So, this is the problem that I am trying to work out here:
I have a computer that has a 200GB hard drive. I like keeping all of my stuff on external devices because I want to keep as much space available on the computer as I can to use for processing/mobile work. However, this causes a problem when you are taking TONS of pictures and importing them into Lightroom. Soon enough, you will run out of space and your computer will start acting funny.
To deal with this problem, I run and store my Lightroom catalog on my computer, but I keep the files on a separate hard drive. To date, I have been doing this with a 160GB Lacie Rugged hard drive. I don’t need to have the image hard drive available whenever I start Lightroom. I can go into Lightroom and select/view/rate/sort all of the pictures that I have imported. If I need to edit pictures or export to another format, then the drive comes out and I start working on it. More often than not though, I just wind up plugging in the Rugged drive before I start Lightroom.
This process works for me, but I’d like to find a couple of ways to do this faster. Other World Computing (These guys rock) offer a 250GB eSATA hard drive and a Express Card Adapter, which looks to drastically improve the back and forth speed to the computer. Terry White has written a great article on his tech blog about the use of the ExpressCard slot – you’re going to have to check that out.
The other option I’m thinking would be cool – a bigger hard drive! Western Digital does have the WD Scorpio. 320GB of HD goodness.
Those are a couple of options on how to manage an ever-increasing Lightroom collection. Keep in mind too, we have TONS of reviews on the website. You never know. The perfect product could be right there waiting for you (sans Richard Marx music).
Leave me a comment. Tell me what you’d like to see on here!
I had a question about using Lightroom with an external drive. Obviously the internal drive is the fastest option, but would I see a dramatic slow-down using my Western Digital 500gb Firewire 400 drive? My library topped out over 200 gb about a month ago and I’m worried about fragmenting out my mac. I know the mac file system auto-defrags to a certain extent, but from what I understand it doesn’t touch smaller files like my NEF’s.
I have a couple of systems, one of which I use with the Lightroom catalog on the laptop and one that I use the Firewire800 connection to it. I dont notice a big amount of change to how either of them operate, but I notice a little bit of a hiccup when I try to edit the image in CS3. All of your changes arent really made to the image until that point, so that would make sense as to why that is the case.
I dont know if a FW400 would make much of a difference there either.. The only caveat I have is that the catalog file -is- on the computer. I’d opt for going external. Let me know how it goes!
I actually ran into the same space problem, on top of that, a big catalog makes things slow down. So now, I keep different projects/assignments in their own catalogs. I only keep the catalogs i need on the laptop, and the rest on an external 300GB harddrive. That way, I set LR to ask for a catalog on startup. This process saves me a lot of time and processing power.
I have a Macbook Pro and I can’t figure out a mobile workflow that will allow me to shoot and store on my laptop when I’m on the road, but then connect to an external drive at home and move that previous shoot to another larger catalogue where I keep all of my images.
I’ve considered just exporting folders as projects and just storing them.
Sweet. I’ll try it out tonight. The reason I asked was because a while back on PSTV Scott K. recommended not having LR save the XMP file automatically because someone at Adobe told him he might take a speed hit. Knowing that the xmp file wasn’t that large I wondered what effect putting the images on an external would have on overall performance. Every little bit of horsepower helps. I also wanted to keep my main HD clean and fast.
I just got hooked into Layers TV and I gotta say I really love it. Scott and the guys at PSTV do an awesome job but you guys really tie all the CS apps together to show their true potential. As a designer by day and a photographer by night, you guys talk about the stuff that really matters to me.
Keep up the great work!
Bobby Lopez, NYC
Nice. I’m still looking for a workflow where I can do a shoot with my Macbook Pro do edits and so forth, then when I’m home move everything to another catalog sitting on a external drive so I can remove the photos from my laptop.
Michael M,
I think as long as you hit save to write to the xmp file or have it auto save you can import them into your home catalog and have all the changes preserved. Then after making sure you have your home copy secure you can delete the mobile versions. RC Can you confirm that? Also, check out Scott Kelby’s PS Lightroom book. It’s got great work flows in it.
Thanks Bobby. I will give it a shot and look forward to RC’s response as well.
I already ordered a copy of the new book using my NAPP membership.
* Sorry for the double post, 1st one didn’t show for over an hour.
Hey Michael:
Just exporting and importing the catalog into the new machine should work OK. You can have the write to XMP off or use DNG and it should work as you need it to. If I see any snags that appear as I play with it, I’ll be sure to post on the blog about it.
Thanks for stopping in!