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mariaw26404091
Participating Frequently
August 13, 2017
Answered

Accidentally deleted original photos, reuploaded, now edits are unavailable

  • August 13, 2017
  • 3 replies
  • 7658 views

HELP!! I think I accidentally deleted the original CR2 photos I was editing in Lightroom and Photoshop. Thankfully I still had them on my camera and reuploaded them. They linked back to my originals on Lightroom but all my edits are showing that the files can't be found. Am I out all the hours I spent working on them? The edited pictures still show up, but I can't load them in photoshop or export them. I am just sick.. I would appreciate any help.

Thanks!!

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer richardplondon

    For future occasions, you do not need to - you actively should not - ever re-import photos after something like this. Just get files back into the computer (ideally into the exact same place) if they have got deleted; or fix LR's wrong 'addressing' for anything which has become moved from where it was before.

    At the moment you have NOT lost your editing history for these images. The Catalog has got a record of it all.

    You just currently have two different instances of each image in your Catalog:

    • the first is from your first import, with edits, but pointing to a disk location (A) where that image file is no longer present.
    • The second is from your second import, which behaved as a brand new image - so has no edits - pointing to a different disk location (B) where that image file can now be found.

    Unfortunately, LR will not let you redirect the first lot of thumbnails, with edits, from A to B - because that second lot of unedited thumbnails will block that from happening.

    You now have two alternative options:

    • Remove the newly imported (unedited) versions of these images from the Catalog by pressing Delete - making sure you do NOT choose to delete files from disk - then go to the older versions' location in the Folders panel, context-click, Find Missing Folder and browse to the new location of that. Do this for the common folder which contains them all.
    • Move the files concerned outside of LR, from where they are now, to the location pointed to by the older versions of these images - IOW, back to the exact place they were before. Doing this will "wake up" those older versions with the edits, back to full function - while the newer (redundant) versions will become orphaned. Then the newer versions can be deleted from the Catalog.

    3 replies

    DdeGannes
    Community Expert
    DdeGannesCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    August 13, 2017

    If you accidentally deleted them while working in Lightroom and you selected to delete from "Disk" then the files would have been deleted from their location and removed from the Lightroom Catalog. (i.e. the edits are gone).

    If you deleted them while working with them in Photoshop or elsewhere then the edits info should be in the Catalog file and the other posts are relevant. Do you remember what happened? Only you can tell.

    If the first issue above is what happened then you have learned a lesson and can move on to redo the job and hopefully you can recall some of the steps you took and enhance your creative skills.

    If the second is relevant then you should be able to recover with the advice provided.

    Regards, Denis: iMac 27” mid-2015, macOS 11.7.10 Big Sur; 2TB SSD, 24 GB Ram, GPU 2 GB; LrC 12.5,; Lr 6.5, PS 24.7,; ACR 15.5,; (also Laptop Win 11, ver 24H2, LrC 15.0.1, PS 27.0; ) Camera Oly OM-D E-M1.
    M
    mariaw26404091Author
    Participating Frequently
    August 13, 2017

    I deleted the whole folder with the RAW files, so if the photoshop edits were saved there, then I guess they're gone too. I am completely open to all advice on how to handle files and how long/where to save and operate them.

    dj_paige--what exactly do you mean when you say I need to stop using my operating system to handle photos in lightroom? I actually have my lightroom and photoshop on an external. Should all my raw files be imported there as well?

    I really appreciate all your help and words of wisdom!

    M
    mariaw26404091Author
    Participating Frequently
    August 13, 2017

    how exactly should my process look from the time I import images to lightroom to the time I am finished?

    cmgap
    Community Expert
    cmgapCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    August 13, 2017

    Why do you think you deleted your images? Did you see a message asking if you wanted to delete the images from your disk or remove them from your catalog? Did you empty the trash? Are you on a mac or pc? Have you checked the trash for XMP files? Do you have 'Write changes to XMP files' checked in your preferences? Did you create smart previews when you imported your images? Can you post a screen shot of your catalog in showing your folders in the Library module?

    R
    Community Expert
    richardplondonCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    August 13, 2017

    For future occasions, you do not need to - you actively should not - ever re-import photos after something like this. Just get files back into the computer (ideally into the exact same place) if they have got deleted; or fix LR's wrong 'addressing' for anything which has become moved from where it was before.

    At the moment you have NOT lost your editing history for these images. The Catalog has got a record of it all.

    You just currently have two different instances of each image in your Catalog:

    • the first is from your first import, with edits, but pointing to a disk location (A) where that image file is no longer present.
    • The second is from your second import, which behaved as a brand new image - so has no edits - pointing to a different disk location (B) where that image file can now be found.

    Unfortunately, LR will not let you redirect the first lot of thumbnails, with edits, from A to B - because that second lot of unedited thumbnails will block that from happening.

    You now have two alternative options:

    • Remove the newly imported (unedited) versions of these images from the Catalog by pressing Delete - making sure you do NOT choose to delete files from disk - then go to the older versions' location in the Folders panel, context-click, Find Missing Folder and browse to the new location of that. Do this for the common folder which contains them all.
    • Move the files concerned outside of LR, from where they are now, to the location pointed to by the older versions of these images - IOW, back to the exact place they were before. Doing this will "wake up" those older versions with the edits, back to full function - while the newer (redundant) versions will become orphaned. Then the newer versions can be deleted from the Catalog.
      M
      mariaw26404091Author
      Participating Frequently
      August 13, 2017

      Does this make a difference if I edited in Photoshop and then brought them back to Lightroom?

      dj_paige
      dj_paige
      Legend
      August 13, 2017

      I don't think it makes a difference. The instructions to never re-import are very important to the proper usage of Lightroom.

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