IDguy Loc: Idaho

Looking for some good ideas on how to most simply approach this. I have a laptop that used to belong to my wife. She used Elements a little: not Lightroom. I started using it a few months ago with Lightroom and added maybe a few hundred images.

Although a credible machine (intel 5 and Windows 10 touch screen) it was a little pokey so I replaced the hard drive with an SSD. The computer store transferred everything but that confused the Lightroom catalog.

I’d like to get all images on it to a catalog sorted to folders the way I like: top folder, folders for each year, subfolders by date and descriptor. I’m trying to figure out the best way to do that. I know I will need to import all the images to a new catalog. Images seem to scattered.

My main question is whether to start by setting up the folder structure I want and moving the images in windows before starting the new catalog, or start the catalog, find the images, and move folders in Lightroom.

Advice appreciated.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Before Lightroom, I stored my digital files in exactly the same way you did, with one exception. In order to keep things in sequence by time and date, I use an index number prefix on the folder that looks like this - MM.NN, where MM represents the month, and NN is a numerical sequence that tells me the which time I used the camera that month. So a number like 02.07 would mean that in February, this would be the 7th time I took the camera out to shoot.

I used this at least 10 years before adopting Lightroom. It was not a problem for lightroom - I just pointed it to the top level folder that had all my images in it and it went to work "Adding" those images to a catalog.

If you opted to write metadata changes to xmp, your life will be easier, since the edits you did to your raw files are in the xmp sidecar file that has the same name as the raw file. If you did not do this, then it's best to first organize your files using Lightroom excellent file and folder management tools, so it can keep track of your file locations, previews and edits.

When adding a new folder and files I simply bring the mouse to the previous file import location in the upper right corner of the import dialog, left click and and choose "other destination" which opens a Windows Explorer folder view where I can select New folder to create a new location for my folder and files.

There is no reason why you can't use your existing catalog files.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Thanks for some good ideas.

For some reason on my last import I wasn't able to get the import folder location I wanted the import to go to. I wonder if that might have been a glitch in the latest Lightroom version. I'm updating before moving on.

My main images folder ended up kinda buried. I want to first move it up to be in my main Pictures folder. I hope to be able to do that in Lightroom. The other images are scattered in a few places. I will need to import them to the catalog I use. When I do that I can copy them there and then go back and delete where they came from.

I think I have this Lightroom set to put the xmp with the images but will check that before anything else.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

If you had processed images in the existing LrC catalog that processing information will only exist in that catalog. If you wanted to use that existing metadata you would need to export that catalog using the "export as a catalog" feature and then import it into your new catalog. You can choose to do that only for images you have worked on, not for all the images. If you don't want to save any of the metadata then simply delete that catalog so that you don't get confused in the future. For the rest of the images it would be best to go ahead and sort them out outside of LrC, then create a new catalog and import them all in in that same folder order. Remember that LrC only reflects your folder setup on your hard drive and the program only does what you tell it to do. You are not copying images anywhere when you link them, they are simply linked to the software and then you must only make changes to them from within the software or problems will result. You might benefit from reading the online help manual at Adobe, primarily at this point the section on the Library Module.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Thanks. I think I'm clear on that.

One wonky thing about the present catalog folder display is that it does not represent where the folders are on the PC. It shows my top two folders as directly below "Windows". They are not. They are several layers down.

But I just discovered another issue which I need to talk to my computer guy about on Monday (they are off for the weekend). After I had the hard drive replaced I promptly dropped the computer and broke the screen. When the computer guy went to replace the screen he broke a lead and then managed to short out the motherboard. Two months later I finally got it back. The screen works nicely now...mostly. But I figured out that the touch screen operation is hosed up. In Lightroom it does not perform the same as using the touch pad...which it did before. I need to find out if he overlooked some setting.

For example, when in the Develop module I click on the adjustment brush and move to the image I see the brush. When I use the touch screen I get a dialog. That may contirbute to why my most recent import attempt went wonky. I'll try it again with the touch pad in the interim.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

Sounds like you do have several problems to fix! Maybe fix the hardware first and then check out what LrC is actually doing. In the meantime, get your folders in order. If you are someone who has duplicates it could also be that the program was linked to that duplicate folder, not the one you think it was linked to. I just had to work that out for someone else recently. He had moved folders on his hard drive by using Copy, did not delete the old folders, and ended up linking one of the original files from the original place to LrC and that caused problems. I was able to figure that out by zooming with him. Keeping duplicate folders will eventually cause problems. I try to work "clean," which means "house-cleaning" all the time as I go.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

I’ve determined what I thought was a problem with the touchscreen isn’t. It is a problem with how windows 10 handles the touchscreen. I found this out by testing it on my other laptop touchscreen which performed the same. I never use the touchscreen on the other one because it is too big to use as a laptop.

Basically it performs as if you also have the left click pressed.

Which is too bad because I was hoping to use the touch feature with brushes.

Maybe there are some add ons to enable that.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Just discovered there is a thing with the touchscreen called "tablet mode". I was hopeful it might cause it do what I want. Not. But that suggests there might be more possibilities in that direction.

But this is a diversion from the catalog question so I'll let it rest for now.

tcthome Loc: NJ

I would re organize your photos in specific folders inside the Pictures library first. Then import them to LR. You would probably loose your edits this way. If your edited photos are scattered all over, no big deal, Organize outside of LR , then import to a new catalog. Did you backup LR to a external source before changing out the drive? If so...

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Well on the way to solving the catalog problem. I found that if I right clicked on the parent folder I wanted to keep it had a choice to show the parent to it. Doing that twice got me to the pictures folder I wanted the Images folder in. Then I was able to move the images folder up to the Pictures folder. I then deleted the now empty folder it had been in.

So now it is straightforward to import the other images that are not in the catalog into it where I want them with "move" vs. "copy". I think. Will let you know.

I have also made some headway on the laptop touchscreen issue. I created another thread for that. From what I can tell neither Microsoft nor Adobe has tackeled the problem. There have been complaints about it for years...going back to when laptops with touchscreens became the norm. But no progress.

Under advice from that thread I added my Wacom Bamboo tablet to the Lenovo. It works fine. But it is awkward to use on my lap and I'm not tickled with the idea of having to drag it along. So I'll have to be content with using the touchpad.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

I haven't been backing up the Lenovo laptop because I intended it just for temporary use on travel. I put the images also on my main computer when I get home and it is routinely backed up to two external drives.

Of course that approach doesn't bring along the changes I have made on the Lenovo. So I need a better procedure now that I am set up to work this. First I'll just start backing the images up on an external drive, and also back up the Lenovo catalog to it. I know there is a way to merge catalogs but I haven't tried it and I don't want to risk hosing up my main computer catalog. Open to advice on this.

jdmiles Loc: Texas

This advice is the exact opposite of what Adobe recommends. If you want to relocate pictures you should be able to do it inside of Lightroom. You should not loose any settings or edits that way.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Yes, I know that and that is what I did. The secret was finding the right click for "show parent folder". I was then able to move the Image folder up to where I wanted it, and it bought the subfolders along with it.

I have a couple of external drives that my wife had for this computer. I suspect her images are on one of those because I'm not finding them on the PC drive. They still might be hiding because I replaced the hard drive with a SSD. The computer shop may have put them somewhere else in the transfer. She had used Photoshop Elements.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Well, looks like I was too optimistic about having it fixed. Trying to import more photos gives weird results. It won’t let me do images it has imported before despite changing the check box. Then, instead of following instruction on folder and subfolder it recreates the old folders I deleted and puts the images it will import there.

I’m guessing the catalog is somehow hosed.

I’ll next try creating a new catalog and reimporting images where they are. There are only a few hundred images and I use presets so it isn’t a big deal to redo at this point.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Well, creating a new catalog now seems to have done the trick. It was easier than expected. I had to delete and move some folders but didn't have to reimport images individually...once I had the folders straigned out it imported them to the new catalog nicely. And they maintained the changes I had made.

So now I can move on with this computer and Lightroom.

I also have resolved what to do about the other issue I mentioned and provided more detail in another thread: using Lightroom with a pen. Bottom line is NOT! So I've ordered a wireless mouse for it. Not sure that it will be better than touch pad but they are now only $10 so worth a try. I also have a Wacom tablet but it doesn't work for me better than mouse or mouse pad and I don't want to bring unnecessary stuff along in the RV.

So I'll be leaving this thread. Thanks to those who helped.