PCB_smv

I gave up on Lightroom awhile ago and just use Photoshop I could never get it to work and half the time it wouldn’t open. I wonder if they would charge only half price. 😀

gordone Loc: Red Deer AB Canada

I only use Windows File Manager to copy all my pictures from the camera cards and then to move pictures around or delete bad ones etc. I have over 500,000 pictures so as drives fill I move the pictures where I want them. This of course confuses LR so when I want to use LR I open it in the Library window and drag and drop whatever pictures I want to edit and then export the finished ones out of LR and then store the exported pics where I want them. I periodically delete the catalog because if I try and drag and drop a picture that I edited before it won't show up in the Library pane. For serious pictures I use PS but also have several other editing programs and I don't need LR to tell me where my pictures are. I know most of you are thinking I am crazy not using the catalog but I don't have the hours of time to waste while LR imports pictures from my camera cards

LCD

This is the one thing I hate about LR. It is the one reason I'm tempted to go elsewhere since there are a number of great alternatives. Only the prospect of learning a new program that may not be around in ten years keeps me from switching.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

Right answer. Learn how LR works

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

No problem using Windows File Manager to copy your files from the card to the computer. But why do you want to move them around afterwards? Why not just define a file structure that helps you to keep track of the photos (with descriptive folder names). Then when you copy from the card to the computer you place them in the final location. Then there's no need to move them around. The file structure will be a secondary method of finding files. Lightroom will provide a way to find files through the use of keywords. Finding the file you want among 500,000 will take only seconds.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

BEFORE you begin to use Lightroom, its a good idea to learn all the basics, at least. I suggest Laura Shoe's DVD series (2 DVDs at @ $ 50 each). These made my switch to Lr easy, but it will take some effort. Once learned, you'll wonder what you did before. By the way, the problem you stated is easy to fix AND you learned a valuable lesson. Don't move files UNLESS you do that in Lr! Best of luck.

suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

First of all, I am a failed LR user lol. While everybody has been very responsive to the poster's dilemma only one has given SIMPLE instructions to get back on track. I can't help but wonder if the OP has any clue how to implement the information presented. I wouldn't. Just saying.

CSand Loc: Fayetteville, Georgia

If you know anyone that is experienced with LR, locally, or a camera club, contact them. Odds are there is someone that could help. There is a local fellow here that has seminars all over, and he graciously let me bring my mess to him, leave it with him, and he straightened it out. I did pay him by the hour but it was so worth it. If you are like me tutorials are wonderful but sometimes my messes require outside help. But do, once you get it fixed, study all you can on basic LR. I wish you well.

gordone Loc: Red Deer AB Canada

I only have 3TB drive space on my laptop so I copy all my new files to laptop and have directory structure by camera>date-location>category subdirectories with say bird names etc. When I start to run out of space on my laptop I move them to one of my USB drives. I do not leave these drives connected to my laptop as it would look like an octopus. When I quit using LR at some time in the future then I can still find my files quickly using file manager search. I need a structure that is not dependent on LR

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Different people learn in different ways, in part because they have learned different ways to do things.
Reading just doesn't hack it all the time. Hands on sometimes helps but in many cases it's useful to have some one-on-one help. A local camera club might be helpful if you can find such a thing.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

It may be worthwhile to learn how to create a new catalogue, import the files from wherever they are now, and then delete the old catalogue. You'll lose your old edits but LR has batch tools available that might make this fairly efficient to do for a 1000 or so files.

Girl with A Canon Loc: Myrtle Beach,SC

Yes I do I have someone who is coming to do just that with me. And yes I do much better if I can see and hear at the same time. That is how I have learned Topaz Studio and other programs. I just my iPad along side of my computer and a video of what I am learning. I also write things down on a cheat sheet till they are locked in my head.

janiebutz

Oh, does my head swim and heart ache for you. My meltdown was not the same as yours and involved 66000 images. I read, I asked questions and listened, I watched and I worried. My salvation came from my favorite guy at my camera store who agreed to work me to rebuild LR AND help me understand how it works. Please do yourself a big favor and find someone who is qualified and work with them. I googled photography clubs in Myrtle Beach (your location, right?) and there were several. You could probably find someone quite knowledgeable to work with through groups like these. For what it’s worth, the many recommendations and explanations that folks have given you actually make sense to me now. In the midst of my crisis they would have read like Greek.😳

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

I have several thousand photos in Adobe Lightroom CC... This collection started on the Old Lightroom CD and then carried over to the Cloud Lightroom subscription. I ONLY import from the card to the computer THROUGH the Lightroom Import section located in the LIBRARY section. This (my setup) sorts the imported images by DATE and TIME taken (per the metadata or clock in the camera). If I import photos taken over multiple days, it creates a folder for each day with the images that were taken that day. I also tag the images as to content as I "develop" them. This lets Lightroom create links to specific images... (like Largo Nature Park, or Sunsets, Sunrises, Landscapes, Saint Petersburg, etc. Each photo can have multiple tags, for instance: Judith, Clearwater Beach, swimming, large waves, high wind. This allows me to later be able to search for all photos of Judith, or all photos of Judith at Clearwater, or all Clearwater Beach. Each photo can have tons of tags, and you can even come back later and add or delete tags. The real beauty of Lightroom over my old negatives is that the database is so much easier to use than a card file system.

Girl with A Canon Loc: Myrtle Beach,SC

I can not thank enough all of the Ugly Hedgehoggers that have responded to my plea. So much great advice. What I have taken out of them is that I will keep LR. I will get someone to sit down with me and teach me the right way of doing it and help me clean up my mess. I will start a new and this time do it the right way. Much of what was said makes some kind of sense but some just when swish over my head. It is reasons like this all of you coming to my aid that I start my day everyday with reading UHH. Not all that is written pertains to me so I will skip over that but what does I read with great interest and care. All I can say is a BIG THANK YOU from Myrtle Beach to all.