Ligtroom lost my files - is it possible to export smart previews?

[Strobist Dude]

Howdy! Yesterday I imported raw files from SD card, LR did DNGs automatically and I even check setups for few photos before getting bed. Today I did have another shoot so I formatted my card and shot new photos. Now yesterdays photos are missing (exclamation marks all over and the file could not be founds in every photo). I have run searches based on filenames but locating missing files impossible. 

I can still see previews so 1) where can they be found or 2) how can I export those to jpg? Having at least something is better than nothing. I'm using Mac.

Thanks for advance.

[dj_paige]

You can export Smart Previews, if they were created. They are not created by default, you have to turn on an option to create Smart Previews. Regular previews can be found and extracted via this plug-in.

May I suggest that perhaps you made a mistake and imported the photos from the SD card using ADD? If so, that would explain why Lightroom Classic can't find the photos. Make sure you aren't doing this. Normally, Lightroom Classic does not allow this to happen, but a bug that allows this to happen gets reported from time-to-time.

May I also suggest you develop a robust method of making backups of all of your photos so that this doesn't happen again?

[Strobist Dude]

Thanks but this doesn't really answer my question. If a preview is seen in LR where is it located?

[dj_paige]

I don't know the specific answer to your question, other than it is in a subfolder of the same folder as the catalog file. I do know the plug-in I referred to can find them for you and extract them for your use.

[Strobist Dude]

I installed jf Preview Extraction and in LR status says "This plugin is enabled". How ever it's not listed in export choices as shown in here: http://regex.info/blog/lightroom-goodies/plugin-installation

[dj_paige]

I'm not sure why you claim it should be an export choice, the link I gave says you use File->Plugin Extras->Extract Preview Images

[JohanElzenga]

Maybe this doesn't answer your question, but it is the more logical approach: The first thing to check is where Lightroom thinks the files should be. It should not have been possible to use ADD for a memory card, but is it possible that you selected the SD card as destination, so the files were copied back to that card? Did you reformat that card already? If not, you can simply import the images again.

[Strobist Dude]

Thanks but as I explained I formated it and shot new ones.

This newer happened me before. I import photos to my iMac and backups are taken to drive 1 and drive 2. Unfortunately backups didn't take place since I went this morning to new shoot and thought everything was ok since I did already some ratings and edits yesterday.

[Strobist Dude]

* sigh * After some deep searching I found my files - thanks to CCCloner and safetynet 🙂 🙂 🙂 Desperation turned to celebration! It seems to automatic backups were done after all before me getting bed. It didn't resolve what happened nor was it possible to use previews... I was even thinking to take screenshots from LR and edit few photo as a jpg.

But all is good now 🙂 Thank you for replying.