Alan321 Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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Set Lr to auto-save EVERY time you shut it down. It will build a history of catalogs that can be backed up properly to separate media with your general backup system or even File History. It's easier to delete excessive catalog history than it is to recreate a new catalog from scratch.
If all of your images on each drive share a common folder somewhere up the folder hierarchy, then you can (a) show that common folder in the Lr folder list, and (b) use that single folder to find all of the "missing" images in one step, whenever you change drives.
Moving files within Lr is advisable unless you are willing lose any edits you have done with those files so far (which may be the case when you are just playing around or if the extra time taken outweighs the need to repeat the edits when the files are moved). However, when doing a bulk backup, you can safely use a different program to copy your entire image hierarchy to a backup drive and just point the Lr catalog at it later on if and when needed. This presupposes that you still have access to a working catalog. I suggest that when you are doing such a bulk library backup, you should also copy the Lr catalog to make sure that it also is backed up on the external drive. Even so, you will still have to point it at the images unless you change the drive letter, because it (the catalog) is still looking for the original drive letter that had the original image files.
Further benefit may be obtained by backing up your ACR cache because, although slow, doing so is a lot quicker and easier than rebuilding it from scratch. But, at least you can rebuild it from scratch, so you do have the option. It just takes time rather than effort. Your catalog is very different in that regard.
You must backup your catalog carefully and often, and to different media. It contains all of your editing and cataloguing and rating work and absolutely must be kept safe from any device failures, fire, theft, etc. If you are thinking of just one or two backup copies then you still don't get it You need more than that to keep it truly safe.
With a program such as Total Commander you can move and copy things around with verification. Alternatively, use the free ExactFile program to create a digest of checksums for all of your images and your catalog. Copy that digest with your images wherever they go. Then, by simply double-clicking on that digest file, exactfile will verify that all of your files still match the originals. ExactFile is clever enough to use all cpu cores for faster operation (a maximum of one file per core at any time).
So long as you keep your catalog backed up and keep a history of backups, you will not need the .xmp files. They just slow Lr down. The history of catalog backups is important because it can let you trace back to where something went wrong, either with your edits or with file management. In itself, the catalog history cannot undelete any accidentally deleted image files but it can let you undelete the edits you had previously applied to those deleted images. From there you can export those edits to a new catalog and subsequently import them into the latest catalog (after you have undeleted the images and imported them).
In case you missed it between the lines of that last paragraph, Lr will only ever let you access one catalog at a time. You never use two versions of a catalog at the same time with the same Lr program.
- Alan
Edited on Jul 28, 2017 at 05:54 AM · View previous versions
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