Backup your Lightroom Libraries!!!

Last night I showed my wife a little about LR. She wanted to be able to Import Photos, make minor adjustments, export for web shots (all of which are setup already). Tonight she came home and tried to Import some photos that she took of her staff for their new website. LR loaded the images but then shut down. She tried again on her login but nothing. So she logged off and logged in under my username and tried to open LR again. ERROR, the LR database was corrupt. I tried several things but none of which worked.

Luckily I have been learning about backups and have recently purchased Acronis True Image and downloaded Karen's Replicator. Acronis to the rescue. I had set it up to backup my LR database nightly. However last nights backup did not complete successfully, but the previous nights backup was fine. So I only lost one small import rather than my whole database and that import was not crucial as I had not edited any files yet.

So, do those backups now!!! Or else...:o

Good tip, I need a daily backup solution as well. Currently, I do it manually when I happen to remember...usually once a week.

Rumjungle wrote in post #3300469
Good tip, I need a daily backup solution as well. Currently, I do it manually when I happen to remember...usually once a week.

Take a look at Karen's Replicator. It is free and has some very nice features. The one thing I don't like about it is that you have to leave it running in order for it to work. However you can use the scheduled tasks in Windows to open Karen's just before its scheduled backup. (I think you use a MAC though)

Bummer, I currently do use a MAC for my lightroom stuff. My pc is just too old! I'll build a new LR workstation one of these days so Karen's Replicator will still come in handy. Thanks Mike.

Another good (and cheap) backup utility I recently found is Backup4All.

It does full, incremental and differential backups to local, external or network drives (and FTP sites). Has a 30-day full functional trial if you're interested. Looks pretty good to me.

You might also want to look at Robocopy if you want to replicate directories/etc. It's command-line, but very, very good, and can be exectued as a windows scheduled task.

Both for windows though ....

Mike exactly what are you selecting in Acronis to backup for LR?

You've set my brain into paranoid-panic mode. Backing up ASAP!!

Tsmith wrote in post #3300676
Mike exactly what are you selecting in Acronis to backup for LR?

I am selecting the entire Lightroom folder. I am new to Acronis and am not sure if you can only select one file (I might have to put the Library in its own folder, oohhh light bulb went on ).

In my case my Lightroom folder is here:

d:\Mike\My Pictures\Lightroom

So all the previews are currently being backed up as well. Luckily I have the space.

You do know that you can set Lightroom to auto back up the library?
Mine is set to an eternal drive so if the unmentionable happens, I'm covered.

tommy_london wrote in post #3302616
You do know that you can set Lightroom to auto back up the library?
Mine is set to an eternal drive so if the unmentionable happens, I'm covered.

Yes I know. I just don't like the preferences that LR has for backup.

In2Photos wrote in post #3301900
I am selecting the entire Lightroom folder. I am new to Acronis and am not sure if you can only select one file (I might have to put the Library in its own folder, oohhh light bulb went on ).

In my case my Lightroom folder is here:

d:\Mike\My Pictures\Lightroom

So all the previews are currently being backed up as well. Luckily I have the space.

I'm new to the app too but you can backup just a single file with in the application just not sure which individual file it is though.

In2Photos wrote in post #3302671
Yes I know. I just don't like the preferences that LR has for backup.

I know what you mean - Why is there no option to back-up when exiting the program - you know, just after you have done a load of updates or PP work???

I have my copy set to prompt me to back-up everytime it starts up, I sometimes backup at this point but usually just do it using micro$oft SyncToy at least once a week or after any major imports or PP work etc.

Tsmith wrote in post #3302809
I'm new to the app too but you can backup just a single file with in the application just not sure which individual file it is though.

Mine is called Lightroom Library. Currently it is about 180MB and it resides in that Lightroom folder I mentioned earlier. I forget the file extension though. Maybe I can get it later if you need it.

Lightroom libraries are .lrdb files. (For some reason, part of me wanted to say .indb - but that's an InDesign document).

David

Wierd - I was logging on just now to ask about best backup solutions......

Anyone backing up to DVDs? Anything around these days which just cuts physical disks, maintains an index, prompts you when you ask to restore to insert disk [x]?

For actual security, I moved to 500 GB rotated USB drives.