converting a previously convert catalog again/twice in PSE 18 what happens?

Report · Jul 23, 2018

Do I convert again or uninstall..? I am try to figure out what happens or how to fix my problem but no luck so far. I recently updated to PSE 2018 from PSE 15. PSE 2018 converted my PSE 15 catalog with no problems and all was fine until I disabled facial recognition and I also hit Reset/Erase Face Analysis as I assumed this would remove ONLY the Face Analysis tag results. Bad idea! Reset Face Analysis un-tagged all my photos MANUALLY assigned People tags...40k +..ugh. Before I noticed the tags were missing I had downloaded a couple thousand more photos and tagged them. The json files that store the face analysis data of my images was corrupted somehow..? as it would freeze/lock-up my pc during all attempts at doing a full backup of PSE 2018, once just those files were erased the backup went fine!

The only way I can figure out to fox my problem is copy those photos I downloaded after installing PSE 2018 then completely uninstall PSE 2018 and then starting fresh again by reinstalling it again with a converted PSE 15 catalog with at least 40K photos worth of intact tags. Then upload the couple thousand photos again and tag them again. tagging 2000 photos vs 42,000 is less daunting! I would appreciate it if anyone knew of an easier fix...?

I don't know PSE 2018 well enough to know how to backup just my recently tagged photos with all the tagging/metadata intact and then reload them after I reinstall PSE 2018...? Can anyone help me with how to do this...?

Would importing the catalog again without uninstalling first give me duplicates of all my photos...?

thanks for any help

Report · Jul 23, 2018

The only way I can figure out to fox my problem is copy those photos I downloaded after installing PSE 2018 then completely uninstall PSE 2018 and then starting fresh again by reinstalling it again with a converted PSE 15 catalog with at least 40K photos worth of intact tags. Then upload the couple thousand photos again and tag them again. tagging 2000 photos vs 42,000 is less daunting! I would appreciate it if anyone knew of an easier fix...?

Yes, the only working solution will be to restore your latest PSE15 backup.

Before doing that, be sure to check that the options for face recognition are active in your preference.

You restore to a new custom locatiion master folder. The old pictures folder tree will be restored and the catalog will be converted to the PSE18 format.

You'll have to reimport the missing 2000 photos missing in that backup.

From the previous PSE2018 catalog, you have to select the files imported since the backup. The criteria can be date_taken or import batch. You 'write metadata to files'. I would copy (or move) those files to a new folder location to be able to import them in the restored catalog. The files will be imported with the available tags and captions. You'll have to tag again your people tags.

Then, you can delete the previous folder tree from the Explorer or Finder to get rid of the temporary duplication. The former defective PSE2018 catalog can be deleted from the catalog manager.

Note:

I am very serious about people management in catalogs, that's why I would never use any automatic recognition feature. I don't use the People, Events and Places categories introduced in PSE11. Only my own categories hierarchy in the media tab: MyPeople, MyPlaces, MyEvents.

- I don't need them and don't trust them.

- Using the standard media hierarchy I am free to organize my subcategories structure as I want.

- Those features are a serious burden for the hardware and explain a lot of complaints about slowness.

This explains why I can't test or reproduce your issue.

Report · Jul 23, 2018

Thanks a Big big help. I just saw this, I had just messaged you.

Just so I am clear... I do need to uninstall PSE 2018 completely, right..?

Since I have both PSE 15 & 18 working on the same computer instead of Restore won't fresh download of PSE 2018 just convert my PSE 15 catalog automatically to the PSE 18 format if I just uninstall 18 & reinstall it..?

On the 2000 photos if I use save metadata to files, then copy to another folder I can re-import them later on into the fresh install of PSE 18 and all the tags will still be intact correct?

Should I run Repair & then Optimize on my PSE 15 Catalog before reinstalling PSE 2018 if I go that route?

I am done with People, Events and Places categories they have caused me nothing but grief! I did away with using places along time ago, I can see people and event are going away soon.

Thanks so much

Report · Jul 24, 2018

ronanxyz wrote
Thanks a Big big help. I just saw this, I had just messaged you.
Just so I am clear... I do need to uninstall PSE 2018 completely, right..?

No, it's not a global organizer problem, it's definitely a catalog and organizer preferences issue.

Uninstalling and reinstalling does not help, since that does not reset your organizer preferences. Since you have a relatively recent backup, you are right to use a restored version to get back to the previous state.

Since I have both PSE 15 & 18 working on the same computer instead of Restore won't fresh download of PSE 2018 just convert my PSE 15 catalog automatically to the PSE 18 format if I just uninstall 18 & reinstall it..?

If I understand well, you have both PSE15 and 2018 on your computer, which is good.

Each version has its own catalogs, which point to the same files on your folder tree on your computer. No duplicate photo files, only different catalogs pointing to mostly the same photo files. New recent files are only known to the 2018 catalog.

You also have a PSE15 backup which can restore the catalog with all the info about People by that time.

If you restore from that backup, from PSE15 or PSE2018, you have a choice:

- Restoring to the original location. That means you can overwrite / skip the files already on your computer. If you have modified those files in the meantime with PSE2018, those edits will be lost.

- Restoring to 'custom' location. You choose a new master folder under which all your folder tree will be recreated. The catalog folder will be restored under that master folder. If you restore from PSE2018, a conversion will take place automatically, creating a new catalog beside the PSE15 restored one. You have now two mostly duplicated image folder trees.

I hope that you can use PSE2018 (except for the People and Backup issues). If you can use it and select the new files (by date_taken or import batch) with the last catalog, it's possible to move copy that selection of what is new to a new folder. I would also 'Write metadata to files', which would recover tags, ratings and captions for those recent files.

If you select in PSE2018 the restored and converted catalog, you now can import all the files in the folder for recent files. The tags and captions will be restored. I think that before importing you should check that media analysis is enabled.

Report · Aug 04, 2018

I finally got it/PSE 18 restored with a pse 15 backup catalog. And all my people tags are back...whew big relief. Question now.. I re-imported some files I had previously saved in pse 18 before the restore, files with Metadata. Some of these files have tags that are not in my tag tree anymore because they were added when I was tagging in pse 18 before the restore from pse 15...they/tags show up when clicked on. Is there any easy way to add the same tag to my tag tree and reattach them somehow..? I cannot find anyway to use these tags..as the tag is only on the photo not in my slightly different tag tree! Will I have to erase every single tag like this and retag..? Thanks for any help

Report · Aug 05, 2018

ronanxyz wrote
...
Question now.. I re-imported some files I had previously saved in pse 18 before the restore, files with Metadata. Some of these files have tags that are not in my tag tree anymore because they were added when I was tagging in pse 18 before the restore from pse 15...they/tags show up when clicked on. Is there any easy way to add the same tag to my tag tree and reattach them somehow..? I cannot find anyway to use these tags..as the tag is only on the photo not in my slightly different tag tree! Will I have to erase every single tag like this and retag..? Thanks for any help

When you import files with tags which are not already in your tags hierarchy, they appear under a new category 'Imported tags'. You can select a tag, right click to edit, and specify which master category they should be. That will move the tag in your categories tree.

Report · Aug 06, 2018

Thanks once again Michel, You have been a big help.!! I found the imported tags. But I just now noticed a glaring problem....that since my Restore from my pse 15 backup to pse 18 that I cannot delete any of my people tags on any of my photos that are in my pse 2018 organizer from the backup...? All the 40k plus people tags are there intact after the restore, but if go try to delete a people tag because I miss-tag someone I can't..! If I click on a photo it will show correctly all the tags it has at the bottom of the tags Column tree on the righthand side under Image Tags. But If I right click on the highlighted image and click on REMOVE KEYWORD TAG the people tags are not visible as an option to remove..! The only visible tags to remove are the tags I have built up under the Tag tree in my own hierarchy. All pse tags such as PLACES, EVENTS, & PEOPLE Tags don't show up as an option to remove...? What is going on here..? I have downloaded some photos and tagged them since I did the restore from my pse 15 backup and all those photos I have tagged that have people tags on them do indicate the PLACES, EVENTS, & PEOPLE Tags when I right click on the highlighted image and click on REMOVE KEYWORD TAG, even works with a block of highlighted photos too. I am confused...why can't pse even see its own tags when it needs to..? I did notice when remove keyword tag does not work on a photo I can go to an INDIVIDUAL Photo, highlight it, then go to the Image Tags in the tag column and right click the Tag I want to delete and removed it it from the image..! But it has to be done on each individual photo. I cannot high light a block of photos and delete the specific tag from all of them. Do you know if this is a known pse 18 flaw...? I am slowly working on getting all my PSE People, Places, & Events retagged under my own tag tree of: My People, My Places, & My Events I just have not completed doing it yet. Having to remove a Tag from 500 or 600 mis-tagged photos one by one seems ridiculous. Especial since I am paying a yearly subscription fee now just to use PSE! Any thoughts greatly appreciated. Thanks

Report · Aug 07, 2018

Ronan,

I have just answered your question in the other forum you posted to:

http://photoshopelementsandmore.com/thread/4950/tags-deleted-after-restore-pse