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ernieg12377
Participating Frequently
April 16, 2018
Question

Smart Previews

  • April 16, 2018
  • 1 reply
  • 883 views

I have smart previews when my external hard drive is connected to my laptop. When l disconnect my hard dive and restart lightroom l get nothing. Lightroom says "Click import button to begin", l do and and find no photos anywhere. If l open the lightroom Catalog-3 Smart Previews on my laptop, l see 124 files. Why isn't LR seeing these files? Also am l not also able to  shut down my computer and the next day start LR and open these smart previews without the external hard drive connected?

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    1 reply

    JP Hess
    JP Hess
    Inspiring
    April 16, 2018

    That would be conditional on where the catalog and the Smart previews are stored. Are they stored on the external hard drive as well?

    E
    ernieg12377Author
    Participating Frequently
    April 16, 2018

    The photo files are stored on an external E: drive due to lack of space. I just transferred the files a few days ago. I can see the smart preview folder and the smart preview files on my laptop C: drive that l am trying to work with. Those are the only photo files on the laptop now. When l open lightroom it says "no photos found", "click import to begin". I click on import, direct lightroom to the laptop C: drive with the smart preview files inside, click on that file and lightroom says no photos found! In that "lightroom catalog-3 smart preview.irdata their are 124 files in 142 folders.....

    Rob_Cullen
    Community Expert
    Rob_CullenCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    April 16, 2018

    Those are the only photo files on the laptop now

    Smart Previews are NOT photos! You cannot Import Smart Previews. LR will not 'find' photos in a Smart Preview folder.

    Consider the Smart Previews Folder as a Cache that holds the special type of Preview that the Catalog uses.

    "lightroom catalog-3 smart preview.irdata there are 124 files in 142 folders....."

    These are only Previews, NOT photos!  The photos are on your external drive.

    I just transferred the files a few days ago.

    How, exactly, did you do this? Did you use Lightroom or the Operating System to move your camera files?

    I can see the smart preview folder

    So is there a nearby file that has the file-type suffix of  .LRCAT ?   Is it called lightroom catalog-3.LRCAT ?

    Have you moved your Catalog {lightroom catalog-3.LRCAT} to the external drive with the photos?

    Can you search the external drive for files  ending  .LRCAT ?

    Lightroom says "Click import button to begin",

    This indicates that Lightroom cannot find a Catalog- maybe because the catalog you are expecting to see with all your photo thumbnails is on the un-plugged external drive.

    Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.3, Photoshop 27.5, ACR 18.3, Lightroom 9.3, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.3 .
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