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Studying the way to transfer Lightroom to a brand new pc would possibly sound like a scary proposition to many photographers. However, since we modify computer systems each three to 5 years, it’s unavoidable. That’s the reason I deal with it as a part of my pictures workflow.
Since I began utilizing Lightroom, I’ve migrated my Lightroom catalog a minimum of 4 instances. Right this moment, I give you my methodical, step-by-step strategy.
First, I don’t deal with my Lightroom setup as a monolith set up; it’s extra like a multi-piece entity with its elements scattered throughout totally different corners of my pc.
Let me clarify.
I maintain my Lightroom set up with the grasp catalog, configuration information, and previews on my major SSD (stable state drive) onerous drive. This can be very quick however comparatively small at solely 500 GB. Which means that I can not retailer my whole picture library (a complete of 5 TB) subsequent to my grasp catalog.
I’ve a traditional onerous drive (8 TB) devoted to my picture library.
Lastly, I maintain my Lightroom catalog backups on a separate onerous drive the place I retailer all my archived information and the sources I don’t use regularly.
I deal with the method of migrating Lightroom to a brand new pc as a multistep course of the place I deal with the totally different elements of the Lightroom setup individually.
Find out how to Transfer Lightroom to a New Pc
The method of migrating Lightroom to a brand new pc may be damaged down into seven steps, two of that are non-obligatory.
- Step 1 – Set up Lightroom
- Step 2 – Switch the Photograph Library to a brand new pc
- Step 3 – Transfer Lightroom Catalog from outdated pc
- Step 4 – Port Configuration and Settings
- Step 5 – Re-link the lacking folders
- Step 6 – Carry Preview Information (non-obligatory)
- Step 7 – Carry Catalog Backups (non-obligatory)
Whenever you deal with every part individually, the entire course of turns into very logical and uncomplicated.
Step 1: Set up Lightroom
Earlier than putting in Lightroom, you have to set up the Inventive Cloud utility in your new pc.
After putting in the Inventive Cloud app, you have to authenticate it utilizing your Inventive Cloud credentials.
Subsequent, deploy Lightroom by triggering the set up from the Inventive Cloud app.
As you in all probability know, Inventive Cloud lets you set up Lightroom on two totally different computer systems (Mac and PC). In case you have already put in and activated Lightroom on two computer systems, you have to go to the Inventive Cloud internet portal (Plans & Merchandise tab) and disconnect one in every of your installations.
TIP: Just remember to don’t disconnect the pc from which you might be presently performing the migration. You will want to entry it a number of instances all through the migration course of.
In my case, I’ve Lightroom activated on my desktop and on my journey laptop computer. Once I begin the migration course of, I deactivate my laptop computer set up in order that I can use Lightroom on my outdated and new computer systems throughout the migration.
Step 2: Migrate Your Photograph Library
Earlier than you begin shifting your picture library to a brand new pc, make sure that it’s properly organized.
I’ve a devoted tutorial the place I define my Lightroom picture group and library construction that I exploit in my pictures. The thought behind
This organizational model makes it extremely easy to again up your pictures. It additionally makes it simple to maneuver your whole library from one location to a different.
You should have issue managing your library in case your pictures are scattered throughout totally different drives and directories.
Earlier than beginning the migration, I strongly suggest you conform your picture library to a one-directory construction.
TIP: Be sure that to prepare your library from inside Lightroom utilizing the Folders Panel within the Library Module. In case you use Explorer (Win) or Finder (Mac) to maneuver your picture information round, Lightroom will be unable to trace these modifications.
As soon as your library is so as, use an exterior onerous drive to repeat your whole library to your new pc.
If you’re migrating your Lightroom set up to a laptop computer with inadequate onerous drive house, use an exterior onerous drive to retailer your whole picture library. Be sure that the exterior onerous drive is high-speed and dependable. You could find a few of my onerous drive suggestions right here: Greatest Exterior Laborious Drives for Photographers
Step 3: Migrate the Lightroom Catalog
The following step is to maneuver the catalog file to a brand new pc. The Lightroom Catalog is a database the place the applying shops details about the pictures and their group.
Associated: Find out how to Export Lightroom Presets
It isn’t all the time simple to find a catalog file as a result of, generally, it’s buried deep inside your pc’s set up folders. Luckily, Lightroom offers us with a shortcut to an lively catalog location.
Find out how to Discover Lightroom Catalog Location
Listed here are the steps to pinpoint the Lightroom catalog location:
From the highest menu, choose EDIT (Lightroom on Mac) > Catalog Settings… Go to the Basic tab and click on the SHOW button. This may take you to the listing the place the Lightroom catalog resides.
The Lightroom catalog has an .lrcat extension.
You will want to repeat the catalog file to your new pc.
I extremely suggest that you just maintain your catalog file in your quickest drive, ideally on a solid-state drive (SSD).
Step 4: Copy Configuration, Settings, and Presets
Lightroom combines all of the settings, configuration information, and presets underneath the Lightroom Settings listing.
The listing comprises an enormous quantity of knowledge associated to your Lightroom Catalog. It shops all of the develop presets, import and export presets, metadata presets, key phrase units, and so forth. If you don’t import all of the configuration info to your new set up, it might probably take weeks and even months to recreate it. Importing the listing is a necessary step of the migrating course of.
Relying in your preferences, the Lightroom Settings listing may be situated within the catalog listing or within the Lightroom set up folder.
In my case, I exploit one catalog group and like to retailer all my configuration information and presets subsequent to my catalog file. This helps me localize all catalog associated knowledge in a single location, nevertheless it additionally signifies that the settings and presets can’t be shared throughout a number of catalogs.
You should copy all the Lightroom Settings folder to a brand new pc and place them in a brand new catalog folder or a brand new Lightroom set up listing.
Step 5: Re-link the New Catalog with the Photograph Library
When you have got accomplished the 4 earlier steps, you might be able to launch your imported Lightroom Catalog on a brand new pc.
The prospect that the file construction in your new machine is an identical to your outdated one may be very slim. Which means that Lightroom received’t have the ability to discover your pictures as a result of they’re saved in a special location.
Associated: My Prime 15 Lightroom Workflow Suggestions
Whenever you see a query mark subsequent to a folder contained in the Lightroom Library module, which means it has no concept the place to search out them and that it’s good to re-link the lacking folders to level them to a brand new picture location.
The excellent news is that you just wouldn’t have to do that for each folder. All it’s important to do is right-click on the prime of the guardian folder and level to the brand new location the place you positioned the picture library in Step 2. Lightroom will do the remainder by mapping all of the folders to their new places.
Step 6: Migrate Previews (Non-compulsory)
The best way Lightroom works is that for every picture you import, to catalog it creates a preview file(s) or a JPEG model of your authentic picture. Relying in your preferences, Lightroom would possibly create a full-size JPEG model of your RAW file plus a smaller model for those who use Good Previews performance. The preview information are a necessary a part of Lightroom’s non-destructive RAW workflow.
I do know that many photographers copy their authentic preview information to a brand new pc, however I by no means do.
In Lightroom Preferences, you may specify how lengthy you wish to maintain full-size previews earlier than they’re discarded. Due to the restricted disk house on my major SSD drive, I exploit the 30-day possibility. Which means that if I don’t use a specific picture for longer than 30 days, Lightroom discards its preview. However, I discover that Lightroom doesn’t handle this feature very properly. Over a interval of months, the preview folder measurement grows uncontrolled and I’ve to manually delete the previews to recuperate precious disk house.
The migration course of offers me a chance to begin the preview era course of from scratch with out importing any pointless information.
When I’m completed with the migration, I can start recreating preview information as I would like them by utilizing the handbook technique in Library Module.
TIP: Mix Steps 3, 4 and 5 into one
motion
Since Lightroom shops the Catalog, Settingsand Previews contained in the catalog folder, it is smart to mix steps 3, 4 and 5 right into a single transfer by copying all the catalog folder with all its content material to a brand new pc.
Step 7: Transfer Catalog Backups (Non-compulsory)
Lightroom has built-in performance to again up the catalog information in case the grasp catalog is corrupt. That is important as a result of the catalog information comprise years of gathered info. In case you lose it, it will likely be a catastrophe.
See additionally: Find out how to Batch Edit in Lightroom
In my case, the backup course of is ready to a weekly schedule. Nonetheless, you may configure it to a special frequency.
By default, Lightroom shops catalog backup information contained in the Catalog folder.
However, it’s extremely beneficial that you just use a special location out of your grasp drive the place the catalog resides. The logic right here is that in case your grasp drive fails, you’ll have an intact backup on one other drive.
Whereas importing backup information to a brand new set up is beneficial, it’s not important.
Within the 12 years that I’ve used Lightroom, I’ve by no means had any points with catalog information so I’m not very paranoid on this regard.
Once I full the migration course of and all the pieces seems to be good, I create the primary backup on a brand new pc, which is greater than sufficient for me. Plus, I all the time have just a few variations of the catalog backup saved on my Backblaze cloud.
Replace: Migrating Lightroom Preset Library
After Adobe modified the format of Lightroom presets in 2018 from .lrtemplate to .xmp, the placement of preset information on a pc onerous drive is just not all the time apparent.
Since XMP presets are shared between Lightroom and Photoshop, by default, presets are imported to Adobe Inventive RAW (ACR) utility. It is smart as a result of the presets may be accessed by Lightroom and Photoshop from a single location.
However for those who change the Lightroom settings and examine the field Retailer presets with this catalog (what I do), the imported presets can be saved subsequent to the Lightroom catalog.
What it means is that Lightroom presets may be saved elsewhere in your onerous drive. Typically, particular person presets from the identical group may be saved in varied places. It doesn’t have an effect on your workflow if you use preset-based enhancing however will trigger a headache when it’s good to migrate your whole preset library to a different pc.
Right here is my answer.
Use the brand new Lightroom performance ‘Export Group’ to export all the preset group. Lightroom collects presets, even when they’re situated in varied places, and zip them into one single file.
Whenever you import them to Lightroom on a special pc, all of the presets from the identical group can be saved in a single location.
It’s an effective way to scrub up your preset group.
Find out how to Transfer Lightroom to a New Pc | Conclusion
Transferring the Lightroom Catalog to a brand new location is a severe endeavor and generally is a disastrous expertise if finished incorrect. However for those who observe the outlined steps, the method can be painless and may be accomplished very quickly in any respect!
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