Move Lightroom catalog to new computer or external harddrive

thanks for the help matt great tutorial

Hi, I followed the instructions in your video, and I keep getting an error message - Lightroom was unable to create the new catalog due to an unexpected failure. How do I fix this? Thank you

Really helpful video, subscribed!

Hi Matt. Followed your instructions. Files transferred however, edit information not available which I also expected to be carried forward. Did I miss something? Colin

c drive getting full exporting photo in lightroom

Hey mate,

Good video. I was wondering if you could help me. So I havent been on my computer for 2 years. I have 4 TB External HD and it has all my photos on it, and I have an SSD with the lightroom catalog on it.

So this used to be mprocessess. Move all my photos from Drone or Camera to 4 TB EHD thIn i would click open the Lightroom Cat on the SSD and do an impofromfom there. Hocan I i move my Lightroom Cat to another SSD so i dont use the smaller one?

Just to be clear, when you export the catalog, it copies (not move) the catalog and the raw images, correct? Also, does it maintain the all the folder names? For example. I have a Wildlife folder for each year (i.e. 2020, 2021 etc.). Will those folder names still exist with all the raw images?

Thanks

how bout the source folder of the catalog? I'm moving from old SSD to new, or I could just locate files if its lost?

Thx for this Matt, much appreciated video, I had forgotten how to get my imac harddrive space back after 3 years of imagery clogging my poor imac up. Your right it is super easy and I will keep this going as a normal practice from now on. only been using lightroom for 12 years lol.

very good explanation, thank you for walking through whole thing

The Chats!

you just made my life so much easier. thanks buddy

RE: Lightroom Subscription, latest version
Whenever you export, aren't you making a new catalog? So, now you have two catalogs on your working storage drive, the LaCie?

I first need to get everything on a new laptop. I also use an external (4TB) drive for working storage (The SSD (1TB) on the laptop is used for new shoots or a year or two of shooting).
After everything is on the new laptop, I selectively move finished images (.NEF's, .XMP's, and JPG's) to the working storage external drive, not 'as catalog'.
For now I am not making catalogs as I put the images on the external. I guess I would leave the images in the laptop catalog, in case I wanted to bring them back into the laptop for editing.
I understand that the moved folders would show up in the laptop catalog as ?marks. I may have to consider exporting as catalog soon.

Bottom line concept question; If you export as catalog, and import that catalog, is it merging with the catalog that is open or creating a new catalog, with previews and associated files, in LR, so that now two catalogs will be in the File/Menu? I will want Import catalog to always merge with the catalog that I have open (which will be only one).

Please stop calling things bad boy I’m so turned off of that just say it’s a really effective little hard drive or it’s a great hard drive, stop calling it “bad boy “so cringe

I have an older version of Lightroom (version 6 stand alone version, not Creative Cloud).
My LR Previews and Catalogs are taking up 70GB of my C Boot Drive (SSD Type).
By doing this transfer to an external drive, will everything be transferred so I can reopen the photos (and edit info) without losing and data. I do usually drag the images in the Library Module to transfer the images to an external drive, but unfortunately, I guess that method will not port over the Catalog and previews. I wish it did.

Well done video. Thanks.
Phil
NYC Area

This is the only straight forward guide I found! Thanks!

Anyone know what to do if my adobe ran out but I still want to back it up? I can't open Lightroom now

Okay, give and advise, My raw photos and my edited photos are already in a external drive because "Safety First" BUT the problem is that my back up is on my hard dive. How do I safely move all my workflow into my new Mac mini? as I said all my pictures are already on a external Drive.

Thank you for a good and clear video. I am a photographer and my question is, do you make a new catalog for each client or a new catalog for each theme? For me that would be a new catalog for all the family portraits, a new catalog for all my dog portraits a new catalog for all of my commercial jobs. How do you organize your work? In the past I have had one catalog with everything in it. I organize it with the year, then type of job then client name. I am curious how others are doing it? Thanks!

Thanks so much. Your video has been a great help at 2am.
I can sleep peacefully tonight 😁
Thanks again

Hey Matt. So i was syncing Lightroom cc with Lightroom classic, it was syncing my different folders that i have in Lightroom, but then Lightroom classic was grabbing other photos from my MAC drive and this was taking up storage. Is this right? And in this video i see you’re actually transferring from that same folder also. Is this how its meant to happen?

Hey Matt thanks for this video. So I am selling my laptop and need to factory reset it. But first I need to get my photos off of it. Is this exactly what I need to do? Or is there more I need to do. Thanks so much looking forward to your response