Posts: 10
Threads: 3
Joined: Feb 2022
Posts: 10
Threads: 3
Joined: Feb 2022
I have over five years of footage (200+TB) for a huge project and am starting the final editing process.
I have 50+ smaller hard drives (4/5TB HDDs) with the original files on them. I am not doing any of the editing on (or even touching) those.
I have 15 18TB HDDs with four of the smaller, original drives copied on them for backups (Each 18TB HDD has four 4TB/5TB drives copied onto it).
The 18TB drives are too slow to edit off of, so I am copying folders to a 4TB SSD to edit in LRTimelapse and LR, and then export the final video clips. I will then copy the finished files back to the 18TB drive (copy over the old files with the completed ones), and start over with the next set of folders, and so on.
My question is, where should I store the Lightroom catalog(s), and how many catalogs should I use? I'm thinking that I should have a catalog for each of the smaller 4TB and 5TB drives and store them within that same folder structure on the 18TB drives (each 18TB drive will have four different LR catalogs - one for each drive I have copied on it). This way, each original drive will keep its own LR catalog in case I ever reorganize the way I am backing up the original drives.
Will this slow down my workflow because I am having to access the slower 18TB HDD where the LR catalog is stored? Should I instead make a LR catalog on the 4TB SSD that I am doing all of my editing on to ensure the fastest editing, and then somehow sync it with the master LR catalog on the 18TB HDD where the completed work will be stored?
I obviously could have done this better from the beginning, but this is where I'm at. I can't afford a hard drive array right now, so I am going to have to break the editing up into smaller parts.
Any advice? Thanks in advance!
~Chris
I have 50+ smaller hard drives (4/5TB HDDs) with the original files on them. I am not doing any of the editing on (or even touching) those.
I have 15 18TB HDDs with four of the smaller, original drives copied on them for backups (Each 18TB HDD has four 4TB/5TB drives copied onto it).
The 18TB drives are too slow to edit off of, so I am copying folders to a 4TB SSD to edit in LRTimelapse and LR, and then export the final video clips. I will then copy the finished files back to the 18TB drive (copy over the old files with the completed ones), and start over with the next set of folders, and so on.
My question is, where should I store the Lightroom catalog(s), and how many catalogs should I use? I'm thinking that I should have a catalog for each of the smaller 4TB and 5TB drives and store them within that same folder structure on the 18TB drives (each 18TB drive will have four different LR catalogs - one for each drive I have copied on it). This way, each original drive will keep its own LR catalog in case I ever reorganize the way I am backing up the original drives.
Will this slow down my workflow because I am having to access the slower 18TB HDD where the LR catalog is stored? Should I instead make a LR catalog on the 4TB SSD that I am doing all of my editing on to ensure the fastest editing, and then somehow sync it with the master LR catalog on the 18TB HDD where the completed work will be stored?
I obviously could have done this better from the beginning, but this is where I'm at. I can't afford a hard drive array right now, so I am going to have to break the editing up into smaller parts.
Any advice? Thanks in advance!
~Chris
