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Catalog Location for Photoshop Element 2021 in Windows 10

Participant ,
Feb 28, 2021 Feb 28, 2021

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I just purchased and installed Photoshop Element 2021 and then uninstalled PSE 15 - my previous version that I was using. In the installtion process, I selected the option to convert my Catalog that was in use at that time. Everything looks good and everything works just fine.

In my Windows 10 desktop PC, I have a 100 GB SSD (C) and a much bigger mechanical Hard drive (D). To save space, I installed the Photoshop Element 2021 in my D: Drive.

After the installation, I chnaged the Catalog name to make it more meaningful to me to reflect the starting point for my PSE 2021. And, that chnage was accepted, and I have no trouble in opening and accessing all of my current information, and it uses the RENAMED Catalog.

Now, I am trying to locate where it stores that Catalog. I have looked around everywhere using Window's File Explorer, but can not locate my newly named Catalog.

I sure could use some help in locating this Catalog so that I can make sure to protect it and manaully back it up whenver I wanted.

Thank you so much.

 

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Community Expert ,
Mar 04, 2021 Mar 04, 2021

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Somya, you ask: "having twice the same catalog folder with the same name on two locations; why this duplication?"

I DID NOT CREATE the Catalog in Custome location in D:. I used the "MOVE" Process to move the Catalog in the Default Location in C to my desired custom location in D:. So, I MOVED and NOt created it in D:.

Anyway, it is very confusing. Wish, there was a clearly written narrative on everything about Catalog Management - Default and all...

Thank you.


By @PKFlo

@PKFlo ,

I am not Somia... I am Michel.

I have perfectly read that you say you have moved, not copied.

The fact is that you have a duplicate folder with the same name.

I am not trying to know why that has happened, I am trying to explain the option to store the catalog in default location and in 'custom' location and the process to move the catalog folder from one location to the other.

I know of two situations when you store in 'custom' location.

- either it's your choice;  then you know where you have moved the folder to.

- or it's the result of a restore on 'custom' location from a backup. Not your situation, but good to know.

So, organizer users normally do know where the folders are situated.

However, as mentioned in one of the previous posts, when you move a catalog to a custom location, that does not tell the organizer to open that moved (or copied) catalog. It remembers the last used one. Either you tell the catalog manager where the catalog is by browsing to its location, or you double click the 'catalog.pseXXdb' database.

If you don't know where the catalog in use is situated, you use the Help >> System Info as shown by @Walter_H 

As also mentionned earlier, the dialog box of the catalog manager does not specify the drive for the 'default' 'Catalogs available to all users' choice.

The same dialog box lets you browse other drives and folders for 'custom' location. The full path including the drive is displayed when you have found the existing catalog folder.

To give you an idea, I store many catalogs for older PSE versions as well as test catalogs, and that makes more than 40 Gigs. No need to say, I don't store them on C to save space.

The good practice is always to give a descriptive name to each catalog, avoiding the same name, unless you duplicate voluntarily as a backup elsewhere.

When in doubt about which version of Elements has been used for an old catalog, the catalog manager will tell you in the conversion process. You can also look at the 'catalog.pseXXdb' database, the XX will be 19 for PSE2021 for instance.

 

The problem with the implementation of the present forum is that it's extremely difficult to follow the nested subdiscussions in chronological order. I understand that the various pieces of info answered randomly have to be 'put together' in logical order, that's what I am trying to do now.

 

 

 

 

 

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Adobe Employee ,
Mar 05, 2021 Mar 05, 2021

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But, why the Catalog Manager window shows the Location D:/Adobe/Elements Organizer Catalog/ Elements Organizer/Catalogs --- EVEN IF IT'S GREYED OUT! What does this imply? What is the purpose of showing this Location when we know that location is NOT being UISED!


By @PKFlo


Hi,

 

The 'Custom Location' is greyed out because you have currently not selected 'Custom Location' but selected 'Catalogs Accesible by All Users'. If you select 'Custom Location', it will no longer be greyed out and will get highlighted. 

 

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks!

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Community Expert ,
Mar 02, 2021 Mar 02, 2021

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@PKFlo 

You may find two catalogs folders with the same name if there has been a copy instead of a move.

In that case, have a look at the dates in each catalog, the newer one is probably the one in use when you open the organizer. Then, check the drive location of the current catalog as shown by @Walter_H . The catalog manager itself does not show the full drive and location.

 

You may have to search on your drives for catalogs of a given PSE version, for instance PSE2021. You use a Windows search for a file named 'catalog.pse19db'. That may find several catalogs;  the dates will help you to find the desired one. Be sure to show hidden files.

 

When you have several such files, you can open the organizer by clicking on the catalog.pse19db file with that catalog version. That choice is sticky for the next time you open the organizer.

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Participant ,
Mar 02, 2021 Mar 02, 2021

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Hi Michel, when I use the process shown by Walter_H, Menu/Help/ System Information, I find that my CURRENT Catalog is still in C: drive which is the DEFAULT LOCATION! This is stil the case AFTER I MOVED (I did MOVE and NOt just COPY) it to my Custom Location in D:!

One thing it did, after my MOVE operation, is that it placed the Catalog, with the same name, in my Custom Location in D:, but looks like it is NOTbeing used!

Very Confusing as to what or how PSE2021 is handling this Catalog. I am trying very hard to understand.

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Community Expert ,
Mar 03, 2021 Mar 03, 2021

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Hi Michel, when I use the process shown by Walter_H, Menu/Help/ System Information, I find that my CURRENT Catalog is still in C: drive which is the DEFAULT LOCATION! This is stil the case AFTER I MOVED (I did MOVE and NOt just COPY) it to my Custom Location in D:!

One thing it did, after my MOVE operation, is that it placed the Catalog, with the same name, in my Custom Location in D:, but looks like it is NOTbeing used!

Very Confusing as to what or how PSE2021 is handling this Catalog. I am trying very hard to understand.


By @PKFlo

I have never tested myself installing PSE on the 'D' drive. What I do know is that this choice does not cover necessarily all the various locations of catalogs, preferences, catalog backups, auto creations, plugins and more. If you uninstall PSE and reinstall it, a number of those data are kept as before. I can't imagine that uninstalling PSE from C and reinstalling to D will move or copy the existing catalogs to the new 'default' location. When you reinstall PSE on D and agree to 'convert' an old catalog, I suppose that the organizer is able to find the old catalog on C and create a converted one in D, on the new default location.

Since I can't try, I only trust what I can check from:

- the help file for the current catalog location

- the dates in the various catalog folders with the same name

- the suffix of the database: catalog.pse19db to check the PSE version.

 

If, for some reason, an organizer process has duplicated instead of moving a catalog folder, that does not change the choice of the catalog already in use. You have to use the catalog manager to browse to the new location (and perhaps rename the copied/moved catalog folder). If you choose to double click on the catalog.pse19db file to select that catalog, that choice will be remembered (same effect as opening a different catalog in the catalog manager).

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Advocate ,
Mar 01, 2021 Mar 01, 2021

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Thanks for sharing that very helpful information. Much appreciated 🙂

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Advocate ,
Mar 01, 2021 Mar 01, 2021

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@PKFlo, Help>System Info... will show you the location of the catalog file.

ScreenShot_2021-03-01_063040.png

 

--
Walter in Davie, FL

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Participant ,
Mar 08, 2021 Mar 08, 2021

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Thank you all very much for all of the helpful information. As a result, I understand the Catalog structure, and its usage and management much better.

With this post, I am closing this topic.

Again, thank you everybody.

 

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