Need guidance to create a new catalog- and then import existing catalog photos into

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
May 25, 2024
2 replies
3204 views

I need to re-create my Lightroom catalog as I suspect the existing catalog is corrupt as it cannot be backed up. I've hired consultants to help but only result now is I've created a new empty catalog and found that indeed it can be backed up. So now for the second step. bringing in the existing library of photos so that it shows up nice and organized as it did in the old catalog. I've tried importing twice now and wind up with a mess both times. Where can I find straightforward help to accomplish this?

TIA,

Ken

macOS

Correct answer richardplondon

Okay, perfect, but now it only exported one folder with 21 images not the entire catalog. Do I need to select the folders? it will only let me select one image at a time so I don't think that is the isslue. Selecting nothing would be best. You would think that expporting catalog would be enough to export the entire catalog and not just individual items. I'll be so glad when this is resolved.

Did you click in All Photographs? AFAICT this feature exports whatever is currently showing in the Filmstrip / in Grid view. So if you are clicked to view just a certain folder, then that folder's contents is the maximum you will get. Furthermore, if you've also checked the option "Export selected photos only", you won't necessarily get all of those even - perhaps none - depending on which photos within that folder are currently highlighted (selected).

B

Bogiebooo

Inspiring

I had something very similar to this happen to me after I downloaded Version 13….I ended up calling Adobe…800-833-6687…the lady I spoke to at Adobe put me through to some tech guy…..I also couldn’t export to PS……He said I needed to send them my catalogue…he took control of my computer and got the catalogue…within 24 hours Adobe contacted me that they had corrected my catalogue and they wanted to send it back…they did so and they also helped me reload the catalogue….Everything works find now.

Ken NielsenAuthor

Legend

This is probably what I will need to do and hopefully will have the good fortune that you've had. After wrestling with this for months now. Thanks Boglebooo for the tip. It will be so good to have this resolved and a catalog working normally again.

R

richardplondon

Community Expert

In the new empty catalog - you do know NOT to use "import photos and videos", right?

Rather, you want "import from another catalog" - the screenshot is from Windows but I am sure MacOS will have a similar menu.

The outcome is that the existing catalog's information about:
what images are imported from what folders, how those are organised virtually (Collections, keywords etc), how edited and with what History - all gets merged in wholesale.

Ken NielsenAuthor

Legend

Here we go with the second part of doing the import, and that would be selecting the options:
I gather that I'll see a window after I select the catalog file with a breakdown of catalog contents, folders with my negative files. You mention Richard, to click into "All Photographs" and to make sure "Export selected photos only" is left un-checked. All file locations will remain the same so un-check "Export negative files" (oddly named as you mention) and I don't see the 'negative files' mentioned yet. Ratings, metadata, and/or edits will be preserved if I choose "do nothing.'

Now, as a last question before I do anything I want to understand at this point I should be able to proceed. I will do nothing until I hear what you have to say about what I've written down here. I don't want to add anything or change anything, just import the old catalog contents into the new. Does all of this look okay to you? If any comments please let me know as I'm ready to try this tonight. Thanks for your help Richard.

richardplondon

Ken NielsenAuthor

Legend

It's perfectly safe to try: the only data you are modifying is the Catalog that you are importing into. Your prior Catalog (that you are importing from) is not altered at all. If you were not happy with the outcome, you could simply erase the new Catalog and make a fresh empty one.

Prompts that can arise with 'Import from Another Catalog' have to do with how you would want any conflicts / comparisons as may arise between image versions that are already there, and incoming image versions for the same photos, to be resolved. Since an empty catalog starts with NO photos whatever, such questions will not even get asked.

This is helpful, don't know why I am getting an empty catalog even after importing. I will try again as you say, no harm done. Thank You Richard.

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