It’s hard to argue that using Lightroom to manage and edit large collections of images is much faster than “the old way,” but we’re always looking for that way to squeeze out just a little more speed.
It’s hard to argue that using Lightroom to manage and edit large collections of images is much faster than “the old way,” but we’re always looking for that w... more
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1
Optimize your Catalog
Lightroom’s Catalog is a database. Without getting into the boring geekiness of it, I’ll just tell you that, over time, all that data in databases can get a little…well…discombobulated. Lightroom has a built-in feature that allows you to try to get things sorted out in the database (Catalog). Optimizing your catalog is something you should do occasionally. How often depends on how you use Lightroom. The more you’re using Lightroom and moving files around, importing, deleting, etc, the more often you may have to optimize your catalog. Just to be sure, I’d make sure you’ve backed up the Lightroom Catalog before optimizing. View the rest of the tip at: http://thelightroomlab.com/2009/07/optimizing-lightroom-for-best-performance-top-ten-lightroom-speed-tips/#optimize-your-catalog
2
Get a Better Computer
No matter what you do, there are times when you just have to bite the bullet and spend some money. You spent lots of cash on that fancy new camera…just scraped and saved for a pro lens…well, guess what? If you’re processing your images yourself, a computer is a vital piece of photo equipment. View the rest of the tip at: http://thelightroomlab.com/2009/07/optimizing-lightroom-for-best-performance-top-ten-lightroom-speed-tips/#get-better-computer">Click here to view the rest of the tip.
3
Don’t Automatically Write Changes into XMP
Unchecking this preference can speed things up but can also have unintended consequences. View the rest of the tip at: http://thelightroomlab.com/2009/07/optimizing-lightroom-for-best-performance-top-ten-lightroom-speed-tips/#dont-write-to-xmp
4
Close Other Programs
For seasoned computer users, this may seem like a no-brainer, but I’ve had many students and clients who complain about their slow computer and don’t realize they have 10-20 programs actively running at one. I find this most often in those that switch from a PC to Mac. They click the pretty, red circle in the upper-left of an application window and assume they’ve quit the program. Take a look at your Dock. Any program with a little, blue orb below it is still technically running. View the rest of the tip at: http://thelightroomlab.com/2009/07/optimizing-lightroom-for-best-performance-top-ten-lightroom-speed-tips/#close-other-programs
5
Restart Occasionally
All computers can benefit from being started every now and then. I’m quite guilty of leaving my computer on all the time, so I have to remind myself to give a full restart once a week or so (more often if I’m encountering sluggishness). Sometimes just restarting a program can give you a boost in speed. Lightroom has been accused of having a few memory leaks, so quitting and restarting Lightroom every now and then can help you out quite a bit.
6
Build Previews Before You Need Them
When you view an image in the Lightroom Library Module, Lightroom either needs to create a visual preview of the photo for you or call up an existing preview that has already been created. Calling up a pre-created preview is much faster. View the rest of the tip at: http://thelightroomlab.com/2009/07/optimizing-lightroom-for-best-performance-top-ten-lightroom-speed-tips/#build-previews-before-you-need-them
7
Tweak Your Machine
If you can’t afford a new computer, there are still lots of things you can do to make your computer faster. View the rest of the tip at: http://thelightroomlab.com/2009/07/optimizing-lightroom-for-best-performance-top-ten-lightroom-speed-tips/#tweak-your-machine
8
Enlarge the Camera Raw Cache
The Adobe Camera Raw Cache file stores the file previews used in the Develop Module in Lightroom. By default, the size of this cache is limited to 1GB, but I understand that it can be increased up to 50GB. Go into the File Handling tab of Lightroom’s Preferences to make that change. View the rest of the tip at: http://thelightroomlab.com/2009/07/optimizing-lightroom-for-best-performance-top-ten-lightroom-speed-tips/#enlarge-camera-raw-cache
9
Watch your Catalog Size
I hesitate to use this tip because Lightroom 2 has shown great improvement over Lightroom 1 in its handling of large catalogs. However, it is possible to have too many images in a catalog. View the rest of the tip at: http://thelightroomlab.com/2009/07/optimizing-lightroom-for-best-performance-top-ten-lightroom-speed-tips/#watch-catalog-size
10
Embed Metadata When Importing
Metadata such as copyright, keywords, and location information can be added at anytime to a photo. Whenever possible, however, I try to add as much of this information as I can on import. If you select a large group of files later on and start keywording them, there can sometimes be a bit of a lag in performance. View the rest of the tip at: http://thelightroomlab.com/2009/07/optimizing-lightroom-for-best-performance-top-ten-lightroom-speed-tips/#embed-metadata-when-importing
[source: TheLightroomLab.com ]
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