Keeping a master catalog and its referenced files in Dropbox
Is this a good idea?
The only previous post about it that I can see is from 5 years ago, when it was deemed not to be a good idea, so I'm wondering whether things have changed.
I have two computers - in separate locations, so they're never going to be using C1 at the same time - and I'm after the simplest, most elegant solution to keeping my catalog and its referenced original files synced up on the two machines.
My first thought was that Dropbox would be the answer, so long as I had the space and made sure that it had finished syncing before I closed Capture One.
Thanks for any input.
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Do you have the storage space on both computers for all of that? Does your dropbox account have enough space for it? (I only have a free one, with limited space, and couldn't possibly fit all my images into it.) Would it slow Capture One down if it was forever syncing a huge file (your catalog) with the dropbox server in real time, while you were trying to work?
I don't know the answers to those questions, but they are a few things that strike me as problematic about the set-up.
Ian
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Ian
Thanks for pitching in. I’ve got 2TB on Dropbox, with the option to go to 3, so I should be OK for space. As for syncing slowing things down, my assumption was that once the catalog was synced then incremental changes wouldn’t be too significant, but I might be wrong on that.
I had seen some suggestion that different file paths (and here I’m getting out of my depth) on the two computers might mean the catalog on one of them not being able to reference the original files properly, but if catalog and original files are in the dropbox folder, which is the same on both machines then I can’t see how that would be the case.
Anyone else in the same position? I’m open to other solutions.
Gary
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My main catalog references almost 50K images. The images are not in the catalog. The database file that holds the adjustments to images and image metadata is a single file that is about 256 MB in size. Every time an image is adjusted that database file changes. I don't know how dropbox syncs files. Will it handle a largish file that changes many, many times a minute?
In addition to the database file you have previews and thumbnails that will also be re-generated when making adjustments.
The thing that won't change are your referenced files. Capture One will read them, but never write to the files.
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Yes, I assumed that dropbox would have to sync the whole large database every time a small change was made.
Ian
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One of the other challenges you face with online or cloud storage is the single file size limit, I wanted to move away from iCloud because it is almost closed shop, but I can't find anything that suits. To be honest I think C1 would slow down considerably and the risk of corruption would be high.
I wanted to store the photos in the cloud and reference them from C1, a bit like Apple Photos, but I just don't think it would work.
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Thanks everybody for your thoughts on this.
Dropbox says it has no file size limit on its desktop or mobile apps.
I use Scrivener in Dropbox to sync up research projects - often over 1GB - and it works very well. They're a mixture of text, pdfs, web pages, mp4s. Of course, Scrivener is specifically set up to use Dropbox and the way it syncs might not be comparable with C1.
In any event, I can see the sense in the various concerns being pointed out.
What do people use instead? An external SSD with catalog and/or originals on it? Some kind of Chronosync arrangement?
Perhaps that's a topic for a separate post after I've done a bit of searching.
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My limited experience with dropbox and later One Drive in the manner you describe (only 200 images)ended without being able to get work done. Being in a rush at the time, I turned to a VPN-remote desktop solution.
This approach allows you to use one computer (Home) with Capture One including your relevant catalogs and image files You then access this via a second computer (Remote). when you are at the Remote location. Since your web browser at the remote location will present you with Home, you are doing everything with CO at Home. When you are at Home, everything you do with CO is, of course, at Home. This VPN type set up has a financial cost associated with it but may be worth considering. I did not go to the point of importing new images at the remote location in order to add to the image files at Home. I see no reason why this could not be done as well. I just do not know. For this scheme to work Home must be on. Your internet connection should be up to date. When working from the Remote things seem to go slower due to obvious lags due to distance. Maybe worth investigating,
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I ingest into a folder based on the subject, from here I load up Photo Mechanic Plus, IPTC caption direct to the RAW file and add the the catalogue. I then load up C1 and ingest into a Smart Album as a referenced file.
All my images are on an external drive, the catalogues are on my MBP. I then make a carbon copy of the external drive to another backup drive drive and then disconnect it.
Every so often I will back the files up to a NAS box, from their you can sync with cloud services such as OneDrive and Drop Box. This is automated as the NAS box detects changes are syncs automatically.
Depending on how paranoid I am about card failure, I may back up to a GNARBOX 2 as soon as I have taken the pictures, I can then sort them and delete the poor images before I get home to do the above.
I am not a professional, more very serious amateur, but I have lost images before and swore it would never happen again.
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Michael, James - thanks for outlining your respective set-ups.
I'm not keen on doing things via a VPN. I'd better buckle down to the business of being diligent and thorough with external drives and back ups, which I was what I was hoping to sidestep with Dropbox. But if it was that easy, I suppose everyone would be doing it.
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