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dfielding720
Inspiring
November 17, 2022
Answered

Some previously imported photos and folders do not appear

  • November 17, 2022
  • 2 replies
  • 2035 views

I've used Lightroom for many years. Currently on MacBook Pro Big Sur 11.4. 

 

Some previously imported photos and folders are not appearing in my Lightroom Folders panel. I've edited many of the images from the specific folder within Lightroom and have not moved the folder or changed the names anywhere in the structure. I've tried solutions posted here, i.e., Expanding Stacks, Turn off filters, etc. 

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer dfielding720

Right click on one of the photos, select Show in Explorer (WIndows) or Show in Finder (Mac)


Thank you. It was my bad. They were indeed in one of the non-descriptive folders listed in LR (CARD-1). Obviously I didn't look hard enough. One of those instances where I'm in a rut unsure of the method to extract myself. Also, previous attempts I was using the Filter (search) correctly. I entered text into the left column under 'Folders' instead of the 'Library Filter:' at the top of the window, then selecting Text, which displays the search field to enter the filename. Future import workflow, I'm just gonna have to select the descriptive parent folder and deselect all of the video files. On a typical travel shoot, I'm capturing RAW images on a mirrorless and/or DSLR, RAW video on a Blackmagic 6k, DJI Pocket 2 video and aerial footage with 2 drones. Working backwards, I have to figure out how to create a descriptive folder in LR for the child folders that aren't. 

2 replies

dj_paige
dj_paige
Legend
November 17, 2022

Import causes the photos to be grayed out because they are already in the catalog (and it would be a very bad idea to import them again). A very likely cause is that you accidentally imported with COPY or MOVE instead of ADD and so Lightroom Classic thinks the photos are somewhere different than where you think they are.

 

To find the photos, search for one of them in the Library Module — please follow all four steps in order.

  1. Click on All Photographs (under Catalog) on the left
  2. Turn off all filters (Ctrl-L once or twice)
  3. Turn off all stacking (Photo->Stacking->Expand All Stacks)
  4. Use the Filter Bar to search for one of these photos by file name
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dfielding720Author
Inspiring
November 17, 2022

Ok, LR found them with the filter, but where are they in LR Folder structure? They're 'physically' on DAVID-V13.

dj_paige
dj_paige
Legend
November 17, 2022

Right click on one of the photos, select Show in Explorer (WIndows) or Show in Finder (Mac)

Sean McCormack
Community Expert
Sean McCormackCommunity Expert
Community Expert
November 17, 2022

And you're 100% sure these aren't in other catalogs, or that you opened an older catalog at some point and it's now the default?

Sean McCormack. Author of 'Essential Development 3'. Magazine Writer. Former Official Fuji X-Photographer.
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dfielding720Author
Inspiring
November 17, 2022

No, I didn't open an older catalog at any point. The LR catalog file(s) always remain on my Macbook even though I store photos and video on external drives. As you can see from the screen capture of the Import attempt, the files are grayed out as they were previously imported and edited. Is there no method whereby LR can restore folders or files that were previously imported but do not appear in the folder column? If there's a workaround, I'd love to know as I'm stuck with no way to view, edit, export or re-import (which I understand is not a good idea).

R
Community Expert
richardplondonCommunity Expert
Community Expert
November 17, 2022

Any folder containing at least one imported image must appear somewhere in Folders, if perhaps not in the expected place, as you currently have things.

 

Your folder listing in the Catalog seems to list bits and pieces from various places, rather than one coherent scheme as seen in Finder. That may be because certain "linking" folders (intervening, or parent, to folders that are seen) are currently not showing. Folders that do not themselves have any images directly inside, but are nonetheless essential to making other folders' relationships evident. In that case, LrC has no choice but to list out the un-contexted folders "loose".

 

I suggest: right-click (cmd+click?) on say Card-1 and shoose "show parent folder". See how doing that clarifies what is actually what. By progressively revealing the actual structure in this way (just those parts that are relevant and useful) you will more fully see the true folder arrangement.

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