.lrcat catalog Built in

Your Lightroom catalog opens directly in LightCraft.

You don't need a converter for this one. LightCraft reads a Lightroom Classic catalog (.lrcat) itself, without Lightroom installed, and keeps your photos exactly where they are.

Already compatible

Built into LightCraft: File ▸ Import Lightroom Catalog. Nothing to convert.

No upload, no conversion. Here is how to do it, and what to check.

What carries over

Ratings, picks and rejects, colour labels
XMP metadata, titles and captions
Hierarchical keywords
Collections and collection sets (smart collections become regular albums)
Virtual copies
Develop settings, mapped to LightCraft's own controls

How to import it

In LightCraft choose File ▸ Import Lightroom Catalog… and pick your .lrcat. The catalog is only read, never changed, and a recovery archive of what was imported is saved in your LightCraft library. Originals stay where they are; any that can't be found stay in the library to relink later.

Worth knowing

Close Lightroom first, or work on a copy of the catalog, so the file isn't changing while it's read.

Edits are approximate: camera profiles, Adobe's AI models, some masking and retouching fields and the rendering of older process versions aren't reproduced. LightCraft lists what it couldn't map.

Questions

Do I need Lightroom to import the catalog?

No. LightCraft reads the .lrcat on its own.

Will my photos be copied or moved?

No. They're referenced in place. If your catalog came from another computer, LightCraft tries to reconnect the folders and keeps any missing originals so you can relink them.

Will my edits look identical?

Close but not identical: every raw developer renders differently. The import is a good starting point, and the list of unmapped settings tells you what to check.