How to Sync Lightroom Classic Catalogs with Multiple Devices

Adobe’s new Lightroom CC software is designed to sync your photo catalogs across multiple devices, but did you know that Lightroom Classic can be synced as well? This 7-minute tutorial by photography journalist Dan Watson will show you how it’s done.

This syncing method even allows you to edit raw files from anywhere and on any device as if they’re being stored locally.

First, create a new catalog. You need to save it into the “Creative Cloud Files” folder that should have been created automatically when you installed the Creative Cloud manager. This can also work with Dropbox or similar services.

Once inside the synced folder, the catalog and everything inside it is available on every device that also has access to the synced folder.

Watson then sets up Lightroom Mobile, allowing you to sync the catalog with your smartphone’s corresponding Lightroom app.

By checking “Build Smart Previews” when you’re importing photos, these previews will be synced as well as they are stored in the catalog file. The file sizes are small, but you can adjust the white balance or other settings as normal without the raw file being present. The limitation is just the size of the file you can export.

Now, you should have an entirely “cloud-based” Lightroom Classic experience without having to switch over to Lightroom CC!

Watch the full video tutorial above for a step-by-step guide to this syncing method. You can also find more of Watson’s videos on his YouTube channel.

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