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juliahlory
juliahlory
Participating Frequently
March 18, 2017
Answered

Cannot import photos. 80 came through no problem and now I can no longer import.

  • March 18, 2017
  • 8 replies
  • 466 views

I have a BRAND NEW iMac.   I JUST bought a year subscription to Lightroom and Photoshop.   I imported photos no problem right away twice....   the second import only took 80 of the several hundred.   I have tried everything to get the rest into lightroom but it's not happening.   They will show up with some greyed out but when I hit import it just stays on "importing photos" and nothing happens beyond that.   What in the world is going on?   Tried shutting the computer down.   Tried a new catalog.   Nothing.  

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Just Shoot Me

    You need a card reader. The iMac has one built in. Your Mac is losing the connection to the camera, which happens with Macs.

    8 replies

    juliahlory
    juliahloryAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    March 19, 2017

    Wow.   Ok I'll have to re-learn everything.    My 6 yr old Mac was a lot simpler.    Thanks for that info JustShootMe.    Sorry for the lag time between comments which was a bit confusing.   I really thought because my old Mac was so straight forward this would be more logical but that doesn't seem to be the case.   I will spend all of my Monday viewing tutorials.     A bit frustrating but I'll live.  

    Just Shoot Me
    Just Shoot Me
    Legend
    March 19, 2017

    You are dealing with Lightroom which is a program for cataloging and editing image files. OS X, the operating system for Mac computers, is basically the same as it has been for 8-10 years. The hardware has changed and the OS has changed slightly also.

    Mac's tend to shut down USB ports for no apparent reason even if they are actively being used.

    juliahlory
    juliahloryAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    March 19, 2017

    So when I plug the camera in to the computer and the thumbnails show up...   all are checked to import.    Is that not the way to import the images from my camera?   It worked the first time and for 80 of the over 400 I just tried to import earlier today.   Everything worked easily no problem but now the rest won't import (or are imported but I can't see them).    I shut the computer off and restarted.   Now I can't find any of the few photos I managed to get into Lightroom

    Just Shoot Me
    Just Shoot MeCorrect answer
    Legend
    March 19, 2017

    You need a card reader. The iMac has one built in. Your Mac is losing the connection to the camera, which happens with Macs.

    juliahlory
    juliahloryAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    March 19, 2017

    Jim - I'm not trying to import a catalog.   I can't locate the images that I THINK went from my camera  to Lightroom.   I had no problem uploading (importing) images just a while ago but now they will not come off of my camera.   I want them to go from my camera to Lightroom which worked once....  I think they are all there but I can't see ANY of them now.    When I was trying to import it just stopped but I think it did import them but they won't show up in Lightroom.   How do I find the images??   That is my problem. 

    I can't seem to import from my camera to Lightroom.    And now my new problem is that the few I managed to get there are invisible.

    Just Shoot Me
    Just Shoot Me
    Legend
    March 19, 2017

    You need to review the tutorials I linked to in one of my previous replies. When you import images you have to Copy them to your hard drive from the camera or memory card.

    No images are ever really IN LR. LR is a Database program that References the images into the Database file, the LR Catalog file, from where they are stored on your hard drive.

    juliahlory
    juliahloryAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    March 19, 2017

    I appreciate you trying to help Just Shoot Me.    I typically have weird issues when I have an issue.  

    I have used Mac's for the last 15 yrs but mainly just photoshop.   I am not familiar with Lightroom but the odd thing was that  it imported just fine right away.   Second import only 80 of the several hundred showed up and I haven't been able to get to the rest of those images.   Now I can't seem to find ANY of the images.   I did manage to see all the image numbers just a bit ago but now I can't seem to get to that either.   Just these greyed out collections.  

    JP Hess
    JP Hess
    Inspiring
    March 19, 2017

    You cannot import a catalog using the import dialog. You need to locate images and import the images into the catalog that Lightroom has opened at the time. Your File Browser is showing a list of catalogs.

    juliahlory
    juliahloryAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    March 19, 2017

    The one part that is not in gray was a new catalog I made to see if I could import into it.   Nothing went there.   It is empty.  

    juliahlory
    juliahloryAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    March 19, 2017

    When I try to open catalogs everything is gray.   I cannot open them.   The image numbers are there but everything is gray.

    Just Shoot Me
    Just Shoot Me
    Legend
    March 19, 2017

    Please post a screen shot of what you are seeing.

    Also what OS are you using?

    juliahlory
    juliahloryAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    March 19, 2017

    I have had the computer for a week.   OS 10.11.6

    juliahlory
    juliahloryAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    March 19, 2017

    Now it says there are 0 photos in "all photographs".   I had 2 imports, the last with 80 photos which I could see before.   Now nothing shows up.  Previous import "0".    Collections "0".  

    Just Shoot Me
    Just Shoot Me
    Legend
    March 18, 2017

    If in the import dialog window the images are grayed out that means they are already in the LR catalog. So take a look for them in the catalog. Click on All Photographs in the Catalog section of the Library's left hand panel.

    Please review some online tutorials on how LR works and how to work with LR.

    http://laurashoe.com/2016/10/27/new-to-lightroom-an-introduction-to-lightroom/?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_c…

    Lightroom tutorials | Learn how to use Lightroom CC

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