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Note: This is an excerpt from my ebook Lightroom Classic Q&A: 101 Readers’ Questions Answered
Q: I created a second Lightroom Classic Catalog to test out the new masking tools, populating it with about 50 existing photos from the original Catalog. I re-edited many of them and created some Virtual Copies.
If I transfer those photos back to my old Catalog by merging Catalogs will the original files get messed up in some way? Should I rename the folder and the photos in the second Catalog to something new to avoid problems?
A: There’s no need to rename files, that only creates problems.
When Lightroom detects duplicate files during the merge process it gives you some options under Changed Existing File (you’ll see it at the bottom left of the Import from Catalog window).
The important thing is to make sure you check the Preserve old settings as a virtual copy box. That tells Lightroom Classic, when it finds a duplicate photo (like it will in your case) to save the current versions in the main Catalog as Virtual Copies. This is helpful if you have made changes to a photo in both your main Catalog and the second Catalog as it ensures you won’t lose any of the work done.
You can also use Virtual Copies to test out new features in Lightroom Classic. It’s much easier than creating a new Catalog.
Above: The Import from Catalog window tells you if the Catalog you’re importing contains photos already in your main Catalog that have been changed. In this example, there are 14 changed photos.
Above: The Replace menu asks you what to do with changed photos:
Nothing: Ignore the changes and leave the photos in your main Catalog unchanged.
Metadata and develop settings only: Update the changed photos in your main Catalog with new metadata and Develop module settings. This is the best option.
Metadata, develop settings, and negative files: As above, but also update the original photo files. Don’t choose this unless you’ve changed the original photo files (for example, by editing and saving a JPEG or TIFF file).
Q: I’ve just purchased an Apple Air laptop to use whilst on the road to edit photos in Lightroom Classic.
Is it possible to merge the Catalog and photos from the laptop with my main Catalog located on my Apple desktop computer?
A: Yes it is. Here are the details:
1. Are the photos in your laptop Catalog stored on an external drive? If so, that’s great. If not, you should move them to an external drive that you can connect to your main computer. This can be the hard drive where you save the photos in your main Catalog, or a different one.
It’s best to use Finder (PC: Windows Explorer) to move the photos and relink them afterwards in the Folders panel. Moving large numbers of photos using the Folders panel can cause problems, so don’t risk it.
2. If the laptop Catalog is saved on the laptop’s internal drive, copy it to your main computer’s hard drive, or an external drive.
3. Go to File > Import from Another Catalog to start the import process. Navigate to the folder containing the Catalog from your laptop and select it.
4. Do you need to move the photos from your laptop Catalog to a new location (i.e. from one external hard drive to another)? If not, then set File Handling to Add new photos to catalog without moving.
If you do need to move photos, then select Copy new photos to new location and import instead.
5. Click the Import button to complete the process.
Above: The Import from Catalog window tells you how many new photos the Catalog you’re importing contains. In this example, there are six new photos.
Above: The File Handling menu asks you what to do with the new photos:
Add new photos to catalog without moving: Import the new photos into your Catalog and keep them in their current folders.
Copy new photos to a new location and import: Import the new photos into your Catalog and move them to a different folder (this can be on a different hard drive).
Don’t import new photos: Ignore any new photos and don’t import them. This is useful if you only want to import photos that you’ve made changes to in another Catalog, and are already in your main Catalog.
Q: I’m going off on an extended trip and plan to create a new Catalog on my laptop to develop photos. I’ll import this travel Catalog back into my main Catalog when I return.
How can I sync photos made with the Lightroom app on my phone with the travel Catalog? It seems that you can only sync it with one Catalog (in this case my main Catalog).
A: You are correct, you can only sync photos taken with the Lightroom app with one Catalog.
If you want to import the photos you make with the Lightroom app into your travel Catalog the easiest way is to save the photos to your camera roll. Then you can import them into Lightroom Classic as normal.
Assuming you’re using the DNG format, make sure you save them as DNGs to your camera roll. Any work you do on them in the Lightroom for mobile app is saved in the DNG files and recognized by Lightroom. You can work on them in your travel Catalog and they’ll be imported into your main Catalog when you merge Catalogs.
You can merge those edited photos with any already on your desktop computer so you don’t end up with duplicate copies in the Import from Catalog window.
Above: To save photos to your camera roll, start by tapping the ellipsis icon above the photo thumbnails. Then tap Select. Now you can select which photos to save to your camera roll (1).
Next tap the Share icon at the bottom of the screen (1). Tap the Export as option, which lets you select the file type (2). Only Select Save copy to device if you want to save a JPEG copy, not the original DNG file.
On the next screen set File type to DNG (3) and tap the Check icon at the top to save your photos.
Above: When you merge your travel Catalog with your main one, The Replace menu asks you what to do with changed photos. This is important because the photos you’ve made with the Lightroom app camera are imported automatically into your main Catalog if both your phone and computer are online.
The best option is Metadata and develop settings only. Metadata, develop settings, and negative files will do the job too.
This is an excerpt from my ebook Lightroom Classic Q&A: 101 Readers’ Questions Answered.
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