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markusl30763660
Participant
July 22, 2018
Answered

Lost all the LR edits from external HD

  • July 22, 2018
  • 1 reply
  • 420 views

I have pictures on multiple external hard drives, and I've never experienced this issue before. I've been using LR 5.0 on my home computer and Lightroom Classic CC at work. Today I imported 5000+ pics, many of which edited with LR 5.0, from an external HD to my home computer. The pictures have been edited with the same computer, but I've changed the original HD to an SSD drive some time ago.

I've used this external HD before, and the edits have always followed through. This time I chose "add" (tried "copy" later), and imported all the raw files to my current catalogue (LR 5.0). However, NONE of the edits were there anymore. I don't remember if I've opened and/or edited the pictures with Lightroom Classic CC after saving them on the external HD or not, but I downloaded the software (Lightroom Classic CC) on my computer (MacBook Pro) and tried again. The result was the same: ZERO edits visible. I have no idea what the issue could be.

This is, of course, devastating, so I'd be beyond extatic to get my "life's work" back. I haven't dared to try the other external HDs with Lightroom edits yet, as the shock is simply too much to handle... Please, could you help me out?

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer JohanElzenga

If I understand you correctly, then you have a catalog on that external HD as well? In that case, just go to ‘File - Open catalog’ and open the catalog on that external HD.

1 reply

JohanElzenga
Community Expert
JohanElzengaCommunity Expert
Community Expert
July 22, 2018

If you import images in Lightroom, they will come in without edits. That is because edits are stored in the catalog, not in the images, and imported images are considered new images. The only exception to this rule is if you used ‘save metadata to files’ when you edited them. In that case the edits are also stored in xmp sidecar files, and those are read again on importing. Maybe you did that in the past, and forgot it this time. You can do this in two ways: set in the preferences that Lightroom should always do that, or select the images and do it manually (Cmd-S or Ctrl-S).

The usual way to make edits on two computers is not to import the images, but to use ‘Import from another catalog’ and merge the catalogs. In your case this may not work however, because you use different versions at home and at work. Lightroom Classic can import a Lightroom 5 catalog (after upgrading it), but vice versa this is not possible.

-- Johan W. Elzenga
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markusl30763660Author
Participant
July 22, 2018

Thank you for your wise words.

Here's the situation. Most of the pictures are on the former HD of my home computer. It is an external HD now, and I also have a time machine copy of the whole thing on another external drive. So, basically the edits could/should be there, if I open Lightroom from the former home HD (or its time machine copy), but...

If I try to open Lightroom 5 from the former HD on my current MacBook Pro, it automatically opens Lightroom 5 from the current internal hard drive. I tried to work through the issue by plugging the former HD on my other Mac (a Mac Pro), which doesn't have Lightroom installed, but I hit another brick wall: the software asks for the product key, and when I type it in, I am at ground zero again. None of the edits are there.

It seems like I do not have the xmp files, nor can I 'import from another catalogue'. Is there something else that I could try in a situation such as this? I don't have the photos on internal drives anywhere.

JohanElzenga
Community Expert
JohanElzengaCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
July 22, 2018

If I understand you correctly, then you have a catalog on that external HD as well? In that case, just go to ‘File - Open catalog’ and open the catalog on that external HD.

-- Johan W. Elzenga
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