Narrative doesn't sync projects between computers automatically, but you can carry on a shoot on another computer by opening the same photos there. Your ratings and other changes come with the photos.
How many devices can I use Narrative on?
You can install Narrative on as many computers as you like. The number of devices that can be signed in at the same time depends on your plan:
Lite: 1 device.
Standard: 1 device.
Premium: 2 devices.
Ultra: 4 devices.
To use Narrative on another computer, sign in with your Narrative account. Learn more about user and device limits, or compare Narrative plans.
How do I carry on a shoot on another computer?
To carry on a shoot on another computer, open the same photo folder there in a new project.
On the first computer, finish what you're doing so Narrative saves your changes.
Keep your photos and their XMP files together in the same folder on an external drive. XMP files are small sidecar files that hold your ratings and changes.
Connect the drive to the second computer.
Open Narrative and create a new project from the same folder.
Wait for Narrative to finish processing the project.
Narrative reads your ratings and other changes from the XMP files, so the project shows where you left off.
What if the second computer already has the project?
If you've already created the project on the second computer, you don't need a new one. Open the project and go to File → Refresh Source Folder. Narrative loads the latest changes from the XMP files.
Important: Only work on a shoot on one computer at a time. If you change the same photos on two computers at once, you could lose some of your changes.
What carries over to the other computer?
These changes are saved with your photos, so they carry over:
Star ratings, color labels, tags and rejects.
Crop and rotation.
Changes to capture time.
RAW, DNG and HEIC photos keep these changes in an XMP sidecar file. JPEGs keep them inside the file itself.
Scenes, AI assessments and People filter information don't carry over. Narrative works these out again on the second computer when it processes the project.
What follows my Narrative account?
Some things are tied to your account, so they're on every computer you sign in to:
Your AI Presets.
Your onboarding checklist progress.
Other settings you choose in Preferences stay on each computer, so set them up again on a new one. Your projects and photos don't follow your account.
Can someone else cull my photos for me?
Yes, but they need Narrative and the original photo files. Narrative reads photos from a folder, so it can't work from Lightroom smart previews or a link to your Lightroom catalog.
The easiest way is to give your editor the shoot's folder on a portable drive. They create a project from that folder on their computer, cull it, and their ratings are saved in the XMP files next to the photos. When you get the drive back, create a project from the same folder, or use File → Refresh Source Folder if you already have one.
Your editor can sign in to your account if your plan has a spare device, or use their own Narrative account. Learn more about device limits.
Can I copy photos to a drive for both computers?
You can copy photos from a memory card to an external drive when you ingest them, and add backup copies at the same time. This is a one-off copy, not an ongoing sync. Learn how to ingest and back up your photos.