Hi, I’m new to PhotoLab (v. 8) coming from using Lightroom v. 6.14 (last desktop version). I’m trying to understand how to use PhotoLab database and/or sidecars and also how to back up this data.
I’m on a Win 10 box and I have two separate internal drives, one for my OS/installed apps and another for my data which includes my photo files. The data drive is backed up to an external drive weekly.
With Lightroom, I kept the catalogue files on the data drive so they were automatically backed up.
I’ve read posts on this forum about the database backup function builtin to PhotoLab but wondering where the database is actually located. Can it be moved/path updated in the app to my data drive so it’s automatically backed up? Is there a way to set an automatic database backup in PhotoLab?
I’m also trying to figure out if/when I should use a sidecar. If I undestand correctly, a sidecar file will be saved in the same directory as my image file. So, if I set PhotoLab to use sidecars, they will automatically be backed up. Correct?
Are there any other advantages or disadvantages to sidecars? If I use sidecars, is there any need to worry about database backups?
Since I’m just beginning with PhotoLab, I’m hoping to set it up “right” the first time (or as right as I can). Thanks!
Welcome to the User forum … Some answers to your questions follow;
There’s an option in menu Edit/Preferences to allow you to set your database location;
You could set this to a folder on your data-drive.
There is a menu option to backup (or restore) the current state of the database, but it’s a manual process - not able to be automated.
If you have Preferences set to save settings in a sidecar/.dop file then one will be created for each image to which you have applied corrections. … Save and Load go hand-in-hand.
They won’t, necessarily, be backed up, tho, unless you have backup scheduled for the folder where your images (plus their associated sidecar/.dop files) are located.
Here’s how it works;
PhotoLab (PL) always maintains entries in its database for all images that it encounters.
PL optionally creates and maintains a sidecar/.dop file for all images that it encounters - but only if that behaviour is requested in Preferences settings (see above).
Sidecars contain nearly all the same details as are stored in the database - with exception of “Project” membership (whereby multiple images can be logically grouped) and Keywords (by which images can be searched).
If the database is deleted, PL will re-create the database using correction details stored in associated sidecar/.dop files (except for Project and Keyword details).
When PL encounters a “new” image (one for which there in no existing database entry AND no associated sidecar/.dop file) it will create a database entry and, optionally (depending on the Preferences setting), a new sidecar/.dop file.
You can decide to depend upon the database and/or sidecar/.dop files according to your own needs and preferences;
The majority of PL users use both … enabling use of Projects and ability to search the database via Keywords.
Some users depend only on the database, and don’t have Preferences set to automatically Save/Load sidecar files … @platypus is one such user.
Some users depend only on sidecar/.dop files - - I am in this camp - - I run PL via a “wrapper” that deletes the database before invoking PL itself. By doing this, I forego use of Projects and ability to search the database by keywords (neither of which I care about). The advantage this gives me relates to my workflow - because I’m continually renaming and moving images in/out of the folder that PL is using (which confuses the database).
Also, you might glean some insight from this thread.
As am I. Like John, I don’t use the history or projects and I wrote my own DAM for indexing, keywording and searching that is compatible with Apple’s Spotlight mechanism.
Thank you so much for the quick and very detailed response. Now I have the info needed to configure how I use PL. This should be the first section in the user guide after installation.
… Save and Load go hand-in-hand.