LrC Process

Foundation

Critical Settings

Enable XMP sidecars on every LrC instance. Preferences → Metadata → "Automatically write changes into XMP." This preserves your edits independently of the catalog and enables cross-machine workflows.

Never sync your catalog file. The .lrcat file is machine-specific and will corrupt if accessed simultaneously. Sync only your image folders and their sidecars.

File Synchronization

Before working, ensure your cloud sync has fully completed. Check that:

Tip: Most cloud sync tools offer a "Make always available offline" or "Always keep on this device" option. Enable this for your photo folders to prevent placeholder-only files that LrC can't read.

Each machine maintains its own catalog. The images and XMP sidecars are the shared truth—catalogs are just local indexes into that shared library.

Keywords & Organization

Use hierarchical keywords with ÓÐINSAUGA as the root. This creates a portable, catalog-independent organizational system that travels with your images via XMP.

ÓÐINSAUGA Finals Urban Nature People

Apply multiple keywords liberally. A street portrait might carry Finals, Urban, and People simultaneously. Keywords are additive—use them to describe every relevant dimension of an image.

Smart Collections

Build a Collection Set containing only Smart Collections based on keyword matching. This approach offers the organizational benefits of collections with better portability:

  1. Create a Collection Set (e.g., "ÓÐINSAUGA")
  2. Inside it, create Smart Collections with the rule: Keywords → contains → [keyword name]
  3. Repeat for each keyword category (Finals, Urban, Nature, People)

Smart Collections rebuild automatically from keywords stored in XMP. Traditional collections are catalog-specific and won't transfer between machines.

Import Workflow

Standard Import

  1. Ensure files are fully synced and available locally
  2. File → Import Photos and Video or sync the folder
  3. After import, select all the imported images, then right-click → Metadata → Read Metadata from Files to pull in any XMP edits made elsewhere

When Files Don't Appear

If LrC skips files it considers duplicates (common with alts that share the same source raw):

  1. Open the Import dialog
  2. In the File Handling panel (right side), uncheck "Don't Import Suspected Duplicates"
  3. Complete the import
  4. Right-click the imported files → Read Metadata from Files

Creating Alternates

Hard Copies (Permanent Alts)

Duplicate the actual file in Finder/Explorer. Creates an independent image with its own XMP sidecar. Survives catalog rebuilds and syncs cleanly across machines.

Virtual Copies (Temporary Only)

Catalog-only constructs. Use them for quick A/B comparisons during a single editing session, then discard. They don't sync and won't survive a catalog rebuild.

Alt Creation Process

  1. In Finder/Explorer, duplicate the source file
  2. Rename it with an -alt suffix
  3. In LrC, sync the folder so the alt appears
  4. If it doesn't appear, re-import with "Skip Duplicates" unchecked
  5. Apply your alternate edits—they'll save to a separate XMP sidecar

Importing Alts on Another Machine

  1. Run your standard import process
  2. If the alt doesn't appear, import again with "Skip Duplicates" unchecked
  3. Right-click → Read Metadata from Files to load the edits from the synced XMP
Don't Use Virtual Copies for Long-Term Edits

Virtual copies exist only in the catalog. If you rebuild your catalog, switch machines, or need to recover from corruption, virtual copies are gone. Always create hard copies for any alternate edit you intend to keep.

Daily Discipline

Before Editing

After Editing

Periodic Maintenance

Quick Reference

Do

✔ Enable XMP sidecars on all machines
✔ Use hierarchical keywords for organization
✔ Build Smart Collections from keywords
✔ Create hard copies for permanent alts
✔ Read Metadata after syncing new edits
✔ Wait for sync to complete before working

Don't

✗ Sync or share the catalog file
✗ Use virtual copies for permanent edits
✗ Rely on traditional collections across machines
✗ Edit while sync is still in progress
✗ Assume imports include all XMP edits
✗ Forget to re-enable XMP after LrC updates