What is a Catalog in Lightroom Classic? Easy Explanation
Welcome to this quick tutorial on Lightroom Classic! If you’ve ever wondered what a catalog is and why it’s so important, you’re in the right place. Think of the catalog as the heart of Lightroom—it’s where all your photo edits, metadata, and organization are stored. In this video, we’ll explain what a catalog is, how it works, and how it helps you stay organized while keeping your images safe. Let’s dive in!
This video is from our Lightroom Workflow and Organization Course.
Video Summary
This tutorial explains the fundamental concept of a Lightroom catalog, dispelling the common misconception that photos are stored inside Lightroom. The host clarifies that a catalog is simply a collection of references or “thumbnails” that sync Lightroom with the actual storage location of your images (e.g., an external hard drive). Key points include how the catalog file appears on your computer, how moving or deleting a photo in its original location breaks the sync, and how to easily relink missing files.
Timestamps:
0:57 – Defines a catalog as a collection of items, analogous to a paint swatch book or a list of online courses.
1:12 – In Lightroom’s Library module, the catalog shows the count of all imported images (e.g., 23,000+).
1:50 – Clarifies a crucial myth: Importing does not store photos inside Lightroom. The catalog only syncs and displays thumbnails from the actual storage location.
3:11 – Demonstrates that deleting a photo from the external drive causes a missing file icon in Lightroom, proving the images aren’t stored within the software.
4:06 – Locates the physical catalog file (.lrcat) on the computer, noting its small size (e.g., 204 MB) as further proof it doesn’t contain the actual photos.
5:57 – Demonstrates importing a new folder: Dragging a new folder into Lightroom syncs it, and the catalog image count increases accordingly.
7:35 – Uses an AI-generated visual analogy: the catalog is a “robot” that syncs Lightroom with the original photo locations and remembers all edits.
8:53 – Demonstrates moving a file: Shows that moving a photo in the external drive breaks the sync, resulting in a “photo missing” warning.
9:55 – Shows how to relink: Clicks the warning icon and uses the “Locate” function to find the moved file and restore the connection.
