Known Participant

Question

Two versions of LR Classic, two catalogs, no sync

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
March 2, 2019
3 replies
1287 views

Question: I have discovered that I have two versions of LR on my desktop with identical thumbnails. One is "Lightroom CC 2015 (V. 6)" and one is "Lightroom Classic CC (v 8.2)."

They both have the Classic interface. I have been working in both of them without realizing there were two different versions and they aren't talking to each other. They have separate catalogs, "catalog" and "catalog - 2." When I look at files (in Library - Import) already imported on one version none of the thumbnails are grayed out, it does not know thay have already been imported into the other version of LR. Imported and processed!

I need to have one version, one catalog. I am afraid to uninstall 2015 for fear of losing all the work there. I would think this situation should be impossible, but here it is.

Please, what to do? How do I combine them? I do not see "sync catalogs" nor do I expect to. Creative cloud knows both versions are there, they show up in my apps.Where to go from here?

This topic has been closed for replies.

GoldingD

Legend

When you updated to v 8.2, it looked for the most recently opened catalog (as lightroom sees it) and updated it, creating the catalog-2. This would have occurred when you first launched the new copy of LR, it would have told you it was doing that.

The much older v6 LR cannot opens this new catalog.

If all went as normal, the updated catalog should have everything the old one had in it. But if you launched v6, and did some edits, now you would have 2 catalogs not matching. And of course, if you just properly launched v8.2. and did edits, the same would apply.

Now upon updates like this, while LR is supposed to open the most recent catalog, as it apparently did, sometimes it fouled up, normally in such a case a new never used catalog gets created, that would probably nit have the suffix -2 attached to it’s name.

Had you just been accomplishing a minor update, say from v8.1 to v8.2, no such catalog update would have (probably) occurred. but going from 6 to 8, yep, update.

As for finding all your possible catalogs, perhaps even older ones that got updated at various times, they will all have the file extension lrcat.

Do not be surprised if you have older catalogs without this sort of suffix (-2), as back in the old days, v3 to v4, v4 to v5, the lightroom version would have been included in the catalog name (lightroo5.lrcat, etc)

R

RLCadenceAuthor

Known Participant

Thanks, davidg. Very helpful, in that you supplied lot's I didn't know, but a bit distressing as well. Deepened the problems.

Initial unhelpful reaction: When a software vendor invites customers to update to a new version, the update should be "over" the existing version, not alongside it.

You wrote: The much older v6 LR cannot opens this new catalog.

Sounds like it shouldn't be on my computer (dovetails with unhelpful criticism above).

I suppose the inability to open the new catalog explains the absence of thumbnails in v6 (aka LR 2015, LR CC)?

So years of work are lost and tons of photos are inaccessible? The adjustments are in a catalog that can't be opened, and the files are lost to and inaccessible to Classic because greyed out as previously imported to the catalog that can't be opened? Surely not.

What was supposed to happen with the fouled up update?

Is there any solution or am I just in LR Hell?

As for finding all your possible catalogs, perhaps even older ones that got updated at various times, they will all have the file extension lrcat.

I don't think I dare try the "Sync with LR CC" function on any of those .lrcat files, but I also don't know which is which. I only see two that are strictly .lrcat, both are -2 and both sport extensions (".lo" and "-w") and a third line under the file name ("ck" and "al" respectively).

For some reason, in the screenshot of these files several messages above, you have to open (click on) the shot to see the second -2 cat. There's no simple Catalog.lcat folder, the folder I was looking for based on prior help.

I have no clue which is what, what the extensions signify, or why there's only -2 versions showing. Nor or what to do with either file.

Long ago I developed the opinion that LR (also PS) is not for the stand-alone user. It requires a corporate environment, some way to have ready access to other users on-site for immediate mutual help.

Many thanks to you and to all here who try to perform this function in this most difficult way.

Just Shoot Me

Legend

When you upgrade to a newer version using the Creative Cloud Desktop App there is an option, that is by Default selected, to remove older versions of that software program you are upgrading. This can be De-Selected by the user and will stay De/Un selected.

I suspect you did Un-Check that option at some point and when installing a newer Upgraded version of LR, NOT an Update to the version that was already on your computer (Updates usually get installed over the older Same Version of the program), it created its own program folder and did not install over the top of the previous version and left the previous version on your computer.

Tony_See

Inspiring

This may help:

You will find four articles on "Merging Catalogs" Stages 1,2,3,4 at-

https://www.lightroomqueen.com/lightroom/catalogs/

R

RLCadenceAuthor

Known Participant

I read all stages but got little traction. I did get the distinct idea that it is a difficult time-consuming process to be done in stages, not simply - as I wish - by using the command File > Import from Another Catalogue. Assuming I knew which catalog.lrcat to import! Which I do not.

One thing she says is to find lost folders first. I have over 1,500 lost in CC and over 1,000 lost in Classic. Many are the same, so a successful merge isn't the solution.

Many whole folders are missing and the folder names are not appearing - not grayed out, not there at all - in Classic. I can only see the missing folders in the Import screen.

How do I reconnect batches of files to their folder when the folder only appears in the Import swcreen?

Importing again seems wrong. I just need to reconnect the imported files with their originals.

Just noticed that even in Import, where I can see the folders and the "lost" files, the files are greyed out, having been imported already, so LR isn't going to let me import them.

The "whole folder" missing files had to have been imported sometime from some folder. But there's no grayed out folder that might be the one. That's impossible?

Can't see but a couple of thumbnails in CC - the thumbnails don't appear. Just 1,500+ grey boxes.

Pretty desperate now.

john beardsworth

Community Expert

For now, stop entering anything new in CC2015.

Ultimately you should uninstall (you won't lose the work) Lightroom CC 2015 (V. 6) or stop using it. Catalog is probably the catalogue file it has been using, while catalog-2 is probably a copy of it which was upgraded by Lightroom Classic CC (v 8.2).

First, open CC2015 and confirm it is indeed using catalog.lrcat. Then assess how many images are more recent in it, or are recorded in it and may not be in the updated Classic catalog. How long have you been using both? Can you identify the images in the CC2015 catalogue that you have been working on? In other words, with no new work happening in 2015, just review and be sure of the scope of the problem. Then backup both catalogues so that you can always get back to today's situation.

There is a command in Classic which will help you. File > Import from Another Catalogue. Point to the catalog.lrcat used by CC2015, and it should allow you to bring in the images and work from CC2015. Once this is done, and reviewed, backup the catalogues again, and then archive the 2015 catalogue and consider uninstalling CC2015.

R

RLCadenceAuthor

Known Participant

Thanks! I'd like to try that but I have no clue how to find the right .Ircrat file.

I'm seeing 3 LR Cat files with black SD card shaped icons: (LR 5 cat. (280mb, 7/19/2015), LR Cat. (1.5G, 6/7/2019), and LR Cat-2 (163mb, 6/7/2019), all three described (when hovering) as "Adobe Lightroom Classic CC."

Also 2 LR cat-2.lrcat files with translucent icons: Cat-2 lrcat.lo ("ck" under that) and Cat-2 lrcat-w ("al" under that).

If I saw a LR cat.lrcat (not -2) I'd assume that is my target file, but I'm not seeing one.

All that is on the C drive. I keep my pics on the D drive and it has a LR 5 Cat (black icon, 148 kb, 11/13/2018, created 4 days earlier) and a LR cat previews.lrdata folder (normal folder icon, 1.23mb, 1/5/2014).

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded