Participating Frequently

Question

Photos from catalog disappear after export

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
August 9, 2021
6 replies
1634 views

Hey!

I've been using LR Classic for over a month. After exporting edited photos, they disappear from the catalog (although the catalog in the library list theoretically shows they are still there). It's highly problematic as I want to get back to them, re-edit them or (worse) I've managed to export only a few, leaving the rest to be exported and now I can't see them.

My work flow:

- I import photos from the external disc and build smart previews

- I edit photos using only smart previews

- I export ready photos to the exterenal drive.

I also have old-fashioned LR 5 and sometimes edit photos there. I belive my new LR Classic uses some data from the old LR to have the catalog tree etc (when installing LR Classic I was asked to show the existing catalog info or something of that sort). Can it cause such problems?

Please help!

macOS

This topic has been closed for replies.

C

courtneep10506882

Participant

This just happened to me! Did you by any chance figure it out? I've never had this happen before and have been using lightroom for years!

JohanElzenga

Community Expert

Please do not post a "me too" message in a years old thread. Start a new discussion and explain clearly what your problem is.

-- Johan W. Elzenga

GoldingD

Legend

So one possibility not mentioned

Have you considered restoring (a.k.a. resetting) the preference file. The preference file can get corrupted leading to buggy behavior. The preference file will survive updates, upgrades, uninstalls, reinstalls. Note that this may revert some preference settings to defaults.

see: https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/help/setting-preferences-lightroom.html

GoldingD

Legend

Is that external drive connected?
Is that external drive asleep via power settings?
In your Export options, in Export Location, did you check on the Add to This Catalog button?

JohanElzenga

Community Expert

Sounds like you do not understand the philosophy behind Lightroom, and how the application works. If you export an image, then you create a new copy. That copy is not automatically added to the catalog, unless you check that option in the export dialog. So your copy doesn't "disappear", it just is not added to the catalog.

The fundamental idea behind Lightroom however is that you have already saved your work without exporting it. The original image is catalogued, and the edits are saved in that catalog. The catalog contains all you need, when you need it. Exporting is meant to create a (temporary) image that is needed outside of Lightroom. The advantage of this approach is that you can export the image exactly the way you need it. If you need a large image because you want to order an online print, then you can export it at full size. If you need a photo for your website or to post on social media, then perhaps you will export it at 1000 pixels wide. And when you have used the image for its purpose, you do not save it in a folder that is catalogued again, but you can trash it. Because you can simply export it again if and when you need it again.

-- Johan W. Elzenga

dj_paige

Legend

After exporting edited photos, they disappear from the catalog

How are you searching for these photos? Please be specific and detailed. Honestly, exporting does not cause photos to "disappear". Also, when you are looking for these photos, are you looking in a smart collection, or a regular collection, or a folder, or "All Photographs"?

although the catalog in the library list theoretically shows they are still there

I don't understand this at all. Please explain what this means in a lot more detail.

M

Małgorzata5C4AAuthor

Participating Frequently

The problem appears when I look for the photos in the "Folder" tab. (see the screenshot)

By saying that "catalog in the library list theoretically shows they are still there" I meant that you can see the number of the photos in the folder.

What's interesting, I can find them in a Smart Collection (at least those that belong to a certain category).

M

Małgorzata5C4AAuthor

Participating Frequently

@JohanElzenga

The fundamental idea behind Lightroom however is that you have already saved your work without exporting it. The original image is catalogued, and the edits are saved in that catalog. The catalog contains all you need, when you need it. Exporting is meant to create a (temporary) image that is needed outside of Lightroom. The advantage of this approach is that you can export the image exactly the way you need it. If you need a large image because you want to order an online print, then you can export it at full size. If you need a photo for your website or to post on social media, then perhaps you will export it at 1000 pixels wide. And when you have used the image for its purpose, you do not save it in a folder that is catalogued again, but you can trash it. Because you can simply export it again if and when you need it again.

Ok, I'll try to explain it one more time, using the names you use.

The catalog should contain the original image (in my case raw file) + my edits but it doesn't. After I create what you call a "temporary image outside of Lightroom", e.i. export my edited photo, the catolog stops showing any content. I see neither my original image nor my edits. When I try to find it in the "Folders" section, I can see the number of photos I've imported to the folder in the folder tree (please see the screen attached in my other reply in this thread) but I cannot really SEE them. They are visible however when I use Smart Collections (also the screen).

So summing up, I cannot export the photos again, as I should be able to do, since after exporting them for the first time, I lose access to them (except for the "Smart Collection" section)

I've been using LR for many years already (just the non-cloud version) so I do believe I know how it works - at least to the extent I need it for my work.

M

Małgorzata5C4AAuthor

Participating Frequently

Oh, I use mac with macOS Mojave.

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