Rob-F
Likes Leicas
That's the message plastered across many photos I tried putting into Lightroom. It makes no sense. There's the photo, right there looking at me--and it's not a little thumbnail, it's a pretty big photo and looks not bad at all, AND IT'S THERE--but it's officially missing.
How can it be missing, if it's there? What did I do wrong? Is there anything I can do? This is not a new thing. It happened a long time ago. I remember I went through some sort of dog-and-pony routine that was supposed to locate the file, but I couldn't make it work.
There are a few photos I really want to salvage. The rest could go, for all I care. I could get rid of them and make more room in the computer, but I don't know how to do that either. Any tips?
I feel much smarter when I use Aperture.
How can it be missing, if it's there? What did I do wrong? Is there anything I can do? This is not a new thing. It happened a long time ago. I remember I went through some sort of dog-and-pony routine that was supposed to locate the file, but I couldn't make it work.
There are a few photos I really want to salvage. The rest could go, for all I care. I could get rid of them and make more room in the computer, but I don't know how to do that either. Any tips?
I feel much smarter when I use Aperture.
sjw617
Panoramist
You moved your lightroom folder, moved / renemed the picture? Are they on an outboard drive that has a different letter than last time? If you removed the light room folder then you do not have a record of your changes.
Duane Pandorf
Well-known
Locate missing photos
Sometimes the link between the catalog and a photo breaks. When that happens, Lightroom displays a Photo Is Missing icon in image cells in the Grid view and the Filmstrip. In the Develop module, Lightroom indicates that the photo is offline or missing. Links between a catalog and its photos can break for a variety of reasons, including because photos are moved in the operating system instead of from within Lightroom, or because photos are stored on an external drive that is offline. If the drive is offline, turn it on.
Sometimes the link between the catalog and a photo breaks. When that happens, Lightroom displays a Photo Is Missing icon in image cells in the Grid view and the Filmstrip. In the Develop module, Lightroom indicates that the photo is offline or missing. Links between a catalog and its photos can break for a variety of reasons, including because photos are moved in the operating system instead of from within Lightroom, or because photos are stored on an external drive that is offline. If the drive is offline, turn it on.
- (Optional) In the Library module, choose Library > Find Missing Photos to display missing files in the Grid view.
- Click the Photo Is Missing icon in a thumbnail cell in the Grid view.
- A dialog box opens and displays the last known location of the missing photo.
- Click the Locate button, navigate to where the photo is currently located, and then click Select.
- (Optional) In the Locate dialog box, select Find Nearby Missing Photos to have Lightroom search for other missing photos in the folder and reconnect them as well.
Dwig
Well-known
It's a "preview" by Adobe's terminology, but a thumbnail by any other name is just that ... . LR, by default,generates some rather large HQ previews when you first import an image and will generate full size previews on demand.
Rob-F
Likes Leicas
Thanks, that was helpful. Although the problem is not all solved, I think I may have a breakthrough. Using Finder, I found two lightroom files under "pictures." Now, how do I get them back where they belong (assuming that's what I need to do)?
Duane Pandorf
Well-known
I think what you have done is moved those files/folders while working in the Finder and not while working inside Lightroom. Lightroom doesn't know where they are now as the link has been broken.
Have you tried the steps listed above?
I'm going to assume you've been importing your images via LR into one main library and somehow these specific folders were moved out of that library via the finder.
You can use LR's Import function to Move these folders back to your main Library and LR will reindex them and should remember all the edits you may have done.
If you want to reorganize your LR file structure you want to do that from inside LR via the Library Module.
Rob-F
Likes Leicas
They are files I downloaded from one or more cameras directly into Lightroom.
I will try using the Lightroom import function, thanks.
I will try using the Lightroom import function, thanks.
Rob-F
Likes Leicas
Well, I think I have screwed it up good now. I was trying to do something to get the missing files from Finder back into lightroom. Two of these files were called Backup, and I clicked on something named backup. It went into an hour-long "Backing Up Lightroom" thing, never finished, so I clicked "cancel" and it said "canceling lightroom backup" for another hour. It would not stop, not respond to "quit lightroom" or "restart" (always works when Aperture goes haywire) so I killed it from the power switch. On restart, Lightroom now says I have 16 pictures (I had 92 before) and all those links are broken so I can't even see the 16 pictures. I'm about to say the Hell With It, and remove lightroom from my iMac. If it will even let me do that.
willie_901
Veteran
LR's Library always mirrors the file structure in the Finder unless you move Folders or photos manually using the Finder instead of LR. The LR looses track of what happened.
When you import photos into LR you can leave the files where were/are or you can move them to a new location (Folder). You control this on the Import Pane. Of course when you import photos from your camera or memory card, you want to copy them. Again, they will be placed in the Folder selected in the Import Pane. If you organize your photos by date, LR will make new Folders as needed in the Finder and populate them with photos.
Once you start using the LR Library to organize your photos, you are free to organize the photos in the finder using drag and drop in LR.
If you move photos just using the Finder, then LR has no idea what you did. There are several methods that can be used for LR to find your photos if they were moved outside of LR.
In summary:
In the beginning, LR's Library simply mirrors what every Folder/Sub-Foder structure already exists on your HD. It will not unilaterally reorganize your Folder/Sub-Folder hierarchy.
When you import new photos into LR, LR copies or moves them (your choice) into the destination you selected in the Import Pane.
If you want to organize, re-organize or consolidate you Folders with photograph, do so using drag and drop with LR. Of course you can create new Folders in the LR Library as well. You can rename existing Library Folders. All the organizational changes you make using LR will be seen in the Finder as well. LR actually moves the photos and Folders around in the OS.
When you import photos into LR you can leave the files where were/are or you can move them to a new location (Folder). You control this on the Import Pane. Of course when you import photos from your camera or memory card, you want to copy them. Again, they will be placed in the Folder selected in the Import Pane. If you organize your photos by date, LR will make new Folders as needed in the Finder and populate them with photos.
Once you start using the LR Library to organize your photos, you are free to organize the photos in the finder using drag and drop in LR.
If you move photos just using the Finder, then LR has no idea what you did. There are several methods that can be used for LR to find your photos if they were moved outside of LR.
In summary:
In the beginning, LR's Library simply mirrors what every Folder/Sub-Foder structure already exists on your HD. It will not unilaterally reorganize your Folder/Sub-Folder hierarchy.
When you import new photos into LR, LR copies or moves them (your choice) into the destination you selected in the Import Pane.
If you want to organize, re-organize or consolidate you Folders with photograph, do so using drag and drop with LR. Of course you can create new Folders in the LR Library as well. You can rename existing Library Folders. All the organizational changes you make using LR will be seen in the Finder as well. LR actually moves the photos and Folders around in the OS.
Rob-F
Likes Leicas
I did try to drag and drop the errant files back into LR, but it didn't seem to "take." You know how sometimes you can drag, and sometimes it won't let you? I take it this was one of those times. Though I didn't see it snap back to Finder.
Thanks, Willie and Duane. Maybe some day i will understand this. But I think my destiny lies with Aperture, even if I have to buy a few extra computers with Snow Leopard in them, to make sure I will always have one that runs (Apple is going to kill Aperture off, but maybe I can keep mine alive).
Thanks, Willie and Duane. Maybe some day i will understand this. But I think my destiny lies with Aperture, even if I have to buy a few extra computers with Snow Leopard in them, to make sure I will always have one that runs (Apple is going to kill Aperture off, but maybe I can keep mine alive).
willie_901
Veteran
About BackUp Folder/Files...
As I mentioned above, the LR Library reflects, creates and/or modifies the Folder/SubFolder hierarchy in the Finder.
The LR Catalog is entirely different. The file MyName Catalog.Ircat is a huge database (here MyName is whatever you decide to call the Catalog). The BackUp Folder contains copes of your Catalog.
You may know LR's changes in rendering are non-destructive. The renderings are recreated on the fly from the Catalog file. Everytime you view an adjusted photo, LR looks up the changes you made in the Development Module and applies them to render the image on your screen (or out put it to a printer). So a LR Catalog is a database that remembers every change you made to every original file. If the working Catalog file is accidentally deleted, destroyed (HD failure) or corrupted for any reason, all your post-production work is lost.This is how come there are backups. I have four copies of my LR Catalog files on four different Storage devices. I have used LR since version 1 and never needed to use a backup Catalog. The LR Catalog down not contain images.
The Folders with you photos are not backed up by LR. These must be backed up by other methods. I have about eight copies of my ordinal raw files (I don't record JPEGs) on eight different devices. Some of those copies are over a year old. Some are a month old, some are days old. Once copy is backed up hourly. Some are off-site (at a friend's home).
When I complete a project or series I use LR Export the final rendered images as 16 bit Tiffs. These Tiffs are are backed up both on site and off site. I also make prints.
These backups can be automatically scheduled, so managing them is not as much work as it sounds.
Unless you are using a pure analog workflow with film (no scanning/digitization) the backup procedures are essentially the same with any software platform. The only unique feature of LR is the how crucial the .Ircat file is to preserving your post-production efforts. Other platforms may rely on similar database files, but I don't know anything about other platforms.
As I mentioned above, the LR Library reflects, creates and/or modifies the Folder/SubFolder hierarchy in the Finder.
The LR Catalog is entirely different. The file MyName Catalog.Ircat is a huge database (here MyName is whatever you decide to call the Catalog). The BackUp Folder contains copes of your Catalog.
You may know LR's changes in rendering are non-destructive. The renderings are recreated on the fly from the Catalog file. Everytime you view an adjusted photo, LR looks up the changes you made in the Development Module and applies them to render the image on your screen (or out put it to a printer). So a LR Catalog is a database that remembers every change you made to every original file. If the working Catalog file is accidentally deleted, destroyed (HD failure) or corrupted for any reason, all your post-production work is lost.This is how come there are backups. I have four copies of my LR Catalog files on four different Storage devices. I have used LR since version 1 and never needed to use a backup Catalog. The LR Catalog down not contain images.
The Folders with you photos are not backed up by LR. These must be backed up by other methods. I have about eight copies of my ordinal raw files (I don't record JPEGs) on eight different devices. Some of those copies are over a year old. Some are a month old, some are days old. Once copy is backed up hourly. Some are off-site (at a friend's home).
When I complete a project or series I use LR Export the final rendered images as 16 bit Tiffs. These Tiffs are are backed up both on site and off site. I also make prints.
These backups can be automatically scheduled, so managing them is not as much work as it sounds.
Unless you are using a pure analog workflow with film (no scanning/digitization) the backup procedures are essentially the same with any software platform. The only unique feature of LR is the how crucial the .Ircat file is to preserving your post-production efforts. Other platforms may rely on similar database files, but I don't know anything about other platforms.
willie_901
Veteran
You must drag and drop them using LR's Library Panel. You have to find them in the Panel and then make a new Folder (if needed) and drag them inside of LR.
The reason LR did not take them is because they are already someplace in LR and you probably have "Don't Import Duplicates" selected in the Import Pane.
The reason LR did not take them is because they are already someplace in LR and you probably have "Don't Import Duplicates" selected in the Import Pane.
Rob-F
Likes Leicas
Everything I do makes it worse. I'm scared to touch it now. I have no idea where to start. Most of the files that were in the catalog--things that were fine--are gone. I see no thumbnails at all, just empty boxes. And there are now only 16 in the catalog, not 92 like I had before. It's being a real confidence buster.
bobbyrab
Well-known
First thing to try is to find the missing photographs on the Mac itself, you must have moved them from where LR had imported them to, so if you can find them then you can re-establish the link.
In the Mac finder, not the LR finder, the Mac finder top right, type in one of the images file name.
Once it's started this search it will give you the option to 'show in finder', choose this and it will show you all the files with that title, but importantly it will also show you where they are on the Mac. Once you know this, go into LR and Library, highlight the folder on the left that has the remaining 16 images and then control click. this will then give you the option to find missing folder, click on that and it will give you a finder window and simply navigate to where you now know the files are located and press ok. It should now reconnect the missing images.
It's unlikely that LR will have wiped the 92 files from wherever it was you moved them to, but you might find you have to reimport the files if in shutting down the computer the links were corrupted.
In the Mac finder, not the LR finder, the Mac finder top right, type in one of the images file name.
Once it's started this search it will give you the option to 'show in finder', choose this and it will show you all the files with that title, but importantly it will also show you where they are on the Mac. Once you know this, go into LR and Library, highlight the folder on the left that has the remaining 16 images and then control click. this will then give you the option to find missing folder, click on that and it will give you a finder window and simply navigate to where you now know the files are located and press ok. It should now reconnect the missing images.
It's unlikely that LR will have wiped the 92 files from wherever it was you moved them to, but you might find you have to reimport the files if in shutting down the computer the links were corrupted.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
When you use Aperture, do you import your photos by reference or allow Aperture to import them into its library as "managed"? The biggest difference between LR and Aperture is that Lightroom *always* imports photos by reference and has no concept of the "managed" files. If you import your photos by reference in Aperture, you can break its operations in exactly the same way as you are breaking Lightroom.
The fundamental concept in Lightroom is that import of your photos records information about them into the LR database file, it doesn't actually put the files into the database file. If you use LR to do the import from your camera card, it will put the image files into whatever location in the file system you specify in the import dialog and then put information about them into the catalog.
When you move image files in the file system without using LR to do it, you break the information in the LR database by making the file path to the image files invalid.
Just exactly what you've done at this point I don't know. If the image files are still on your camera card, you can delete the current Lightroom catalog folder without losing much (sounds like you only have a total of maybe 92 image files imported, of which you can only find 16 at present, not too big a loss), and then start over from scratch. The image files you imported are somewhere on your computer ... Run Lightroom, control-click on a photo that isn't showing the Missing tag and use the "Show in Finder" command from the popup menu. The others are likely nearby that. Find them all in the Finder, move them to a folder on the desktop temporarily, quite Lightroom, then delete the Lightroom catalog folder (the default one is normally created in the Pictures folder). Then you can start Lightroom again—it will ask you whether you want it to create a new catalog since it can't find the one it was using.
Once LR has created a new catalog, it's time to import your image files into it again. Basic concept here is that if you're importing your image files directly from the camera, you tell Lightroom where to copy them to on your hard drive. If you're importing the files that are on your hard drive already, you should either put them where you want them first and then Add them, or you tell Lightroom where to Move them. From that point on, only move the files using the Folders panel inside the Lightroom Library module and they won't get lost.
Instead of trying to figure all this out on your own*by breaking things, why don't you start fresh by going to Julianne Kost's Lightroom videos and using them to learn how LR works? Go to http://www.jkost.com/lightroom.html and start with the section that's labeled "Getting Started with Lightroom 5". The first three-four videos, including "Importing your Images", will teach you how to do get started the correct way.
G
G
Brian Atherton
Well-known
Rob-F,
As you mention ‘Finder’ (Post #5), I’m assuming you are using an Apple Mac.
Do you backup your files with Time Machine? If so, can you restore to a previous, uncorrupted state?
It’s just a thought on my part and I’m no expert, as I bought first MacBook earlier this year… perhaps more proficient users can explain if this is possible.
As you mention ‘Finder’ (Post #5), I’m assuming you are using an Apple Mac.
Do you backup your files with Time Machine? If so, can you restore to a previous, uncorrupted state?
It’s just a thought on my part and I’m no expert, as I bought first MacBook earlier this year… perhaps more proficient users can explain if this is possible.
Rob-F
Likes Leicas
Godfrey: When I download to Aperture, I connect the camera to the USB. Aperture pulls in the thumbnails and shows them to me. There's a message, "Import X# of files." If there are any I don't want imported, I unclick those, then I click to start importing. If the image is not coming from a camera, but is already in the computer someplace, I put it on the desktop and drag it into Aperture. I don't know the difference between "managed" and "referenced." That's new territory to me.
Everyone: You are getting through to me that everything I do with Lightroom must be done within LR. But the only (intentional) moving I've done was when I tried to drag an icon from Finder to LR. Personally, I believe LR crashed on me during the "backing up" activity (which I evidently shouldn't have initiated).
Everyone: You are getting through to me that everything I do with Lightroom must be done within LR. But the only (intentional) moving I've done was when I tried to drag an icon from Finder to LR. Personally, I believe LR crashed on me during the "backing up" activity (which I evidently shouldn't have initiated).
Rob-F
Likes Leicas
Brian: Yes it is an iMac, and I do back up with Time Machine. I used TM once after having my hard drive replaced. It took forever, and several images were lost from Aperture in the process. I don't know whether a TM restore would leave Aperture alone, or try to replace existing Aperture files. I don't want it to do that. Can I just use TM to restore LR without messing with anything else?
Brian Atherton
Well-known
Rob-F,
As I say, I’m no Apple expert… and I don’t use Aperture.
So I’ve no idea whether your question about just restoring Light Room files from Time Machine is possible.
Sorry I can’t help further. Perhaps others here can supply the answer.
As I say, I’m no Apple expert… and I don’t use Aperture.
So I’ve no idea whether your question about just restoring Light Room files from Time Machine is possible.
Sorry I can’t help further. Perhaps others here can supply the answer.
bobbyrab
Well-known
Yes you can just restore the lightroom catalogue from TM, but as your Imac only has one internal HD, I'm assuming you used an external drive for Time Machine. If that is the case have you made a TM backup since you loaded the 92 images onto Lightroom.
To be honest if you try what I suggested earlier and find out what folder Lightroom has actually put put the images in, reimporting them would be simpler.
To be honest if you try what I suggested earlier and find out what folder Lightroom has actually put put the images in, reimporting them would be simpler.