Edit Time.

[richarddd]

It should work as you think, updating only the changed photos. However, you have no need to be unsure which ones you changed - just create a smart collection based on Edit Time.

I was thinking of a collection for recently edited photos, but I hadn't noticed that edit time was a smart collection option. That makes things easier. I suppose less can go wrong importing a smaller catalog rather than everything. Thanks.

[john beardsworth]

It should also be much quicker.

The alternative is to copy your main catalogue onto the laptop, then copy it back. That's what I now do when I go away, but that's for weeks at a time. I use smart previews in a similar way to how you propose, except I have different criteria for which smart previews are on the laptop.