Unable to re-edit image without deleting catalog

One thing that continues to bother me, is your process of using Windows File explorer, double clicking on the image(s) and that bringing up LrC, correctly.

Now this could be an old dog new tricks thing. I could be arguing against something that is just fine.

So, a test.

1.First up, I maintain a catalog I call Test, just for such a purpose. But it is not a catalog I normally work in, and it would not be the catalog LrC brings up by default. So, I launched LrC, selected that catalog, and edited /preferences/general/ to change the default catalog to open to be Load Most Recent Catalog (I suppose I could have alternatively specified the specific catalog, but this setting is the normal default) (side note: my habit is to prompt for what catalog to open, old dog, old school. old habits)

2. Renamed all the photos is the catalog, sequentially, so that I would have mo issues identifying what is what. Not a huge catalog, not lots of photos, so not a big problem

3. Closed LrC, brought up Windows File Explorer, copied a photo from another source, into the folder that Test catalog uses. Renamed the photo 001.RAF (Fujifilm image), and selected the image and forced an Open With, in this case LrC.

4. LrC started, Library screen came up, then it switched to import screen, All photos in that folder were displayed (note I had all photos, not new photos checked), all but the one test photo were grayed, the test photo was selected. Note that I select Add, then imported. All worked fine. (Oh and I did not have the option to not import suspected duplicates checked)

5. Now I close LrC, waited a few seconds, went back to Windows File Explorer, and repeated the process for that very same photo. The photo that is now in the catalog, in the folder mentioned. The process repeated except when the import screen appeared, all photos were grayed out, I could not re-import the photo. As expected.

6. If I close LrC, and using Windows File explorer, I copy that test photo to another folder, then repeat the test, I can import the photo IF I do not have the button to not import suspected duplicates. In this case, Add was used.

7. And finally, if I repeat (6) but select Copy, and select destination as the same folder way back in step 3. the folder with this photo already in it, and I do not have the do not import suspected duplicates checked. Note, image in say folder A, importing to say folder B. The import occurs, the resultant image gets its file name modified to include a sequence number. Mind you this last test is not what i would want to do normally.

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Summary and conclusion

Point of the test was concerning bringing images into LrC from Windows File Explorer, and would image previously imported, foul things up, would the correct catalog be invoked, would duplicate images be placed. Answer was, correct catalog (at lest in my rig) would be launched, Import would get invoked, extra copy's could be imported IF NOT IN SAME FOLDER, and if the images already existed in the desired folder, the duplicates would get an altered name, involving a sequence number.

So, in your work, where you think the same photo winds up getting re-imported, and existing edits appear to get wiped out, as if a new photo to the catalog.

1. Is the newly imported photo in the same folder as the image you previously worked on
2. Is the newly imported photo renamed adding a sequence number.

@Takeone.Digital, My name is Denis welcome to the forum.

I have been using Lightroom since it was launched in Feb 2007. I agree with you there is no "edit" function in LrC to use on image files. First off you can only work with images that have been imported to the LrC Catalog.

LrC never makes changes to the original images whatever work you do in LrC including "adjustments" done in the Develop Module all that metadata is stored in the Catalog. While you work in LrC it reads and writes constantly to the Catalog.

There is also an option to Automatically write metadata to the file however that is a secondary function that facilitates sharing metadata to other applications mainly Bridge, Photoshop / Camera Raw. There are also menu options to write and read metadata to/from the file manually.

There is a menu option Photo > Edit-in which allows you to send an image to actually edit an image in another application.

When you export a image from LrC the adjustments you have made are applied to the newly created image and if that image is imported to the Catalog there is no way to re-edit the adjustments made on export. The original image is still available for further adjustments if was not deleted from disk or removed from the Catalog.

See the screen captures.

Since you are working with LrC you must have at least the Photography Plan and have access to Photoshop / Camera Raw, Bridge, and the Lightroom ecosystems applications.

It is important to be aware that Lightroom is a completely standalone application and does not require any other Adobe application to be installed on your computer for it to function.

Lightroom Classic is an alternative to Bridge /Camera Raw (plugin for PS) Lightroom is dependent on the info in the Catalog File while Bridge/Camera Raw work with the info in the file, they cannot read or write to the Lightroom Catalog file.

I also find the following very confusing for new LrC users. If you look at the screen captures above LrC is referred to as Lightroom Classic however, if you click on About Lightroom Classic the popup reads Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. That is misleading since LrC does not function like Photoshop. More of a marketing tool I believe.

While waiting for your feedback, perhaps after trying the recommended change in workflow, another point occurs to me, this from the original posting. This involves re-editing the photo in LrC.

Now that can be taken a few ways:

• You want additional edits, or change a few
• You want to ditch what you previously accomplished and re-edit the photo
• You want to keep the previous edits, and accomplish a different edit approach on the same photo

In the first case, simply select the photo, and in the develop module, accomplish the desired edits.

In the second case, select the photo, and in the develop module, reset, or select the first history state in the history panel, and continue editing afresh.

But I suspect the last case.

Now in theory you could add the same photo into the catalog, it would take a few tricks, and it would have to be in a different folder, But that is just wrong. It wastes hard drive space, and it just complicates everything. A much easier way exists. And that is a virtual copy, In LrC, right click on the photo, and select virtual copy. A virtual copy is just a database field entry, not an actual photo, Takes up no space (please do not get picky about database size) and you get to modify it separately from the original. You can have numerous virtual copy's.

trick: If you do not want the virtual copy to have most of the edits already applied to the original, cluck on the first history state in the history panel if in the develop module, before creating the virtual copy.

From the author:

I understand that this is not the way, but to illustrate the problem I tried to reproduce the way it works:
1. Entering the folder on the computer where I have already edited the image (JPEG files only)
2. Right click on the file I already edited > open in LR
3. LR imports to the library screen all the files in the computer folder
As you can see, the file I already edited is grayed out.
(I deleted the directory tree in the menu on the left in the attached picture because of the first names of those photographed)ץ

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My remarks:

1. As mentioned as a reply to your above input, the grayed out images in that import screen are images LrC thinks you already imported, hence it does not by default allow you to import.

2. Stop your practice of using Windows Explorer to enter the folder on the catalog, and selecting an image to edit in LrC. That is not how it is supposed to be done, and it is clearly causing problems.

3. LrC is at heart a database, you need to use the file management within LrC. That is within LrC, not outside of LrC, such as using File Explorer, or Finder on a MAC. Strictly speaking, the Folders panel in LrC, and the import screen source and destinations in LrC are not file management, just tools within LrC to accomplish that task, they work with not against your OS file manager such as Windows File Explorer. Doing it the other way works against LrC keeping track of what is where. 

I know you are a bit aggrieved at being asked to run LrC in a particular way. I know you think it should work in a particular way, I know you think it should be intuitive like using a Apple Smart Phone, iPad, etc. But please give the above advice from various members some creed.

LrC is not a simple app, PS is worse that way, Lr, the cloud based flavor of Lightroom may be simpler, but also less capable. But most of all please try changing your desired habit of starting a session outside of LrC.

LrC was designed as a way to keep track of where your photos are, what you want to do to them, and how you want to publish them.It was designed to support photographers, both amateur, semi pro, and true pro. It is not designed for snap shots. At the same time it is not as heavy as Photoshop, Photoshop being built around graphics design, all techno and whatnot, Lightroom more like in a darkroom.

Adobe built LrC to be a non destructive editor. To do this they created a parametric program, that involved using a database to keep track of each modification, of each photo file location, of each user specified change. Your catalog is that database. If you fight the use of the database, it fails. So, when using LrC, start by opening LrC, not by first selecting a file.

In addition to my recent reply, post members arguing, I need to ask the following. For those that might complain that I should have included this in the previous reply, Nope, want to ask separately as to not conflate the issues. Anyhow.

Something in the back of my head, gives me what is probably an unfounded suspicion. Your copy of LrC as currently installed, with your current sign in. What does LrC show when you click on Help, then System Info? Mostly interested in version, License status, OS, and library location, You can copy then paste it into a reply.

An example:

Lightroom Classic version: 12.0.1 [ 202210260744-9e008017 ]
License: Creative Cloud
Language setting: en
Operating system: Windows 10 - Business Edition
Version: 10.0.19045
Application architecture: x64
System architecture: x64
Logical processor count: 8
Processor speed: 4.0GHz
SqLite Version: 3.36.0
CPU Utilisation: 2.0%
Built-in memory: 16317.1 MB
Dedicated GPU memory used by Lightroom: 119.1MB / 8079.0MB (1%)
Real memory available to Lightroom: 16317.1 MB
Real memory used by Lightroom: 755.0 MB (4.6%)
Virtual memory used by Lightroom: 817.9 MB
GDI objects count: 789
USER objects count: 2675
Process handles count: 2111
Memory cache size: 0.0MB
Internal Camera Raw version: 15.0 [ 1261 ]
Maximum thread count used by Camera Raw: 5
Camera Raw SIMD optimization: SSE2,AVX,AVX2
Camera Raw virtual memory: 0MB / 8158MB (0%)
Camera Raw real memory: 0MB / 16317MB (0%)
System DPI setting: 96 DPI
Desktop composition enabled: Yes
Standard Preview Size: 2560 pixels
Displays: 1) 2560x1440
Input types: Multitouch: No, Integrated touch: No, Integrated pen: Yes, External touch: No, External pen: Yes, Keyboard: No

Graphics Processor Info: 
DirectX: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti (31.0.15.1748)
Init State: GPU for Export supported by default
User Preference: Auto

Application folder: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Lightroom Classic
Library Path: W:\Active Projects\Photography\test\test-v12.lrcat
Settings Folder: C:\Users\goldi\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Lightroom

Installed Plugins: 
1) AdobeStock
2) Aurora HDR
3) ColorChecker Camera Calibration
4) DxO PhotoLab 3
5) DxO PhotoLab 3 Importer
6) HDR Efex Pro 2
7) Helicon Focus Export
8) Iridient X-Transformer
9) jf Bag-o-Goodies
10) jf Extended Search
11) jf Metadata Viewer
12) jf Metadata Wrangler
13) jf System Info
14) Loupedeck
15) Luminar 4
16) ON1 Effects 2023
17) ON1 HDR 2023
18) ON1 NoNoise AI 2023
19) ON1 Photo RAW 2023
20) ON1 Portrait AI 2023
21) ON1 Resize AI 2023
22) Plugin Parameters
23) SmugMug
24) Topaz Photo AI

Please note that I did not include all that techno crud after the plug-in info. Adobe will understand that info, not most members, and just warts up space in a reply.

It is fairly common for members to request the above info. In addition to the parts currently of interest, other issues might call for RAM, GPU, GPU driver, and plug-in info, 

The problem looks like this: on the gallery screen, all images appear from the library from which I have already edited and exported photos. The photos I have already edited and exported are grayed out.

Please I beg of you, use a screen capture app, or even just the Windows print screen, to capture the "gallery screen" and post that in your next, polite, reply. A picture is worth, etc. Please, an actual screen capture not some photo via  smartphone. 

By the way, Gallery? Not sure what that is, not a LrC term, could be your description, but that screenshot will help.

P.S. just to ward off a possible argumentative issue, when you post that screenshot in your reply, please do not use the attachment option (if available to newly members) but instead use the Insert Photo button. Some members do not trust no matter what, attachments.

Clearly sounds like you need some classes or view tutorials. Following is a great source:

https://jkost.com/blog/lightroom-training-videos

Every time I want to re-edit an image that I've already edited, I have to delete the catalog file so that Her Highness will allow me to re-edit.

By @Takeone.Digital

The way it's intended to be used is that you don’t have to delete anything, instead you open the same catalog, select the same original, switch into the Develop module, and simply continue on with more edits and export the edited copy again.

Are you using a different workflow, like importing, editing, exporting, and (this would be unusual and not recommended) deleting the original from the catalog, leaving you with only the exported copy?

Deleting the catalog is a very unusual step that just about no one else does, so that suggests the application is not being used in the way it was designed.

If used as intended in a nondestructive workflow, editing and re-editing in Lightroom Classic is extremely flexible and productive. For example, in the Develop module, all your previous edits for a specific photo are available in the History panel so that even if you close the application and then re-open it a week later, you can always add to the same image’s earlier edits, or roll back/reset to any previous edit state including before you started editing.

Do you mean that you cannot re-edit an exported image file? That is true, but nothing is final and fixed until export. The edit instructions in the catalog are just that, no more than provisional instructions, easily changed. Recently, motivated by LR's latest technical advances, I have been using some spare time to redo old photos that were originally imported into LR 15 years ago and have patiently been waiting to be renewed. The only problem is that once you have accumulated a backlog of about a hundred thou, the vision of all the wonderful updates you could do becomes a remote dream.

Every time I want to re-edit an image that I've already edited, I have to delete the catalog file so that Her Highness will allow me to re-edit.

Ask yourself a quick question: how often do you see other people complaining about this?

Answer: you don't. You can edit and re-edit any file in Lr as often as you want, and Lr won't have a single thing to say about it.

So that means there's something about your local set-up, or how you're using Lr, that's the problem.

It would help if you told us what actually happens when you try and re-edit a file - your complaint is pretty light on actual useful detail...