Issues with Importing from another LR Classic Catalog

[Dougparks]

I am having issues with importing a Lightroom Classic catalog created on a laptop and saved to a 4 TB portable drive.  I am successful at exporting a LR Classic catalog from my laptop, but when I attempt to import the catalog onto my desktop, I get an error message that says that Lightroom cannot import from this catalog, as the catalog does not appear to be a valid lightroom catalog.  I have used the same system many times before but have not experienced this since I upgraded to Lightroom Classic.  Is there a bug with the new Classic that needs to be fixed?

[KR Seals]

I just did that successfully, exporting a LR CL catalog created on my Macbook Pro and importing it into LR CL on my main PC.

Are you using the latest version of LR CL on both laptop and desktop?

[tomb88173330]

I have the same issue, and yes, I am.

[tomb88173330]

OK, tried it from a folder not on the network, and it works. That's annoying.

[rockdoc1010]

I'm having the same issue and "yes"  I'm using the current version of LR Classic CC on both my laptop and desktop compters.

[REDennis]

Same problem here.  Desktop and laptop on home network. Went to import from another catalog, selected the laptop catalog from the desktop, got that error message "... not a valid lightroom catalog".  Running same version of Lightroom Classic CC 2018 on both computers.  Import from another catalog worked across this same network and same computers prior to this iteration of the software.

[ManiacJoe]

What happens if you copy the source catalog from the network to a local drive then try the import on the local copy?

[tomb88173330]

If you copy the catalog to a local drive, it works fine.

[REDennis]

Tried that.  Copied the catalog and associated files to a local drive internal to my desktop.  Look like it started to import then failed due to an "unknown error"

[rockdoc1010]

I tried that before my first post and it didn't work.

[rockdoc1010]

In my situation I'm NOT using a network of any type. My laptop is running Windows 10 and my desktop is an iMac running the latest operating system. For my laptop I use an external drive for my travel catalog. I connect the external HD to the iMac to import the travel catalog into my primary catalog. It's worked previously, but not since I've installed LR Classic CC.

I did copy my travel catalog to the iMac and it still wouldn't import it.

[tomb88173330]

OK that’s really odd then. For me it errors from the network but it works locally. All the newest catalog format.

[REDennis]

Still not importing after doing the following:

a) Exported the laptop folder (one folder, approx 1500 images) as a new catalog

b) copied catalog and all associated files from laptop over to local C: drive on desktop

c) opened the new catalog successfully; then targeted the catalog folder to the actual folder containing the image files, previously copied via Windows Explorer over from the laptop to the desktop internal second drive

d) All image "stars" and stacking settings applied then automatically and correctly to the image files.

e) spent some time editing files in an effort to make certain this catalog was updated correctly on the desktop C: drive

f) selected my original master catalog to open and relaunch Lightroom

g) went to import the single folder catalog just closed prior to relaunch

h) started to import, but then stopped with a catalog problem error message

So bottom line I cannot now import from another catalog into my master catalog, whether across a network or on a local drive, or even on a local drive after using the new catalog prior to import into my master catalog. 

The whole import mechanism seems broken.  Also, I optimized my master catalog prior to attempting import.

This all worked a few weeks back following my previous trip, that is successful import from another catalog across my network from the laptop to the desktop, which was just prior to Adobe upgrading to Lightroom Classic CC along with the new Lightroom CC.

[REDennis]

BTW the absolute most annoying problem is on synchronizing my image folder within the master catalog to pull in my image files that way rather than via "import from another catalog" is that I lose ALL the file stacking settings. Annoying because I do a lot of image stitches and HDR work, and I group the respective files together in stacks. I do set my laptop to write everything to XMP sidecar files, so my image edits and star settings are retained, but I lose all the stack groupings.

[xmayeur]

I have exactly the same problem on my laptop. I've created a small catalog on the local drive of my laptop. Then I wanted to import this new catalog into an existing one on an USB drive. It started to import then failed due to an "unknown error".

I am using the version 7.1 of Lighthroom Classic CC on Windows 10.

It worked with previous versions of LR.

[REDennis]

still having the problem.  Created a couple of test catalogs today to try workarounds.  Again, goal to get images from a catalog on my laptop into my master catalog on my desktop.  Both are Windows 10 machines across my home network.  Importing from another catalog across this same network worked just fine prior to the major Lightroom updates of a couple months ago.

So, made a folder with about 400 new NEF RAW image files.  Created a new catalog (called V1) on my laptop.  Used Photomechanic to import files to the new catalog.  I then closed the catalog, and opened my original laptop catalog.  Went to Import from another catalog, selected the new catalog, which came up promptly and correctly showing me the new 400 NEF RAW images in that new catalog.  All imported to my original laptop catalog just fine - no problems.  Again, all this took place locally on my laptop hard drive.

So, made a second folder of about 400 NEF RAW files, new folder name, on my laptop harddrive.  Created a new LR catalog, with a new test name (called V2), on my laptop.  Performed the same import via Photomechanic as in example above.  Then, closed out LR.  Went to desktop machine.  Copied the new folder from the laptop across my network to my desktop machine drive.  Opened LR on my desktop, went to Import from another catalog, reached out across my network to my laptop to find the V2 new test catalog.  LR tried to open it BUT FAILED, same UNKNOWN ERROR issue.  Therefore no photos were imported from the catalog at all to my desktop.

So, back to my laptop.  Copied just the V2 test catalog over to a portable Lacie harddrive.  Walked that harddrive back to my desktop. Opened LR, went to Import from another catalog, selected the catalog file from the Lacie external HD, AND IT OPENED CORRECTLY, AND CORRECTLY IMPORTED THE PHOTO FILES FROM THE CATALOG.  Once imported, I was able to direct the imported question-marked-folder to the local desktop drive folder that contained the actual RAW image files, and everything matched up and all was well.

So the solution:  when trying now to import to a desktop master catalog from a laptop project catalog, first copy the image files across the network to the desktop drive, as usual.  Then, use an external portable harddrive, and copy the laptop project catalog only to that portable drive.  Physically plug that drive into the desktop, and on the desktop machine run LR and Import from Another Catalog selecting the catalog file on the plugged in external drive.  It works.

My conclusion is that something in the way LR handles Import from Another Catalog across a network was broken in the massive LR updates of a couple months ago, and as of today (01/05/18) is not yet fixed.

Anyone from Adobe following this post??

[ManiacJoe]

LR does not allow any catalogs to be accessed on a network drive, only on internal or external local drives.

[sakasphoto]

Except that, until this update, I could import from another catalog that existed on a networked computer and didn't exist locally.  This is a crucial part of a workflow that we've been using for the past 3+ years. 

Am I correct in understanding that the only way to fix this issue currently is to copy the images over to the local drive and then import from there? 

[apmckinlay]

I couldn't get that method to work  (may not have done it quite right)

In case it helps anyone else, I found if I exported to a new catalog (without the images), I was able to import that catalog.

I still copied the image files manually and then "located" them after import

Sad that Adobe hasn't fixed what seems to be such a blatant problem. Don't they have any automated tests for this feature? Even just a "Sorry folks, we're working on it" would be nice.

[shootersshoot]

I had both catalogs I wanted to work with on my SSD. Also had a copy of 1x on my main machine and recieved this same issue. I removed from my main machine, was only working with files on my SSD, and it worked.

[robertf54354583]

I just had this problem.

Then the problem went away.

Things I did just before making the problem go away:

1. The source catalog was written by Lightroom Classic 8.1. I was trying to read it in 8.0.  Updated to 8.1.

2. Went to the info on the file and tried to change the permissions. Didn't work, but tried

3. Copied the file. Mind, it's the original file that succeeded in importing.

Configuration:

Catalog created on laptop (no images, just the database data)

File copied over the network to the desktop.

[gmotophotos]

I´ve got the same issue with the importing/merging of catalogues. The original catalogue opens fine. I even optimised it, threw away the previews and rebuilt them all. Got rid of two files which had issues with preview building. Still no joy. Even tried exporting the catalogue a to a new one on my local HD and tried importing THAT catalogue. Still no joy. Same error message.