Can't import because photo is in catalog, but it isn't. Not really.

[BartonGarrett256]

My folder list had grown to hundreds and it became too difficult to navigate the list and to back up the drive.  So I consolidated the folders on the drive that I store images on, by year.  Now I can use SynchToy to back up the individual years on different drives at a frequency that matches new content creation.

Unfortunatly that meant I had to prompt, folder by folder, LR to find each folder.  It took hours but the task is done. Now my folder list is nine items, 2007 through 2016, with sub folders by date  reporting to each year. Ahhh. No more scrolling through 250 folders to get to one. I just twirl down the year and Bob's my uncle. Sweet.

Except for some folders that when I was going through the relink process and right clicked on the folder (with a question mark) then lead Lr to the existing folder it would  not link, giving me a message that the files are already in LR.  But, in true Adobe style, not telling me where they are.

I then deleted, in LR, all the LR folders I used as temps on my C drive, so all of my images are only in the drive that contains images.  And emptied the cursed Windows "My Pictures" zombie folders that mysteriously and randomly populate themselves yet refuse to die.  Still no joy.

I then went in and deleted an offending question marked brayed out folder in LR ( losing keywords and developing info I suspect) and tried to import it from the hard drive, where it and it's content is clearly visible, again.  No joy.

I signed out of LR and logged back in.  No joy. 

I right clicked on an individual image and prompted a show in Explorer, it points to the folder I just deleted. 

I can see the images in my image hard drive using another program, but LR refuses to import them, it says they are already there but does not show the folder as existing.

Anyone got any ideas?

[JP Hess]

Have you tried using the option to update the folder location? The images apparently are on your hard drive but not in the same folder and in the same location that they were previously. You will have to show Lightroom where the images are now located.

[dj_paige · Accepted solution]

You need to search your Lightroom catalog for one of these photos, by file name. You need to first click on All Photographs, then turn off any filters, and do the search. Then you will know exactly where in Lightroom (and what folder) the file is, so you can rectify the situation somehow.

You have done a huge amount of work, and I would like to suggest a much easier workflow, that doesn't run into these problems.Photos come out of the camera and they are ALL (yes, ALL, every single one, 100%, no exceptions) imported into Lightroom, into a folder whose name is the capture date. This way, there is never an issue about re-importing, there is never an issue with a duplicate photo somewhere. All organizing is then done via keywords and other metadata, there is never a need to move the photos within Lightroom or outside of Lightroom (EXCEPTION: if you need to transfer the photos to a new disk or new computer, then you have to move them)