Patw28 Loc: PORT JERVIS, NY

If I catalog all my 'keepers' on an external hard disk, then take that hard disk on a trip with my laptop, will LR be able to find the catalog? (Different device label) Can I tell LR, "No, look on Drive F, not on Drive J" ?

fotogk Loc: Tuftonboro, NH

The quick answer is yes. If you use LR5 it has smart preview which makes it so you don't have to take the external if you want to be able to adjust images along with catalog features. You will be able to show images, you just can't print out high quality prints until you reattach external.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Yes. How it works, exactly, may depend on your Lightroom version. Lr5 has even more options for this sort of thing from what im reading. Any good Lightroom book (there are many) will have instructions and the LR users guides on the adobe site are very thorough. I haven't delved very deep into lr5 yet but what you want has been possible for several versions.

Patw28 Loc: PORT JERVIS, NY

Terrific! Thanks. I'm on my way!

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

If I understand your issue, I would have some hesitation about the affirmative responses you have received. Here's why.

Part of the catalog info stored by LR includes the path to your photos. That catalog also stores intimate information about each and every photo in the catalog.

What you are wanting to do (if I understand correctly) is have two different instances of LR (one installed on a desktop, the other installed on a notebook) keep their catalogs synchronized. I don't think you can do that without re-scanning all the photos when connecting the drive to the notebook. Depending upon the number of photos involved, that could take some time.

LR5 includes some functionality to edit photos in your catalog without the source files present. I haven't explored that, and likely won't, but that's a different scenario than you have expressed. (Unless I misunderstand)

Searcher Loc: Kent, England

I have LR4 on both Laptop and Desktop, and I keep certain images together with a catalogue on a separate external drive. That catalogue is accessible from both laptop and desktop. I sometimes (unnecessarily) Synchronise Folders on both machines, but have never had a problem.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

You are right, however it's also an easy matter to tell LR where the shots are now that the drive letter has changed.

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

As suspected. My only point was that there would have to be some synchronization at some point by one or the other machine. Depending on how many photos are there, this could take some time.

Thanks for confirming this activity, however. I regularly marvel at just how good LightRoom is. Easily worth the money.