P: Book Module – Unfinished book vanishes

I think I may have tracked down the source of the problem. After losing a book several times in Lightroom I decided to simply export the JPGs and then create the book in Blurb using their software. This works well, except that periodically the Blurb software exe refuses to start, When this happens I need to reboot the computer. I suspect that what LR has done is simply to link to the Blurb software (or at least some version of it). I'm guessingt that when LR calls the Blurb module to start, it sometimes fails to do so. In support of this theory I would note that I once "Lost" a book in LR, but was able to retrieve it after I had rebooted. I also suspect that this problem exists only on some computers. I'm running the most recent version of Windows 7 with all the updates on a Toshiba laptop. Michael Borenstein

BenD, yes it is an issue with the book module, but considering that blurb is (a) promoting the use of lightroom (b) SELLING lightroom--and making money from it--on their website, then they have an obligation to warn their customers of potential issues.

http://www.blurb.com/lightroom

you'll notice a big fat "buy lightroom" button on the page.

A store that knowingly sell defective products bears some type of responsibility even if they are not the manufacturer.

Hmmm. Well, I guess I'd be very surprised if Blurb had anything to say about it. It's clearly a programmatic issue with the book module... unless you're referring to a different type of glitch.

I sent an email to blurb, and they basically passed the buck and blamed adobe, below are responses from customer service, and from the Blurb forum (which blurb then closed for further discussion).

It is truly sad that neither Blurb or Adobe takes and responsibility for this issue, and does nothing to warn future users of the module of the risk of losing their hard work.

"Hi all,
If you have any technical problems or questions related to LightRoom 4 and its bookmaking module please contact Adobe for assistance.
We at Blurb are happy to provide help with the printed book you receive after making your book in Lightroom 4, and answer questions about the paper and processes related to the book itself, but all Lightroom technical assistance must go through Adobe (because Lightroom is an Adobe-created product). http://helpx.adobe.com/contact/
I will be closing this thread as the issue cannot be resolved here in the forums.
Regards,
Michael/Blurb Customer Support"

and

"I'm sorry your experience wasn't as good as you had hoped, and we do appreciate the feedback. I'll make sure to pass this along to Adobe to see how they might improve on this in the future. Unfortunately, there isn't much that we're able to do in cases like this, as as Blurb only handles the actual printing of your file.

I'd also recommend you voice your concern to Adobe, which you can do by using the following link:
http://www.adobe.com/support/imaging/...

It's feedback like this that helps us make our products and services even better. Without customers like you, we wouldn't be able to improve our products and services.

Best regards,

David
Blurb Technical Support"

this happened to me, can't believe a bug like this exists and adobe does nothing to warn its customers.

a possible solution is to get a paid drop box account, and save your catalog file there. dropbox keeps track of every version of the file (amazing). so if you lose the book, you can go to dropbox and find the last version of your catalog. Please note, dropbox only saves a new version of your file after you cose out of lightroom. it doesn't update the catalogue when the program is open.

Here's what seemed to work for me:

The issue seems to center around when you move from the Library module to the book module. If in the Library module you had selected a source folder ( i.e. a folder in the left panel, not the collection) and then moved to the Book module your book is either gone or only fragments remain.

For me, if I select the collection folder then moved to the Book module the book re-appeared and was intact.

This happened in 4.1 for both a Mac and PC. On the PC when I had selected a folder and then went to the Book module a small bar appeared in the upper left stating it was collecting information and either got hung up or crashed lightroom.

Hope this helps others. I spent several hours working on a book while traveling. The good news was it made the time go faster, the bad news is it siginificantly added to the frustration caused by airlaine delays.

Thanks!

Paul

Creating a photo book with LR4 is apparently not fully developed. Pictures disappear - not an interim backup. Why Adobe offers so in an immature tool? I hope for a speedy recovery. I'm upset because I have to create photo books upgraded because of the possibility to have LR4.

Hi, i am using LR 4.0 and tried RC 4.1. In both versions the book creating module is not usable. After change from one module e.b Book creating to development, after return to the book module most pages contains the same pictures. So a lot of work is done without a usable result.

Hah. Oh man. That made me chuckle a bit.

SO no, I'll not spend my time suing Adobe over a glitch in a $150 program that on balance makes my life 1000% easier then it otherwise would be.

And no, I'll not be signing up for your revolution so we can all go live in huts in the wildness far from the reach of Adobe and Starbucks and the federal reserve and all other satan-spawned entities.

Nope... going to politely ask that the folks who have no particular obligation to monitor these forums on the LR team kingly let us know if they're continuing to look into the matter.

Then I'm going to get a high paying job, buy the building you live in, and rent it back to you at exorbitant rates... I might even shelter the income offshore just for kicks.

PS: Harry Reid called, he wants his angst back.

Guys,

I am amazed at Adobe's approach to this issue. They have remained silent and feel they don't owe their customers even an explanation. In any country where consumer protection is taken seriously Adobe would face a lot of scrutiny for this but this doesn't seem to be the case in our country at this time. Corporations are free to do as they please and consumers are left at their own mercy without a single government agency to protect them. The only alternative I have found is Small Claims court. I have filed and won a case against Adobe in the past. It wasn't so much for the amount as it didn't cover my losses. It was about democracy and ensuring that the company answers for its actions. Democracy is not an expectator sport - you can't expect democracy from the comfort of your sofa while watching your favorite show on TV. I highly recommend that all those experiencing this same problem file a claim against Adobe in Small Claims. First it is likely that you will get some compensation - maybe not everything you should but at least some. Most importantly, if the number of claims reaches a certain point it may trigger (1) a reaction on Adobe's part to solve the problem and (2) the courts may report the incidents to the FTC, which in turn may take action against Adobe. Something else that is important to emphasize is the fact that any legal action won in court counts as a negative point on Adobe's record affecting the company's reputation including its credit rating.

At this point it is just silly to expect Adobe to do the right thing. It had the chance to do the right thing by choosing to delay the release of a product that was obviously not ready to be released. It has also had plenty of time to respond and it has chosen to remain silent about the issue denying its user base the explanation and solution they all deserve. Just like Wall Street, Adobe is not longer run by inventive and creative people who wish to develop really good products. It is run, like most corporations in this country, by business men, lawyers and bureaucrats who see only numbers and treat their customers as an inconvenience they have to face on the way to achieving their financial goals.

Let's suit them and see how they react to an avalanche of lawsuits.