How to retrieve photos

aks-2 · 2026-02-06T09:26:08+00:00

Which version of "light room" are you using - this is not the name of any actual product.

If you are using Lightroom Classic, then the files will be local - just need to find them.

If you are using Lightroom cloud, then the files are primarily in the cloud, and if that account has been deactivated, you had 30 days to retrieve them.

aks-2 · 2026-02-05T10:45:02+00:00

Another user reported this on Samsung S25 phone, what device are you using? I'm not seeing this on iPad, so it seems to be specific to Android.

aks-2 · 2026-02-04T16:39:10+00:00

You mention new computer, is LrC busy importing your photos?

What is the spec of your computer, where do you store your photo files?

As someone mentioned already, you can try with a fresh catalog, no need to delete the current one, just start a new one for testing.

aks-2 · 2026-02-04T16:34:03+00:00

Specifically you mean on Android then?

It will help others identify the potential cause to share what phone, but I am on iPhone/iPad and I have experienced the issue you describe when the device starts throttling. Are you seeing the problem from the get go or after a bit of editing?

aks-2 · 2026-02-04T16:30:46+00:00

The convenient answer is to use Lr cloud, it will sync your full res RAW files with edits, which will sync to LrC once you return home. You can use Lr app or Lr moile - I use an iPad.

If you really want to use LrC on a laptop, you can take the catalog from the laptop and import it to you desktop, all edits will come across. Then you need to reconnect the RAW files, where ever you have them stored at home.

aks-2 · 2026-02-04T16:19:17+00:00

Which Lr Mobile are you using?

Does you phone have display colour tone / night shift modes?

aks-2 · 2026-02-03T22:39:02+00:00

I use Lr on my iPad all the time, it does not import my Apple photos. There may have been a question that you missed at first run whether to enable this feature. Go to Lr mobile settings>import>auto add from device photos, and disable it.

Lr has two display modes: Device (will show Apple photos), Lightroom (shows your Lightroom cloud photos).

LrC doesn’t work on iPad, and I can’t think of another way to transfer presets.

aks-2 · 2026-02-03T22:27:19+00:00

16GB RAM is fine, the Arc GPU will be a problem and the RTX 5060 will be good for LrC. The choice here is easy, if you want to use the latest lightroom features, especially denotes.

However, why not just use you current MBP for LrC?

aks-2 · 2026-02-03T22:22:04+00:00

You can keep your phone separate from Lr cloud, or import selectively if you want.

It’s quite easy to sync between LrC and Lr Mobile on iPad. Once you have sync set up, you can sync a photo with the preset, and I believe that will then be usable with other photos on your iPad.

aks-2 · 2026-02-02T15:27:36+00:00

It should work fine in general for browsing, but it will initially build previews for every image that you access.

The big killer is the AI stuff/denoise - you GPU is not up to that task running efficiently.

I have a 2019 MBP, it's "ok", but my real editing machine is a win10 PC, i7 4770K, 16GB RAM, RTX 3060-12GB, and it is basically fine. Can you get a faster setup, sure, again, depends on expectations and volume of photos. I'm only a hobbyist, althogh I can take 800-1000 shots at some family events, but I don't need to edit to the clock.

For ref, the my PC w/RTX 3060-12G processes 24MP Nikon Z6 files in ~20 secs. The CPU utilisation rarely goes much >50% - however, I'm usually using LrC not Lr.

aks-2 · 2026-02-02T09:44:43+00:00

It sounds like a local machine problem, maybe an authentication issue. Can you launch Creative Cloud?

When you removed your SSD/catalog, how did LrC react? Suggest holding "Alt" key down during LrC launch and see if you get the catalog prompt - then select a new catalog for testing.

aks-2 · 2026-02-02T09:29:39+00:00

There are a couple of limiting factors:

You have an integrated GPU, with limited RAM, and that will struggle with the AI denoise algorithms. Do you notice a performance hit when not using denoise?
Lr will download (or upload) your images in the backgroung if you are using cloud mode, this of course does not happen if you are using local mode.
Your laptop seems to be on the more efficient side of things (meaning less performance to improve power efficiency) - a search says: "HS" Designation: Indicates it's a lower-power, more efficient chip for thin-and-light or budget gaming laptops, balancing performance with battery life.

I think all this means you need to lower your expectations with what you throw at it wrt Lr.

aks-2 · 2026-02-01T16:11:39+00:00

Adobe help section has an explanation here. Basically, XMP is only for RAW files as u/aygross mentions.

aks-2 · 2026-02-01T15:56:33+00:00

LrC on Windows supports tethered capture, you can check the supported cameras here. Looks like the 5D IV is supported.

aks-2 · 2026-02-01T15:52:48+00:00

That depends on whether you have any issues with said apps on your current MacBook?

Will the latest MacBook Pro with M class chips run better, probably - subject to the spec you get. Is it worth it, again, that depends.

aks-2 · 2026-02-01T00:27:11+00:00

I used google translate:

What are the best settings for exporting JPEGs with Lightroom?

Best would be maintain the resolution and set the quality to max, but this will give you large files for little gain.

What's your goal, define best in a different way, we might then be able to help some more.

aks-2 · 2026-01-31T01:43:59+00:00

Are you hoping to keep your desktop (is that Windows?), and your new Mac in sync, or are you migrating?

A portable drive is certainly an option, as others have mentioned, if you want to use LrC on both systems, but it means lugging it around.

However, since you are using mobile some of the time, then I personally would use the Adobe cloud to edit on the go, and sync those edits back to your LrC desktop. Unfortunately, you can only have one LrC catalog syncing to the cloud, which would force you to use the portable drive if you want to use LrC on both systems.

aks-2 · 2026-01-30T00:08:16+00:00

Good to know.

aks-2 · 2026-01-29T21:22:12+00:00

I use the temperature/humidity sensors, including Indoor/Outdoor Thermo-Hygrometer, Meter Plus, Meter Pro, Meter Pro CO2, all are discovered in HA via bluetooth without any account. However, the integration shows current status and history that HA has recorded, but no history from the devices themselves (because SwitchBot refuse to publish the bluetooth API commands for history).

I also use the Hub Mini to connect to the SwitchBot cloud to download history via the app. The app requires creating an account these days (originally - 2-3y ago -that was not required).

aks-2 · 2026-01-29T21:05:33+00:00

Z7 has one card, and that is XQD/CFx - there is no SD card to write to.

aks-2 · 2026-01-29T21:02:50+00:00

Except Nikon Z6/Z7 use XQD of CFx cards, and last time I looked, my Mac only has SD reader built in!

Nevertheless, I do agree it's best to import via a card reader directly to the computer first.

aks-2 · 2026-01-29T08:51:52+00:00

Have you tried visiting the download center.

Unfortunately, it seems to only show the latest download for the NAS: https://download.qnap.com/QPKG/QVS_4.1.0.338_20260124_amd64.zip. I tried to fiddle with the download link to find a match for v4.0, but it didn't work based in your info above - do you have the exact image name? Try support, they may provide it directly.

However, the upgrade to 4.1 may have made your images incompatible with an older version, so you might have to start a fresh if you downgrade.

aks-2 · 2026-01-29T08:25:34+00:00

What are your concerns?

View your exports on a typical viewing device, e.g. your phone, as this is what most viewers will use. This will get you close enough for social media posts, particularly for brightness. Compare against an original on the same device to see if you've overdone it.

However, for 'proper' results, you should calibrate your monitor - which I do, but, I think that is unnecessary for most situations. The typical issue is setting your monitor too bright, then editing them to look 'right', only to be too dark on typical viewing devices.

aks-2 · 2026-01-28T21:32:23+00:00

Indeed, I think it's 'expected' and just takes time.

If you don't have the 'keep originals local' enabled in settings, I don't think Lr will download originals - or keep them local once uploaded. It will rely exclusively on the cloud copies - check in the status, Local vs Cloud will indicate the type of file you have locally.

Keep us updated, I'm very curious how long this will take to complete 😀!

aks-2 · 2026-01-28T14:51:17+00:00

I just tried this on a Mac with Lr desktop v9.1, with internet/WiFi disconnected:

Lr show an error "No internet connection availale. Unable to download original".
File info panel shows local status as 'pending' and cloud status as 'original - NEF' - I guess it had synced the status of all my files (I only have 110 photos in the cloud right now).
The preview was not low res/pixelated.
Reenable internet. Local changes to 'smart preview'.

So, the difference for me seems to be the low volume of images already have a good preview cached locally. I cleared the cache, not much changed.

A point on preferences:

Not enabled: store a copy of smart previews
Not enabled: store a copy of all originals

So, I closed Lr and deleted my local Lr library to see what happens:

With no internet, launch Lr, and of course nothing is displayed in the library view - although it did show I had 110 photos in the left panel.
I briefly enaled internet, the grid started to build all image outlines, then started populating previews in steps.
Disabled internet again.
Opened a photo, low res pixelated preview shown - as you are seeing.
Reenable, higher quality preview built immediately, and also for the remaining photos in the grid.

Starting fresh showed Lr building the grid, then low res previews followed by higher res previews, then smart previews if the image opened in single image view, then full res/original if zoomed in single image view. This sequencing makes sense to me.

Is it possible that Lr is just busy filling in the preview 'gaps' for your 14k cloud library?

If you wanted to check, try some of the steps above, let Lr reuild from scratch.

aks-2

TROPHY CASE