I’m going on holiday this coming week, and because of limited card space, I’m planning to copy my card contents each evening into darktable (using copy and import in conjunction with a card reader). I doubt if I will do much processing of the images on the laptop (not enough power, or screen real estate). What is the easiest way to copy the images into darktable on my desktop when I return home?
Are you going to want the xmp files as well?
Not necessarily. But it would be nice.
If youyou don’t need xmp files, then you don’t really have to use darktable, you could use something way easier, like rsync. The when you get home, just rsync from your laptop to desktop.
I don’t think rsync would be simple. I’d have to work out how to set up all the network configuration, ssh etc.
Having thought about it some more, I think just copying the files back to the card and physically transfer using the card reader will be simplest.
It would help if we knew what Operating System you are using on both machines.
Fedora Linux on both.
Look into warpanator, originally for Linux Mint, no as a flat pak for all distros
This is how I have done it for years:
- SD Card into card reader. Open folder in file manager of choice
- Create a temporary folder on laptop
- Insert a thumb drive and create a folder on it (or use a small ext USB HDD alternatively)
- Pull pictures into temporary folder
- Pull pictures into folder on thumb drive
Now pictures exist in three different physical places: Notebook, Thumb drive/ext HDD, SD Card
At home attach thumb drive to desktop computer and copy/sync folder over.
If you want to start working on pictures while on the road, rsync to thumb drive when done (or manually copy the xmps over). The created xmps should be transfered.
Today I either setup a syncthing folder on desktop and mobile computer or use sshfs to mount a folder via ssh on the notebook and than use a tool of your liking to sync the files (I use Beyond Compare for ages and like it a lot if I want to use a GUI; alternatively grsync or command line).
If you’re on Linux you might take a look at the rapid photo downloader:
https://damonlynch.net/rapid/
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What if you’ve applied ratings, labels, metadata edits to the laptop images? Those are stored in the database, right? How do you copy all of that from the laptop to desktop?
In the original question, that wasn’t a problem (little or no processing done).
If you do start adding tags etc., i think the best solution is to use sidecars, and copy directories as a unit (and certainly not individual files) outside of darktable. That way, you are sure that the sidecars stay with the images.
If at all possible, copy them to where you want to use them with darktable.
You’l have to import the images into your desktop darktable, of course.
Oh, and I’d use an external HDD to store the images on the road. There are even options to transfer between SD cards and external HDD without using a laptop (less weight to carry).
My storage preference (DT 3.8.1) is
write sidecar file for each image after edit
In lighttable mode, I know that I can copy all images in the collection to external storage. But that won’t necessarily copy the ratings, labels, etc. for images that don’t have corresponding XMP, because that info is stored in the laptop’s DT database only, right?
If there’s no corresponding xmp file, the info is only in the database, yes.
Which is why I suggested using sidecars, and working per directory. Messing with databases can get very messy.
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