Lightroom ..libraries(?) batch export(?)

dogyakker

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Edit My Images
Yes
Not quite sure what it is I am after doing so I'll just explain.....

All my years images are kept on the HD on my PC so that I don't have to keep spooling up the external hard drive if I want to use them. They are then backed up at the end of the year onto the external drives.

Question is I have started to seriously use lightroom this year and so I would like to transfer the whole 2009 folder with the edits intact. Can I do it or do I have to export every image with edits over to the external drive? I'm sure I must be able to as otherwise it negates the whole point of LR in terms of being always able to work from the original as far as I can see but I'll be blowed if I can work it out.

Can someone point me in the right direction please?

Thanks,
Chris
 
I think from what you are asking you need to move the 2009 image folders over, do this from within lightroom (not exporting but copying the folders around in the library window) and it will keep all you edits intact and maintain all the links within the underlying .lrcat file. You'll need to spool up your external hard drive to view them in the future once this is done.

Hugh
 
I agree, moving the root folder with all your 2009 images from your hard drive to your external drive is the best way to do this but make sure you do it from within the folder part of the Library window in Lightroom that will keep the reference links intact for viewing the files in Lightroom.

If you want to be able to view the edited images outside of Lightroom you have two options, both involve making sure that the "Write data to XMP" box is ticked in the Lightroom preferences. One option is to keep the XMP sidecar file with the original raw, this file will contain all the data from the processing. Or you can convert the raw files to the DNG format and all the processing data will be embedded in the file, also the overall filesize will be smaller, but with no loss in quality.
 
Aah simple when you know how!

Thanks guys I was looking for a complicated fliggamy whatsit when all I needed was a right index finger on a left mouse key.

Cheers
 
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