Lightroom Classic Problem- After Re-opening a previous catalog, all of my edits are missing

[Dana Ann]

I am having issues with my lightroom catalog- upon opening a previously edited catalog back up, ALL of my edits are gone. The images are back to their original state, untouched.

I selected the preview images that I edited by starring them. The odd part is that the stars still populate on my previously edited images, but none of the editing itself was saved. It does not show up in the left toolbar under 'history' in the develop tab either. They just went poof and all my work is gone. I am working off of the same hard drive, the files nor lightroom catalog have been moved.

I have also edited other catalogs in the meantime without this issue taking place. No edits were made to my lightroom or computer preferences.

I have already been on chat support with Adobe, and since the problem cannot be replicated currently, they told me everything is fully functional and there is nothing to worry about. That said, I have used Lightroom for years and never encountered an issue like this. It is very concerning to not know the cause and frustrating I am supposed to just trust it won't happen again.

Has anyone encountered anything like this?

Lightroom Version: Lightroom Classic 10.2

Computer info: iMac 5k, late 2015 version

Software: macOS Big Sur 11.4

[GoldingD]

That backup, is that via LrC? 

If so, how did you open it? Uncompressed first?

[Dana Ann]

Yep! All work is done in LrC for me.

I had the main catalog backed up in its original location on an external hard drive. The second catalog I 'exported as catalog' with smart previews. Upon coming back to open both of those catalogs, all editing data was missing but starred images were still present.

[GoldingD]

but starred images were still present.

Images, or previews of images?

[GoldingD]

A screenshot of your Library Module, grid view, with Folders Panel visible, may be helpful. In that Folders Panel, expand it as to show Parent Folder(s)

[Dana Ann]

All of the original images were still showing up in the catalog, folders panel, and located in the same folder. It wasn't an issue of image relocation/not being found. 

It is the strangest thing, all of the editing work that had been done to the images was gone- there was no evidence of previous edits within the history panel of any of the images either. That's why it is so odd that those selected images (I had previously edited, this was only about 10% of the full catalog of images) still had their star rating I had assigned.