Import problems in Lightroom 4.4

[bluishbird]

I updated to 4.4 last week and started to have import problems yesterday to my mac desktop. I am getting a can't read the raw file message. Pictures still import perfectly well to my non lightroom upgraded retinal MacBook Pro. Is there an issue that you are aware of and is there a fix?

thanks,

Robert Sommers

[ramitche67]

1. At what point does the import fail?  When you click to go into the import dialog?  At some point while viewing the import dialog?  Or after you click the Import button in the import dialog?

My scenario:  If the SD card contains mixed media (i.e. photos (jpg or raw) + MOV), when I click on File > Import Photos and Video, the thumbnail previews start to load and about 10 seconds later LR becomes unresponsive... this goes on for several minutes (I assume this is based on the amount of media on the card) after which time I get an error message from LR saying there were problems with the following files: (and it goes on to list only the MOV files).  After I get this message, I am able to successfully import the photos only.

2. Can you import a single photo from a location on your local hard drive?  (this helps eliminate whether the problem is with a specific card, card reader, or mixed media situation).

I have tried with multiple SD cards from 2 different cameras (Canon and Olympus) with the same EXACT behavior.

3. What does the failure look like?  Is it a lock (Lightroom is running, but doesn't respond to mouse clicks, etc.)?  Is it a crash (Lightroom shuts down unexpectedly)?  Is it a failed import, but Lightroom continues to run?  Is there any error message?

See #1 above.

Hope this helps.

Russ

[Bec Sowada]

Hi Russ,

Can you try copying the files to your hard drive via the operating system (outside of Lightroom), then import from that location into Lightroom? If I understand how Lightroom acts in this scenario, it can help narrow in on the cause of the problem you are experiencing. 

Thanks,

Becky

[ramitche67]

I just tried the import again with ONLY a single .MOV file on an SD card and the same thing happened (so it's really not a *mixed* media issue, it seems the 4.4 import just doesn't like movie files).  The program became unresponsive and after about 3 minutes I received an error message from LR saying that "There is a problem with the video file(s)." .. MVI_0542.MOV

Note that this behavior is identical if I attempt to import the .MOV from a harddrive (copied via OS).

[Bec Sowada]

Russ, I'll contact you privately to obtain sample file.

Thanks,

Becky

[vtfotopro]

Russ,

The import fails as soon as LR loads the media window and there are MOV files on the card or in the folder.  When the Import is going to work I see the number of files being added to each folder in the destination window... when I don't see the addition numbers I know it has crashed.  The issue happens regardless of source location... so not a card or HD issue.

The problem is not with still photos... it's with MOV files.  Yesterday I had a shoot, 300 photos or so, NO MOV files on the card, same camersa, and it converted to DNG and copied, no problems.

It's not a crash in that LR continues to work... I can edit other photos or work on other things... but the import does not do anything and about 75% of the time I will end up with an error messages saying that it would not save or add the following files and it lists the MOV files.

[Bec Sowada]

Video import can be a tricky thing to debug, since in Lightroom 4.4 there is a single error for any failed import, and there are multiple possible things that could cause a video to fail to import.  The Lightroom 5 Beta (available now on labs.adobe.com) has slightly more informative error messages when a video fails to import.  If you are willing to install the beta and attempt to import the videos into Lightroom 5, then I would be interested to see what the failure message is returned (assuming it still fails).  The beta can install alongside of Lightroom 4.4, and will not touch your Lightroom 4.4 catalog. 

vtfotopro, I will contact you privately to obtain a sample video file that fails to import.

Thanks,

Becky

[Bec Sowada]

More troubleshooting steps for problems importing video can be found here:  http://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/kb/troubleshoot-video-issues-lightroom-4.html

Also, make sure your virus checker hasn't quarantined any of the main concept DLL files, which Lightroom uses to work with video.  Alternately, check that you have the correct files installed in the Lightroom program folder (on windows, the default location is c:\program files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.4).  The main concept files that should be installed in the Lightroom program folder are:

mc_dec_aac.dll

mc_dec_mp3.dll

mc_demux_mp2.dll

mc_demux_mp4.dll

mc_enc_aac.dll

mc_enc_avc.dll

mc_mux_mp4.dll

Becky

[ramitche67]

I'm thrilled to report that the issue is now resolved and I can successfully import MOV files in LR 4.4!

in my case, Adobe QT32 Server.exe was being blocked by ZoneAlarm (listed in ZoneAlarm Application Control as Adobe Media Core CS6).

Once I allowed outbound and inbound traffic, problem solved.

I hope this helps someone.

Thanks for all your help Becky!

Russ

[Bec Sowada]

Hi Russ,

Thanks for the update, and I'm thrilled it is working for you now. 

Becky

[vtfotopro]

I checked and LR4.4 has all of the files listed above.  Still not working... at this point LR will not import MOV files at all.

[borneo2013]

Running Mac 10.8 and tried to import 8 NEFs from a D600 on LR 4.4. I had no problem with an import made two hours previous using LR 4.3. LR 4.4 generates a message that says it can't proceed with the import and lists the offending NEFs. I do see the previews prior to import.

[Rmuma]

As you can read from my earlier post I had similar problems with still images. I don't see any advantage to LR4.4 so I just went back to 4.3 and everything has been fine. I had to uninstall 4.4 and reboot the computer a bunch of times to get 4.3 working again.

I will just wait for LR 5 and install it with caution on anoyher machine first.

[Bec Sowada]

vtfotopro,

A few more questions on your specific case...

1. When you import, are you importing directly from the camera?  Or are you using a card reader?

2. Does the import fail on the same files when you first copy them from the camera to your hard drive outside of Lightroom, then import into Lightroom?

3. When you import, do you have Add, Copy, or Copy as DNG selected in the import dialog?

4. Which camera model are you using?  Different models organize their files differently, and that could be a factor.

Thanks,

Becky

[vtfotopro]

Becky --

1) I import from a card reader.

2) I usually import directly from the card reader into LR.  With the video files in question LR would not import them either way, either from the card or add them from the HD

3) In my normal workflow I have COPY AS DNG highlighted, which converts the CR2 files to DNG and just copies the MOV files

4) The problems ocurred on a card from a Canon 60D

I finally did get LR to ADD the MOV files from their current location on the HD.  I then tried to import another card and it did not work again. I closed the program down (manually from the processes list because the program will not close) and reloaded LR because I had work I had to get done.

I have not encountered any problem loading just RAW files.  I had a shoot yesterday... 300 or so files, all RAW, same 60D... and LR converted and copied them as DNGs no problem.  My only problems have been with the MOV files and the program not closing.

[Rmuma]

Becky

I looked into your suggestion with sucess. I sleep all day and work at night so I just started working on ths problem.

My process:

• Last night I reloaded LR 4.3 No help
• I uninstalled LR 4.4 no help
• Went to be bed (opitional)
• Today booted still not working
• When the program was hung up I started task manager and saw:
  • Lightroom not responding
  • Shadow not responding
  • Shadow not responding (Yes a second time)
  • Ther was a 3rd one and I can't rememer waht it was. It was not responding.
  • One by one I ended task until LR was off.
• I unplugged USB Mic/Headset rebooted, tired lightroom import no help
• I unplugged USB Walcom Tablet no help
• I unplugged Lexar USB3 Card reader with a card in it that had already ben imported. My light room ejects the card when finished. Which to me just turns it off.
• Re booted and started LR 4.3 and IT WORKS
• Plugged in card reader and I can import from it
• plugged in Walcom still works
• plugged in MIC/Headset still works
• Rebooted computer with everything plugged in booted LR 4.3 and it still works.

This what I know so far. I am afraid to reinstall LR 4.4

If you read my earlier post you will note that I mentioned that this issue afected the speed in which the save JPEG dialog box appeared. That is true. The dialog box show up in instantly now.

[ramitche67]

I too am on a Win7 64-bit and just upgraded to Lightroom 4.4.  The import dialogue hangs when I attempt to import photos (raw or jpg) if the SD contains .MOV files.   I have tried this on 2 different SD cards, 2 different cameras (Olympus and Canon).  Prior to the upgrade this functionality worked fine.

After several minutes of spinning, it appears that the photo import will go through (although I have not yet been able to confirm that all the JPG and RAW files have been imported), however I did finally receive an error messages saying there is a problem with the following files.. and it proceeded to list only MOV files.

If I delete the MOV files from the SD card and re-attempt the import, all works as expected.

It looks like the 4.4. import is choking on video (MOV) files.

Russ

[vtfotopro]

I had a shoot this morning for Columbia University (ie important for my business!) and luckily LR import worked, but I only had CR2 files on the SD card.  I reinstalled LR4.3 last night because I was panicing over all of this.  Now, running 4.3 I still cannot import the MOV files.  I have used Bridge to copy them onto both my internal HD and my external HD, but LR will not ADD them to the catalogue from either HD source.

A little more about my workflow... maybe I am set up wrong...

I run my whole studio from a laptop so I have my catalogue, previews and all my DNG files on one 3TB USB 3.0 external drive.  I have thought about moving the catalogue and previews to my 2nd internal drive... but years ago when I first switched to LR I took a course with Nat Coalson... and he suggested the set up I have now... and it has worked until now.  I just started to shoot video recently and so I never had any problems when I was just shooting stills.  But LR seems to have a real problem with videos... although I know many people use LR for video work. 

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions on what is going on or how I can fix it... I would welcome any help!!!

[bluishbird]

I have had the problem occur twice. I don't know what I did to resolve it but I eventually was able to load both times, the latter after turning the computer on and off. Still don't know what happened but got it to load...

[KR Seals]

Robert, I wonder if your import issues are resolved or it they have occurred again.

[Rmuma]

I went back to LR 4.3 and can not take the chance of running LR 4.4. I have not seen any fixes so my assumption is that if I switched back to 4.4 I would have the same problem. I will also say that I believe that switching to 4.4 corrupted one of my plugins and I have to use an older version of that plugin.

I will wait for LR 5 to come out and even then I will try it on another computer first.

I believe there is still a problem.

[vtfotopro]

For those still having IMPORT problems... Are you running the Jeffrey Freidel export plugins?  I have not idea how or if they could effect import... but mine were slightly out of date and since updating them I am happy to say that I have been able to import from a mixed media card, both MOV and CR2 files!!!

Also, I noticed that LR4.4 now actually closes when I hit the close button, which it did not do before.

[Victoria Bampton LR Queen]

That's a brilliant bit of detective work, well done!!  Which plug-ins were you running?  We ought to let Jeffrey know.

[vtfotopro]

Victoria -- I have been in touch with Jeff.  He was unaware of the problem... and I am still not sure it was the plugins.  Even if the Export plugins could somehow affect Import issues... how would they prevent the LR program from closing down when Xed closed?  I don't know.  I use Jeff's Facebook, Zenfolio, and Picasa export plugins.

--- Richard

[Pete.Green]

Richard, Great job sluething the problem out on your system.

Do you by chance know which version of the plug-ins you were using, and which ones in particular you had installed?

Where did you get the updated plug-ins from?

http://regex.info/blog/lightroom-goodies ?

We're investigating this, and any help is appreciated.

Regards,

Pete

[borneo2013]

Pete:

I've posted several places in this forum, I am running Mac 10.8 on an early 2007 24" iMac with 8GB RAM and a dual core Intel processor. Two hours before my unfortunate upgrade to LR 4.4 I imported several Nikon D600 NEFs with no problems using LR 4,3. I tried changing SD cards, uninstalling and reinstalling LR 4.4,  uninstalling LR 4.4 and reinstalling LR 4.3, installed LR 4.3 and rebooted several times, changed the preference file name, even tried an Olympus RAW file to see if it made a difference. Finally I went back in Time Machine and resrored a "clean" version of LR 4.3. I have no presets on import other than default settings. Nothing works.

The images appear pre import in Library. I get two mesaages 1) can't save to the cat address, and more frequently,  2) Can't read the file with a  list of the files. It's obvious LR 4.4 changed a fundemental component of my operating system that trancends whatever version of LR I install. My last option might be to do a full system back up restore and see what comes of it unless your on staff Evangelist can come up with a miracle soon. The NEFs are piling up.