Lightroom for iPad workflow

[jlaity]

I've been using Lightroom on an iPad Pro (M1 processor) for my last few trips. I thought I'd write up how this works, and discuss some of the benefits and disadvantages. 

 

I start with a hub and external drive for the iPad Pro. It uses USB-C so there are a bunch of choices out there. Some are designed to stick to the iPad, but it seems you can use any inexpensive hub. I found one with USB-C charging port, SD card reader, and USB for an external drive. I have a few SSD drives, one I made with an M.2 drive in an enclosure the size of a pack of gum. I also have an Apple Pencil, which you want for this type of setup, and Apple's case with a built-in keyboard. 

 

When I'm ready to download my photos, I plug the SD card into the hub and copy the images to my drive using the iOS Files app. Then I open Lightroom and import those files. At home I rename files before importing but I haven't found a auto-renamer on the iPad (like A Better Finder Rename.) So instead I work on the images without renaming, then rename them on the desktop version of Lightroom when I get home. For Lightroom import, you can theoretically select all then "skip duplicates." But if you have a few hundred files+ in there, this can take a while. I usually select the ones I want to import to save time, though this can be a bit tedious. 

 

Using Lightroom on the iPad is fun with the Apple Pencil. I can do anything I need to do from the desktop version, there might be a few differences but it seems really close. Plus you get to scribble on the screen to delete backscatter or whatever. The app will automatically import your camera profiles if they're in the desktop version. Flagging and tagging images goes quickly. There's even Photoshop for iPad if you want to do heavier editing, though I never do this on trips. If I need to share an image during the trip for a slideshow or something, I prefer to use Apple Airdrop when possible. 

 

If you have good internet, Lightroom will upload your images to the cloud automatically. That's your backup copy and how you get the images into Lightroom desktop. At the end of your trip, upload the images if they haven't already. Open Lightroom on your home computer (I use Classic), then watch the little cloud icon on the top right corner. Once you have a green check there, all of your images have been downloaded (you can set where they go in Lightroom Preferences.) I have a folder called "Synced" on my photos drive with these images. They will have all of the edits and metadata you added on the iPad version. You can then sort this folder how you like, by date or flagged or whatever, then copy the images IN LIGHTROOM to a different folder if you have a folder system for images. 

 

Advantages (from a laptop system:) 

1. It's very small and light, saving on your baggage allowance. Though the latest Macbook Air may have finally caught up. 
2. Working with the Apple Pencil is very nice for backscatter removal, brush tool, and other fine adjustments. 
3. The iOS version doesn't count against your licenses, so if you're already using Lightroom on two computers you can still use the iOS version. 
4. Compact to carry around the boat or resort if you want to show someone an image. 
5. Easier to watch movies on iPad on long plane flights than a laptop that gets launched into your ribcage when the seat in front of you reclines. 

 

Disadvantages:

1. Copying or importing files can be a bit tedious since you can't "lasso" or shift-click a big list of files. You can select one with the Pencil and drag down, and it selects every image as it scrolls. But if you have hundreds of images to select this can take a while. I often need to do this once to select images to copy from SD to the hard drive, then again in Lightroom to import. 
2. You can't easily back up your hard drive. If you have good internet where you are, then Lightroom automatically uploads your images to their cloud. But if you want to copy all of your RAM files to another drive for backup, it's best to ask someone with a laptop to do that for you. iOS doesn't seem to be very good at file operations. Even copying one image from one drive to another can take around 60 seconds. 

 

If the iPad fell into the sea, would I build this setup all over again? Maybe not, for the two reasons listed above. But it's not annoying enough to switch, and I still enjoy editing with the Pencil like a Wacom. 

 

Let me know if you have any questions about the setup. 

Edited September 23 by jlaity

[ChipBPhoto]

4 hours ago, jlaity said:

I've been using Lightroom on an iPad Pro (M1 processor) for my last few trips. I thought I'd write up how this works, and discuss some of the benefits and disadvantages. 

Nice write up; thanks for sharing!

 

I’ve been traveling with only an iPad for a few years now.  While the work flow is a little different, I’ve found it works well.  I really value the light and small footprint.  In fact 90% of all my editing is done on my iPad even when I’m home due to the portability.

 

I’m a little OCD regarding potential file loss due to previous issues.  I have invested in enough memory cards so I can download the files to my portable SSD drive (lately Samsung T7s) and not need to format the cards until I get home.  This allows me to keep all files on the drive, cards, and the ones I especially like on my iPad to sync when internet is available.  I also return home with the drive and the cards packed in different bags to help reduce the chance of them being lost.
 

[jlaity]

Yes, more/bigger cards would be a good investment. I'm hoping to upgrade my system soon, maybe I'll save some budget for more storage. But I can usually find someone at the resort who will copy files for me, then I can split up the two drives in my luggage home. 

 

I usually don't do too much more editing at home, either. Mostly color balance, I trust my home monitor more than the iPad for some reason. 

[fruehaufsteher2]

For the less obsessive in terms of losing the original RAW files:

I only use Lightroom for the ipad without the desktop version. It's very, very inexpensive. The only limit I see is the number of images that are synchronized with the cloud. I don't need additional external data storage, but I do videos only occasionally.

My workflow is different from what is said before, but I think it's also a good variant:

I connect the camera to the iPad via USB-C (important: use a cable with a high data rate), which saves me having to insert and remove the memory cards. I import all the images directly into Lightroom, edit them there (I've even found the live histograms in the meantime) and export the images I want to keep to Apple's own Photos app. I only keep images in Lightroom if I think I want to edit them further or print them later. This saves duplicate data storage, and the cloud synchronization via Apple also works perfectly.

I never actually delete the memory card in the camera while I'm on travel, I only do that when I get home. With the A7 IV I always have mirrored storage of the RAWs on both cards. I think this redundancy is sufficient.  

 

[Mathieu Cornillon]

@jlaity, thanks for sharing, I work with the exact same workflow with my iPad when I'm on the field, when I want to have a light "computer" configuration to travel with.

Otherwise, if I dive from home, or if I have my laptop, I still prefer to process my images on them only due to 2 reasons :

- I prefer the "LR Classic" user interface and ergonomy : I'm too used to all the LR Classic Keyboard shorcuts, + easiness of copy/past settings between images

- I found that "color fidelity" of the iPad is not so good (I have an old iPad Pro 12"), I'm not quite confident with it, I prefer to perform my color & tonality adjustements on my calibrated screens

 

But I agree that, while on the go, the iPad LR app is really appreciated for preliminary selection, removing missed shots, and initial processings

Edited September 24 by Mathieu Cornillon