Difficulty with moving images from an external HDD to external SSD on Mac maintaining keywords.

[Firislander]

Hi. I am using LR Classic 12.3 on a Mac running Ventura 13.4.1.

I am attempting to move images used in LR from an ext. HDD to an ext. SSD. I can move the images to the SSD so that they appear in LR but the keywords assigned to them are lost.

I have been using Adobe Elements and LR for almost 2 decades and I love it. On this forum I have read how to move image files to an ext. drive to use in LR but I am still confused by the fact that the keywords are lost.

I would love to find out what I am doing wrong.

Thank you in advance for help with this.

-Firislander

[Sean McCormack]

Have you saved out XMP files before doing this transfer? That's how information travels with Raw files. 

Alternatively use Export as Catalog from the first catalog to create a temporary catalog, which you then import into the SSD catalog. Delete the catalog files when you're done (not the images obviously). 

[Firislander]

Hi Sean,

Thank you for the response.

I am confused on how to do this moving of image files (obviously). I didn't have this difficulty when I moved the files from my internal HDD to my external HDD. Now I am so very confused I don't know what I am doing.

Not sure I understand you when you speak of RAW files. These image files where not shot in a RAW format, but I don't think that is what you are referring to here.

Is there one clear description on this forum which describes how to do what I am trying to do?

I've read so many and they each have their way. Some say DO NOT! move the files from within LR. Others say that it is perfectly ok.

So, I'm completely confused at this point.

Again, thank you for your response.

-Firislander.

[JohanElzenga]

Moving images in Lightroom is easy, and does not require saving to XMP or exporting as catalog. Basically there are two ways of doing it:

1: Drag and drop the images in the Lightroom folder panel. This normally works fine. I just moved a few thousand raw files and video files from one drive to another this way without any problems. If you use this method, then there is nothing else you need to do.

2: Do it outside of Lightroom and then 'reconnect' the catalog. This only works well if you move entire folders. Here's how that works: Copy the images to their new location in Windows Explorer/Macintosh Finder. Then start Lightroom, right-click on their folder in the folder panel and choose 'Update Folder Location'. In the dialog that comes up, navigate to the new location and select it. That will 'reconnect' the catalog to the new folder. The old folder will disappear from the folder panel and the new folder will appear. Now you can delete the old folder in MacOS Finder or Windows Explorer.

[Firislander]

Johan,

Thank you so much for this clear explanation on how to do this. Finally! I used your first method and it worked as you describe.

Thank you.

[Sean McCormack]

Lightroom stores the keywords in the catalog and only adds them to files upon export. Whether you move the files in Lightroom or in the OS and reconnect them correctly, the keywords (a form of metadata) should still be visible in Lightroom. The keywords are not inside the files at that point, merely referenced in the catalog, so other programs won't see them. Saving metadata (Command S) writes information into non Raw files like JPEG or TIFF. For Raw files, it creates an additional file called an XMP This keeps the Raw information untouched, protecting the file from corruption.

[GoldingD]

The keyword metadata, that is missing, is that missing when yo are in LrC, or missing if you look at the metadata embedded in the RAW file?

[Firislander]

Hi GoldingD,

The keyword metadata is missing when I am in LrC. I do not understand how I would look "at the metadata embedded in the RAW file". I am also confused about the use of the term RAW here.

I should have originally stated above in my question that I have moved the image files in the Finder on my Mac.

There seems to be conflicting opinion on how best to move image files here on the forum. Is there one clear description of how I should be going about moving my image files here on the forum?

Thank you very much for your response.

-Firislander.

[Jao vdL]

It sounds like you made the cardinal mistake of importing the files in their new location. They are now considered new images inside Lightroom Classic so they don't have any keywords. The old image should still exist inside Lightroom now. Instead of importing, you need to reconnect the folder they are in inside Lightroom Classic. @JohanElzenga explained in detail above how to do the move. So whatever you do DO NOT REIMPORT THE IMAGES. 

[JohanElzenga]

Please describe how you try to move the images, because it sounds like you are not doing that correctly. Lightroom stores edits and metadata like keywords in the catalog, so if you move images to another place the correct way from within Lightroom, then nothing happens to their keywords. Saving metadata to XMP should not be necessary.

[Firislander]

Hi JohanElzenga,

I am absolutely doing something wrong. I've become so confused from trying to follow all the posts on this Forum about how to move images. Would you please explain to me how exactly one is supposed to move images? I would greatly appreciate that.

Thank you so much.

Firislander.

[JohanElzenga]

After changing the location of the folder, Lightroom ought to find the images in their new place and sync the information. The keywords might still be lacking, though. Select the folder containing the photographs, then choose Metadata > Read Metadata from File (or press Ctrl/Cmd + S) to sync the metadata. 

By @Nomi296506917use

No, the keywords might not be lacking and I wished people would not give this advice. Keywords and other metadata are always saved in the catalog (and only to XMP as well if you enable that), so reconnecting the catalog means the keywords should still be present. It should not be necessary to read metadata from files! If the keywords are lacking, then you did something wrong, like reimporting. And no, Cmd+S / Ctrl+S is not the correct shortcut for reading metadata from files, it's the shortcut for saving metadata to files. So if the keywords were somehow lacking from the catalog but present in XMP files, then invoking this shortcut would wipe them from the XMP files too...

[Sean McCormack]

Yep, absolutely.  On all points here.