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Ken Nielsen
Ken Nielsen
Legend
December 18, 2023
Answered

Can I preserve LR individual photo rating and color grade when transferring photo files to new disk?

  • December 18, 2023
  • 1 reply
  • 507 views

I've tried moving files to a new disk in the past and the one big thing I noticed is that the rating 1-5 and the choice of color is gone from the individual photos. I'm getting ready to move my entire photo library frim indiviual smaller diskes onto a larger disk and again, I'm faced with the possiblity that these 'grading' details will be lost. From what I understand, the colors, like 'red' are preserved in text format but I don't know where or how to bring them back to life. Does anyone have an insight on how to preserve these grading things before I make the big move to the larger hard drive? I imagine it is written into the catalog but is not perserved when you actally move the files.

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Rob_Cullen

    "I was just going to. turn off the old drives one by one and when Lightroom asks me where the file is I will locate it on the new drive and point to it saying 'here it is.' Does that sound sensible to you?"

    Yes it does. It makes it easier, when you copy folders/files to the new drive,  if you can keep folders in the exact same 'Parent / subfolder' heirarchy, then you can re-link a 'Parent' folder and all the sub-folders re-link.

    You might want to do the copy of folders/files one drive at a time- relink these on the new drive, then go onto the next drive to 'copy and re-link'.

    "I can 'Move' those saved folders once I have completed the major task above,"

    Yes. AFTER you have successfully re-linked folders that are now on the new large drive, THEN start moving folders into your desired 'dated' structure WITHIN the LrC Folder panel. (NOT with any external app, like Finder)

     

    If you change the folder structure  (heirarchy) of files as you move them (with FInder), then it becomes a real PIB to re-link as LrC is expecting the 'old' folder structure and not your changed (messed up) folder structure.

     

    1 reply

    Rob_Cullen
    Community Expert
    Rob_CullenCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    December 18, 2023

    All is preserved IN THE CATALOG.! 

    If you 'Move' photo files then it is just a matter of re-linking the Catalog to the new location of the files. Nothing is lost. Ratings, colors, edits, etc. Nothing is lost.

    For moving large numbers of files  to another drive (as in your case) the preferred method often suggested is given in Option Two in this link-

    MOVING PHOTOS- 2 Methods

     

    Note:

    Re-importing anything is the wrong thing to do!

    Synchronizing Folders is the wrong thing to do!

    Creating a new Catalog is the wrong thing to do!

     

    Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.0, Photoshop 27.0, ACR 18.0, Lightroom 9.0, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0 .
      Ken Nielsen
      Ken NielsenAuthor
      Legend
      December 18, 2023

      It sounds like you know exacty how to do this. The difference now is that all of the folders by date are now going to be together on one hard drive, not as they were on separate drives. I was just going to. turn off the old drives one by one and when Lightroom asks me where the file is I will locate it on the new drive and point to it saying 'here it is.' Does that sound sensible to you?

      Now, one last request along with this please: I have some dated folders included in my Lightroom catalog that had to be saved to a different hard drive as the current has run out of room. So those saved folders are a part of the catalog but now I want to put them into their right location into the last month of this year. My guess is that I can 'Move' those saved folders once I have completed the major task above, so after the fact of successfully moving the files to the new hard drive, then can I move these files that are in the wrong location to their proper place in the catalog after everything has been successfully transferred? I hope I explained this correctly.

      Rob_Cullen
      Community Expert
      Rob_CullenCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
      Community Expert
      December 18, 2023

      "I was just going to. turn off the old drives one by one and when Lightroom asks me where the file is I will locate it on the new drive and point to it saying 'here it is.' Does that sound sensible to you?"

      Yes it does. It makes it easier, when you copy folders/files to the new drive,  if you can keep folders in the exact same 'Parent / subfolder' heirarchy, then you can re-link a 'Parent' folder and all the sub-folders re-link.

      You might want to do the copy of folders/files one drive at a time- relink these on the new drive, then go onto the next drive to 'copy and re-link'.

      "I can 'Move' those saved folders once I have completed the major task above,"

      Yes. AFTER you have successfully re-linked folders that are now on the new large drive, THEN start moving folders into your desired 'dated' structure WITHIN the LrC Folder panel. (NOT with any external app, like Finder)

       

      If you change the folder structure  (heirarchy) of files as you move them (with FInder), then it becomes a real PIB to re-link as LrC is expecting the 'old' folder structure and not your changed (messed up) folder structure.

       

      Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.0, Photoshop 27.0, ACR 18.0, Lightroom 9.0, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0 .
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