Sharing files between pc and Mac

I have a Windows desktop for photo editing but require a laptop to allow me to photo edit elsewhere. Basically I want to copy files from pc via external hard disk to ideally a Mac laptop, edit them in LR and PS, etc, then transfer back to my desktop pc. If I purchase a MacBook Pro how do I go about sharing my files (RAW, TIFF, PSD and jpeg) between desktop pc and MacBook Pro (via external hard disk)? What do I need to do to to ensure compatibility so I can edit files on both systems and transfer from one to the other? (Please note, I do not use Cloud at all. I prefer to use external hard disks). Would love to hear from anyone who has experience of sharing/editing photo files between Mac and pc and what you do. Many thanks!

I have a Windows desktop for photo editing but require a laptop to allow me to photo edit elsewhere. Basically I want to copy files from pc via external hard disk to ideally a Mac laptop, edit them in LR and PS, etc, then transfer back to my desktop pc.

If I purchase a MacBook Pro how do I go about sharing my files (RAW, TIFF, PSD and jpeg) between desktop pc and MacBook Pro (via external hard disk)? What do I need to do to to ensure compatibility so I can edit files on both systems and transfer from one to the other?

(Please note, I do not use Cloud at all. I prefer to use external hard disks).

Would love to hear from anyone who has experience of sharing/editing photo files between Mac and pc and what you do.

Many thanks!

I use both, and it's not generally a problem. You will need a hard drive or SSD that uses exFAT format (most drives can be formatted to suit this when they are empty, but you can't do this to existing drives without losing all of the information on them). The other issue may be connections, most Mac books have Thunderbolt connection, but these are compatible with normal USB connections (the same as used by a PC). Many Mac Books use the smaller USB-C version of the connector, which you may or may not have on your PC. you may need an adapter to connect the hard drive to on of the machines. So, some accessories designed just for Macs use the Thinderbolt connection, so won't work with your PC. But as long as the hard drive you use has a standard USB connection, it can be made to work with a Mac quite easily. All standard file fomats are recognised by both PC and Mac, so generally this isn't a problem, as long as you are using the same software on both , such as Photoshop etc. If you're using software such as Lightroom, you may need to import the files into both systems, but if you are using a Lightoom Classic or CC from the same account on both machines they should be automatically synced together. Hope this helps

I use both, and it's not generally a problem. You will need a hard drive or SSD that uses exFAT format (most drives can be formatted to suit this when they are empty, but you can't do this to existing drives without losing all of the information on them). The other issue may be connections, most Mac books have Thunderbolt connection, but these are compatible with normal USB connections (the same as used by a PC). Many Mac Books use the smaller USB-C version of the connector, which you may or may not have on your PC. you may need an adapter to connect the hard drive to on of the machines.
So, some accessories designed just for Macs use the Thinderbolt connection, so won't work with your PC. But as long as the hard drive you use has a standard USB connection, it can be made to work with a Mac quite easily.
All standard file fomats are recognised by both PC and Mac, so generally this isn't a problem, as long as you are using the same software on both , such as Photoshop etc. If you're using software such as Lightroom, you may need to import the files into both systems, but if you are using a Lightoom Classic or CC from the same account on both machines they should be automatically synced together.

Hope this helps

[quote]I use both, and it's not generally a problem. You will need a hard drive or SSD that uses exFAT format (most drives can be formatted to suit this when they are empty, but you can't do this to existing drives without losing all of the information on them). The other issue may be connections, most Mac books have Thunderbolt connection, but these are compatible with normal USB connections (the same as used by a PC). Many Mac Books use the smaller USB-C version of the connector, which you may or may not have on your PC. you may need an adapter to connect the hard drive to on of the machines. So, some accessories designed just for Macs use the Thinderbolt connection, so won't work with your PC. But as long as the hard drive you use has a standard USB connection, it can be made to work with a Mac quite easily. All standard file fomats are recognised by both PC and Mac, so generally this isn't a problem, as long as you are using the same software on both , such as Photoshop etc. If you're using software such as Lightroom, you may need to import the files into both systems, but if you are using a Lightoom Classic or CC from the same account on both machines they should be automatically synced together. Hope this helps[/quote] Chris, that was a super helpful reply - thank you so much! So really I don’t need to make any changes to pc or MacBook Pro to ‘compatiblise’ - except get a thunderbolt adapter with USB-A and USB-C connections? And all that I need to do is to find out how to format a new portable hard drive or SSD to ex-FAT so I can edit image files in Lightroom/Photoshop, etc on both pc and Mac? Have I got that right? The only thing is is that I have no desire to sync Lightroom catalogue or copy my mammoth image library to a portable hard drive. Just want to copy a couple of folders. So I’m wondering now if I can install Lightroom on the MacBook and just create a new catalogue there independently rather than having to sync my existing pc catalogue and images?

Quote:I use both, and it's not generally a problem. You will need a hard drive or SSD that uses exFAT format (most drives can be formatted to suit this when they are empty, but you can't do this to existing drives without losing all of the information on them). The other issue may be connections, most Mac books have Thunderbolt connection, but these are compatible with normal USB connections (the same as used by a PC). Many Mac Books use the smaller USB-C version of the connector, which you may or may not have on your PC. you may need an adapter to connect the hard drive to on of the machines.
So, some accessories designed just for Macs use the Thinderbolt connection, so won't work with your PC. But as long as the hard drive you use has a standard USB connection, it can be made to work with a Mac quite easily.
All standard file fomats are recognised by both PC and Mac, so generally this isn't a problem, as long as you are using the same software on both , such as Photoshop etc. If you're using software such as Lightroom, you may need to import the files into both systems, but if you are using a Lightoom Classic or CC from the same account on both machines they should be automatically synced together.

Hope this helps


Chris, that was a super helpful reply - thank you so much!

So really I don’t need to make any changes to pc or MacBook Pro to ‘compatiblise’ - except get a thunderbolt adapter with USB-A and USB-C connections? And all that I need to do is to find out how to format a new portable hard drive or SSD to ex-FAT so I can edit image files in Lightroom/Photoshop, etc on both pc and Mac? Have I got that right?

The only thing is is that I have no desire to sync Lightroom catalogue or copy my mammoth image library to a portable hard drive. Just want to copy a couple of folders. So I’m wondering now if I can install Lightroom on the MacBook and just create a new catalogue there independently rather than having to sync my existing pc catalogue and images?

Yes, you're right, apart from the format of the drive and the connection, there really aren't many things that you need to do if you are getting a new portable drive to make images compatible with both pc and Mac. If you haven't used Mac OS before it may take a little bit to find your way around some things (especially keyboard shortcuts and having to eject hard drives/memory cards differently to a PC) but most things work in a similar way. Formatting is very easy, just make sure you choose exFAT as your file system. If you're installing Lightroom from the same CC account as your PC (it does allow you to install on 2 devices), then you have the option of syncing the catalogues, but I think you can run them separately and just start a new catalogue on the laptop (I don't use Lightroom CC or Classic anymore, so I'm not 100% sure on that one). Hope this helps Cheers Chris

Yes, you're right, apart from the format of the drive and the connection, there really aren't many things that you need to do if you are getting a new portable drive to make images compatible with both pc and Mac. If you haven't used Mac OS before it may take a little bit to find your way around some things (especially keyboard shortcuts and having to eject hard drives/memory cards differently to a PC) but most things work in a similar way.
Formatting is very easy, just make sure you choose exFAT as your file system. If you're installing Lightroom from the same CC account as your PC (it does allow you to install on 2 devices), then you have the option of syncing the catalogues, but I think you can run them separately and just start a new catalogue on the laptop (I don't use Lightroom CC or Classic anymore, so I'm not 100% sure on that one).
Hope this helps
Cheers

Chris

Chris, thank you so much for your input - so helpful and much appreciated!

Chris, thank you so much for your input - so helpful and much appreciated!