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imagesbyvanja
imagesbyvanja
Participating Frequently
July 25, 2021
Question

Missing photos from lightroom

  • July 25, 2021
  • 15 replies
  • 1482 views

I am using LR classic 10.0.  I've been a LR user for a very long time.  I backup my catalog regularly and those backups appear to be on my computer (desktop windows 10)

okay - so today I start LR and it tells me that I have zero photos in all my folders?

If I try and import said missing photos it greys out the images because they are already in the catalog.

Totally confused!

I've never in all the years I've been us

This topic has been closed for replies.

15 replies

imagesbyvanja
imagesbyvanjaAuthor
Participating Frequently
July 26, 2021

Thank you to everyone who has tried to help me out.

There doesn't seem to be an answer to my dilema.

I've restored my catalog from the last backup and everything is now back to normal.

The links between the LR folders and the catalog file appear to have been corrupted somehow.

 

Anyway - I'm back up now - thanks again everyone.

 

Lauca
Lauca
Participating Frequently
July 26, 2021
THere is a thumbnail of the image highlighted. When I go to the folder as in the last screenshot there's a message that there are no photos in the selected folder.


If you right click on this thumbnail and select "Go to folder in Library", does it show the thumbnail in the folder ?

 

The images on the C drive shouldn't really be there as I don't store my
photos on the C drive.

 

If these folders on C are shown in the catalog, it's because at some point in time you did import photos from these folder. Since they are now marked as missing (the question mark), I suspect that at some other point in time you moved them somewhere on the D drive, but you did it outside of LR, so LR didn't update their location in its catalog.

I agree with a previous comment, you must fix your photo storage structure mess before doing anything else with your catalog.

imagesbyvanja
imagesbyvanjaAuthor
Participating Frequently
July 26, 2021
I don't have an issue with the storage structure. I know where my photos
are and I understand why LR has a ? for some of the files - there are only
a few and I know why.

My big issue is that there is a broken link between the LR catalog and the
folders in the library. THe photos and edits appear in 'collections'. I
can edit those photos. If I click on the image or folder and ask to go to
the folder in LR then it says that there are 0 photos in the folder.
No thumbnails appear.

So ALL images show me thumbnails. LR can find them on my hard drive - I
haven't moved/delete or renamed anything.

Collections can find my photos and edit them, export them etc - no problems.

The problem is with the LR folders. Specifically on my D drive where I
have always stored my photos.
Lauca
Lauca
Participating Frequently
July 26, 2021
quote
So ALL images show me thumbnails. LR can find them on my hard drive

 

This doesn't mean that LR can access the original files. It only means that the thumbnails of the photos are in the preview cache (the <name of the catalog> Preview.lrdata folder located next to the catalog file).

GoldingD
GoldingD
Legend
July 26, 2021

See the forest through the trees.

 

So, often, clicking on All Photos is helpful for diagnostics to find missing photos. But it is showing the entire computer, and much of the missing might be on a specific drive.

 

Recommend, clicking on a parent folder instead. Not at a computer, cannot remember if clicking on drive will work

 

How much if the missing is drive C? As opposed to D?

. 

imagesbyvanja
imagesbyvanjaAuthor
Participating Frequently
July 26, 2021
I don't normally go via all photos. The whole issue began when I went to
my current folder to do some editing. Even though the folder shows that
there are x number if images, when you click on the folder it says that
there are no photos.
GoldingD
GoldingD
Legend
July 26, 2021
when I go to the LR folder location it then tells me that there are no photos in that folder .

Hmm, another doublecheck, are you confusing number of photos in a folder with number in subfolder,?

see:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LZSqvXBwBw

 

GoldingD
GoldingD
Legend
July 26, 2021

I recommend that you spend some time restructuring your photo file structure.

 

Perhaps, create a folder in the root of D drive, name it, perhaps, Images_by_Vanja.

In that folder create subfolders as you see fit.

This should be done in LrC, in the folders panel.

 

Move your photos into the new folders, this also done in LrC. (If you in fact have nicely named, functional folders, that we simply do not see in your screen capture, sure, move the folders)

 

Point is to get folder management under control. And to know exactly where your photos are, were they are not, and what you should be backing up.

GoldingD
GoldingD
Legend
July 26, 2021

Second up, actually a continuation of first up, in the folders panel, under D drive, a folder, Ok, but then D again? Odd.

 

A folder named 30 may pastels, then D:, followed by three folders, then continuing on with various folders in alphabetical order.

 

Do you actually have a folder on drive D, named D drive?

 

Bit of a puzzle

 

imagesbyvanja
imagesbyvanjaAuthor
Participating Frequently
July 26, 2021

Indeed - there was something very strange about that - I actually found 2 folders with the same name 😧 drive name - when I saw this (just a few minutes ago)  I knew something weird was going on!!  I've now restored my last LR backup and the folders are back to normal - only 1 😧 drive folder.  Not sure what has happened - but some sort of corruption.  

I haven't lost much work between the last backup and today - a handful of images so all is well.

Thank you for your assistance.

GoldingD
GoldingD
Legend
July 26, 2021

First up after seeing a bit of your folders panel. Some file structure cleanup. Your catalog is a SQL database, it does not like missing records.

 

Now, you said you keep the photos on your D drive, but I see some C drive entry's. Might be some old detritus, might be photos you want. And many of those with ? mark next to the folders. I recommend that you spend some time checking those out, correct any folder location issues., Remove from LrC, any empty folders (no photos), Move any photos you meant to have on D drive. 

Fix folder location issues, before attacking missing photos issues, fixing folders may fix missing photos, and accomplish multiple missing photos quicker, Missing or relocated or renamed folders could be the toot if a problem.

Expand the folders panel, any other folders with issues?

 

Make sure that you expand the folders in the folders panel as to see the parent folder.

 

When the folders panel is in better shape, go and optimize the catalog.

 

Make sure you have a new backup before optimizing.

 

 

 

imagesbyvanja
imagesbyvanjaAuthor
Participating Frequently
July 26, 2021
the question marks relate to images that are on external drives. If I need
to use those images I connect the relevant external drive. It's never
caused an issue before - 10 years plus of using LR.

The images on the C drive shouldn't really be there as I don't store my
photos on the C drive. With this current issue it is only the D drive that
is of concern.
imagesbyvanja
imagesbyvanjaAuthor
Participating Frequently
July 26, 2021

Thank you to everyone for trying to resolve this issue.  Here are some screenshots and more details.

imagesbyvanja
imagesbyvanjaAuthor
Participating Frequently
July 26, 2021

So the screen shots show LR version and Windows version.   When I look at ALL Photos - the thumbnails are there - some have exclamation marks - that's ok.  The ones that don't have exclamation marks should be in the catalog.  I have highlighted just 1 image as an example.  I searched for a current date.  THere is a thumbnail of the image highlighted. When I go to the folder as in the last screenshot there's a message that there are no photos in the selected folder.  I have a 'C' Drive for system use and a 'D' drive for data. My photos live on my 'D' drive and are still there.

 

imagesbyvanja
imagesbyvanjaAuthor
Participating Frequently
July 26, 2021

One more bit of information - Collections show all the photos but again if I go to the folder in LR  it tells me there are no photos.  So it would seem that the problem lies in the link to the LR folders?

 

Abambo
Community Expert
AbamboCommunity Expert
Community Expert
July 25, 2021

You can use Windows finder to check the pictures. The most obvious reason to have no pictures shown is to have an active filter (like show all blue labelled pictures) and not having one picture matching the filter.

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer
imagesbyvanja
imagesbyvanjaAuthor
Participating Frequently
July 26, 2021

I got excited! I thought this might be the answer - but there are no filters being used!

GoldingD
GoldingD
Legend
July 25, 2021

And as to backups, where do you backup your photos?

How do you backup your photos?

imagesbyvanja
imagesbyvanjaAuthor
Participating Frequently
July 26, 2021

I have an external drive (more than 1) where I back up my actual photos to.

I use Adobe's LR backup - usually I do this everytime I exit LR. I've checked in LR backup and backups are there.

I sync with LR cloud - to share with mobile devices - but I don't use this often.

 

GoldingD
GoldingD
Legend
July 26, 2021

Just  double checking, your photo backups are separate from your catalog backup, correct?

Been a few that unfortunately thought backing up the catalog from LrC included the photos.

 

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