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Mac Workflow ...

RustyBug
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Mac Workflow ...

So, I finally am settled in to the 16" MBP, after trying out diff sizes and configs of the 14" and 16" MBP's and the 15" MBA.

Clean Slate

Photos
Time Machine
External HDD w/Dock 10TB (Thunderbolt 4)
External HDD 2TB
2TB SSD (internal)

Not well versed in Mac structure, so open to hear how folks have their use of Photos / Time Machine (or not) in concert with the SSD and HDD (external) setup. How their workflow with Mac goes, etc.

PS was installed to do some testing with, but LR is NOT INSTALLED (yet) ... so, pretty much a clean slate at this point. Links / resources welcome, too.

This will be different for me, since I've had as many as 2 SSD's and a 3rd HDD inside my ThinkPad's in the past. BTW, I still have my ThinkPad available with 3TB of storage and TB ports too, but the MBP will be my new processing rig. The 10TB HDD is formatted to be able to work with BOTH Mac and Windows.

Sep 06, 2023 at 09:03 PM

Zenon Char
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Mac Workflow ...

I use Lightroom. LrC. I keep my files on a powered external drive and backed up to another once a day via Carbon Copy Cloner. Time Machine backs up my OS to a third drive.

So with a clean state you are new to LrC? Getting set up correctly from the start is the key. If you are familiar sorry about that.

I've been pretty careful from day one and have never had an issue with version and catalogue upgrades. It does not take much as Anthony explains. My folder structure is by year and in each year event name and date. 1st image

Mac uses 3 libraries and it does not hurt to familiarize yourself with them. Most of the things we use are in the User library. I've never been in the System Library. Sometimes I go into the Library (I call the middle library) to clean out folders of apps I no longer use. Every so often I go into the User Library, open the Caches folder and delete them all.

https://nektony.com/reviews/difference-between-library-folders-on-mac

You can access the user Library via the HD Icon or use Go which threw me off as a new Mac user. It took a while to figure out both were the same one. I forget how to unlock it so you don't have to press the option key. 2nd image.

Sep 06, 2023 at 11:44 PM

sbay
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Mac Workflow ...

I'd put my catalog on the internal ssd (OS drive). Put image data on the external 10TB and get a few more drives to back it up using CCC or similar program. Use Time Machine to only backup the OS drive not data.

RustyBug wrote:
The 10TB HDD is formatted to be able to work with BOTH Mac and Windows.

This isn't really good long term practice. Usually this means exfat which is not as robust as either HFS+ or NTFS. Dedicate the drive to the Mac and reformat it to HFS+.

Sep 07, 2023 at 09:01 AM

Abbott Schindl
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Mac Workflow ...

I do the same as sbay: catalog on the internal drive, photos/videos on external drive(s). Internal is backed up with Time Machine, external using Carbon Copy Cloner.

In addition, I keep my photos drive synchronized to at least one other drive using ChronoSync (CCC could also be used, but I've been using ChronoSync for ages).

Result: catalog runs fast and easily fits on my MBP's built-in [1TB] drive, photos are on "sufficiently fast" externals and it's easy to span the photos over multiple drives, and everything's backed up.

If you really need to access your photos on Windows as well, consider a NAS, which will be quite a bit slower than a dedicated, direct-connect external drive. Keep in mind that the catalog on your Mac won't be accessible to the Windows machine, which would probably indicate having the catalog on your external disk as well—and that will in turn slow everything down.

Sep 07, 2023 at 10:30 AM

tcphoto
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Mac Workflow ...

I've never owned anything other than Apple machines and have had good luck over the past thirty years except for the one GTech drive that died. I shoot into and process images with CaptureOne and name folders for each shoot. At the end of each shoot day, I will copy the folder onto a drive that I carry in my backpack while packing up. Once home or after the client leaves, I will backup to two external drives and run Time Machine on a third drive every other day. I can go back through projects easily and find both RAW and edited TIFF files if needed. When the one drive dead, I simply replaced it and copied over from the matching drive.

Sep 07, 2023 at 02:49 PM

Gregory Edge
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Mac Workflow ...

How big is your photo collection?

The way I do it is the internal drive only has my OS and applications. I keep my user folder on an external drive and have a Time Machine Drive external too. This way Time Machine Backs up everything including pics. I then copy using ChronoSync all my photos. Lastly I use Backblaze for cloud backup and since I have Prime I backup to Amazon too.

Backblaze and Amazon are last resorts.

If I had a laptop I would keep my user folder on internal drive and photos on external drive or NAS. Time Machine will backup user folder only. Photo backup would be ChronoSync to two separate drives. I would also use a cloud backup in case, of fire theft, lightning, etc.

With Capture One you can edit your photos even if the drive is disconnected provided you keep the catalog file on your internal drive. I keep my C1 catalogs in my user folder in the Pictures folder. This way they are backed up with Time Machine.

Another Mac tip. Make sure to create a second user with Admin rights. If your user ever gets corrupted somehow you will be glad you had a second admin user. I have been with Mac since 1990 or so. With OS X I have had 2 occasions where the second user saved my skin.

Sep 07, 2023 at 06:18 PM

RustyBug
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Mac Workflow ...

Thanks guys ... plenty to digest. I'll respond to some specifics in a bit.

Quick point regarding the 10TB. It came formatted exfat, and I didn't change it because I was still operating on my Windows rig (while demo'ing Macs). I have backed up my files from the Windows on the 10TB. The files are still on the Windows machine (1TB + 2TB) on a pair of internal SSD's. So, my total is currently less than 3TB. But, I anticipate that to grow (larger MP bodies, etc.).

I've recently begun printing (newbie here, too) on an Epson P5000. Feedback I've been given is that Windows plays nicer with Epson printers than Mac's. So, with that in mind ... another point for why I haven't rushed to reformat the 10TB. I am aware that the performance is lower with it formatted for exfat, but since I wasn't sure how to set up things yet (and didn't have the Mac yet), I left it. Mac <> 10TB <> Windows > P5000 is what's in my mind for having the 10TB formatted as exfat (open to other perspectives).

My gut says to format for HFS+ ... but, again this is kinda new to me, since I've always had multiple drives inside my Windows laptop(s). I expect my learning curve will be ongoing (and slow) for a while, but hopefully an old dog / new trick will pan out well in the end.

As a performance gain from reformatting to HFS+ (vs. exfat) ... how noticeable of an improvement should I anticipate?

Sep 07, 2023 at 09:08 PM

schlotz
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Mac Workflow ...

Speed is a bit subjective and it really has to do with what you are running and your perceived access needs. From a LR perspective, as long as the catalog(library) is kept on the fastest drive (SSD) it really doesn't matter where the actual photos are stored or its speed which could be an external spinner or a NAS. It's always best to have external drives formatted to match the computer it will be mainly used with. If that drive would also be used by other OS's then I highly suggest looking at Paragon Software that has versions for: APFS for Windows, HFS+ for Windows and NTFS for MAC. I personally use NTFS for Mac for the one (and only) drive I have that is still NTFS for the older windows based laptop I access on a rare occasion. I re-formatted all my other drives to HFS+. Only reason I didn't go with one of the window versions is that I already had the MAC version from way back in 2013 when I first stared migrating over to the Mac, so just left that one drive formatted in NTFS.

Sep 08, 2023 at 06:39 AM

sbay
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Mac Workflow ...

It's not so much that the performance is lower for ExFAT but rather that it's less reliable and more prone to corruption. See https://www.minitool.com/lib/extended-file-allocation-table.html or https://www.reddit.com/r/editors/comments/9sf2gm/so_whats_the_problem_with_exfat/

Sep 08, 2023 at 09:45 AM

RustyBug
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Mac Workflow ...

Take away = HFS+ is the RIGHT way to do it for operational purposes (i.e. that's the same format as the internal Mac SSD).

Backups and file transfer over to Windows ... =

options?

Edited on Sep 08, 2023 at 11:43 AM · View previous versions

Sep 08, 2023 at 11:35 AM

Zenon Char
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Mac Workflow ...

Abbott Schindl wrote:
I do the same as sbay: catalog on the internal drive, photos/videos on external drive(s). Internal is backed up with Time Machine, external using Carbon Copy Cloner.

In addition, I keep my photos drive synchronized to at least one other drive using ChronoSync (CCC could also be used, but I've been using ChronoSync for ages).

Result: catalog runs fast and easily fits on my MBP's built-in [1TB] drive, photos are on "sufficiently fast" externals and it's easy to span the photos over multiple drives, and everything's backed up.

If you really need to access your photos on Windows as well, consider a...Show more →

Me too. Catalogue on HD. Forgot to mention that.

Sep 08, 2023 at 11:43 AM

schlotz
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Mac Workflow ...

For Mac backup, suggest you look seriously at Carbon Copy. Been using this for years.

Sep 08, 2023 at 04:38 PM

jlafferty
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Mac Workflow ...

I use Chronosync for my backups. I shoot using Capture One, and while on set, backup to one SSD in real time. From there, I set additional backups to be smaller by omitting (not archiving) deleted files. I also generally exclude the Trash folder from 2nd and 3rd syncs (but keep them for first backup).

Sep 08, 2023 at 04:42 PM

Zenon Char
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Mac Workflow ...

You may find this pretty helpful too. I follow it pretty closely but since the performance improvements and memory leaks I'm finding I don't need pay too much attention to the development order. At one time it was Peter to use PS for a lot of edits for one file. I've up to 75 edits and not even a hiccup.

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/kb/optimize-performance-lightroom.html

Sep 09, 2023 at 11:36 AM

rscheffler
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Mac Workflow ...

For those using Time Machine and Carbon Copy Cloner: is there a reason to use both rather than just one? I dropped TM long ago in favor of CCC and also use it for OS back ups - am I missing something only available with TM?

Sep 10, 2023 at 09:23 PM

Peter Figen
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Mac Workflow ...

rscheffler wrote:
For those using Time Machine and Carbon Copy Cloner: is there a reason to use both rather than just one? I dropped TM long ago in favor of CCC and also use it for OS back ups - am I missing something only available with TM?

Maybe that it's super easy to do full or even partial restores from Time Machine. The big problem with TM though it that once you fill up the TM backup, it starts rolling the oldest backup off the back end and deleting them from the TM drive. That's a potentially fatal flaw but for most users it works well enough and it's something that almost anyone can figure out. Doing both would give you the greatest flex.

My biggest issues in the last two months since I got a new Mac Studio are that the interface has been redesigned for the sake of change and is only more confusing than ever but worse, it seems that Ventura is not playing nice with Microsoft Exchange, well, and networking is all eff'd up. But at least I can print.

Sep 11, 2023 at 12:20 AM

sbay
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Mac Workflow ...

Time Machine uses a compressed format for its backup data. You have to browse it through the Time Machine interface which is slow and a pain to use. It's also more susceptible to corruption. But it runs continuously in the background and is great for recovering that file you deleted 15minutes ago or maybe you want the version from several hours ago.

CCC is generally used to make a literal clone using the standard file format so you can browse it with finder or terminal or whatever program. It's an exact copy. If my disk dies I can just swap it with the clone and be back and running in about 5 minutes. CCC backups are scheduled so normally you'd just run it once a day or week.

Sep 11, 2023 at 09:35 AM

melcat
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Mac Workflow ...

RustyBug wrote:
Take away = HFS+ is the RIGHT way to do it for operational purposes (i.e. that's the same format as the internal Mac SSD).

I’m late to this thread, but the correct answer here is APFS, not HFS+, which is much older. APFS is what macOS uses for system volumes. It is also running on every recent iPhone, hundreds of millions of them.

One of the APFS features of particular interest to photographers who use catalogue software like Lightroom and Capture One Pro is called snapshotting. This means a backup program can take a snapshot in time of the whole volume and back that up while you continue to change things, and the backup doesn’t see your changes. Without snapshotting, Lightroom’s database file might be inconsistent with the raw files on disc after restoring from a backup.

As mentioned above, don’t use exFAT for this, because it is not robust against power failures and system crashes.

To read and write an APFS volume from Windows, mount it as a network drive. This also means you can use it on the Mac and the Windows machine at the same time.

Sep 11, 2023 at 08:25 PM

mcbroomf
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Mac Workflow ...

melcat wrote:
To read and write an APFS volume from Windows, mount it as a network drive. This also means you can use it on the Mac and the Windows machine at the same time.

How is this done on a PC with either Thunderbolt or a USBC connected drive?

Thanks

Mike

Sep 12, 2023 at 04:32 AM

RustyBug
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Mac Workflow ...

mcbroomf wrote:
How is this done on a PC with either Thunderbolt or a USBC connected drive?

Thanks

Mike

+1

I've got Thunderbot on all three devices (MBP, 10TB with TB passthrough, X1 Extreme).

Sep 12, 2023 at 06:04 AM

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