Merging catalogs from different LR versions - with some overlap! How?

[Sy James]

I wonder if anyone has some experience and expertise to recommend the easiest route to

this intimidating task:  I have Lightroom CC (2015) and also Lightroom Classic vers 9.2.1 (which I began to use without deleting the previous Lightroom, and foolishly used both for a while without realizing I was

doing it.  Now I would like to merge the catalogs and continue using Lightroom Classic exclusively.

Unfortunately, there are many overlaps in the two catalogs, and also many pictures exclusive to each.

To make matters more confusing, the keywording exists for some photos in one catalog (in CC2015) and

the keywords seem to be absent for the same photo in Lightroom Classic.

Where do I begin? Does anyone have a process to recommend?

Many thanks for any thoughts.

Jim

[cmgap]

Go to File>Import from Catalog and select the older catalog. Lightroom will merge the catalog without importing duplicates.

[Sy James]

Thank  you - and do you know if the keywording from the older catalog will be discarded if the same photo exists in the newer catalog but without the keyword?  I'm wary that this Import from catalog command is a one time thing, and that info discarded will be gone for good... is that a rational fear? 

[dj_paige]

The Lightroom Classic documentation gives you the list of options available, perhaps one of them is the one you want.

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/help/import-photos-various-sources.html#import_photos_from...

[Sy James]

Thanks very much dj_paige! This is going to be very helpful. 

I'm anxious not to lose a couple of years of keywording!!

thank you both.

[cmgap]

It's not that the information will be discarded and gone for good. What the issue is here is that Lightroom won't import images  that are already in your catalog so  the  keywords won't be imported either. Can you check  your  old Catalog Settings to see if  you  have the Automatically write changes into  XMP checked. If you do, you can replace the XMP files of the images with  keywords... depending on the volume and your comfort  level it  may be easier/faster to redo your keywording.