How to Hand Off a Lightroom Photo Selection with Its Originals
By ImgHeal · Updated
A relative or editor may need a small editable part of your Lightroom collection. Sending only a catalog can leave them with references to photographs that still exist solely on your computer.
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Define the selection and the handoff goal
Choose the photographs and versions the recipient actually needs. Distinguish an editable catalog handoff from a folder of finished viewing exports. Record the image IDs, source locations, and whether returned edits are expected. Keep the original catalog protected with its usual backup. A clearly bounded selection avoids sending unrelated private family photographs or producing a package so broad that nobody can verify which files matter.
Read the export options carefully
Adobe documents Export As Catalog for creating a subset and an option to export negative files, meaning the original imported files in this workflow. Do not interpret negative as referring only to film scans. Check that the required originals are online and accessible before export. Previews can aid browsing, but they should not be mistaken for the original image files needed for full editing and output.
Build and inspect a separate package
Export into a new, clearly named folder and inspect the resulting catalog, companions, and original-image structure through the supported workflow. Include a short note identifying the source selection and the software context. Keep unrelated account credentials outside the package. If some files cannot be included because their sources are missing, list those exceptions instead of presenting the handoff as complete because the catalog file itself was created successfully.
Test away from the live sources
Open a copied handoff on a suitable test setup that cannot quietly reach your working image folders. Check a few original files in Develop and export a sample. Ask the recipient to retain the incoming package before making changes. When their edits return, review the documented catalog-combination process and preserve both original and returned versions; do not replace the family master catalog solely because a smaller handoff now contains newer-looking previews.
Check before you finish
- Separate an editable handoff from viewing exports.
- Include the required original files, not just previews.
- Test without access to the working source folders.
Sources and further reading
- Adobe: Create and export catalogsExplains exporting a selected catalog with the original files, called negative files in this workflow.
Questions about this restoration task
Does Export As Catalog always include the original photographs?
Check the export options and resulting package. The workflow can create catalog information, but you must deliberately include and verify the required original files.
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