iPad users, could you precisely describe your workflow?

[kenoh]

How so? I shoot with my Fuji in JPEG+RAW, and when I import photos into my iPad using the camera connection kit, all I see in Photos.app are the JPEGs. If I try to edit in Photos, Darkroom or PS Express, again, all I see are the JPEGs.

I shoot RAW+JPEG and when in Affinity and Lightroom, i get to edit the RAW files. Having said that, I had a period of time where Apple Camera Raw on the ipad didnt support the Fuji I was using (X-H1 new to market at the time) and so I only got the JPEGS. Also, on the Fuji once it was supported, I couldnt shoot raw only. If I did it wouldn't import them So had to shoot Raw+jpeg. I hope this has changed now.
[automerge]1584558344[/automerge]

I’ve been doing travel photography on an iPad since the iPad I. Certainly had my ups and downs but Adobe Lightroom for iOS was a game changer. No, I am not an Adobe fan. Did not subscribe until I tried Adobe's iOS suite.

I have a plain Jane iPad 6 with 128gb. It cost $350 on an intro offer at BB. Currently all of $30 more. It works fine. Frankly it works very fine. My reference is a 2015 max spec i7 rMBP and a max spec i7 2018 mini. I frankly don’t know what I’d gain by incurring a significant upcharge for a Pro model. I use the lightning cck.

Other than Fuji, I shoot raw only. It’s not because the raws contain more data, it’s because jpeg's out of any other system I’ve use stink.

Import into Photos. Cull aggressively in Photos. I don’t keep any shots that will not get published. Figure a 75% initial cull. Sort into albums if desired.

Import into Lightroom by Photos album.

Trash whatever is in Photos. Photos has a bad habit of changing file names. A no-no with me so I start with an empty Photos app and end with it empty. What’s in Shared Albums doesn’t need local masters.

Edit in Lightroom.

If I’m using Apple Shared albums for distribution, I send downsized jpeg's back to Photos and build shared albums. Then trash the imported jpeg's once the cloud has been seeded.

If I’m using Adobe Portfolio for distribution I’m pretty much done.

When I get home I sync iOS Lightroom with Mac Lightroom and I’m done unless there are some gems that deserve desktop time.

If I wanted an improvement anywhere in the flow it would be a more stable version of Adobe Portfolio (web app) and a more stable Lightroom for iOS. It can crash. It’s improving. Having said that, I've been using Lightroom since v4, now the latest version of CC Classic, or whatever it’s called. I’d take Lightroom for iOS any day.

During travel I probably run around 20,000 images a year through the above flow. I’m a contemplative shooter so no mountain of files to deal with. Figure 90% are culled, 10% published. Maybe 25 to 50 shots (annually) deserve some editing time on the desktop. That’s 25-50 travel shots that were processed on iOS. When I’m not on the road I use my desktop. It’s a lot easier editing in a comfortable chair, with good input devices and large displays.

For backup I don’t erase the SD cards, the files I want are in the iPad and Adobe's cloud. Backup is taken care of with zero extra work or gadgets.

I follow a similar workflow to this. Out of interest, this is fine for me on SD card cameras but I got a Z6 which is XQD cards. Anyone use an XQD card in their ipad workflow?

@Ray2 can you explain the sync through adobe to your desktop catalog please? I follow the same flow as you except when I have edited an image on the ip[ad then I just keep a jpeg export of it in photos.

I want to be able to "send" it to my desktop catalog via adobe sync then delete it from the pad and the adobe cc storage. Is this what you do?

 

[Ray2]

I shoot RAW+JPEG and when in Affinity and Lightroom, i get to edit the RAW files. Having said that, I had a period of time where Apple Camera Raw on the ipad didnt support the Fuji I was using (X-H1 new to market at the time) and so I only got the JPEGS. Also, on the Fuji once it was supported, I couldnt shoot raw only. If I did it wouldn't import them So had to shoot Raw+jpeg. I hope this has changed now.
[automerge]1584558344[/automerge]


I follow a similar workflow to this. Out of interest, this is fine for me on SD card cameras but I got a Z6 which is XQD cards. Anyone use an XQD card in their ipad workflow?

@Ray2 can you explain the sync through adobe to your desktop catalog please? I follow the same flow as you except when I have edited an image on the ip[ad then I just keep a jpeg export of it in photos.

I want to be able to "send" it to my desktop catalog via adobe sync then delete it from the pad and the adobe cc storage. Is this what you do?

Typical travel workflow:
9.7” normal 128gb iPad with Lightning connector.
Mac mini on the other end.
Files and Lightroom CC are the only apps in the flow.

Import from SD card to Files>Creative Cloud>jpeg (folder I created during the import process if I shot r+j)
Import from SD card to Files>Creative Cloud>raw (as above)
This is a pain if I shoot r+j as I need to select each image individually rather than “select all”. When I
shot Fuji I used this quite a bit. With my current m4/3 I’m raw only. “Select All” works and I can easily
export jpeg's for sharing.
CC will begin uploading but the files are available for use, even with WiFi off.
In Files>Creative Cloud, select all, Copy (More menu) to an app (I use OPlayerHD) in On My iPad. This and the SD card are my backups. Do this before culling in LRfM.
Open Lightroom mobile, cull and edit. Images are either already in Creative Cloud or available and waiting to upload.
Populate a Portfolio album or share an LRfM album with jpegs, share.
That’s it during travel.

Once I’m home:
Lightroom Classic (or whatever its called)>Catalog (below Navigator)>All Synced Photographs>Drag and drop the Lightroom Mobile images to wherever you want them. LR Classic will create a folder on your drive and import the files.
Open Lightroom CC on mini and delete files that I just loaded on disk. That keeps me way below my 20 gb plan limit.

A few notes:
I generally trash 80% to 90% of my images. In Lightroom (tried Photos for culling but decided LR was better). This allows me to stay well below my 20gb limit. All files are backed up on SD cards and copied within Files to iPad internal storage.
I understand if you completely fill up CC with a bunch of garbage you don't use, LTfM will resort to a local workflow. Have not tried it as I like the sync capability.
If you sit down and try the above in real time you may find some images do not show up. The Adobe uploader is generally slow. Coming back from a trip its fine. Doing the above in real time may be too soon to pick up all the images.
One would think you need to sync the CC images but for whatever reason, they simply appear in All Synced Photographs. I don't recall ever initiating a sync within Classic.
Every device I use with CC shows up in Classic. However, If I open the one for the subject iPad, none of photos show up. I get the impression the only files its picking up are those I have in Adobe Portfolio. I must admit I'm a bit lost on this one but a lack of understanding does not impact the above workflow.
I don't use Photos. I find the entire process of sidecars and file name changes, creation date changes, etc too confusing for my limited amount of patience. I'm sure Apple knows what its doing with Photos but I'm pleased to be left out of whatever it is.
Lightroom Mobile works fine with jpegs. I've seen comments to the contrary, r & j both work fine for me.

I've struck the following twice but decided to use it. I believe Apple and Adobe have, perhaps intentionally, sown a lot of confusion with all the harping on USB-C. Apple to sell more expensive product and Adobe to insure we have a good experience, at our expense. The Lightning connector is now normal I/O. Treat Files on iOS like the Finder and it all comes together. I found Adobe's guidance counterproductive, a waste of time and I should have never read it in the first place. But it probably causes a lot of users to upgrade to an iPad Pro.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I hear On1 is adding some sort mobile sync feature as well. I have yet to try it. Still adjusting to their desktop app.