Lightroom Side Car Files?

So I have a couple of projects and I am noticing a crap load of XMP files with all my RAW files?

Seems to me that this is a way bad idea - as in if these two get separated (ever) all my edits are gone?

Also, if I edit a few files on my laptop - now I have to move both files to my desktop and import ot I don't have any of my edits, keywords, etc?

Then there is the whole backup/restore thing?

Is this normal?

Is this the way you guys are managing your files?

csgaraglino said:

So I have a couple of projects and I am noticing a crap load of XMP files with all my RAW files?

Seems to me that this is a way bad idea - as in if these two get separated (ever) all my edits are gone?

Also, if I edit a few files on my laptop - now I have to move both files to my desktop and import ot I don't have any of my edits, keywords, etc?

Then there is the whole backup/restore thing?

Is this normal?

Is this the way you guys are managing your files?

Click to expand...

If you do not do editing in any other editors outside of Lightroom you don't need the sidecar files at all. If you look under Catalog settings you will see where you can uncheck it so they are not written. There are a downside to doing this if you lose your catalog you would lose your edits. The best thing to do is to keep good backups of your catalog onsite and offsite.

I had to do some learning on this awhile back. It was hashed out here:
http://nikonites.com/computers-and-...om-questions.html?highlight=xmp#axzz4I1Vhs0MG

My conclusion was I did not need them and could safely delete. LR edits are stored in the catalog as well as the xmp. Both are kept updated. However, if there is an xmp present, LR will use the xmp rather than the catalog. I had them turned on for no reason. No harm until my computer crashed. My backup software was set to renumber NEWER duplicate files (bad idea). I ended up with a bunch of extra xmp files. So for example if I had [abc.nef + abc.xmp] in a folder, after restore I had [abc.nef + abc.xmp, abc.1.xmp, abc.2.xmp, abc.3.xmp] abc.3 being the newest edits. Of course LR ignored all the .1,.2, etc versions and only looked at the oldest properly named abc.xmp so all my edits were gone or wrong. I experimented and then ended up bulk deleting all xmp files and LR reverted to using the catalog and all my newest edits were back.
So turn off the xmp. If you want, you can cautiously get rid of them so an old version doesn't come back to haunt you. Only make an xmp as needed. Do good backups including the catalog like Don said.

Same problem here. I only use LR. So should I get rid and if so what's the easiest way?

If you have only used LR and all of the xmp were made by LR, you can probably safely delete them. I don't know how in a mac, but in windows, you can open file explorer. Then navigate to 'Pictures' or whatever your top level image folder is called. In the file explorer search box, type *.xmp
All of the xmp files will be shown. Scroll through the list and double check that they are all xmp and no actual images. Then you can select them all and delete or move them to a folder for a awhile to be sure all is good.
If you want to be extra cautious, start with a single folder, just delete (or move) the xmp from that one folder and be sure you have not lost any LR edits. You can either continue doing one folder at a time or move up to the Pictures folder and do them all at once.
Don't forget to turn the option off so you don't automatically make any more xmp.