Need to reconnect edits to renamed folders

[carmenrmegapix]

I'm using Lightroom (CC) on a Windows 10 PC. Forgive me if I've duplicated this post, but I searched the forum to find the previous post I thought I had made and my search comes up empty.

I thought I was being efficient and renamed my folders according to the events they contained. I use Lightroom to do the renaming. Now when I go to the newly named folders, my edits are missing. If I go to the previous folders (which are still showing in Lightroom "Folders"), the edits show, but Lightroom can't find the photos. Again, I used Lightroom to rename. I have tried right-clicking on the question mark beside folder names and it still can't connect them. I've tried clicking on the exclamation point at the top right of the photos themselves and I still cannot connect them to the photos in the renamed files. (Each photo within the renamed folder still has the same name as the photo in the original folder.)

Please help!

Thanks!

Carmen Rockett

[carmenrmegapix]

Hmmm. In aftersight, I may not have used Lightroom for the renaming, though I thought for sure I did. I just tested the idea with a folder that didn't matter (random trees that need timming), and renamed it using Lightroom. It is still visible and has edits. Some of the folders I am trying to access and reconnect edits are not showing at all in Lightroom and have to be imported, then don't have edits.

[dj_paige]

Is this the previous post? How do I retain edit settings after re-importing?

If so, do not reply here, continue the discussion in that post.

[carmenrmegapix]

No, it's not my previous post. Thanks for looking.

[Abambo]

You need to right click on the missing folder (or Control-Click on a Mac) and remap the folder to the new name.

In the future do not rename files or folders you have imported into Lr outside of Lr...

[carmenrmegapix]

Abambo, In my original post I mentioned that I already tried this and it won't work. I understand what I don't need to do in the future. 🙂

[Abambo]

Needless to say that your original post is quite confusing! I do not know what you think to have done and what you have done.

Anyhow:

If you have renamed the folder outside of Lr and did not touch the pictures in that folder, then reconnecting using "Find missing folder..." works.

You may also reconstruct (outside of Lr) the old situation. Lr will automatically sense that the files are there again.

[dj_paige]

Again, I used Lightroom to rename. I have tried right-clicking on the question mark beside folder names and it still can't connect them.

"it still can't connect them" -- the command doesn't automatically do the connection.

This command requires YOU, the human user, to tell Lightroom the new folder name, using the dialog box that appears. Did you do that? See Figures 5 and 6 in this document for more details: Adobe Lightroom - Find moved or missing files and folders

[carmenrmegapix]

Yes, I followed the prompts and selected the appropriate folder. I then get a dialogue box that says, "The selected folder or one of its subfolders is already in Lightroom. Do you want to combine these folders?

When I make the appropriate choice, "Merge", it responds with "Some folders could only be partially combined because files of the same name existed in both location. The duplicate files and folders have been left in their previous location." The options it gives to that dialogue box are "Show in Libraray" or "Cancel".

[dj_paige]

Is this what happened when you used the command "Find Missing Folder"? Please answer YES or NO.

Sounds like you have not just re-named a folder outside of LR but something else like copied it, or relocated it in the hierarchy. Is this what you did? Or possibly you used Find Missing Folder and then pointed Lightroom to the wrong folder, possibly one above it in the folder hierarcy? Does that sound possible?

[carmenrmegapix]

YES. This is what happened when I used the command "Find Missing Folder".

I simply renamed the file.

Of course, when I rename a folder, it will be filled with photos that have the exact same names as the original folder because I did not go and re-name each photo. It seems that in order to identify the photos that belong to the edits previously done, the program would HAVE TO look for files with the same names.

While I was fairly certain I renamed the folders using lightroom, they do not automatically show up under the new name in Lightroom. I have had to import them from my C drive.

[dj_paige]

Importing photos will not enable you to reconnect the edits.

At this point, I think I'd need to see screen captures of the missing photos that see in Lightroom, and additional screen captures of these exact same photos as seen in your operating system.

[carmenrmegapix]

Here you go:

[carmenrmegapix]

Here is the process I am going through.

OK. That's odd. I have followed this exact process about five times before, but as I was capturing screens and pasting them in this conversation, it worked! So, I guess problem solved.

[dj_paige]

And the reason it worked is because I have had my fingers crossed

Well anyway, a happy ending is always good.

[carmenrmegapix]