On Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 11:22 AM, Joseph McAllister<pentax...@mac.com> wrote: > Complicated question, as it depends on whether or not you actually imported > the originals (Masters) into Lightroom, or just imported reference files. Do > you import directly from your memory cards, or copy the files from your > memory cards to your hard drive, then import them leaving the originals > where you stored them? > > In Aperture on the Mac, your "history" is incorporated into the Aperture > database, which can be backed up to a "vault" which contains all that info, > from within the program, I assume in a more compressed form. > > Don't know how Lightroom does it.
Lightroom does not have the concept of importing the originals into a specially maintained file system structure as Aperture does. Importing in Lightroom parlance means "storing the original image file locations, file system info and metadata into the database for use". As a convenience to the importing process, Lightroom can move or copy the originals to a locate that it will structure for you (by creating directories in a date oriented hierarchy), but it's up to you to be sure that the originals are backed up. To move an entire Lightroom catalog and its original files to an external drive volume, you move the original files however you have them organized (most conveniently in one directory tree) to the new volume, then copy the entire directory containing the Lightroom .lrcat and .lrdata files there separately. Once everything has been copied, update the catalog so it uses the originals in the new location - double click on the .lrcat file that is located on the external volume :: that ensures that you update the correct catalog file. - In the Library module, Folders panel, control-click (right-click on Windows or if you're using a two-button mouse on Mac OS X) on the folders that appear there and choose the "Update Folder Location..." command from the popup menu. - Navigate to the new location of the folder on the external drive and click OK. You'll need to do this for each folder in the Folders panel unless you have all your folders in one directory tree and have the root folder of that tree in the Folders panel. If you do, and you do it just once for the root folder, all the others will be automatically updated as well. If your Folders panel shows individual folders that you know are all in the same tree but doesn't show the root folder, you can right-click on the folders there and choose "Add Parent Folder" ... do this repeatedly until all your folders are shown as under one root folder, then update the location of that root folder. -- Godfrey www.gdgphoto.com www.flickr.com/photos/gdgphoto www.twitter.com/godfreydigiorgi -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
