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kimberlys70248844
kimberlys70248844
Participant
December 30, 2017
Question

Files disappeared from catalog after changing the source location

  • December 30, 2017
  • 3 replies
  • 278 views

My catalog is stored on my laptop and I typically store the actual photos from a photography job on an external drive.  I have a folder for a job that was already in my catalog with some edits, but I had to go out of town so I put the job on a thumbdrive.  I opened up the catalog and went to the folder which still showed the previews and then attempted to do the process of "finding" the files and changing the source location.  I've done this successfully before.  But this time when I chose the file from the thumbdrive the folder in the catalog emptied out and is showing zero photos!  I tried edit-undo change source but nothing happened.  I still have the actual files of course, but as I said I had already made some edits I didn't want to lose.  I have a backup of my catalog at home but that doesn't do me much good as I wanted to get this work done now on my trip.  Any idea what went wrong or if there is a way to get my info back?

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    3 replies

    kimberlys70248844
    kimberlys70248844Author
    Participant
    January 1, 2018

    Thank you for the help, it is so appreciated when someone takes the time.  The problem was that I was being a little stupid.  I usually make a "collection" when I do this and this time I hadn't, so I was dealing with the actual folder instead of a collection which would have remained in place. I realized I was still looking at the folder under the listings for the external hardrive and lightroom actually made a new drive for the thumbdrive and created a new folder with all the files and the existing edits there.  Thanks for the help!

    dj_paige
    dj_paige
    Legend
    December 30, 2017

    What is the exact version NUMBER of your Lightroom. We need the NUMBER and not words like "current" or "recent".

    I opened up the catalog and went to the folder which still showed the previews and then attempted to do the process of "finding" the files and changing the source location.

    Describe these steps in detail. Step-by-step, leave nothing out.

    kimberlys70248844
    kimberlys70248844Author
    Participant
    January 1, 2018

    Thank you so much for the help, resolution posted below.

    Just Shoot Me
    Just Shoot Me
    Legend
    December 30, 2017

    Have you verified that the images are actually on the thumb drive and in the folder you thought you put them in.

    Not that I have ever done what you are doing but as a safe guard I always have checked Auto write changes into XMP. That way If I copy images and the XMP sidecar files from the original location all the edits come along and also stay with the originals in the original location.

    I have a feeling it is the thumb drive you are using.

    kimberlys70248844
    kimberlys70248844Author
    Participant
    January 1, 2018

    Thank you so much for the help, resolution posted below.

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