Serious keyword issues. Lightroom classic release 9.2

[jens_wolf]

I have a serious problem with keywords. I am backing Lightroom up almost anytime the system suggest me to. I have discovered the alteration of many keywords.

I have keywords with names of a certain person, like "John Smith". Recently, and I don´t know when it happened, Lightroom has altered "John Smith" to two keywords "John" and "Smith". I cannot recreate "John Smith", and I certainly have many "John"s now piled in one keyword. And these keywords, along with many others have been added randomly to other pictures.

And I fear, that restoring an old backup will delete my resent work. I try not to panic.

What can I do? I have +25.000 photos with keywords and hope there is a solution to my problem.

I am using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic. 9.2.

[john beardsworth]

"I have keywords with names of a certain person, like "John Smith". Recently, and I don´t know when it happened, Lightroom has altered "John Smith" to two keywords "John" and "Smith". I cannot recreate "John Smith", and I certainly have many "John"s now piled in one keyword. And these keywords, along with many others have been added randomly to other pictures."

LR doesn't do this kind of thing on its own, so let's see a few screenshots. Have you been using any other apps with these photos? Assume not. How do you normally add keywords, typing, metadata templates, the Keywording panel grid with suggestions, face recognition?

For now, keep on working with this catalogue.

[jens_wolf]

Hi John.

I do not use other apps with these photos. I create keywords, and keywords within keywords. 

I  create "root" keyword using the + in the keyword list. And then I create a keyword wihtin the keyword.

res of my son. Anders is a very popular name, and I have many friends, with the root keyword "Venner" with that name. Like "Anders Bache"

I do not use metadata templates nor do I use face recognition.

... I have just spend a hour creating a reply with screenshot you asked for, and when I posted it, most of my reply and all the screenshots were deleted. With the message: "Correct the highlighted errors and try again. There are no hightlighted errors. 

[jens_wolf]

Please John, send me a mail I can respond to. I do not want to do it all over again for nothing on this webstite. I am disappointed with the errors inflicted by LR, and I on top of that, I do not want to spend time fighting the website.

[jens_wolf]

John Beardsworth.

Any chance you will take back your statement: "LR doesn't do this kind of thing on its own."

Jens

[johnrellis · Accepted solution]

Make sure that Preferences > Interface > Separate Keywords Using is set to Commas, not Spaces. If it got set to Spaces somehow, that would account for your symptoms.

If it's set to Commas and the behavior continutes, try resetting LR's preferences: 

https://www.lightroomqueen.com/articles-page/how-do-i-reset-lightrooms-preferences/

LR sometimes soils its preferences file, and resetting it can fix all sorts of wonky behavior.

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[jens_wolf]

That did the trick.

Thank you John, though I wonder what caused the problem in the first place. Is there a flaw in Lightroom, and will it be solved?

Best regards

Jens Wolf

[johnrellis]

"I wonder what caused the problem in the first place."

LR is notorious for soiling its preferences file, causing all sorts of wonky behavior.

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