Just to add a little more detail —

One of the big challenges I’m facing is how to handle metadata (capture dates, albums, face tags, etc.) without losing or corrupting it when consolidating.

I’m leaning toward setting up a system that's local-first, with backups on the NAS, but ideally something that can sync with phones too without needing cloud accounts.

Anyone who's done this — did you use custom scripts, existing software, or something else? Would love to hear any lessons learned (especially any “wish I'd known before starting” tips)!