Lost history in transitioning catalogue and files

[LeChef54]

I've started the transition of image files and catalogue to a new SSD by copying them from an older smaller SSD all hooked up to an old iMac. In the process of transferring them, I appear to have lost the history from most of those images, both on the new and old SSD's. In the history panel there is nothing but the transfer date. In the development module all registers are zero'd out.

I still have all the original files, catalogue and backups on the old drive. What is the best way to restore those file histories? Can I I restore them using a backup file? Can I use TimeCapsule to restore everything to a date before I started the transfer process? 

Many thanks for your help!

[JP Hess]

If, after you moved the catalog and images to the new hard drive, you simply opened Lightroom and everything started normally then all the history should have been in place and you should have been able to simply start where you left off. On the other hand, if you imported the images again then Lightroom is going to treat them as new imports and there will be no history. You will have to start over. So the question is, how did you begin using the catalog and images after you transfer them to the new hard drive?

[dj_paige]

How to move photos to a new disk drive (scroll down to Part 2 — Updating Folder Location)

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

[LeChef]

Technically I did not move the files and catalogue -  I copied them from the old drive to the new one. I suspect I imported them...When I opened up LR I changed the locations for where imported images should be stored on the new drive. That's when I noticed that most of the images had no history. When I look at the images on the old drive they have lost their history too.

Hence the reason I wondered whether I could use either of the backups (LR or TimeCapsule) to get back to when the histories were still associated with the image files.

[dj_paige]

"Technically I did not move the files and catalogue - I copied them"

It doesn't matter, the document I referred to explains how to do this properly and without issues.

"Hence the reason I wondered whether I could use either of the backups (LR or TimeCapsule) to get back to when the histories were still associated with the image files."

Histories are not associated with the image files. They are stored in the catalog. Thus, the instructions I linked to will make this process work.

And if you're not sure about how catalogs work, then please follow the instructions exactly as they are written rather than trying to figure it out by yourself.

[LeChef]

Thanks for the instructions. To my remorse the horse may have bolted in that I didn't follow the process (an old "LR hand" gave me his process to follow) and now even my "original" images do not seem to have histories. So I assume when I mistakenly reimported the images to the new location that the catalogue in both locations were stripped of the histories.

So I'm still wondereing whether I can roll back to the day before I started this process, by returning to either an earlier backup in LR, or doing the same with TimeCapsule, and doing the process from scratch exactly as you lay it out?

J

[dj_paige]

Your original images NEVER HAD histories, because Lightroom doesn't store the histories in the images. It stores them in the catalog.

You need to find the catalog file from before you started this process.

[LeChef]

I know where the original catalogue file is and also where the copy is. I also know where the backup catalogue files are. So the question still is can I roll back to a backup  before I copied the files to make sure I still have histories?

[dj_paige]

Yes, if you have a working catalog with the proper image edit history, then just follow the instructions.

[LeChef]

As I keep saying neither the original catalogue nor the copy of that catalogue have working histories. All they say is "export" and the date of the file. If they did I would not need to keep asking the same question:

Do I need to use a Lightroom backup catalogue from before I began the copy and transfer of catalogue and files to a new location so I can restore the histories?

Or should I take a TimeCapsule backup from that date and go back before I began the copy and transfer of catalogue and files to a new location so I can restore the histories?

Thanks!

[dj_paige]

Then you would want to find a backup catalog from before you did this copy to a different disk. It doesn't matter if it is a Time Machine or other backup, as long as it is before you did this copy.

[LeChef54]

Sadly didn't work. I still end up with no histories for images, despite going back two steps before I started to transfer files and the catalogue. Time to capture a closer look at some different editing software.

[LeChef54]

Finally worked by going back a few days earlier. Now I just need to get LR to see folders and images that came after that backup date that are on the SSD.