Lightroom user - using Photo

[Hughm]

I am a longtime Lightroom user and have a whole file system on my MBP created through Lightroom.

I am curious about Photo. If I start up Photo and use the same images as I use with with LR to create a Photo catalogue/library/collection (or whatever Photo calls it), will this in any way corrupt or compromise the LR file system I work with? Will LR behave badly if I reference the same images in Photo? Can I use both LR and Photo independently on the same image files on my HD?

Thanks.

Hugh

 

[robgendreau]

I am a longtime Lightroom user and have a whole file system on my MBP created through Lightroom.

I am curious about Photo. If I start up Photo and use the same images as I use with with LR to create a Photo catalogue/library/collection (or whatever Photo calls it), will this in any way corrupt or compromise the LR file system I work with? Will LR behave badly if I reference the same images in Photo? Can I use both LR and Photo independently on the same image files on my HD?

Thanks.

Hugh

Actually, one of the negatives of Photos (IMHO), that it doesn't write metadata to files, can actually be a positive here. Lr WILL write metadata changes to files, but Photos won't read them without another import of the same file (another negative, but a positive here). The upshot is that neither is talking much to the other, so referencing the same image in both doesn't usually create a conflict.

If you do edit in Lr, you can export say a JPG to the same folder, and then import in Photos, and then use it there how you will. Lr won't import that photo you just exported from Lr (unless you tell it to), so again, not much conflict.

But note that Photos also has the option of a managed ("copy into...") library. Some folks just have Photos copy into its managed library any exports from Lr after post processing in Lr. The advantage is that then those photos in the managed Photos library can be shared via iCloud Photo Library, if you intend to use that.

Both Lr and Photos are designed to work non-destructively for the most part (metadata like ratings, keywords, GPS being a bit of an exception) so they can work side-by-side.

 

[Indydenny]

Nicely explained answer!

 

[LiveM]

Instead of writing metadata to the images, you can have it written as a separate xml file. Unless I am confusing two different things.

 

[robgendreau]

Instead of writing metadata to the images, you can have it written as a separate xml file. Unless I am confusing two different things.

That doesn't necessarily solve a workflow problem. And with JPEGs, some applications will ignore a sidecar.