Patw28 Loc: PORT JERVIS, NY

Within the bounds of your question . . . .
The LR catalog is like a book's index. It's pages of pointers, telling you where each image can be found on your computer.

If you move or delete an image in another program without telling LR What you did OF COURSE LR will now be pointing to the wrong location and will not be able to find your image.

In terms of a book index, you tore out pages from your book and got upset because the index is now 'corrupted'. You either have to put those pages back in the book where they were when you added them to your index or create a new index from scratch.

It's not a problem with lr4 that LR5 is going to fix. When you install the LR5 update, it's going to very thoughtfully preserve all your previous work from LR4, including your laboriously created catalog (index) -- now corrupted.

"Free advice costs nothing -- unless you take it!"
So . . . . Don't install LR5 until you have fired up either of the two wondrous
Courses that have been suggested in this thread..

move some images to a practice folder, pretend this folder contains all your images and practice on it. Start by creating a new catalog. Go to Windows Explorer. Delete a couple of images and see what happens to your catalog. Now go back to your Recycle bin and restore those deleted files.

Keep practicing on your dummy folder. It's easier to work with 20 images than with 20,000.

mikeford45 Loc: Downingtown, PA

Great advice. I am in process of doing all of the above. The video training course will take a few days as it is extremely detailed.

Thanks to all.

RichieC Loc: Adirondacks

PatW is very correct.

To take it a bit further- to try and locate your problem. I am at a slight loss here as LR is home and I am at work! LOL.

When you import an image in LR you have several options, Import is perhaps not a good word as it implies that the original image is ALWAYS moved... It may or may not have been, depends how you have it set. WHat it is doing should appear at center top of screen.

1) You can leave the image where it is and LR will create a thumbnail and work with it there ( if this is on a removable drive- you have to have that CD, Drive/Thumbdrive/camera memory/etc- mounted to work on it!)

2) You can copy the image- leaving one where ever it originally was and making a new copy at a new location. LR will make a thumbnail and keep track of the new location only.

3) Or you can move the image- deleting it from the original location- and as stated above LR will do its thing and know where it is. (I am a bit foggy on this option- I think I have it right.)

The index creates a thumbnail of every image. SO it may appear that you have the image- but you are looking at a low res copy... If you have adjusted/moved/deleted/renamed where the actual original image was/is- then when you click on it to open and work on it- LR won't know what you have done with the original... unless you update it- tell LR where the image is currently.

Worst case is you deleted the original.

You may have changed how LR imports the image without realizing it- hit a keyboard shortcut by mistake, etc.,

Look at the name of the image, and do a search for it- see if you can find the original. When you find one, you'll be finding probably a bunch.

Or look at the path the thumbnail was created from and backtrack that way. ( I think you can do this- you can in bridge and several other Adobe products that link image files. )

Hope this, in addition to patw28's info, helps you a bit.

;0)

gemlenz Loc: Gilbert Arizona

I believe once your files are in the LR catalog anything you do to the images outside of LR is not recorded in the LR catalog. If you manage you files from LR the catalog entries will reflect those changes.

mikeford45 Loc: Downingtown, PA

The problem is in a smaller catalog so I am almost finished transferring the images the the default catalog and backing it up on a regular interval.

Thanks for all the help.

pigpen

I was going to suggest this. I was new to LR, and went back to re-load some images I wanted to try PP again. It said I could not import. After a few times, I released it was because the image was still in the catalog from last time.

Jakebrake Loc: Broomfield, Colorado

Excellent post, and great advice.....Thanks :thumbup:

birdpix Loc: South East Pennsylvania

The error message was LR can not MOVE the files. You must COPY the files during the import. Moving files involves deleting them from their original location. You can not delete files from a CD, hence the error message.

Dbez1 Loc: Ford City, PA

That's a really good response Patw28...you must have been a teacher.

mikeford45 Loc: Downingtown, PA

Took all advice. Everything back up and running. Installed LR5, seems to work fine.

There are sure some outstanding video courses for LR4. Enjoying going thru them even thought it will take hours.

Again thanks to all for you interest and help in solving my LR problem.