Having trouble opening a Catalog that has been exported for editing and returned

[Jimmiehooshack]

Hello.

I colleague of mine had exported a wedding catalog for me to cull and edit (original catalog created on PC, I have Macbook Pro).   The original negatives were not sent.  I edited the images with minor adjustments and ratings, then exported it back to them.    They imported the catalog back and can see all of the thumbnails and Edits/History but are now having trouble locating the files.   Any suggestions as to why they are having trouble?     Could this be a file location issue, even though the original files have not moved?      Please Help!     

[Rob_Cullen]

The original negatives were not sent.

So I assume you were provided with Smart Previews to allow you to edit.

then exported it back to them.

Can you clarify your steps?

If you did "Export as a Catalog", this step (Export) is not required.

You should have simply returned the Catalog you were sent and edited. (Smart Previews not needed, only the catalog need be returned)

Your client would Import the catalog you returned to merge your edits into their catalog..

And if the Client's original image files were in their same folder location, they should be re-linked.

I suspect that your "Export as a Catalog" has somehow linked the photos in the Catalog to the Smart Previews location in your computer, and not your Client's computer..??

[GoldingD]

Perhaps the following thread in this forum:

Can I edit someone else's LR Smart Previews remotely?

and:

How To Send Catalogs For Someone Else To Edit – Lightroom Blog

and perhaps a bit less annoying:

https://support.photographersedit.com/hc/en-us/articles/202254619-Prepping-Files-to-Send

[OURS_GLOBAL9343]

This issue usually happens due to an incorrect Lightroom catalog workflow, not because files are lost.

If the editor worked using Smart Previews, they should return the same catalog they received, not export a new catalog after editing. Re-exporting a catalog can cause Lightroom to link images to Smart Preview locations on the editor’s computer instead of the original file paths.

Correct fix:

1. Open the original catalog.
2. Use File → Import from Another Catalog.
3. Import the returned catalog to merge edits.
4. If files show as missing, right-click a photo and choose Locate Missing File, then point Lightroom to the original image folder. All photos will relink automatically.

This does not affect edits or history - only file paths need correction.

For additional free Lightroom workflow and photo-editing tips, these guides may help:

• OURSGLOBAL BLOGS
• Photography Blog