Unable to Edit in Lightroom Classic

Report · Jan 25, 2023

Hello!

I am a helpdesk technician, and one of my users recently received a new laptop. Everything transferred over correctly, but when she goes to edit by right-clicking, all of the options are greyed out. I've read that this means it's working with the Smart Preview instead of the actual image, but I cannot find out to fix. Any help would be appreciated, thank you!

Report · Jan 25, 2023

Could mean the actual photo is missing.

https://www.computer-darkroom.com/lr2_find_folder/find-folder.htm

Report · Jan 25, 2023

Before my reply, I am going to apologize in advance for knowing nothing about the Adobe creative software - only 3 people in our org use it.

I don't see any exclamation points or question marks in Lightroom abover her folders. I copied everything from her old computer to the new one, putting them in the same folders. I understand that it's weird because it's not the same hard drive, but all of the pictures are there on the new one.

Report · Jan 25, 2023

Look in the folders panel, not the collections. Also, in library module, in grid mode, look at the thumbnails.

Report · Jan 25, 2023

So it looks like the file locations don't match up. But, which I go to locate the files, it says that they should be in the Pictures\Lightroom\Mobile Downloads.lrdata folder. There is nothing in the folder on the new OR old computer. Luckily, she has a photo archive on a network drive of ours, but she has probably over 1,000 photos that we'll have to locate and update the location. Do you know of a way to do that en masse?

Report · Jan 25, 2023

Do you mean

... but when she goes to Edit In by right-clicking ... ??

If that's what is happening then Photoshop and other software have not been properly installed.

NOTE: Some of us can't see your screen capture. Better to include screen captures using the "Insert Photos" icon rather than attaching files.

Report · Jan 25, 2023

Apologies-

Everything is installed, but I think our issue is Lightroom doesn't like that we swapped computers. It's trying to edit a "Smart Preview" instead of the actual photo.

Report · Jan 25, 2023

That screenshot you posted, where it states Edit In, that is a option to edit a photo in an external program, that is not Lightroom Classic. Photoshop for example.This is not the same as editing in Lightroom classic. To accomplish a "Edit In" you need the original photo, not just a preview, not just the smart preview. If you do not have, or more specifically Lightroom Classic does not have access to the original, then you see those edit in options grayed out, as in cannot accomplish.

A smart preview, is a special preview that can present edits when the original photo is temporarily not available, for example if the photo is on an external hard drive that is disconnected. Such use is limited in scope and quality of displayed image. And does not work foe exports, for external edits, fir printing, for zooming in.

Some might temporarily use smart previews to speed up develop edits by intentanaly working with the itty bitty preview instead of the full RAW or even Raster image.

Working with smart previews has largely fell out of common usage with improvements in LrC and hardware.

https://www.phototraces.com/lightroom-tutorials/lightroom-smart-previews/

Report · Jan 25, 2023

Ok, new computer, copy files from old to new, correct?

You copied the catalog, correct?

Did you copy the photos? Sounds like not.

Sounds like some references are needed:

How do I move Lightroom to a new computer? | Lightroom Queen

How do I use my Lightroom catalog on multiple computers? | Lightroom Queen

Lightroom Classic catalog FAQ | Adobe

Lightroom Top 10 Gotcha’s | Lightroom Queen

You're Probably Not Backing Up All of Your Lightroom Classic Data | F Stoppets