P: Restore Import from external catalog over LAN?

Report · Oct 25, 2017

After the update to Lightroom Classic CC on both of my systems I am not able to import from the catalog on the other computer via ethernet. I get an error message that the external catalog seems to be a non valid Lightroom-catalog. On the other computer the catalog works.

I run Lightroom on an iMac and a MacBook. Usually I import pictures to my MacBook to sort and develop them - for example when I am traveling. From time to time I use the functionality "import from another catalog" on my iMac to get the new pictures from the catalog which is stored on the MacBook via LAN/WLAN. In the previous version this was working fine. Since the update to Lightroom Classic CC I see the error message above.

When I copy the catalog and the negative files from my MacBook into a folder on my iMac I am able to import them into the iMac catalog. So the issue should have to do with access via network.

Report · Oct 25, 2017

Hello

you are in a big group.

I am sure that is a bug, one more of this terrible release .

We have to wait Adobe.

Have a good experience

Report · Oct 25, 2017

Thanks for reporting, Felix.
We are looking into this.

Thanks,
Sunil

Report · Oct 26, 2017

I'm having the exact same problem. We have a multiple photographer workflow that keeps the master LR catalog on the server and we export our collections from that catalog to multiple workstations. After the edits are made they are then imported back into the master catalog on the server. We have been doing this workflow for many, many years without any problem. Since upgrading to LR CC Classic we can no longer do this over the network.

In order to get the catalog to import to the server, I have to move the master catalog to the workstation, import the edits to it (on the workstation) then copy the master catalog back to the server. The problem appears to be narrowed down to importing over a network; which has always worked in the past.

We really need an answer to this as soon as possible since it is crippling our workflow.

p.s. side note, I would also love for you guys to give us the option again to rename a catalog that has to be upgraded from an older version LR catalog. As it is now, we have to settle with the new catalog having a "-2" in the name while I would prefer the option to rename it to something easier to recognize.

Report · Oct 27, 2017

I agree it would be nice to have this option in the convert catalog dialogue, but you can rename the catalog after it has been created. Make sure the previews folders are also renamed identically as shown below.

Report · Oct 28, 2017

Make sure you click the ME TOO button in the upper-right corner.

Report · Oct 29, 2017

Hey Todd, thanks! I have been doing that in the meantime but it's just another step to add to the list of things to do when importing a bunch of different sessions. LR used to have the option to rename a catalog when converting it but they removed it a few releases back and never came back around to adding it. I'm still holding out hope though 🙂 Thanks again!

Report · Nov 05, 2017

I have a similar problem, importing from a catalogue on a USB drive. I have a similar workflow: work on pictures on a laptop when away from base, and merge into main catalogue when I return.

When I try to load direct from the USB drive Lightroom doesn't recognise as a catalogue, but when I copy the files to disk and load it starts loading. It's very slow

I'm feeling pretty nervous about this new version of Lightroom. Having invested so much effort with my current massive catalogue (too big for cloud) it doesn't really seem to be committed to supporting features I need.

Report · Nov 08, 2017

I agree. I'm in a weird conundrum with LR. I use it every day and it is honestly a foundational piece of software for our business but for years each and every update has gotten slower and more buggy.

I want to like LR, don't get me wrong. It would be very difficult to run our business without it but I find myself moving closer and closer to the possibility of other software options. Which I hate, because I want to use LR... I just want to use a LR that is relatively stable and fast; which seem to have come at the cost of features in every update.

The entire software, unfortunately, feels like a giant tower built on a foundation of toothpicks. The continual decrease in speed and performance has made me leary of even updating when new versions come out since I don't know what new and shiny bug is lurking around the bianary corner waiting to crush our productivity and workflow.

I just feel like it would serve Adobe and its users to spend a considerable amount of time improving the foundation of LR and on their bug reviews before releases. LR CC Classic is not faster and feels more like a beta version than a well-made production release.

Adobe, I want to love LR... Please help me to do that. We're not asking for much; or for that matter even more features. Just give us a product that is stable and has speed before shoving more shiny things into it.

Rant over...

Report · Dec 06, 2017

Shortcuts do not work in many cases for example
turn images: CMD+, &CMD+.

Import of LR Catalogues from Servers, extern Harddisks and similar is not possible with catalogues created in LR Classic CC but catalogues created in older LR Versions are.

For the rest it runs a bit faster

But overall it seems more like a downstep than an update.

Report · Dec 13, 2017

I just downloaded the new update this morning ( version 7.1) and being able to import catalogs over a network still does not work.

This is crazy.

Adobe, you need to fix this bug. For any studio that has multiple photographers, this has created a messy nightmare in keeping up with catalogs.

Report · Dec 13, 2017

In Lightroom Classic, we use a certain database mode primarily for performance gain. This is a technical limitation we face on Mac.

Thanks,
Sunil

Report · Dec 14, 2017

Thanks for responding Sunil. I'm curious, are you saying this database limitation makes it impossible to import catalogs over a network like previous versions?

Report · Dec 14, 2017

That's right, Brandon.
It happens only on Mac.

Thanks,
Sunil

Report · Dec 14, 2017

That is not correct, i have the same problem when trying to import from another catalog over the network between two windows machines. Laptop (on the road) -> desktop (main catalog).

Report · Dec 18, 2017

Sunil, there has to be a mistake somewhere because that can't be right. Limiting users to only importing catalogs on the host computer completely makes the entire "import another catalog" feature useless. We need to import catalogs because we have moved them to another computer to work on. That was LR's answer to networked catalogs so many years ago.

This update is a gigantic step backward. It was supposed to increase speed and it hasn't. I just can't believe the database is what is limiting importing over a network. This should be something your engineers can fix (and absolutely should fix). It's not a mac only issue and it's not something minor. This is a gigantic bug in LR that needs to be addressed not passed off as a limitation that we all know is not a limitation; it's a database design error or a bug. Both can be fixed.

Report · Dec 29, 2017

Any update on a fix for this?

Report · Jan 13, 2018

Same problem. Main catalog is now coming on 4 months of not being updated 😞

Report · Jan 26, 2018

Import over network does not work. Copy .lrcat over network and import does not work. Copy to usb thumb drive, move file to host and import DOES work. Likely a file permissions issue.

Report · Jan 27, 2018

Any updates on this? Finally bit the bullet to update my main catalog with a workaround: Manually copy over the catalog file, then manually copy over image files, then re-attach missing files in thecatalog. What a pain! Old process was a single step.

Also, I wonder if this has anything to do with the deprecation of AFP networking on APFS devices with High Sierra. Right now, only SMB worlds with APFS.

Report · Jan 28, 2018

At this point of time, we are not at fixing this technical limitation.

Thanks,
Sunil

Report · Feb 01, 2018

That is disappointing. You guys broke this software and your answer is simply "We're not going to fix it"

I would like to know why?

Report · Feb 05, 2018

Would their reason for not fixing it be that you are then more likely to move to Lightroom CC, the cloud-based version, where sharing catalogs, if I understand things correctly, is its raison d'etre? Cynical?

Report · Feb 05, 2018

I had the chance to test this over AFP networking and same issue occurred. So it appears that this is simply a regression: 1) Lightroom adds constraint preventing the use of catalogs over network for interactive work, 2) Import from catalogs over the network breaks.

At the least, the error message that the catalog is invalid is totally wrong.

Report · Feb 05, 2018

So, Adobe have removed previously-available functionality, but don't see this as a problem ... way to go, Adobe. Why am I not more surprosed?

Report · Feb 18, 2018

And there is no mean to go on the street, before a judge, vote for an other party and, and, and...
Even buying by an other competitor isn't possible.
Western society and western economy has a very huge flaw here!

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P: Restore Import from external catalog over LAN?

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