MikWar Loc: Chicago, Western Suburbs

I recently returned from a trip and loaded about 1,000 pics into LR Classic on my desktop computer at home. I store the pictures on an external hard drive and keep my Catalog on the Desktop. I used LR to process a couple of the pictures, but have many more to go through. I am now going to visit my in-laws for a week and will have time to work on the pictures there. I have a laptop with LR Classic on it and can bring the external HD that holds all my pictures. My question - how can I continue working on the pictures and yet not screw up the ones that have already been processed? My guess is to transfer my entire Catalog (and related files) from my Desktop to the external HD, use it with the Laptop while away, and then transfer it back to my Desktop when I return home. Is there an easier way?

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

You can have many LRCAT files. So, on your laptop you can create just a local catalog, and import and work on images on the laptop. Make sure you give the file a unique name to avoid collisions with the main LRCAT file. When you get home, you have two options:

1) Copy the LRCAT from the laptop onto your HD. Connect the HD to the main desktop. Use File / Import from Catalog and point to the copied "laptop" LRCAT and import the contents. Be sure to move the image files to where they properly belong in your main folder structure.

2) Run a File / Export as Catalog of the new images on the laptop, including the image files in the options. Transfer that export catalog to the HD and import from that catalog into the main LRCAT. Be sure to move the image files where they properly belong in your main folder structure.

The second option also would work if you copy your main LRCAT to the HD and work with the HD while on the road. That way you'd have your entire portfolio on the HD and available while on the road. When home, just 'catalog export' those new images and import that 'transfer catalog' into the main catalog. Or even, copy what is now the "master" LRCAT from the HD back onto the local drive of the desktop.

Performance is better with the LRCAT file local to the computer being used. The size of the file determines whether it's significantly faster to work with exports or just copy that large master LRCAT file around (and previews and Settings / presets). Copying the master LRCAT file around requires care and careful work where the export-catalog steps deal with only the 'deltas' from the laptop without copying the large file more than once.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I've not done it, but have seen and read about others doing it. There is a system of previews in Classic that allow you to work on your images without needing the external drive with the originals on it. Look under Library > Previews.

After googling for "smart previews lightroom" the first thing that comes up is: "The biggest benefit of Smart Previews is that you can edit your files in the Develop module. When the hard drive containing the original files is disconnected, Lightroom uses the Smart Previews. When you reconnect the hard drive containing the original files, Lightroom updates them automatically."

MikWar Loc: Chicago, Western Suburbs

Thanks for the info. Sounds like the way to go.

MikWar Loc: Chicago, Western Suburbs

I'll have to read some more about Smart Previews. Thanks for the suggestion.