File Back Up Idea for LR3

OneTwoFiftieth

I don't think LR3 can do this, but I think it would be AMAZING if it could. Tell me what you think? Or if you know how I can set it up, then how to...

Basically I have all my files and my LR catalog on my ext. HD. I back up all my original files on two ext. HDs as well. Once I'm done editing the batch, I replace the original back up files on the second two ext. HDs with all the edited files, this way I am backing up my edited files (well... .xmp files and orig. .CR2 files). This is what I'm looking for...

To be able to tell LR that I have these files backed up to the specific place (the two ext. HDs connected on my wireless network). This way, when I make an edit to a single file on my ext. HD plugged into my computer, it automatically backs up that file to both extra hard drives. Basically, a real time back up as I edit to both extra back up HDs... OR, at least a way to do it upon exit of LR. So when I exit LR, I choose the backup option and it not only backs up the catalog, but all changes made within this session get backed up to both ext. HDs by over writing the original files.

What this gives you is a live back up of all edits to multiple ext. HDs per file as you edit them.

I think that made sense. What do you all think? Good idea? Bad idea? Already possible? Not possible? Anything?

Let me know. I think this would be an AMAZING update feature for LR to throw out there for us photogs...:dunno

Thanks,
Bryce

jfriend

It sounds like you just need an intelligent backup program that will copy any changed or new CR2 files or XMP files from your source to your backup locations. There are literally hundreds of programs that can do this and most are not very expensive. I use SyncBackSE to back up to both a second set of hard drives and to removable USB drives.

You should probably not forget about your LR catalog too so any cataloging you've done is backed up too.

malch

jfriend wrote: »

It sounds like you just need an intelligent backup program that will copy any changed or new CR2 files or XMP files from your source to your backup locations. There are literally hundreds of programs that can do this and most are not very expensive. I use SyncBackSE to back up to both a second set of hard drives and to removable USB drives.

For Windows users, FreeFileSync is full featured and excellent. Open source and free. There's even a 64-bit version:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/freefilesync/

Icebear

jfriend wrote: »

You should probably not forget about your LR catalog too so any cataloging you've done is backed up too.

No s**t! As I found out today. See here. But I HAD backed up my LR3 catalog, and whatever happened to my computer while I was using LR, also erased my BACK-UP catalog that was on a removeable HD. Go figure.

I'm getting help on that thread, as you'll see, but it's a nightmare.:cry

PilotBrad

To the OP, I think I get what your saying, and while I can't specifically say whether it will work, I think I am doing something similar using Crashplan.

I have Crashplan set up to backup to two different locations; their online(cloud) solution and an external HDD. This means that all my Lightroom content (catalog, presets, images, etc.) lives in three places; my internal HDD, my external HDD and Crashplan Central (online). In additon, I let LR3 backup its catalog to my internal HDD at every close, which is then backed up the external HDD and online... so I have back-ups of the back-ups if needed.

The last piece of this for me is a second external HDD which I keep a complete disk image on. I attach this drive maybe once a month to update the image, but given the fact that I already have two file level back-ups (one offsite and one onsite), it is a tradeoff I am willing to make.

You can set-up Crashplan to do real-time back-ups or scheduled back-ups. While real-time would be awesome, and do almost exactly what I think you are saying, I find that I take a performance hit on my 3-yr old PC which is especially noticable when running LR3.

Good luck finding a solution.