Moving the Lightroom Catalog and Photos

1. Download Lightroom from Adobe. The Lightroom license allows for installation on two computers, so my existing license key for Windows works just fine on the Mac.
2. Install Lightroom on the Mac.
3. Locate your Lightroom catalog and preview cache files. The catalog (filename ends in .lrcat) is the Lightroom database containing all of your edits and metadata. The cache file (same name as your catalog, plus the word Previews, and ending in .lrdata) contains the image thumbnails for your photos. It’s not necessary to move this file, but if you do, you’ll save a bit of time because Lightroom won’t have to rebuild all of your thumbnails.
4. Take a look at where your photos are stored. After moving Lightroom, you’ll need to update the file locations so that it can find your files. Hopefully you have your images in some sort of logical storage locations.
5. Move your Lightroom catalog and cache files to the Mac. I used an external (firewire) hard drive but you could also use any other file transfer method. I created a “Lightroom” folder within the “Pictures” folder for my Lightroom files and put them inside.
6. If you’re moving your photo files, move them at this point. If they’re on a external drive or another storage location that isn’t changing, continue along…
7. Open Lightroom on the Mac and open up your catalog. You should see thumbnails but if you look in the Folders panel, you’ll see that the names are grayed out because Lightroom can’t find the files.
8. The final step is to help Lightroom find your photo files. Right-click on a grayed-out folder location and choose “Find Missing Folder” and browse to the correct location.

That’s it! You’ve moved Lightroom and all of your data is intact. You can also move plugins and presets which are as straightforward as moving them from the PC file location to the Mac file location.

Moving Lightroom Plugins and Presets

Since Lightroom lets you choose your own plugin location, you will simply move files from your plugin location on your PC to a location on your Mac, then reinstall the plugin via Lightroom’s Plugin Manager (on the File menu).

Presets might be a little more hidden. On Windows Vista, they’re stored in folders under C:\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Lightroom\. On Windows XP, they’ll be in C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Adobe\Lightroom. Move your custom presets to the Mac. On the Mac, you’ll want to store them inside ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom.

Overall it’s a fairly simple process given the complexity of the program.

I’ve used IMatch as my cataloging system for a few years. Since purchasing my Canon 40D, I’d been performing RAW conversions using Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software. I have Photoshop CS which I use for any significant retouching or editing. That system was function, but was slow. From camera to web (my most common output format), a photo would be touched by:

Even with some batch processing, when this process is multiplied by a few dozen or few hundred photos per shoot, it was slow.

A few months ago, after seeing and reading all about Lightroom, I decided that a switch would be a boost to my productivity and photo workflow. I knew that Lightroom 2 was in the works, so I waited until release before handing my cash to Adobe.

It’s been less than a month, but it’s the best $300 I’ve invested in my photography business.

My workflow now consists of:

For nearly all of my photos, the entire post-processing workflow is entirely within Lightroom. The keywording provides organization. The RAW conversion tools (the same as Adobe Camera RAW) are powerful and flexible. Lightroom 2 can export to JPGs, and through the use of plugins can send my photos directly to Flickr or SmugMug. The editing tools in Lightroom 2 including the gradients and adjustment brush are able to handle a lot of what was previously the territory of Photoshop.

I’m still a Lightroom newbie. I know that I haven’t yet figured out all of the power of the program. I’m learning new things every day both with how to use certain features and how to use them more efficiently. I’ve started keeping a random list of tips and tricks that I’ll publish at some point in the not-too-distant future, but if you’re a Lightroom user, what are your favorite and (relatively) unknown tools?