p.1 #1 · Using Desktop and Laptop in Your Post Processing Work
I am moving from my Dell XPS 15 to a Mac Studio. My original thought was to just move all of my LR Classic /PS apps, and catalog to the Mac and use it for all of my pp. My photos are on an external HD formatted as FAT32.
I would like some feedback on how you are using two computers in your workflow.....what files live where?
p.1 #2 · Using Desktop and Laptop in Your Post Processing Work
I only use laptops on travel (2x 8TB internal and 2x 8TB external) and do most all the PP at home with a more powerful system where I have a nice chair, keyboard and monitor. I typically take the data or 8TB M.2 SSD itself from the field and put it in the main computer. I wipe out the laptop before leaving for the next project.
The photo image processing (DXO, Topaz, Adobes) is usually done in the main machine that has 40TB internal SSDs for work in progress and then finished work is moved to multiple NAS units in various locations, mostly 96-224TB each. Currently the local NASes are accessed with 10Gb SFP+ DAC through multiport CNAs, but I would like to upgrade later.
I don't like individual external drives due to failures and sluggish speeds (many have the shingles or are the lesser performing drives), but I typically use 4 home computers all with access to NASes so I can run scripts in various systems all accessing the same data sets. Whatever you do, have a strong 3-2-1 storage plan and test data integrity at least once in a while.
p.1 #3 · Using Desktop and Laptop in Your Post Processing Work
I use a Studio at my desk and a MBP for off-site and travel. My main images all live on redundant, external drive arrays. My current working images, usually the last 12 months or so of images live on a TB4 NVME drive, of course backed up hourly to the main array. When I travel, I can take the small TB/NVME drive with me if needed. I could also if desired, take one of my back-up arrays and have all of my images with me remotely, but in 20+ years of photographing I have never needed that.
p.1 #4 · Using Desktop and Laptop in Your Post Processing Work
EBH and Jack, thanks for sharing your individual setups My needs are relatively simple with the total number of images in my catalog at 10,000. Where do you store your catalog?
p.1 #5 · Using Desktop and Laptop in Your Post Processing Work
pjmsj21 wrote:
I am moving from my Dell XPS 15 to a Mac Studio. My original thought was to just move all of my LR Classic /PS apps, and catalog to the Mac and use it for all of my pp. My photos are on an external HD formatted as FAT32.
I would like some feedback on how you are using two computers in your workflow.....what files live where?
TIA
Pat
I have also wrestled with this issue. There are a number of different ways to work with LRC on two computers, and they all have pros and cons. Which you would choose has a lot to do with how you want to work. I think I have come up with a solution that will work for me and that may be of interest to you.
1. I tend to work on my MBP more than on my Apple Studio. I am now planning to keep the LRC Catalog and my most recent images, on which I am still working and printing, on my MBP. (An alternative would be to keep the Catalog and all my current working images on a portable SSD, but then I would only be able to work with the SSD attached.)
2. Next, I will keep about the last 12 month's worth of images on a 4TB SSD drive (and save backups of the LRC Catalog and the photo files on my MBP to that drive from time to time). This 4TB SSD will permit me to have convenient access on either the MBP or the Apple Studio to the majority of my images that I am likely to want to see, edit, or print. Each time I want to edit photos on the Studio, I will have to move my catalog from the MBP to the Studio and then plug in the 4TB SSD to the Studio.
3. I will move photos from my MBP to the 4TB SSD as I am finished editing and printing them. All moves of photos will be done from within LRC so that LRC can keep track of where the photos are.
4. I will back up the 4TB drive by plugging it into the Apple Studio and copying the new files on the 4TB SSD to a 14TB drive that is attached to the Apple Studio and that is immediately backed up to a second 14TB drive. The files on the 14TB drive that is attached to the Apple Studio has its own Catalog that is kept on the Studio. I will have to merge the Catalog from the 4TB SSD into the Studio's Catalog each time I move files from the 4TB SSD to the Studio's 14TB drive.
I think this covers everything I want and need to do. There is some extra copying and moving of the catalog involved, but that is the price to be paid for working on two computers with LRC. I am most worried about keeping straight what I have moved from the MBP to the 4TB SSD and what I have not yet moved. As I already noted above, I could simplify some of this by keeping the LRC Catalog and all my current and recent photos on the 4TB SSD-but that would then require me to always have the SSD plugged in when I want to see or edit files. I may still decide to do it that way.
There are a number of other ways to work with LRC on two computers. The best discussion of the various alternatives that I have seen come from The Lightroom Queen at the following link--make sure to read through the brief presentation of each method to get to the detailed explanation of each method:
p.1 #6 · Using Desktop and Laptop in Your Post Processing Work
Chiron thanks for your response which was helpful. The Lightroom Queen link was particularly helpful. I think I’m at the point to just use the Studio for my processing with just a few exceptions takes place at home.
