Missing Virtual Copies after Importing a Catalog?

[Nortonian]

My setup is Lightroom Classic on main desktop PC (Windows 10) and all my photos. I also want to edit and add photos to the same catalog using my Windows 10 laptop.

I exported a selection of photos (e.g. this year's) plus Smart Previews using a USB stick and duly imported that into LR Classic on my laptop. I did some editing and 'deleting' on the laptop, etc., then exported that using the USB stick back to the desktop. (Note, that was purely the lrcat file this time.)

A couple of days later, I repeated the exercise (I was looking to find a workflow which suited me), and this time I noticed that the Catalog was showing different numbers of photos on the two computers. I eventually concluded that the reason for 'missing' files was because my virtual copies were not moving in either the 'export catalog' or the 'import catalog' process.

My question is "Why?"

Could it be anything to do with the fact that the laptop only has Smart Previews on it?

Obviously I have only just moved to Classic, but I have used Lightroom since Day 1: I didn't try this workflow using any previous versions. (I tried the external USB3 HDD system with my catalog + photos on that, but the warning messages that I kept getting were not good for my heart!).

It could be I'm doing something daft - any help on pinning this down would be greatly appreciated.

Ian

[dj_paige]

I exported a selection of photos (e.g. this year's) plus Smart Previews using a USB stick and duly imported that into LR Classic on my laptop.

Virtual copies will not transfer this way.

If you want virtual copies, you have to Export As Catalog and not export the individual photos.

[Nortonian]

dj, thanks for your response. Unfortunately, my original post was wrong - I used "Export as Catalog" and "Import as Catalog" exclusively in the process. That's what is so frustrating - I have read and read, and researched on the Net, and still it trips me up. I accept it could be me, rather than Adobe, but I just hope that someone can spot the problem. I don't imagine I'm the only one trying this method?

Ian

[dj_paige]

A couple of days later, I repeated the exercise (I was looking to find a workflow which suited me), and this time I noticed that the Catalog was showing different numbers of photos on the two computers. I eventually concluded that the reason for 'missing' files was because my virtual copies were not moving in either the 'export catalog' or the 'import catalog' process.

What do you see that tells you this? Did you actually go into the Library Module and find the photos that are supposed to have virtual copies, and then you found the virtual copies were not there? Or are you just looking at a number somewhere? Or something else?

[Nortonian]

As you know, Library shows the number of photos in each Folder, or strictly speaking, the sum of Photos + Virtual Copies. So my first move was checking these figures on both computers. I then put the two computer screens side by side and physically compared them, photo by photo (on the folders with varying numbers). I eventually realised that the problem was the Virtual Copies, which had not come across; in your own words "I found the virtual copies were not there".

However, that 'year' which I exported/imported as a Catalog DOES have about 80 virtual copies in it at this very minute (out of about 2500 photos) - I have checked that out as I typed this very sentence. And just for sake of completeness, I have gone to my desktop machine and found that there are only 60 there!!! I suspect that, since I have done this export/import catalog thing 2 or 3 times since I upgraded to Classic, I have been losing SOME virtual copies each time, in both directions.

I feel a move to ON1 coming on!!!

Ian

[dj_paige]

Are you sure the photo and the virtual copy is not stacked together, and you are only seeing one photo? Did you try to unstack the photo where there should be a virtual copy?

[Nortonian]

dj, thanks for sticking with me on this one.

Unfortunately, that's not the answer either. I haven't actually used the stacking options for a great number of years, but I wanted to test out your idea, just in case something was happening behind the scenes. What I found was that if I did stack a folder of photos with virtual copies in it, the quantity number did not change in the Library: obviously, the number of thumbnails visible DID vary, but the stated number didn't, and it was those varying numbers which alerted me in the first place.

Looks like tomorrow I will have to revert to my backups (I'm backing up on almost every exit just now) but it is so discouraging, especially when the problem cannot be pinned down.

[dj_paige]

You should report this probable bug to Adobe Lightroom Classic CC | Photoshop Family Customer Community

[good_Rainbow0D4C]

Same issue here grrrr.

[Todd Shaner]

'Export as Catalog' should include all virtual copies. Are you sure they aren't stacked with the original file or perhaps a Library Filter is being applied?

1) In the Library module upper-left 'Catalog' panel select 'All Photographs,' Select All images (CTRL/CMD A keys), right-click on one of the images, and select 'Stacking'> 'Expand All Stacks.' It may take a while before you see that option pop-up.

2) Open the Filter Bar using the \ key and make sure 'None' is selected.