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Quetsche_11
Quetsche_11
Participant
May 15, 2025
Answered

Lr Classic: Dateiordner-Synchronisation auf Windows fehlerhaft

  • May 15, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 189 views

Did I find a bug? Can I keep it?
Since one of the last updates (?), I've been having a problem where whenever I make changes to a photo folder in File Explorer (Windows 11), i.e., outside of LR Classic, such as renaming, adding, moving, etc., I always synchronize them within LR Classic using "Synchronize Folder..." Until recently, this always worked flawlessly. Everything that was already there remained untouched, as before, and only anything new or different was updated.

But recently, LR Classic (version 14.3.1) has been forgetting ALL edits (cropping, corrections, retouching). THIS is definitely NOT in the spirit of creation!!! I've already finished editing three-quarters of the folder containing approximately 80 photos. I noticed a few file names that weren't compliant with the rules. I changed them in File Explorer and synced the folder as usual via the context menu in LrC. After completing the process, I wanted to continue working on the photos and was horrified to discover the aforementioned disaster. Several hours of work for nothing!

Is this (once again) JUST a local issue for me, or can anyone else in the community confirm this?

 

[Moved from ‘Bugs’ to ‘Discussions’ by moderator, according to forum rules.]

    Correct answer JohanElzenga

    This is not a bug, but as expected. If you change things (folders names, file names) outside Lightroom Classic, then Lightroom Classic does not know what you did so it will lose the connection to those files and folders. So the best way is not to do this! Use the Lightroom Classic folder panel for this kind of file and folder management. And if you still did, then do not use 'Synchronize Folder'! That is the wrong command to use, because that will scan the folder, remove the 'missing' images from the catalog and then import the images it sees a new. As a result, because edits are stored in the catalog, you will lose the edits because images are removed and then re-imported. As you noticed.

     

    Most likely what you did in the past was use 'Save metadata to files' before you started changing file and folder names. Maybe you even had that switched on the the preferences without realizing it. That stores the metadata and edits in an XMP file next to the raw file (or inside the header of the file in case of DNG files or RGB files). And so re-importing those images will also re-import the edits. In other words, you were simply lucky that it worked before, without knowing why it worked.

     

    I still would recommend against using your 'Synchronize Folder' method, even when saving to XMP to make it work, for the following reason. Maybe you did not notice so far because you did not use it so far, but saving to XMP does not save everything to XMP. If you created a virtual copy, you will lose it. If you stacked images, the stacks will be gone. If you added the images to collections, they will no longer be in those collections. In other words, even if you save to XMP before you use this, it's still a questionable method that makes you lose things.

     

    1 reply

    JohanElzenga
    Community Expert
    JohanElzengaCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    May 15, 2025

    This is not a bug, but as expected. If you change things (folders names, file names) outside Lightroom Classic, then Lightroom Classic does not know what you did so it will lose the connection to those files and folders. So the best way is not to do this! Use the Lightroom Classic folder panel for this kind of file and folder management. And if you still did, then do not use 'Synchronize Folder'! That is the wrong command to use, because that will scan the folder, remove the 'missing' images from the catalog and then import the images it sees a new. As a result, because edits are stored in the catalog, you will lose the edits because images are removed and then re-imported. As you noticed.

     

    Most likely what you did in the past was use 'Save metadata to files' before you started changing file and folder names. Maybe you even had that switched on the the preferences without realizing it. That stores the metadata and edits in an XMP file next to the raw file (or inside the header of the file in case of DNG files or RGB files). And so re-importing those images will also re-import the edits. In other words, you were simply lucky that it worked before, without knowing why it worked.

     

    I still would recommend against using your 'Synchronize Folder' method, even when saving to XMP to make it work, for the following reason. Maybe you did not notice so far because you did not use it so far, but saving to XMP does not save everything to XMP. If you created a virtual copy, you will lose it. If you stacked images, the stacks will be gone. If you added the images to collections, they will no longer be in those collections. In other words, even if you save to XMP before you use this, it's still a questionable method that makes you lose things.

     

    -- Johan W. Elzenga
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