Lightroom Mobile - What does it do with the files?

ChrisHeathcote

ChrisHeathcote

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Chris
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I have been using LRM for a while now and do most of my editing on it now, only using the Mac for more intensive work or to double check colours etc prior to printing. I use a lot when I'm away as I will upload my photos to my iPad Pro and import them from the photo reel into LRM. This way I can start to sort them straight away rather than waiting until I get home and having a few hundred to sort through.

One thing I've never been sure of though is what it does with the files. Up until now once I get home I move the photos from the "on ..... IPad folder" to my normal filing system. However the pictures are also on the iPads camera reel. I was just reading an article which stated that, when you import the image to LRM it automatically uploads the original file to the Creative Cloud, keeping the smart preview on the iPad. The next time you log in to LR CC it downloads the original file to the computer. This means that at present my photos are stored on my iPad, in the cloud and also on my Mac. Is this the case?

I have never fully understood the whole CC thing but I have started investigating a bit more due to the higher file size of my new camera and also with a forthcoming once in a lifetime holiday.

With the holiday, it a family holiday to Disney World and the first (and only) time my son will be going. I am obviously going to be taking plenty of photos that I obviously wouldn't want to lose. Because of this I have been looking at back-up solutions, for example separate hard drive with card reader, cloud storage (I have a Keenai account, along with Flickr and also 365). However if my assumption of LRM is correct I already have the cloud storage sorted with the Creative Cloud. I can also delete all the many photos that are in my photo reel.

Are my assumptions correct or am I missing something. I am always paranoid about deleting things
 
Also note 20GB is available free with Nikon iD Imagespace :)
 
What i tend to do is import the raw files to the Photos app, then once i have selected the ones i want to use in LRM, and have imported them to LRM, i can delete them from the Photos app. Once they are in LRM it will upload them to the cloud and then you can download them, complete with edits, to your desktop LR when you get home.
What i also tend to do it to leave my PC on when i go away, with LR open. I have LR on my PC set to copy the incoming files to another, PC based folder. Doing this means they are safe from any issues i might have with LRM or the Cloud, as they become unlinked to the mobile version. I believe we only get 20GB of CC storage so thats why i do this. Im not sure if i actually need to do this but i feel safer knowing i have the files also stored away from the Cloud automatically.

Oh and yes, you will take loads of shots at DW. Its an amazing place to shoot, as well as have fun :-)
 
dave_bass5 said:
What i tend to do is import the raw files to the Photos app, then once i have selected the ones i want to use in LRM, and have imported them to LRM, i can delete them from the Photos app. Once they are in LRM it will upload them to the cloud and then you can download them, complete with edits, to your desktop LR when you get home.
What i also tend to do it to leave my PC on when i go away, with LR open. I have LR on my PC set to copy the incoming files to another, PC based folder. Doing this means they are safe from any issues i might have with LRM or the Cloud, as they become unlinked to the mobile version. I believe we only get 20GB of CC storage so thats why i do this. Im not sure if i actually need to do this but i feel safer knowing i have the files also stored away from the Cloud automatically.

Oh and yes, you will take loads of shots at DW. Its an amazing place to shoot, as well as have fun :)
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Thanks for the info Dave.

By leaving your PC on does that automatically download the RAW files from the cloud.
 
Yes, although im not sure how quickly. it does it. When i get home i see all the raw files in a folder on my PC. I can of course delete them off my ipad etc without them getting touched on my PC. I think its worth turning on load full res images as well. Im not sure what happens if you are only using smart previews on the ipad.

Its not an elegant way, but it works for me. This was mainly because i had a small capacity ipad Pro.
 
Thanks for all the tips everyone. After lots of investigation it appears that LRM may be provide some backup, however I would only know once I got home. So my plan is to copy photos to wife's MBA, they will also be on my IPad pro who backs up to Flickr. This will give me 2 physical copies of the photos + a cloud based backup. Potentially also images copied to mac back at home, so should be ok, I am still toying with getting a small hard drive to take too but I think that might be overkill.
 
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