How to Try Raw Files to External HD On iMac

[rollsman44]

 I am trying to save time and space on my IMAC, I want to buy an External HD so I can try the Raw Images from my SD Card reader to the external drive then delete the ones I dont want and then move them to my HD to process in LR.
   Thank you

[rdonson]

From my perspective you should put ALL of your RAW files on an external drive not on your iMac drive.  The external drive should also have redundancy.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

I am trying to save time and space on my IMAC, I want to buy an External HD so I can try the Raw Images from my SD Card reader to the external drive then delete the ones I dont want and then move them to my HD to process in LR.

How is that different from simply importing it all to either external or internal HD, except from creating extra steps?

[Jeffrey Saldinger]

I use my 1TB MacBook as the center of my workflow, not my iMac, but I what I’m about to describe may be useful.  It has made it possible to minimize the consumption of my MacBook’s memory.

Not wanting to “over-pack” my MacBook with unwanted image files, I created a Lightroom catalog (my “import library”) on a 1TB external drive (which I call my “import repository”).  When I import images from a card, everything goes onto this drive and into its Lr catalog. Using flags, ratings, and keywords, I keep track of the files, some of which I may want to store later on my MacBook and import to my Master Catalog (which is on my MacBook) and others of which I will flag as rejects and leave on the import repository (with a keyword letting me know I checked it upon import). I sometimes I do preliminary development on the files in my import library.

When I’m ready to bring files onto my Macbook, I select them in the import library, export them as a catalog to a dedicated folder on my MacBook, then open my Master Catalog and import to it these new images, moving the files themselves to whatever folder I feel is appropriate for them.

This approach has worked for me over the past few years, during which I’ve wanted to be able to work on my MacBook (i.e. on my most important images) and move it around my house without being encumbered by an attached external drive.  It also has meant that, for example, if my card has 3GB of files on it and I want to keep for now only 3 files from it (e.g., 75MB), I haven’t “over-packed” my MacBook with the 2.925GB of flagged rejects.

I never trash the rejects, preferring to keep them for later re-reviews to see if I missed something I didn’t appreciate at the time of original import.

It is the case (if I keep to my idea of never throwing any files away) that at some point this system will reach its capacity and I’ll need to add a second import repository, at which point I might decide to import everything on the import repository to my Master Catalog without moving the files to my MacBook.

A few times it has happened that I wanted to regain space on my MacBook, and for this I have devised a “reverse” of the workflow above for moving files to an archive repository drive with its own archive library.



 

[Terry_Kennedy]

This approach has worked for me over the past few years, during which I’ve wanted to be able to work on my MacBook (i.e. on my most important images) and move it around my house without being encumbered by an attached eternal drive.  It also has meant that, for example, if my card has 3GB of files on it and I want to keep for now only 3 files from it (e.g., 75MB), I haven’t “over-packed” my MacBook with the 2.925GB of flagged rejects.

I do something similar, except that I'm using Windows. I have 384TB of very fast (saturates a 10Gbit Ethernet) network attached storage which has every photo I've ever taken since I went digital, as well as 4000DPI scans of most of my pre-digital 35mm negatives.

I don't have to copy the files to the PC I'm using, since the network storage is faster than the local storage on any of my PCs (even though they have SSDs).

I never trash the rejects, preferring to keep them for later re-reviews to see if I missed something I didn’t appreciate at the time of original import.

This is really important to emphasize. I had some pictures of a range of mountains with many old mines visible, which I felt were "meh" and never did anything with them. Around a year and a half ago I was reviewing my old photos for an upcoming exhibit and decided to stitch a bunch of those shots together, and it has become my best-selling work.

[BobShaw]

Put all of your raw files and intermediate files and final files and catalogues on the external drive and back it up using Time Machine. Going through raw files to delete ones you don't want is a lot more expensive in dollars per time than just buying a bigger drive. Plus as mentioned already, the one you delete could be the Pulitzer Prize winning one.

[Eric Brody]

I agree with Ron Donson. The simplest approach is usually the best and least likely to have problems. I keep all my photo files on a 12TB RAID in an OWC Thunderbay. I have backups, of course, at home, off site, and in the cloud. Having multiple LR catalogs leads to unnecessarily complex procedures. I have one catalog and it too is backed up just like the photo files. I've had various hard drive issues over the years but fortunately none have led to data loss. Keeping the data safe and keywording are the two most important things to ensure preservation and access to one's photographs. All the rest is just unnecessary. YMMV.