backing up lightroom

[smenkhare]

This may be a stupid question but how can I backup my lightroom library? (not just the catalogue?)

Thanks

 

[KmH]

The catalog(s) is your library.

Lightroom Help

Or see pages 45 - 159 of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers

FWIW, your image files aren't actually in Lightroom. They are in your computer's file system as a catalogname.lrcat file.
The catalogname.lrcat folder also contains the Preview.lrdata file that stores all the previews LR has generated at your direction.
On a MAC the catalogname.lrcat file is in the userename/pictures folder, unless you moved it.
On a PC the catalogname.lrcat file is in the My Documents/ My Pictures folder, unless you moved it.

 

[smenkhare]

Hi Keith,
My catalog is apparently 10.6mb. I should have about 16Gb of imports.

 

[Big Mike]

As Keith mentioned, your photos (the files) are not actually 'in' the Lightroom catalog.

So there are two separate things you need to backup. One is the LR catalog file. This should be pretty automatic, you probably see it asking you (about once a week) if you want to back up the catalog.
The catalog file stores all the edits/changes that you've made to your photos within Lightroom. It also remembers what photos you've imported and where they are.

The second thing you need to back up, are the image files themselves. Mine are automatically backed up on an external drive with the rest of my important files.

 

[smenkhare]

As Keith mentioned, your photos (the files) are not actually 'in' the Lightroom catalog.

So there are two separate things you need to backup. One is the LR catalog file. This should be pretty automatic, you probably see it asking you (about once a week) if you want to back up the catalog.
The catalog file stores all the edits/changes that you've made to your photos within Lightroom. It also remembers what photos you've imported and where they are.

The second thing you need to back up, are the image files themselves. Mine are automatically backed up on an external drive with the rest of my important files.

Yeah catalogue backs up automatically. I was hoping I could batch it so everything backs up together and restores together.

Thanks anyway.