......That’s the thing—I usually assume that when I open LR, it will display my latest edits.
By @jorich_scott_7149
It should. In addition to the existing advice, there may be something else.
1. You may have opened the wrong catalog • If you accidentally opened a new or different catalog, it will see your photos as fresh RAWs, with no edits. Check: Go to File > Open Recent and see if another catalog has your edits.
2. You may imported the files again • If you re-imported the photos instead of opening them from the existing catalog, Lightroom will treat them as new files without adjustments. Check if you have duplicate entries in the Library module.
3. Catalog backups vs. working catalog • If you restored from an old backup catalog, it may not have your latest edits. Look at the catalog location in Edit > Catalog Settings > General and confirm you’re in the right one.
4. Missing or corrupted previews • If the edits are in the catalog but previews didn’t build correctly, it may look like the RAWs are unedited. Go to Develop module and see if the adjustment sliders are actually at zero, or if they have values. If sliders show edits but the image looks unedited, try Library > Previews > Build Standard-Sized Previews.
For a quick test, pick one of your “unedited” RAWs and check the Develop module: • If all sliders are at zero → you’re in the wrong catalog or re-imported. • If sliders have values but the photo looks unedited → previews or cache are corrupted.
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