how to open raw photos from dropbox without filling your mac's ssd
by sumit paul · last updated
raw files are big, often 25 to 80 MB each, so a shoot in dropbox can be hundreds of gigabytes. the dropbox app's online-only files keep them in the cloud until you open one, but opening downloads the whole file and keeps it on your mac. open a few hundred raws and the ssd is full again. the way around it is to stream the files instead: your photo app reads each raw from dropbox when it needs it, and nothing stays behind.
why online-only files still fill the disk
- opening an online-only file downloads it in full and marks it available offline.
- it stays on your mac until you right-click it and choose make online-only again.
- browsing a folder of raws in a photo app opens every file to build previews, so the whole folder comes down. more on this in why dropbox online-only files still take up space.
stream them with feather drive
- download feather drive and connect dropbox.
- move the raw folders you want into apps › feather drive in your dropbox (feather drive is an app-folder app and only sees that folder).
- open feather drive in finder. the raws show with their real names and sizes, at zero bytes on disk.
- double-click one to open it in preview, or point your photo app at the folder.
an app still reads each raw in full to show it, but the bytes pass through a small cache with a size limit you set and are cleared again, so get info keeps saying zero bytes on disk. you need a connection to open them.
lightroom classic
- keep the catalog on your mac. adobe says lightroom classic can't use a catalog on a network or cloud volume.
- import from the feather drive folder with add, not copy, so lightroom references the raws where they are.
- build smart previews for anything you want to edit offline; they're small and live with the catalog.
details in lightroom photos and google drive: what works and what doesn't (the same rules apply to dropbox).
which to choose
- a few raws, offline access, your whole dropbox visible: the dropbox app, and make files online-only again when you're done.
- a large raw library you want in finder without it ever landing on your ssd: feather drive.
related
- how to use dropbox in finder without filling your disk
- how to open any file from the cloud on a mac without downloading it
common questions
what is the best way to open raw photos from dropbox without filling my ssd?
mount dropbox as a streaming drive in finder and point your photo app at the files where they are. each raw file is read from dropbox when you open it and passes through a small capped cache, so it never stays on your mac. with the dropbox app's online-only files, every raw you open is downloaded in full and kept.
does lightroom classic work with raw files in dropbox?
yes, for the originals. import them with add (not copy) so lightroom references them where they are, and keep the catalog on your mac: adobe says catalogs can't live on a network or cloud volume.
do online-only dropbox files take up space?
not until you open them. opening one downloads the whole file, and it stays on your mac until you make it online-only again.
can i edit raw photos offline?
not straight from the cloud. build smart previews in lightroom classic for the photos you want to edit away from a connection: they are small and live with the catalog on your mac.