Lightroom Catalog question

Current setup is LR 6 standalone and all images are in the Pictures
folder on a Win 7 desktop. Sub folders for year and a few categories each year.

New Win 10 desktop with SSD main C: drive and 2TB storage D: drive.

I want to install new version of LR classic on the SSD C: drive.

Will copy images from old pc to Pictures folder on new pc D: drive.

Where should I locate the new LR catalog ? ( C: or D: )

1. You can simply default the Catalog location to the standard LR location, and copy the lrcat file to that location.
   
2. Or you can override the default location by setting the location of your choice in LR, and copy the lrcat file to that location.
   

I would put the catalogue on the SSD 'C' drive because it will be faster and the image files on the 'D' 2Tb drive.

+1 to 98's post.
The catalog and assorted files should go on the fastest drive, which is the SSD.

Wilt, NinetyEight, Dan Marchant

Thanks guys, that's what I needed.

---------------

NinetyEight

Your name brings back some old memories.
We gave a guy the nickname NinetyNine in elementary school, and it stuck with him as an adult.

He was given that nickname because he always got on the wrong bus. (correct bus number 99 )

That is also recommended by Adobe. Keep the catalogue and everything else in the LR folder. As others recommended keep it on the HD. Keeping files on a different drive is pretty common. Adobe also recommends 20% of free HD drive space. Unofficial rule of thumb is 100GB.

digital paradise wrote in post #19148320
That is also recommended by Adobe. Keep the catalogue and everything else in the LR folder. As others recommended keep it on the HD. Keeping files on a different drive is pretty common. Adobe also recommends 20% of free HD drive space. Unofficial rule of thumb is 100GB.

A slight alternative, which I use, is to keep RAW files on the same drive as the Catalog (C for fastest access to 'current' photos, with a copy of the RAW on a second drive (NAS), and use LR file management to move the RAW files off the C: to a third drive. And periodically copy the lastest version of Catalog to the NAS as well.

Wilt wrote in post #19148353
A slight alternative, which I use, is to keep RAW files on the same drive as the Catalog (C for fastest access to 'current' photos, with a copy of the RAW on a second drive (NAS), and use LR file management to move the RAW files off the C: to a third drive. And periodically copy the lastest version of Catalog to the NAS as well.

I would if my HD was big enough. Even with my new iMac I only got a 500GB SSD to keep costs down. My old iMac had 500 and I never hit 250. I tried moving the LR folder to the external drive but found it was better on the HD. I compromised by keeping files on the external. I don't have too many delays. Depends on where store it keeping everything together is important.

Keep the catalog and preview cache in the same folder

By default, Lightroom keeps the preview cache file, [Catalog name] Previews.lrdata, in the same folder as the catalog file, [Catalog name].lrcat. If you move the catalog file or store it separately from the cache, then Lightroom has to regenerate the previews. So keep them together.


https://helpx.adobe.co​m …erformance-lightroom.html

Decided to leave catalog in default location on SSD drive.

Want to backup the catalog to the D drive.

Do I copy the black LR catalog icon or the zip file that is in the Backups folder ?

When you shut LR down it backs it up on the HD/SSD in the LR folder. If you are backing up your OS regularly that will do. I'm not sure how to create a backup on another drive.

When you close down, the backup confirmation box that appears has a line for setting the backup location. The setting is sticky. I, for instance, write the backup zip to the Google Drive folder and from there to the Google cloud.

Thanks for the reply's ... but I worded my 2nd line wrong. (Want to make a backup)

I meant make a copy, I manually copy / move the file(s) with file explorer.

But which file do I need to copy to the D drive, the black iconned Lightroom Catalog file,
or the zip file that is in the Backups folder ?

lacogada wrote in post #19152269
Thanks for the reply's ... but I worded my 2nd line wrong. (Want to make a backup)

I meant make a copy, I manually copy / move the file(s) with file explorer.

But which file do I need to copy to the D drive, the black iconned Lightroom Catalog file,
or the zip file that is in the Backups folder ?

The "Backups" folder contains the backup files.

john crossley wrote in post #19152301
The "Backups" folder contains the backup files.

Then I'm confused by what's in the Backups folder
and what is the black icon Lightroom Catalog.

Thanks for reply.

lacogada wrote in post #19152380
Then I'm confused by what's in the Backups folder
and what is the black icon Lightroom Catalog.

Thanks for reply.

The 'Lightroom Catalog' file (the black icon) is the actual catalogue the program uses when it opens.
The 'Backup' folder contains backup copies of the 'Lightroom Catalog' file, but they are compressed to save space.

You really want to store these backups somewhere else on a different drive.