Workflow with new Apple processors M1

[McStamp]

Working in the field I load my photos on a MacBook and perform a first workrun with Lightroom. Back home I connected the MBP to my iMac and continued the work, using the programs on the iMac and the data on the MBP.
With the new M1 MBP this is no longer possible. Connecting the MBP to iMac is no longer that easy and by now the iMac sees the MBP as a network drive. Adobe programs cannot load data from network drives. So I have to copy the data each time manually onto the iMac's drive and then work on this copy. This is not only time consuming, but has its risks.
Does anyone have a nice workflow he/she is willing to share as to how such a working in the field/working at home process could be optimized?

 

[Nick B.]

Not sure that I understand the issue and why it relates to the M1. When I travel, I define a new (temporary) LR catalog that I store on a USB-3 SSD drive on my MBP. When I get home, I can export the LR catalog from the MBP and import it into my main desktop LR catalog using the SSD as the transfer device. This moves my edits (from the catalog) as well as the NEF, etc. files from the drive to the desktop.

Why do you want to keep the 'data' on the MBP? Are you trying to do this by using the MBP in target disc mode (which is no longer available with M1 devices)? If your desktop is your primary computer, it would make sense to move the photos and LR edits to the desktop computer.

 

[McStamp]

Thx, Nick, for your answer. Indeed I keep a 1:1 copy of my photos on the MBP, as I do extensive travel and can be away from home for longer periods. It has proven useful to have the full Lightroom database with me.
In the former target mode this was working flawlessly, but now as this no longer is possible, I run into problems.

 

[Nick B.]

OK. That makes sense.

What about putting your files onto an external USB-3 drive? You should be able to connect this to either the MBP or the desktop just by where you plug in the drive/

 

[Patrick M]

I load images to my iPad and to a separate Sandisc SSD drive….using the usb-c cable … so I don’t need to remove the card from the camera. iPad runs Affinity Photo for any initial edits. I just plug the iPad and /or SSD into the iMac for a fast transfer. I’ve the iMac 27” 5k screen which is gorgeous enough that my slow old Mac can be forgiven.
sadly while the 5k Mac can’t be used as an external monitor, I can connect it to my faster processing PC. It runs smoothly and seamlessly as another app window, i
using the same Mac keyboard and track pad. Data is on a NAS but it’s a.so possible to cut/paste directly from pc to Mac.

 

[ians]

I have my LR database and masters on a 2TB SSD and I use Chronosync to update a RAID copy which is attached to my Mac Pro. Chronosync can be set up to do the update when you plug in the SSD and you have control over whether it will delete things on either copy. You can also sync back in the other direction to keep the SSD up to date. It’s in the app store…

 

[McStamp]

Thx, guys, appreciate yr help. Indeed a solution with external SSD can be a workaround. Why do I trust the internal disk more than the external ...
Self working with CCC and find it quite reliable, no experience with Chronosync. Do you have opinions about either of it?

 

[Ralph]

Thx, guys, appreciate yr help. Indeed a solution with external SSD can be a workaround. Why do I trust the internal disk more than the external ...
Self working with CCC and find it quite reliable, no experience with Chronosync. Do you have opinions about either of it?

I use CCC all the time . It works great and support is excellent. Just be aware if you are using MacOS Monterey, you have to upgrade CCC to v.6.

 

[Anjin San]

Thx, guys, appreciate yr help. Indeed a solution with external SSD can be a workaround. Why do I trust the internal disk more than the external ...
Self working with CCC and find it quite reliable, no experience with Chronosync. Do you have opinions about either of it?

CCC is excellent…never looked at Chronosync because it works so well…and written by a guy who used to work for Apple so k owns the file systems tricks pretty darned well. Own SuperDuper as well but it is really only good for cloning entire volumes whereas CCC does disks, volumes, or folders with a myriad of easily defined criteria and scheduling options. I even use it to replace Time Machine because TM simply isn’t reliable saving laptop drives to network volumes despite 30+ years of Mac and IT experience…I can setup identical jobs on different laptops with some working and some not and next week it changes. CCC does the trick swimmingly.

 

[McStamp]

Thx, guys. Working myself with CCC and entirely satisfied. Worked with Good Sync for a while, but it does things in the background and seems hard to control, at least to me.

 

[McStamp]

BTW: tried to link the two Macs with a Thunderbolt Bridge and File Sharing. First results are statisfying, quite fast and the conncetion looks more stable than with the M1 version of target mode.

 

[Patrick M]

BTW: tried to link the two Macs with a Thunderbolt Bridge and File Sharing. First results are statisfying, quite fast and the conncetion looks more stable than with the M1 version of target mode.

I link two Macs and a pc via my NAS and its seamless and amazingly robust. Over a span of some 10 years, all I've done is upgraded the hardware whenever I felt the urge. LOL

 

[Woodpecker]

Having made a sport of juggling data and software between multiple machines for a long time, about 9 years ago when I started to work freelance I had the additional challenge to have the business stuff as well as my private data with me all the time, especially on longer term travel. At this time I did the jump following the KISS principle (Keep It Stupid Simple), decided to get rid of multiple systems, NAS, network and all that stuff, get one proper fat machine with some local infrastructure at my home workplace and a clever setup for backup/archiving with rotating external storage media. Today its still a full-blown Precision Mobile Workstation from DELL, but my experience during these 9 years were so good that I will simply copy the setup and methodology when moving to the Apple - which I hope I can do soon . After the difference between MacBook Pro and Studio with identical M1 Max configuration is more or less loosing a couple of connectors and not having a 10GBit Ethernet on board, and it has been confirmed that the 16" MacBook Pro delivers constant performence on the Studio level even with high CPU/GPU demand over longer periods of time, my setup will be

• 1 MacBook Pro 16" M1Max 64GB/2TB plus
• 1 Home Workplace consisting of
  • 1 external Keyboard + Mouse
  • 1 or 2 Studio displays depending on how it will look and feel when working with the MacBook display and one big Studio Display
  • Thunderbolt-4 Dock with integrated space for PCIe4-SSD's
• 3 backup media (Big HDD's in Thunderbolt cases)

The only compromise in terms of data juggling is due to the horendous price tags for Apple SSD capacity. Thus finally processed RAWs including their sidecar files would be stored on the external SSD in the Dock.. But this SSD is integrated in the backup strategy and treated just the internal SSD of the MacBook.
Otherwise no juggling, no "what is where", no cloud, no ...

Of course one could argue that the MacBook then is a SPOF, but IMHO up to now even with Windows machines being a multiple component puzzle I haven't had an issue with loosing a computer due to spontaneous damage since at least 20 years - including machines carried around on a more or less daily basis - and I would expect the Apple SoC machines to be even more rigid and reliable .

I can't wait to do the Apple step ...