Presets with catalog?
Is it better to uncheck the box that says “store presets with catalog”
In my view, leave it unchecked.
This check box’s purpose is to allow you to carry presets, templates etc with you when your catalogue resides on an external hard drive and you frequently attach it to other computers.
If that is not how you work, I think it is best to leave the box unchecked in normal circumstances.
How would this work with Dropbox as the site of the catalog?
Assume you should check it then since Dropbox is a bit of an external drive yet resides on both computers?
Well, the post is mainly about your presets and preferences. These folders can be held on Dropbox using symbolic links / aliases on each computer. It’s actually what I do with a PC and Mac, so they always have access to the same metadata templates, presets etc. I prefer this to Store Presets with Catalog.
But you are really asking about putting the catalogue on Dropbox. The catalogue (lrcat) file can be big and its previews and smart previews folders can be much bigger still, so you’ll need a lot of bandwidth to make it work. Also, you need to be very careful that you verify that the catalogue has synchronized up to Dropbox before you open it on another computer. Otherwise, while you won’t corrupt anything and Dropbox stores infinite backups, there risk is to your time when you overwrite work and have to sort out which images are up to date on which computer. Even when you’re experienced with LR, I’d be very cautious before keeping your catalogue on Dropbox – it’s not a substitute for an external drive if you continually need to use different computers.