The most common reason photographers put off outsourcing is imagining a 200 GB upload of RAW files. When you send a Lightroom catalog to an editor, you almost never need to do that. For colour and style work, an editor can work from Smart Previews — compact, editable stand-ins for your RAWs — inside a Lightroom Classic catalog that is usually well under 2 GB for a whole wedding.
Here is the full loop: what to send, how to export it, and how the finished edit comes back into your original catalog with full-resolution files intact.
Why Smart Previews are enough
A Smart Preview is a lossy DNG, around 2560 px on the long edge, that Lightroom can edit exactly like the original: white balance, exposure, tone curve, HSL, masking, calibration — every colour adjustment applies and travels back. Your editor never needs the full RAW to match your grade. Full-resolution files only matter for final export and for pixel-level retouching, and both of those can happen on your machine after the catalog returns.
Step by step: exporting the catalog
- Cull first (or ask the editor to). Decide whether you are sending the full RAW take for the editor to cull, or a pre-selected set. A pre-cull means a smaller upload and faster turnaround.
- Select the images you are sending in the Library module (select all, or your culled pick).
- Build Smart Previews: Library → Previews → Build Smart Previews. Wait for it to finish — the status bar shows progress.
- Export as catalog: File → Export as Catalog. Name it something like SmithWedding_ForEditing.
- In the export dialog, tick "Build / Include Smart Previews" and untick "Export negative files" (that is the setting that would drag the RAWs along). Leave "Include available previews" ticked.
- Lightroom writes a folder containing a .lrcat file and a .lrdata Smart Preview package. Zip the whole folder.
- Upload the zip to the editor via Dropbox, Google Drive, WeTransfer, or whatever they use. Expect roughly 1–2 GB for a full wedding.
What to send with the catalog
The catalog is the images. The brief is what makes the edit match on the first pass:
- Your preset or profile — the .xmp or .lrtemplate you start from, if you use one.
- 5–10 finished reference edits from past weddings as full-size JPEGs, covering different light: bright ceremony, golden hour, dim reception, flash.
- A short written note — how you like skin tones, whites, blacks, greens; how much contrast; whether you crop in-camera or want straightening; anything you never do.
- Any must-keep frames — the family group shot, the ring detail — flagged so they survive a cull.
How the edit comes back
- The editor returns the edited catalog (again as a zipped .lrcat + Smart Preview package).
- Unzip it. In your original catalog, choose File → Import from Another Catalog and point it at the returned .lrcat.
- Choose to update the existing photos with the new settings. Lightroom applies the develop settings to your original full-resolution RAWs — nothing was downsized.
- Review, request revisions if needed, then export at full resolution for the client gallery and print.
When you do need to send full-resolution files
- Retouching — skin, object removal and composite work happen at full pixel level, so those specific frames need the real files (or a full-size TIFF/JPEG).
- The editor is doing your final export — if you want delivery-ready JPEGs back rather than just settings, as with our gallery finishing and export service, they need full-resolution source.
For standard colour and style matching, Smart Previews cover it.
Common mistakes
- Leaving "Export negative files" ticked — that is the accidental 200 GB upload. Untick it.
- Forgetting to build Smart Previews before exporting — the editor gets a catalog with no editable image data.
- Sending the catalog with no reference edits — the editor is then guessing at your style, which means more revision rounds.
- Uploading the folder unzipped — the .lrcat and .lrdata must stay together; zip them as one.
- Renaming or moving originals before the edited catalog comes back — keep your source files where they were so the re-import matches them.
FAQ
Do I need to send RAW files to a photo editor?
Not for colour and style work. A Lightroom Smart Preview catalog is enough and is usually under 2 GB per wedding. Full RAWs are only needed for retouching or if the editor does your final export.
How big is a Smart Preview catalog for a wedding?
Roughly 1–2 GB for a full gallery, versus 50–200 GB for the RAWs. It uploads in minutes on a normal connection.
Will editing Smart Previews affect my full-resolution quality?
No. Only the develop settings travel. When you import the returned catalog, Lightroom applies those settings to your original full-resolution RAWs.
What if I use Capture One instead of Lightroom?
Capture One uses sessions and catalogs differently. Most editors will ask for a session with variants, or full-size TIFF/JPEG exports plus your style reference. Ask before exporting.
Want to see it in action? The free Style-Match Trial runs the whole loop on 15 of your images so you can watch how the handoff and return work. The workflow page has the full picture.
Further reading: Adobe: How to use Smart Previews in Lightroom Classic