Smart Preview Warnung at Export

Hi,
does anyone knows if it's possible to have a warning, if you're about to export just from the Smart Preview data? I really love Smart Previews and it speeded my workflow very much, but it happend some time that I exported my data without having my external harddrive connected, just working with Smart Previews. So the only "warning" was that it's much faster than usual if you export your files :-) It would be great to have kind of a dialog, if' you're really sure to export just from Smart Previews!
Thanks,
Harry

Bob Somrak wrote:
Lightroom tells you with the Icons under the histogram if you are using Smart Previews or The Original photo for your selected photos.
It is definitely worth looking at those icons before exporting, since it gives a complete summary of all selected photos (when it's working I mean - sometimes in my copy of Lr it just says "Photo is missing", when no photos are missing. And also, there are occasions where it may not be practical or visible, i.e. auto-publishing, exporting from develop module... For those cases, you can use Exportant's "Warn If Smart Preview" preset to alert prior to inadvertant exporting of smart previews.
Exportant (plugin)
Rob

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Lightroom 5 - Smart Previews | What's New in Lightroom 5 | Adobe TV

Learn how to create lightweight, efficient Smart Previews to work with offline images in Lightroom.
http://adobe.ly/11rZI6q

Hello Julieanne,
I'm using Lightroom 5 and I'm interested in the smart preview feature; one question: is it possible a workflow like this one: work with a desktop with all the photos in one hard disk and no smart preview; then export one catalog with smart preview and open it in my laptop so that I can work with the files and modify. Then export it back to the desktop version once I'm back home.
Thanks and regards,
Marco

RAW FILES NOT LARGE AFTER OUTSOURCING LR SMART PREVIEWS : images staying at Smart Preview sizes. What is wrong?

My friend's RAW files won't go back to the large size they were after outsourcing LR SMART PREVIEWS to outsource editor.
what went wrong? When she sent the files to the outsourcer they were NOT zipped together.
They were ZIPPED back to her however.

Describe exactly what steps were taken. It doesn't make sense that the editor sent her smart previews. Normally she would do Export to Catalog, checking the box to include smart previews, and send this exported catalogue and its smart previews to the editor. The editor would then send the catalogue back to her (the smart previews are no longer needed), and she would do File > Import from Another Catalog.

File Info in Smart Preview

We have standard XMP files with metadata for our collections - box number, folder number, copyright, creator, etc. Is there a way to add this to Smart Preview so that it will apply it to all photos at the same time?
It would save so much time to be able to use Smart Preview and apply all the metadata and just tweak it for descriptions, than to upload the XMP files for each image.

Annieca wrote:
Thanks Rob and Jim -
I was misunderstanding what Smart Preview did. Thanks for the clarifications!
You're welcome. And Lr *could* support xmp when images are offline, e.g. by storing xmp as smart preview sidecar, which is probably what you were imagining it did. However, that would further complicate an already complicated situation - we'd have not only potential conflict between catalog and disk (xmp), but catalog, xmp-online, and xmp-offline. The benefits might not outway the cost...
Catalog export/import in Lr is a well-implemented feature, in my opinion, and mostly obviates the need for offline xmp anyway - worth consideration if you haven't already.
Rob

Lightroom Mobile Sync - Does It Need to Create Smart Previews Again?

I'm on Lr 5.5 and using the 30 day trial of Adobe CC to try syncing one collection of slight more than 1000 images. Despite already having generated the Smart Previews, I can see my CPU crunching through image after image (the rolling hills pattern in the task manager) while doing the sync. I was assuming, since I already created the Smart Previews, that the sync of this collection would begin immediately and be done by simply uploading all of the existing Smart Previews. The Smart Previews folder of the catalog is 871MB and has stayed the same despite the CPU obviously doing *something*. As it is now, the sync progress is incredibly slow, almost at a pace like it's actually exporting full-res JPGs from the RAW images (as a comparison only, I know this should not be what it's actually doing).
Another side effect of this is that I'm basically unable to use my computer for other tasks due to the high CPU utilization.
Win 7 x64 / Lightroom 5.5
Intel i5 2500k OC'd 4.5GHz
16GB RAM
SSD for OS, separate SSD for working catalog and files

One more update, I went into Preferences and deleted all mobile data, which automatically signed me out of Adobe CC and then I signed back in. Please keep in mind the Smart Previews were long generated before even starting the trial, and I also manually generated them again (it ran through quickly since it found they were already generated) many times. Now that I'm re-syncing my collection of 1026 images, I can clearly see Lightroom using the CPU to regenerate the Smart Previews which already exist. I have no idea why it's doing this except that it's making the process of uploading the Smart Previews extremely slow. I hope this time around it will at least sync all 1026 images to the cloud.

Pros and cons of 'smart preview' over ordinary preview?

I'm pondering how to use smart previews, and the only drawback I can see of using smart previews instead of traditional previews is that there's no 100% smart preview - the images are downsized to 2048 for smart previews, whereas traditional previews can be 1:1.
Aside from that, the smart preview seems better in every way.
I guess they can work in tandem - the 1:1 preview rendering the image quickly in loupe view comes to mind - but does it make sense to generate both smart and traditional previews?
Thoughts?
Thanks in advance,
- Steven

nevetssf wrote:
there is some overlap
Not much. Smart preview is unbaked substitute for raw file, used for develop/export (i.e. when rendering is done). Regular preview (aka library preview), is for a quick view - no rendering done.
nevetssf wrote:
so for me they're often taking the pace of regular previews.
I dunno about "taking the place" but it's true if photos are offline, regular previews will be created by rendering smart previews, instead of raw file.
Rob

Can I use my lrdata smart previews file on another Mac and then take the edits back to the original?

LR5 CC user. I have tried to use Smart Previews for the first time. I followed what seemed the best advice but now not sure since most of the guides feature working with a single computer and offline files. I am away travelling for over a month. I have a Mac Pro with many thousands of images. I exported my 5000 "best" as smart previews in a lrdata file to use with my macbook pro laptop while travelling. i took the lrdata file with me on a hard drive. Not the catalog file. Now it seems I can import these files (by double clicking on the lrdata file) but I am concerned that if I edit them the editing will be lost when I go back to the original. They have different file names. Have I basically lost the chance to do any editing? Or is there a way to edit and then send them back to the original catalog?

10greenmen wrote:
import these files (by double clicking on the lrdata file) but I am concerned that if I edit them the editing will be lost when I go back to the original.
One should not import & edit smart preview files (the lossy dngs with names like 7/7FB5/7FB580F4-00BB-4C39-8DE5-C09490BA6CB8.dng), instead of the photos they "represent".
But if you do, here's how to transfer settings and/or metadata from imported/edited smart preview files back to the original photos which you should've edited in the first place:
o Note: you have to import the directly-edited smart previews into your main catalog when you get home (import from travel catalog, or save xmp first and just import files - either way works).
* Download and install RelativeAntics plugin (free by me).
* Choose 'Imported Smart Previews' preset (in plugin manager).
* Select the imported smart preview files.
* Run 'Relative Antics' (File menu -> Plugin Extras).
* Deselect all items in 'Define "Related" section, *except* 'Custom Relative'.
* choose whether to transfer develop setting and/or metadata..
* and do it - this will copy settings and metadata from the selected imported/edited-smart-preview to the photo which should have been edited in the first place (the "related" photo).
Example:
==========
Rob

Is it possible to use smart previews without my external hard drive?

I get it. I know I need to tell Lightroom that it's "this" specific catalog that I want to be working on while being away from my external hard drive.
But, just so I understand the logic: I have to opne Lightroom with the external hard drive connected and then, ejected it so I could smart previews that I've previsoulsy build. There's no way for me just to turn on my computer, away from my external hard drive, and work on smart previews?
So, I guess that this my real questions: If I make a copy of the catalog from my external hard drive onto my desktop, and I tell my computer to work with this catalog while away from external hard drive, will this clash everything up?
Let me know if I've missed a previous thread about this.
Thanks !
Patrice

It may help if you can understand how smart previews actually work, under the hood.
When you build a smart preview, what you are actually creating is a smaller version of the original master, which gets stored as a lossy-compressed DNG in the same folder as the catalog file. So, when editing, Lr looks for the original, and if online, uses it, and if offline, uses the smart preview instead (if it's there), as the source for image data.
It's really that simple. So if the original photo is not in the location expected by the catalog and the smart preview which corresponds to it is not in the expected location in the catalog folder, then you won't be able to edit the photo.
So to answer your question more specifically, you can edit a copy of the catalog which had smart previews (you must copy the whole catalog folder to get the smart previews, or do an export instead of a copy, regular previews are optional), then copy the catalog back when done (no need to re-copy smart previews, since they don't change, and no need to re-copy regular previews, since they can be re-created) - no harm, no foul... Or, if you exported the working copy of your catalog, you can import it after work done instead.
PS - there have been lots of threads about this.
Rob

Workflow with smart previews

If I export catalog with smart previews to my laptop, do I need to also have smart previews in files on my destop so that when I reconnect exteranl HD to desktop, it will see the changes?

when you make smart previews and re-import does LR automatically make virtual copies?

Importing both smart previews and standard previews crashes

I understood that Lightroom does not use smart previews as previews in most cases and still uses previews as before for working on. I normally import as standard previews because this improves speed whilst working on them. I have just ticked the smart preview box for a couple of files that I thought I might want to work on after transferring them to my externsl drive and it crashed when set with standard, OK with minimal, I am now wondering if in fact the smart previews are the previews it works on and that by setting it to standard as well it has confused the program and that is why it crashed, but then why have the option of both or is it simply a computer resources issue trying to create both standard and smart previews.

Julian_M_R wrote:
I am now wondering if in fact the smart previews are the previews it works on and that by setting it to standard as well it has confused the program and that is why it crashed...
Regular previews are primarily for library module (e.g. you need them for loupe view).
Smart previews are only for develop module and exporting (they provide image data in lieu of original (e.g. raw) file).
There is no "conflict of interest".
That said, I have no idea why it crashed unless maybe you ran out of disk space or something (?)
If (because of some problem you are having) you want both but you have to pick one, pick smart previews. Regular previews can be created from smart previews, but not vice versa (yes: it will take time).
Rob

Lightroom Mobile - Does It Need To Create Smart Previews Again?

Light

Hi Guido,
Since my other thread doesn't seem to be getting any responses, I'm pasting what I've found here. Please keep in mind I am not a beginner with Lightroom and consider myself very familiar with Lightroom's features excluding the new mobile sync.
1st message:
I'm on Lr 5.5 and using the 30 day trial of Adobe CC to try syncing one collection of slight more than 1000 images. Despite already having generated the Smart Previews, I can see my CPU crunching through image after image (the rolling hills pattern in the task manager) while doing the sync. I was assuming, since I already created the Smart Previews, that the sync of this collection would begin immediately and be done by simply uploading all of the existing Smart Previews. The Smart Previews folder of the catalog is 871MB and has stayed the same despite the CPU obviously doing *something*. As it is now, the sync progress is incredibly slow, almost at a pace like it's actually exporting full-res JPGs from the RAW images (as a comparison only, I know this should not be what it's actually doing).
Another side effect of this is that I'm basically unable to use my computer for other tasks due to the high CPU utilization.
Win 7 x64 / Lightroom 5.5
Intel i5 2500k OC'd 4.5GHz
16GB RAM
SSD for OS, separate SSD for working catalog and files
2nd message:
As a follow up, now Lightroom thinks all 1026 photos are synced (as shown in "All Sync Photographs" portion of the Catalog though all images after the 832nd image show the sync icon per image stuck at "Building Previews for Lightroom Mobile" and the status at the top left corner has been stuck at "Syncing 194 photos" for over 12 hours. Is there no option to force another sync via Lightroom Desktop and also force the iOS app to manually refresh (perhaps by pulling down on the collections view, like refreshing via the Mail app)?
3rd message:
One more update, I went into Preferences and deleted all mobile data, which automatically signed me out of Adobe CC and then I signed back in. Please keep in mind the Smart Previews were long generated before even starting the trial, and I also manually generated them again (it ran through quickly since it found they were already generated) many times. Now that I'm re-syncing my collection of 1026 images, I can clearly see Lightroom using the CPU to regenerate the Smart Previews which already exist. I have no idea why it's doing this except that it's making the process of uploading the Smart Previews extremely slow. I hope this time around it will at least sync all 1026 images to the cloud.
4th message:
All 1026 images synced just fine and I could run through my culling workflow on the iPad/iPhone perfectly. Now I'm on a new catalog (my current workflow unfortunately uses one catalog per event) and I see the same problem: Smart Previews already generated but when syncing, Lightroom seems to re-generate them again anyway (or take up a lot of CPU simply to upload the existing Smart Previews). Can anyone else chime in on what their CPU utilization is like during the sync process when Smart Previews are already created?
New information:
Now I'm editing a catalog of images that is synced to Lightroom Mobile and notice that my workflow has gotten even slower between photos (relative to what it was before, this is not a discussion about how fast/slow LR should perform). Obviously Lightroom is syncing the edited settings to the cloud, but I can see my CPU running intensively (all 4 cores) on every images I edit and the CPU utilization graph looks different than before I started using LR mobile sync. It still feels like every change isn't simply syncing an SQLite database change but re-generating a Smart Preview to go with it (I'm not saying this is definitely what's happening, but something is intensively using the CPU that wasn't prior to using LR Mobile).
For example: I only update the tint +5 on an image. I see the CPU spike up to around 30-40%, then falls back down, then back up to 100%, then back down to another smaller spike while Lightroom says "Syncing 1 photo". I've attached a screenshot of my CPU graph when doing this edit on just one image. During this entire time, if I try to move onto edit another image, the program is noticeably slower to respond than it was prior to using LR mobile, due to the fact that there appear to be much more CPU intensive tasks running to sync the previous edit.
I'd be happy to test/try anything you have in mind, because it's my understanding that re-syncing photos that are edited that are already in the cloud should be simply updating the database file rather than require regenerating any Smart Previews or other image data. If this continues, I will probably not choose to proceed with a subscription despite the fact that i think LR mobile adds a lot of value and boosts my workflow significantly if it wasn't causing the program to lag so badly in the process.
I know this message was incredibly long and probably tedious to read through so I thank anyone in advance who gets through it
-Jeff

Lightroom wont see smart previews

hi! so I am helping out a nother photographer by editing some of her work. She sent me the LRCAT file, then later sent me the smart previews folder for me to edit. However when I open up the LRCAT file, it does not read that there are smart previews. How do I tell LR where they are?
thanks!
~mike

I think I lied to you - I believe you need her regular previews folder too - preferrably that containing the same cross-section of photos she exported for you as catalog (instead of the whole kit-n-kaboodle).
Reason: the smart previews have the same "ID" as the regular previews, which Lr gets from the regular preview database.
Sorry - we're kinda figuring this out together - such was a recent discovery for me.
Note: the simplest thing would be to have her export a fresh catalog for you, which includes everything you need, including smart previews.
Note: the simplest thing would be to have her export a fresh catalog for you, which includes everything you need, including smart previews.
* Select photos
* File menu -> export as catalog.
(exclude "negatives")
Rob

Smart previews- photo is missing

I created a catalog with smart previews from my PC (Win 7, 64 bit) and copied it onto my macbook pro (OSX 10.9.1) via a thumb drive. I can view the photos fine, zoom in and use the develop controls. However I get no histogram, cannot export and below the histogram it just says 'photo is missing'.
The whole point of this exercise was to choose and export lo-res selects to customers when out of the office. I can't do that. Any ideas? Thanks.

Well, if you didn't copy over the preview cache, then the only way that Lightroom could regenerate previews is from the Smart Previews. So if you now have a preview image on the MBP for the file in question, then obviously the Smart preview must be present.
It sounds as though you might have encountered a bug that I reported last year, when basically Lightroom partially loses track of the Smart Preview....you can edit, zoom etc., but there's no histogram and the status is shown as "Photo in Missing". I can't remember how I got round that problem (it was on a test system so not critical to me at that time).
Are ALL the files on the MPB showing the same status, or only a few? If only a few, it might be worth going back to the main computer, discarding the Smart Previews for those images, rebuild them, then re-copy the Smart Preview cache back to the MBP.

Repeated building of smart previews

5.2RC has a bug whereby if you select all photographs and tell it to build smart previews, instead of scanning existing smart previews and then building any missing ones, it just starts building all smart previews again. But it obviously isn't since it goes through them very fast. It's just like the old bug in L44 that kept rebuilding standard previews if they were below a certain size. That bug got cured in LR5, but now we've got a new version of it!
Bob frost

Hi Adrian
I think you may be confusing ordinary previews with smart previews. I always select standard for all imports because it’s quicker and I like to filter my images first by selecting picks and rejects. When I’m ready to go start editing in the Develop module I generate 1:1 previews for the keepers especially if I’m going to be doing any work under the Detail tab, such as noise reduction.
Smart previews are a standard size being a maximum of 2540 pixels on the long edge. They are designed for working off-line e.g. you may have your main catalog on a laptop with all your images on an external hard drive. Smart previews let you disconnect the ehd and continue working when you are on the road with just your laptop. All the adjustments you make in Develop automatically sync with the originals next time you re-connect your ehd. It’s also possible to export to Facebook or other published services and to use smart previews for emailing as those kind of options typically require an image no larger than 2540 px.
See this video for further information:

Can not remove ? from external hard drive folder in LR5 & can't link smart preview & original pic

I have LR5 and a MacBook Pro OSX 10.8.5 I have an external hard drive that when I imported photos from my cameras memory card I selected the hard drive as the source to move the pictures to. I forgot if I clicked ADD, MOVE, or COPY.
In the library mode in LR5 the external hard drive shows up under folders, but has a question mark on every folder on the external hard drive. I control clicked on the question mark for the first folder (the parent folder?) and choose “Find missing folder”. I then navigated to the external hard drive and clicked on that same folder, then clicked choose. Nothing happened. I tried this same method with individual folders and the same, I control click on the folder with a question mark, navigate to the same folder on the hard drive, click on it (I tried both just clicking on the folder so it was highlighted and actually opening the folder), and select choose, the question marks remain.
1. How do I link the two to remove the question mark?
Second question, possibly related. I have a collection in the library mode that has only previews, the originals were added to the same external hard drive as above. When I navigate to the hard drive via my finder (not in LR5), the originals are there. When I am in the library mode in LR5, in this collection, and click on the preview square in the top right corner of an individual picture in that collection, it says “image can be edited using its smart preview but the original file can not be found. Would you like to locate it".
The original location of it shows below this statement and is correct; it shows the path to the external hard drive and the folder where the original is contained that I mentioned previously. I navigate to that picture on the external hard drive and select it. I get another notice box pop up that says “the file is associated with another photo in the catalog. Each file can only be associated with one photo.” I select show in library and it brings me right back to the image that is a smart preview only. I am stuck in this loop and cant figure out how to associate the original on the external hard drive with the smart preview in LR5.
1. I have the originals still on my camera memory card, do I import again? I am afraid I will loose all my edits.
I hope I gave you the right info. Every link I find to answer this question is related but not quite the same, any link you know of is apreciated. Thanks!
Ashley

Have you ever re-named files using duplicate file names e.g. names that have been used previously?
See if this link helps to locate missing files and near posibilities:
http://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/help/locate-missing-photos.html

Smart Preview Warnung at Export

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