u/Critical-Bus-9992

Hey all, so I have been using Lightroom cloud for a while but am getting more into my photography and am finding that, in addition to using classic as a back-up, it has some functions that the cloud version doesn't have.

Im just very lost in the optimal workflow, please bare with me:

My current setup:

• I shoot on a Pentax K70 and a Fujifilm X-T5. For the Pentax I take three images at different ISOs, then stack and HDR merge them.
• I've been importing straight from the SD card into Lightroom cloud, and editing in cloud across my devices.
• I also have Lightroom Classic installed, currently acting as a local back-up — it syncs everything down from the cloud so I have originals on my Mac, which then get caught by Time Machine.
• In Classic I have around 8,800 photos, some going back years (including old scans), all currently sitting in one flat folder because they were moved off an old external drive at some point. So no date structure or anything.
• I also take photos on my iPhone when I'm out and about and sync those to Lightroom cloud via the app.

What I'm trying to figure out:

1. Now that I want to use Classic more (for the modules/features cloud doesn't have — the HDR merge for the Pentax brackets being a big one), should I flip my workflow to import SD card → Classic first, and let it push smart previews up to the cloud? Or keep importing to cloud and let Classic pull down?
2. I understand Classic only syncs smart previews up to the cloud, not full originals — so if I go Classic-first, do I lose full-res originals in the cloud for those shots? Does that matter in practice?
3. Subfolders — I've turned on "use subfolders formatted by capture date" in Classic's sync prefs so new stuff sorts into dated folders. Is that the right call? And is it worth going back and reorganising the existing flat library into dated folders, or just leave the old stuff and get it right going forward?
4. How do people avoid the duplication nightmare when running both? Every thread I read seems to end with someone having four copies of everything.

Any tips, thoughts or things I haven't considered but should are very welcome :) Thanks all

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Disclaimer - used ai for speed and to make a complex situation concise. But all details checked for accuracy:

I wanted to share my experience of a recent FAO recruitment process because I’ve benefited from reading experiences on here myself. I hope this helps someone.

The timeline:

I applied in December 2025 and interviewed for a P5 position at FAO headquarters in Rome in early February 2026. I was told at interview to expect news within a month.

Here’s what actually happened:

•	March: I followed up with admin a couple of times and was told the panel was finalising its report and the process was moving through the review committee and news was imminent.   
•	April: Admin told me the final selection meeting was happening and a decision would be communicated next week. My portal updated around this time.  
•	Early May: Admin confirmed no candidate had been appointed yet and hoped the decision would be communicated that week. Portal updated again shortly after.  
•	Late May: I emailed admin asking what stage the process was at. She replied saying it was with senior leadership for final sign-off — the last step before HR contacts the selected candidate.  
•	Shortly after: contacted to begin background verification — the formal step that precedes an official offer - told informally I was the preferred candidate. 

As of writing I still don’t have a formal written offer. five months after applying and 3.5 months after interview.

What the portal actually told me:

I spent an embarrassing amount of time analysing my portal updates. I found Oracle/Taleo documentation suggesting updates are triggered by candidate progression or file edits. A contact at another UN agency suggested from their experience that rejected candidates don’t tend to get portal updates.

The honest truth: the portal is largely meaningless as a signal. The updates were real process events but told me nothing about outcome. And someone I know going through a similar process at another UN agency had zero portal updates throughout — and was told informally they were in the final two.

The missed deadlines:

Every single timeline I was given was missed. Not by days — by weeks. Each time I assumed the worst. Each time it turned out to be genuine internal delays — committee scheduling, sign-off chains, senior leadership availability.

What actually moved the needle vs what didn’t:

❌ Portal updates — largely noise
❌ Missed timelines — not diagnostic of outcome
❌ Silence — genuinely ambiguous, not necessarily bad
✅ Admin language staying consistently process-focused rather than closing
✅ The hiring side remaining warm and personally engaged throughout
✅ Background verification request arriving — that’s the real signal

The lesson:

If you’re going through a UN/FAO process and using silence or missed timelines as your primary signal — stop. The system moves slowly by design, not as a reflection of your candidacy. I went from genuinely convinced I hadn’t got it on a Thursday evening to receiving the background verification request the following Tuesday.

The only reliable signals are:

•	A formal rejection email or status change to “Unsuccessful”  
•	Background verification being initiated (positive)  
•	Reference checks being requested (positive)

Everything else — portal updates, timeline slippage, periods of silence — is mostly just the machine grinding slowly.

Good luck to everyone waiting. It’s genuinely brutal. But time is a terrible predictor.

Hi all, so I just found out i was successful in applying job application with FAO. I’ll be moving to Rome in the next 3-4 months. The Salary is generous so money isn’t a major limiting factor (of course I don’t want to go crazy). I’m after somewhere I can commute to FAO , 3 bed, ideally with a garden than I can relax in, and a more chilled / arty / quiet/ leafy area than a bars, restaurants or shops area. Any recommendations? I will likely rent a Airbnb for 1 month when I arrive and explore. I had seen places like Monteverde, Appia Antica or maybe even Frascati or somewhere to the north or east as long as it’s got good connections to FAO and is no longer thank a hour door to door. Thanks in advance, I know nothing about Rome