Lightroom (Classic) and cloud storage?

[Mikep996]

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Hi All,

I'm trying to get my head around 'renting' software...in this case Lightroom Classic.  I have always refused to pay a monthly fee for software that, at any moment, the seller could stop supporting, change the monthly fee, or drop their storage/raise the storage price.  As far as no longer supporting a product - I recall Apple Aperture which I thought was the best photo program around at the time.🥵  

However, Lightroom has been around for years now and, while I thought Aperture was better back then, times have changed and obviously, a LOT of people are very happy with LR(C).    This past week I downloaded a trial version of LRC and was pleased with it so I'm considering that 'rental.' 😒    

But a few years back I lost 200 pages of text I had written that was "secure" in the cloud.  That made me very wary of storing anything valuable there unless I had my own backup locally (which, in that case, I did not).  Of course, if I have my own backups, I don't see any reason to store in the cloud and PAY for that 'privilege."  Currently my main computer is a 27" iMac with 2TB of external HD storage BUT for 6 months of the year I am not where my main computer is located and do all photo work on my 16" MacBook Pro.  So cloud storage would be useful.  Of course, I could have cloud storage through Apple and, TBH, there is only one thing in LRC that I would regularly use that is not available in Photos - perspective correction.  OTOH, there are extensions available that will do that in conjunction with Photos though it's not as elegant as having that capability within the actual program.

In any case...

I would appreciate any info/advice/thoughts/suggestions re: LRC or LR (I tend to think LRC) and recommended amount of cloud storage.  Also, do those folks that use the cloud storage also keep local backups or do you trust Adobe's cloud to be "bulletproof?"  Also, if anybody went from Apple Photos to LR, I'd appreciate any thoughts re the two over extended use.

Thanks...

[Corius]

Hi,

Important.....you can't store your original images using LRC in the Adobe cloud. LRC will only upload smart previews and they don't take any of your default 20GB cloud space. This is useful if you want to view or edit your photos on a mobile phone or tablet, but it WILL NOT keep your original files safe!

If you do want to store your original images in Adobe's cloud you need to import them into LR (not LRC). LR is very different to LRC, make sure you understand the differences before you commit.

Regardless if you use LR to store your originals I would recommend that you have at least one or two other safe havens for your photos. SSD's, Dropbox etc. Even if the cloud services are "bulletproof" there is always the chance that you will make a big mistake one day.

As an aside, LR and LRC can just about be made to work together but it's quite complicated and tedious to maintain. Have a look at "The Light Room Queen" website. She has a free guide on how to get LR and LRC working together for use when on holiday, assignment etc. With this workflow you can upload originals photos to LR (using the default 20G cloud space) when away and then move them to LRC when you get home.

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[LocalHero1953]

What the man said. It is a common misconception that subscribing to Lightroom is associated with cloud storage. They are two different things. To do what the OP wants to do, subscribe just to Lightroom Classic (and Photoshop, as part of the photographers' package). If you want to keep images in the cloud, then take Lightroom CC (which, again, does not force you to keep images in the cloud, although it is the raison d'etre of that particular app). 

The confusion is down to Adobe's naming conventions, so people think they are forced into Lightroom CC when they buy Lightroom Classic.

As it happens I do use Lightroom CC on my laptop, to import images while I am on the go - I use it to upload them to the cloud (keeping copies meanwhile on my laptop), then download them to Lightroom Classic on my desktop for permanent storage on disk. 

Edited July 2, 2022 by LocalHero1953

[Mikep996]

REALLY helpful information; thanks!!!

It occurs to me that I could just use a small external drive and carry it with me from computer to computer.  I assume that if I subscribe to LRC, I can install it in two computers.

Edited July 2, 2022 by Mikep996

[LocalHero1953]

1 hour ago, Mikep996 said:

REALLY helpful information; thanks!!!

It occurs to me that I could just use a small external drive and carry it with me from computer to computer.  I assume that if I subscribe to LRC, I can install it in two computers.

You would have to put the LR catalogue on the external drive as well as the images. I have done that, but I find it slow. It is useful so I can have access to my catalogue on my laptop while travelling e.g. to show others, but I prefer to do my main editing on a desktop with everything on an internal SSD card.

Edited July 2, 2022 by LocalHero1953

[zeitz]

5 hours ago, Mikep996 said:

the seller could stop supporting, change the monthly fee, or drop their storage/raise the storage price.  As far as no longer supporting a product - I recall Apple Aperture which I thought was the best photo program around at the time.

Aperture was a hobby for Apple.  If it didn't produce 30% profit margins, the hobby got terminated.  I always wonder how dedicated Apple is to Final Cut.

Adobe is about graphics with Lightroom and Bridge/Camera Raw/Photoshop being core products.  There is no Adobe without Photoshop and Illustrator.  The $9.99 has been the price for the photography suite since Creative Cloud was introduced.  That is a long time to go without a price change.

The Library module in Lightroom is essentially Bridge.  The Develop Module in Lightroom is Camera Raw.  Even if Lightroom were discontinued, Bridge/Camera Raw/Photoshop retain the functionality for you.

The whole Creative Cloud marketing campaign is based on the misuse of commonly accepted terms.  So you have to look past Adobe's marketing jargon to understand how the family of software is used.  I use a little bit of Adobe cloud storage to interoperate between a Mac and an iPad.  Lightroom for iPad is pretty good.

[hansvons]

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Before you go the Adobe route, I recommend to test drive Capture One. When I joined the stills photography domain (coming from filmmaking), I naturally started using Lightroom, both Classic an CC. I ended up with Capture One. There are many reasons for that. One is that you can use C1 with what they call Sessions. Basically, folders located wherever you want that contain a day’s or topic‘s work that can be moved around as you please and anytime/anywhere be restored. Kind of a project-driven archive system that is structured as easy as it possibly can get.

There will be a cloud-based iPad version at some point too (in beta).

[Corius]

57 minutes ago, hansvons said:

....

There will be a cloud-based iPad version at some point too (in beta).

It was released a couple of days ago and is available on the Apple iPad Store

[Bobitybob]

If you want, you can store your images in the Adobe Cloud using Lightroom Classic (LRc). 

Depending on how many images you have, you would need to pay them for a lot of storage, but it is simple to do.  When you install LRc it creates a folder (sync folder) on the main HDD/SSD and this will be shown in the folders section of the Library Module (see the attached image of mine).  All files placed in this folder will be uploaded to the cloud and stored there until you delete/move them from this folder.

If you use Lightroom Desktop/Mobile then any images you import to them will automatically uploaded to the cloud, and they are the full images and can thus use a large amount of data and storage.  When you next use LRc those full images will be automatically downloaded to the Sync Folder on the Mac/PC where LRc is installed.  You can then copy/move them to another folder of your choice if you wish thus freeing up cloud storage space. 

If you create Smart Previews in LRc then these are uploaded to the cloud and do not use any storage space, and can be viewed/Edited on LR Desktop/Mobile.  Only images with Smart Previews in Collections can be synced this way.

 

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[Jeff S]

I use Lightroom Classic (which was formerly and confusingly called Lightroom CC- Cloud Classic) and have never used cloud storage.  As noted, it’s not mandated, and never has been. I would consider dropping Adobe if it ever were; I store photos locally on my own drives.  For me, the Photographer Plan is a bargain for 10 bucks a month, including BOTH LR Classic and Photoshop.

Jeff

[hofo100]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb Bobitybob:

If you create Smart Previews in LRc then these are uploaded to the cloud and do not use any storage space, and can be viewed/Edited on LR Desktop/Mobile.  Only images with Smart Previews in Collections can be synced this way.

This is exactly how I use it - and do not want to miss it. I generally import my files into LRC (and onto my harddrive which is backed up...) but then create collections which are synced with LR via cloud. Such collections can then be viewed (and edited) with other devices like iPad or can be used to create web pages to showcase my photos with spark/express or portfolio (which are part of the subscription), which does not mean that my files are stored in the evil cloud... Unless you really start using the cloud functionalities people tend to misunderstand what it means and what not...

[Michael-IIIf]

On 7/2/2022 at 8:11 AM, LocalHero1953 said:

The confusion is down to Adobe's naming conventions, so people think they are forced into Lightroom CC when they buy Lightroom Classic.

I'm trying to get my head around this at the moment. I think it would be easier to understand if Adobe named them Lightroom Desktop and Lightroom Cloud.

[Jeff S]

4 hours ago, Michael-IIIf said:

I'm trying to get my head around this at the moment. I think it would be easier to understand if Adobe named them Lightroom Desktop and Lightroom Cloud.

Cloud use is an option even with Classic (limited space), but it’s not mandatory.  At least ‘classic’ connotes the ‘old’ version, which has all the basic controls (and now many more), with local storage.  The confusion came mostly from the fact that Classic was formerly called Cloud Classic (CC). At least they dropped the Cloud designation from the title.  Now CC truly is the cloud version (and with fewer features compared to classic).  

Anyone who liked the original LR design will like its equivalent called ‘Classic’. Just don’t use its optional cloud storage. And with the Photographer Plan, Photoshop is included with the cost.

But if you want to get confused, then there’s mobile LR with cloud syncing with Classic…

https://lightroomkillertips.com/how-to-use-lightroom-classic-with-the-cloud-and-0gb-of-storage/

I think you can see how even your ‘Desktop’ suggestion would be confusing.

Jeff

Edited July 28, 2022 by Jeff S

[M11 for me]

@Mikep996 My strong advice to you: Start with a sound Lightroom workflow as it is intended by Adobe. Have someone who teaches you the start. I am very often so shocked how quite a lot of my friends start the chaos with Lightroom. It takes just a few things to have right for the start. I am myself an Aperture victim. At the time the shift to something else was a nightmare. I decided for LR as I expected that most people use that tool and that I could ask questions everywhere. Today I love LR. From the beginning I tried to follow a strikt and "correct" workflow. 

[Jeff S]

1 hour ago, M11 for me said:

@Mikep996 My strong advice to you: Start with a sound Lightroom workflow as it is intended by Adobe. Have someone who teaches you the start. I am very often so shocked how quite a lot of my friends start the chaos with Lightroom. It takes just a few things to have right for the start. I am myself an Aperture victim. At the time the shift to something else was a nightmare. I decided for LR as I expected that most people use that tool and that I could ask questions everywhere. Today I love LR. From the beginning I tried to follow a strikt and "correct" workflow. 

Any old LR book from Scott Kelby starts with a brief chapter things not to do, and things to do, to avoid chaos. With warnings not to skip the intro.

Jeff

[M11 for me]

vor 2 Minuten schrieb Jeff S:

Any old LR book from Scott Kelby starts with a brief chapter things not to do, and things to do, to avoid chaos. With warnings not to skip the intro.

Jeff

Sounds excellent.

And indeed I know friends with their desktops (on their Macs) full of DNGs plus exported JPGs  (they could not tell me why they exported) plus pictures they looked for and could not find any more. If you follow well the basic advices then you will be fine 🤗 and you will love it.