Files copied to new ext disc do not show (History module) RAW file's import date nor its edits

[Bo73099]

I copied all the files including xmp files to a new ext disc, however, in the History module LR doesn't show the RAW file's original import date nor any edits done to it. The catalog shows CR3 files and .xmp files. LR displays only the import date which is the date I copied the files. 

What did I do wrong? Or did the edits get separated during the copy process and are lost? I am at a loss and technology is not my strongest suit to start with. 🙂 

I subscribe to LRC CC

[richardplondon]

When an image is first imported, the Catalog makes a record of its location (on disk). Edits and virtual organisation (such as Collection membership) are then attached onto this record, a preview image is made showing these edits, and the editing History starts accumulating.

Say the file's location on disk needs to change. If the import showing the "old" location on disk gets removed from the Catalog, all the attached information vanishes with it. If the file that's been moved gets imported fresh to the Catalog, this is as a brand new record with no prior editing etc attached (*)  

So you don't want either of those things to happen. What you want is a version of the Catalog (and you may need to return to a Catalog backup) showing the RIGHT edited image as if still living at the "old" location. Then you update (correct) just that location. Easiest and best way, is for a tree or part of a tree of folders that have been bodily moved, to go to the top level folder of the moved data within the Catalog's Folders panel, right-click and choose "update folder location" / "find missing folder" (whichever shows). This changes the storage location info for this folder, and its contents including subfolders and their contents. The editing history etc seamlessly continue as before, associated now with a record of each external file as living in the "new" location.

[Analogy: someone you know changes cellphone number. You have them as a contact in your own cellphone, which has a lot of call and message history connected to that person. Should you now delete that contact from the phone and create a brand new contact using the new phone number - or is it better to just edit details of the existing contact. to show the changed phone number? while still retaining all that conversation history, special ringtone you've set up, contact photo]

(*) if editing had been previously written out to the file, where it previously lived, while it still was imported before - that information would get read back in. But it would still only be partial - not including the full history, collection membership, the entire existence of virtual copies, and some other matters.

[Bo73099]

Richard, thank you so much for your great answer.

What I don't understand is why the files from the original ext drive didn't attach to the images. I am totally confused. 

My original/main catalog is backed up in Finder, and a copy of the original external disc is copied to Finder, too. I connected the new disc to LR and copied/moved files to the new external disc. The folder structure was correctly showing in LR but images were not included so I imported/synchronized the images with the ext disc files I had in Finder. This is what puzzles me and I don't have any idea how to recover/correct the files. 
Since I am not well versed in technology do you know of someone who would be available for a Zoom consultation? 
Appreciate your help. 

Best, 

Bo 

[richardplondon]

What world timezone are you in?

[Bo73099]

Central in OKC

[richardplondon]

I don't know what "OKC" means, sorry -  this is a worldwide forum - I am in London, UK where it is now 6:30pm

[Bo73099]

OKC is Oklahoma City in the USA. It's 1:20 PM currently. 

[JohanElzenga]

This is as expected if you import these copies. History is not saved in XMP.

[Bo73099]

Thank you! I was told that XMP files were important to have bc they did include the edits! 🙁

[Conrad_C]

It’s a subtle thing:

XMP files do contain the edits, you can clearly see them if you open an XMP file in a text editor.

But…XMP files contain only the current edit values. They do not contain data that is stored only in the catalog, and unfortunately History is one of those things. XMP also doesn’t include catalog-level data such as virtual copies, membership in collections (which includes how data is stored about saved slide shows, etc.), cloud sync or Publish Service data…

So if you only need the current editable state of the document and its document-only metadata to be carried to another application, XMP files are enough. But if you care about retaining or backing up any other metadata, especially catalog-only metadata, what you want to transfer or back up are the images plus their catalog, or an exported subset of their catalog.

For example, if the goal is to transfer only 50 images out of a catalog of 100,000 images, and to keep catalog-level metadata, the answer is not to export or copy the images, but to select the images in the catalog and choose File > Export as Catalog. Take both the exported catalog and images to the other computer, and open the catalog (or import that catalog into another catalog), and everything should be in there.

[dj_paige]

I copied all the files including xmp files to a new ext disc ...

and then what did you do? What was the next step?

[Bo73099]

Thank you for your reply. My next step: I imported  (from the backup file in Finder) the images to the correct folder in LR. 

[richardplondon]

These will likely get in the way of fixing the issue and need to be removed. But it will be necessary to go through a whole process carefully step by step and this requires some more details from you. What storage drives show in the Catalog's Folders panel, and is there still a set of image folders to be seen there, referring to the old location of all these image folders? And are there images to be seen there. Accepting that these will report that they are currently "offline" (not found) - this does not matter - this is precisely what the readdressing procedure will rectify. 

[Bo73099]

Thank you for your answer, Richard. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and the time to selflessly give to help me. I am on Central Time in the US. If you can Zoom with me that would be great. I am quite afraid to do anything more with the files.