Moving files for Lightroom 6.12 (Changing PC's soon)

[DaelpixPhotography]

Might be changing PC's in the near future

What files should I copy for Lightroom 6.12 to my external hard drive?

 

[Box Brownie]

From/by a respected LR guru

How do I move Lightroom to a new computer? | The Lightroom Queen

Moving Lightroom to a new computer can appear daunting at first, especially if you're moving cross-platform, but rest assured, it's straightforward as

www.lightroomqueen.com

HTH

 

[Harlequin565]

And from that source is the ridiculously exhaustive list of different places Lightroom stores stuff in. https://www.lightroomqueen.com/backup-lightroom-files/

That "backup" option Lightroom offers is almost useless. Most people I've encountered don't even realise it doesn't backup your photos let alone the rest of the stuff that's not part of the catalogue.

[/grumble]

 

[droj]

Most people I've encountered don't even realise it doesn't backup your photos let alone the rest of the stuff that's not part of the catalogue.

But why would it? If indeed people (& I presume you mean Lightroom users) don't realise that in the wholesale manner suggested, where is their spirit of enquiry? Do they want their photographic life on a plate?

At the simplest level, you back up your images (preserving their folder structure if you have one) and you back up your Lightroom catalogue.

 

[Box Brownie]

And from that source is the ridiculously exhaustive list of different places Lightroom stores stuff in. https://www.lightroomqueen.com/backup-lightroom-files/

That "backup" option Lightroom offers is almost useless. Most people I've encountered don't even realise it doesn't backup your photos let alone the rest of the stuff that's not part of the catalogue.

[/grumble]

But why would it? If indeed people (& I presume you mean Lightroom users) don't realise that in the wholesale manner suggested, where is their spirit of enquiry? Do they want their photographic life on a plate?

At the simplest level, you back up your images (preserving their folder structure if you have one) and you back up your Lightroom catalogue.

The one thing that I and others would have thought that LR 6 (and before) should do is allow for and handle within LR is the old backups. Under Windows I learned that I had to manually locate and delete as needed the old catalogue backups.

 

[droj]

I learned that I had to manually locate and delete as needed the old catalogue backups.

Yes, you have to do your own housekeeping. Keep the hoover by your desk.

 

[DaelpixPhotography]

I turned off backups this year after someone on here mentioned that I didn't need it

 

[droj]

I turned off backups this year after someone on here mentioned that I didn't need it

!!!!!

My own strategy whichever raw processor I'm using is to back up its database every time I close the program. Subsequent backups can mount up so as above a bit of housekeeping is necessary.

 

[Box Brownie]

I turned off backups this year after someone on here mentioned that I didn't need it

If the catalogue is not backed up and then gets corrupted, them you have lost everything associated with the editing of your files. Yes, the files are safe unless you have not properly backed those up.