KerryF

I just bought a new desktop computer with a 512GB SSD and a 1TB HD. I have installed Lightroom 6.14 on the SSD and the pictures on the HD. My question is, do I move the Lightroom Catalog to the SSD or the HD or does it matter.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

It doesn't matter. If you find it does, it will be the speed of a USB connection to an external HD that is the likely bottleneck, where the LRCAT on the local drive to the computer is the better configuration.

bleirer

Keep it on the ssd. It doesnt take up much space and it works faster. https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/kb/optimize-performance-lightroom.html

KerryF

Both the drives are local, the SSD is my C: drive and the 1TB HD is the D: drive.

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

You put LR on the SSD with all your other applications. Your photo files could go on the HD, but actually 1TB sounds a bit puny for photo file storage. I would use that 1TB drive for all the stuff that is not an application or photo files, then buy a bigger drive for photography stuff. Then some more drives to back it all up.
...Cam

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

There's a lot of stuff that can build up in your \Lightroom folder, beyond the LRCAT file, such as backups, and image previews. I have 91,478 images this morning in an LR6 standalone catalog. All my images are on a USB-connected external drive 4TB HD and the LRCAT and stuff are on the computer's local drive. The local \Lightroom folder has 99,611 files taking 52.4 space, or potential 10% of your available SSD space.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Obviously it depends on one's shooting style, what is kept, how often one shoots, and how much one shoots at one spot.

After about 15 years, I'm up to about 150Gb (Mixed RAW/JPEG and JPEG from two cameras plus phone).
I don't shoot the crap out of things.
At my rate, I figure I'm good for another 5-10 years with a 1Tb drive.
Not everyone needs a bazillion bit drive(s).

bleirer

I guess I dont shoot much either, and the Lightroom catalog of course is not the image files, which really take the space. my whole Lightroom folder including about 8 old backups is only 18 gigabytes.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Correct, the catalog is simply a database file ABOUT the images, wherever the actual images are stored.

I do not use a cataloger and ALL of my photos are in various sub-directories under C:\Photos\
Therefore I have no idea what is involved/implied in the space of the Lightroom directory for comparison.

One of these days for kicks and giggles, I'm going to count what I shot each day on various trips.
Like 100 shots one day in Iceland. (Didn't need a thousand (or even 500)).

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Based on my personal use, I vote for what has already suggested.

Install Lightroom on the SSD and put the catalog there too. Put current image files on the HDD. If it gets crowded there, use Lightroom to move the image files to an external HDD. Keep everything in the same catalog. Even with the older images on the external HDD, you can still "see" them when you don't have it connected if you take advantage of "Smart Previews".

KerryF

You’re right, 1TB is puny and my photos do use most of the space. I plan on moving my 2TB HD (C:) from my old pc to the new pc, so that will give me more space. Plus I have a 4TB external HD for backup.

In-lightened Loc: Kansas City

Would you please list the various files that are under the catalog file and what each one does? I would not have thought to separate the LRCAT from everything else but it makes sense. I have kept everything on externals to date. Thanks!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Hey Kim, I'm not sure I understand your question. The contents of the 'catalog' folder are managed by Lightroom. I ran a test to confirm my theory:

A. Took a back of the LRCAT file and placed to a new, unrelated position on my computer.
B. Renamed the existing \Lightroom folder so LR couldn't find the old position.
C. Double-clicked the extracted LRCAT file to launch LR using this new (old) catalog.

What I observed was LR started "recreating" itself. I have the LR configuration setting of storing my presets with the catalog. LR created a new "settings" folder, but none of my existing Presets are there as these are text files stored in the same folder, but not stored within the LRCAT.

LR also started creating previews of the images. As I scroll up and down in the main catalog, the 'tile' previews are initially missing and then begin to pop into the Library view.

What this comment and the earlier comment are meant to emphasize is the folder containing the LRCAT file can reside anywhere. The LRCAT file can have any name too, just maintaining the LRCAT file extension. You can have the LRCAT folder on one drive and all the image files on another, such as my configuration where my image files are on a portable device and the LRCAT on the local HD of the computer. My several User Presets are picked up in my manual back-up strategy as the underlying LR6 files are stored within the same \Lightroom folder. Also, that "\Lightroom" folder can be called anything too, where my test above was named "\temp-lr-test".

So to your question, there's very little to manage inside the \Lightroom folder. I can delete some or all the \Backups. I can organize the contents of the "\Lightroom Settings" folder, although Adobe has changed the format of the Preset files since my LR6 version. But, the preview files and LRCAT "journals" and "lock" files are managed by LR based on your activity within LR, not something the end-user can manage.

pmsc70d Loc: Post Falls, Idaho

I, too, am confused about the LR catalog. My experience is that the catalog is about as large as the total space taken by the photos it points to - 50 GB for a few thousand photos. It is too large to fit on the computer's internal drive.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

This observation does not seem correct, as there are several factors to consider.

As noted earlier, my 52ish GB catalog folder manages 99k+ images, mostly RAW and TIFF, that occupy about 3TB (3,000GB) of space on a separate external drive. There are multiple "things" / configurations that determine the resulting total 'disk size' of your LRCAT folder, including:

1) The total number of backups you are retaining of the LRCAT file.
2) Whether your LR software version compresses the backup LRCAT files, or not.
3) Your preview setting and whether and how frequently you build and discard 1:1 previews.
4) Whether and how frequently you run the LR catalog back-up operation.