How many Images can be handled in one Lightroom database?
I tried to orgnaize my imaged in multiple Lightroom Catalog files. But this is not really useful since I use the same images in multiple projects. So I decided to give it a try and have moved all in one catalog: 77000 Images starting from 2001 til now. Raw files as well as corresponding derivatives which I had generated by the different workflows I have been using throughout all the years.
It is of reasonable performance but not very fast. The LR database is on the iMac internal harddisk while the images are all on an external WesternDigital myBook. This drive appears to be slow if I work on it with the finder directly.
However it is, I can give the recommendation to handle everything in one and only one LR database.
Kommentar von Lou Dallara am 5.5.2009
Hi Bernhard;
I have wrestled with that decision and decied this year to start a new catalog at 26000 images for speed reasons.
Going forward I wasn’t sure what the max images for the database would be. I’m not happy with 2 database situation but have learned to live with it. Thanks
for sharing your info, now I know I could have gone larger, might consider it.
FWI: I too have a wd external drive for images, but don’t use the usb port, I use the eSata interface.
Kommentar von bwl21 am 5.5.2009
As of now, I have three catalogs. One which contains all images. One for projects and one for the current year which receives the new images.
If I want to use an image from the other databases in a project, I preselect it, and export to LR catalog which then is imported in the projects database.
So the projects database finally contains the „important“ images.