Download all content of Lightroom from web to my computer

[Xavier0D4D]

My Lightroom Classic catalog file is corrupt and cannot be recovered (I have tried all Adobe aids). That’s why I’d like to download all the Lightroom content from the web to my PC and create a new catalog, but I can’t figure out how to do it. Can anyone help me?

[JP Hess]

Do you have a recent backup that you can restore?

[Xavier0D4D]

Thank you for your answer. I've tried to recover it but the backup fila is also corrupt.

[Xavier0D4D]

I've tought again on your question and I realised that ALL backup copies are saved in the computer. So I've used the backup copy created just before the corrupt one. I've only had to reload a few number of pictures I've lost. The process was succesful.
Many thanks for your help!

[Jim Wilde]

It's easy enough to do (simply create a new empty catalog and enable it to sync). That will indeed download all content from your cloud to the new catalog. However, if all that content was synced from Classic, likely it will only be in the smart preview format (2560px on the long edge), not the full-resolution originals that you had stored in Classic. Of course, any originals in the cloud that you might have added via a phone or tablet will be downloaded in the original format.

What folder structure were you using in the corrupt Classic catalog: one of Classic's own date-based folder structure, or your own hand-crafted folder scheme? If the former, it might be possible to relink the downloaded smart previews to the original files that were cataloged in the corrupt Classic catalog.

Don't start doing anything yet until you get back with the answers.

[Xavier0D4D]

Thank you Jim for your interesting answer.

In relation to your query, I inform you that I use my own folder structure. I make a new one for each session or subject of photographs.

[Jim Wilde]

What about the other point.....are the files in the cloud smart previews or originals? If they are only smart previews, having your own folder structure, rather than one of the Classic date-based schemes, makes it very difficult to relink your local originals to the smart previews if you try to download the cloud content into a new catalog in order to preserve all the edits you may have made in the original corrupt Classic catalog.

[Xavier0D4D]

Again, thanks for your reply. Still, I will try to make the solution you gave me in the first answer: if I get the expected result, fantastic; otherwise I will delete the catalog and be in the current situation.

[Xavier0D4D]

I've tried to do what you had suggest to me. In the beginning, it seems to be perfect, but when the sync is going on, I've realised that something was wrong: the number of pictures to download from the cloud to my computer was diminuizing as the sync was running. Finally, I've stopped the sync and I've done another solution.

I realised that ALL backup copies are saved in the computer. So I've used the backup copy created just before the corrupt one. I've only had to reload a few number of pictures I've lost. The process was succesful.
Many thanks for your help!