Lightroom Catalog in Dropbox for sync between 2 Macs

[michaelbs]

I have a Macbook and an Imac. I'd like to work with both with the same catalog.
Do you have experiences placing the catalog (not the Previews!) in the Dropbox folder and let it sync between the two computers?

This should ensure that I'm indeed working with the same catalog on both machines.

Is it a bad thing to have the catalog and the catalog previews in two different folders or is it the same performance?

[john beardsworth]

In general, you can't have the previews in a separate place from the catalogue. Lr will simply create a new previews folder. OK, there may be ways to use symbolic links or aliases, but I don't believe so.

You can keep the catalogue on Dropbox. One danger is that the path to the image subfolders may be different on the two computers, so you have to ensure top level folders are displayed in the catalogue, making it easy to update the folder locations.

Second, you run a risk of losing work if you don't ensure the catalogue syncs up to Dropbox at the end of a Lr session, and if you don't ensure that the catalogue syncs down onto the other computer before you open it. It's pretty easy to end up with "conflicted copies" - ie copies of the catalogue made by Dropbox when you open an older copy of the catalogue.

But you can do it, if you're careful. Others with multi computer needs prefer to keep the catalogue on an external drive, and that's probably what I would do.

John

[Wayne Fox]

One challenge is the size of the library file and Dropbox attempting to upload it. It could be pretty easy to not allow Dropbox the time it takes to completely upload the files before shutting one computer down or not waiting long enough to get the new file uploaded on the other computer.

I have a similar challenge, and have found a method I like. When working on the desktop I start the laptop in target disk mode and connect it to the desktop via thunderbolt. By working with the LR library only on the MacBook Pro drive I don't have to worry about ending up with two versions. Very fast since its on the laptop ssd. When it is first connected to the desktop carbon copy cloner automatically backs it up onto an external raid so backing up is easy and a step I don't need to worry about.

[BobShaw]

I have a Macbook and an Imac. I'd like to work with both with the same catalog.

You should be able to just put the catalogue and the files on a separate hard drive and just plug in into the new machine.
With Aperture and Capture One you can have them all on a mac server and back up automatically, but you can't do that with Lightroom. (One of the reasons I don't use Lightroom )

[AFairley]

I tried this (with a Windows box) and gave up on it.  A big problem will be that it can take quite a while for the catalog to sync.  If you shut down the computer or restart LR before sync is complete you can have duplicate catalogs, and trust me, that will be a pain.  Better to have the catalog on an external drive. IMO.

[ddolde]

Precisely why I hate Lightroom...forced catalogs.  I use Capture One exclusively it allows session processing.

[john beardsworth]

Precisely why I hate Lightroom...forced catalogs.  I use Capture One exclusively it allows session processing.

With Aperture and Capture One you can have them all on a mac server and back up automatically, but you can't do that with Lightroom. (One of the reasons I don't use Lightroom )

The OP wasn't asking vegetarians how to cook a steak.... Let's keep on-topic.

Updated to add quotes.

[michaelbs]

You should be able to just put the catalogue and the files on a separate hard drive and just plug in into the new machine.

But I thought it was important to have the catalog and preview catalog on the internal HD for optimum speed?

[fdisilvestro]

But I thought it was important to have the catalog and preview catalog on the internal HD for optimum speed?

Use a fast interface (USB 3.0, Thunderbolt ) an you wil have good performance

[graeme]

But I thought it was important to have the catalog and preview catalog on the internal HD for optimum speed?

I keep my catalogue & previews on an external thunderbolt SSD. I'm pretty sure that Lightroom runs faster on my MBP 13" when it's connected to the external SSD catalogue than when I'm using a catalogue on its internal drive. I use the same external SSD to run Lightroom on my iMac: I haven't tried comparing it's speed with a catalogue on the mac's own drive because that's not where I want to keep my catalogue. Seems to run OK though. ( Well, as well as Lightroom CC ever runs ).

[Dr Tone]

I've used dropbox to sync my catalog but switched to OneDrive once I got unlimited data.  Dropbox has better performance especially with the local lan sync option.

Patience is good advice, allow the sync to complete before opening the catalog on another computer.  I only had one sync conflict for that exact reason impatience.  It's worked well otherwise.


I'm now using my Macbook Pro as my primary Lightroom computer so I might quit syncing it to my PC.

[GrahamBy]

I've tried this on Windows and it was hopeless. It seems, for some bizarre reason, that LR renames a lot of the preview files each time it loads, so Dropbox tries to re-synch thousands of files each time. With the rather flaky internet at home, and the even flakier access while travelling around Ireland, that meant hours of synch time.

I was writing a novel at the same time and at one stage 9 chapters went missing. My travel companion noted I became rather terse until I was able to recover them via the Dropbox web-site cache...

My current solution is to copy across the catalogue file only, via USB key, when I'm going to be travelling. LR will only rebuild the previews it needs to display, and it works fine.

[john beardsworth]

I've tried this on Windows and it was hopeless. It seems, for some bizarre reason, that LR renames a lot of the preview files each time it loads....
My current solution is to copy across the catalogue file only, via USB key, when I'm going to be travelling. LR will only rebuild the previews it needs to display, and it works fine.

It should only rebuild the previews as and when needed, so the syncing should settle down after a while.

I think you have to distinguish between two requirements. One is when travelling, and in this case I take the catalogue on the laptop itself, and a large number of smart previews so that I can make adjustments.

Continually switching between computers is a different requirement. In this case I think the best way is probably what I call the colostomy bag method (someone else's joke that stuck!) of keeping the catalogue on an external drive attached to whatever computer you're using. But you can use Dropbox, providing you are careful. I kind-of use Lightroom Mobile for this workflow, making general adjustments or flags/ratings on the iPad, but it isn't as complete as having access to the full Lightroom.

[BobShaw]

The OP wasn't asking vegetarians how to cook a steak.... Let's keep on-topic.

Oh dear. 3000 plus posts and still struggling with the language.
Vegetarians choose not to eat meat.
A vegetarian can be a chef, a meat fancier may not be able to cook at all.
What people eat and their ability to cook is unrelated, like your personal attack on my comment.

The question was how to allow two macs to access the same Lightroom catalogue.
The answer I gave to use an external drive (for Lightroom) is a workable one, albeit not a good business solution.

If you have a business requirement to allow multiple computers to access the same photo catalogue, which is pretty much expected for a photography business, then you don't want to have to break your life's work into little bits and try to keep them all together and backed up. It is like your accounting software, integral to the way you work and needs to be accessible everywhere.

I have Lightroom and Photoshop full versions and now several CC versions, plus Capture One, Aperture, Phocus and others. I choose not to use Lightroom as my catalogue for it's fundamental limitation of needing to be attached to a single computer. That may be a limitation for the OP also.

Anyway, my opinion is my opinion.

[john beardsworth]

Oh dear. 3000 plus posts and still struggling with the language.
Vegetarians choose not to eat meat.
A vegetarian can be a chef, a meat fancier may not be able to cook at all.
What people eat and their ability to cook is unrelated, like your personal attack on my comment.

The question was how to allow two macs to access the same Lightroom catalogue.

Anyway, my opinion is my opinion.

Glad you understand the question was about 2 Macs accessing the same Lightroom catalogue, not about why you don't use Lightroom or what Aperture or C1 do.... I quoted only the parts of your and the other guy's post that were off topic.

But from your rambling about vegetarians, it does seem like it is you that is struggling with the language. Can't you distinguish an analogy from a personal attack?

[BobShaw]

Glad you understand the question was about 2 Macs accessing the same Lightroom catalogue, not about why you don't use Lightroom or what Aperture or C1 do.... I quoted only the parts of your and the other guy's post that were off topic.
But from your rambling about vegetarians, it does seem like it is you that is struggling with the language. Can't you distinguish an analogy from a personal attack?

1. You started the vegetarian thing. Let's end it.
2. If you quote someone, that IS personal and they can perceive it how they choose.
3. You selectively quoted me then, ignoring the business reasons. I assume these are not challenged.

I note from your website that there may be objectivity issues. If you in fact have any influence on Adobe then it would be great if you could direct some attention to them. I would love to use the product in the way the OP wants to, especially as I am paying for it ongoing. As it stands, we can't. Surely it can't be that hard to have a catalogue on a shared drive.

[Hans Kruse]

I have a Macbook and an Imac. I'd like to work with both with the same catalog.
Do you have experiences placing the catalog (not the Previews!) in the Dropbox folder and let it sync between the two computers?

This should ensure that I'm indeed working with the same catalog on both machines.

Is it a bad thing to have the catalog and the catalog previews in two different folders or is it the same performance?

The best approach in my opinion would be to have the Lightroom catalog on an external drive. This could be a thunderbolt SSD drive or an ordinary hard drive and then connect the drive to the machine you are using at the moment. The folders with your photos would need to be also switched between your two machines, of course. I believe that thunderbolt is not needed really and the real difference in using the catalog on different drives connected via thunderbolt or USB 3.0 would not be that much considering the amount of time doing different taks. I think you could try it out most likely without buying new stuff.

Using Dropbox I don't think would work well as the synch times would be very large given a reasonably large catalog and associated previews. I don't think Dropbox would be smart enough to synch just changed chunks of the catalog and previews as certain backup programs does. So therefore my recommendation to use an external drive.

[john beardsworth]

1. You started the vegetarian thing. Let's end it.
2. If you quote someone, that IS personal and they can perceive it how they choose.
3. You selectively quoted me then, ignoring the business reasons. I assume these are not challenged.

I note from your website that there may be objectivity issues.

Isn't it comical that you take being likened to a vegetarian as some kind of insult? Anyway, I quoted you specifically, not "selectively", and suggest you stick those supposed "objectivity issues" where the sun doesn't shine.

[BobShaw]

1,2,3 again (:-)
Sorry but your comment doesn't offend me, I'm Australian.
You can decide what it says about you.

[john beardsworth]

1,2,3 again (:-)
Sorry but your comment doesn't offend me, I'm Australian.
You can decide what it says about you.

It merely says that when crap's thrown at me, I throw some back. For what little it's worth, I happen to agree with you about Lr catalogues on users' own networks. But the world moves on and it's now obvious it will never happen - they'll extend their CC services and LrMobile to meet some of those needs.