kitrn23

I found 200+ photos in LR catalog and want to move them into my LRC collections. I looked at many options, but am afraid to make mistake and lose them. I did a backup to my external drive. I was not aware I still had photos on the old LR. Once I get those pics moved should I delete this catalog?

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

If you create a collection and drag the photos to it, the physical location of the photos will remain unchanged. Collections are virtual, not physical.

kitrn23

So I would need to have my LRC open side by side with the LR and do the move. These are two different catalogs.
LR being the first before I switched to classic.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

I'm sorry that I misunderstood the question. I though the question pertained to LRC only.

kitrn23

Sorry accepted, thanks for replying.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

Moving... I recently found an old CD of photos... I opened it and Hit VIEW to see them. Then went to my photo hard drive and opened it. with both open and not full screen, i simply "drag and drop" into the appropriate named folder.

Next get rid of that Adobe stuff and install a practical system that is yours for life once purchased.

"Drag to the destination folder, and then release the mouse button."
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/move-or-copy-an-item-to-another-folder-19768dfe-86c4-40bf-b82c-1c084b624492

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

So as I understand it, you have been using LR and have a catalog full of photos. You want to switch to using LrC.

Easy.

Open LrC.

Go to File > Open Catalog

Select the LR catalog and hit enter.

LrC will convert the LR catalog to the new format. All your photos will be there (assuming they're still on your disk).

If I have misunderstood your question and it's only a limited set of photos you want in LrC it gets only slightly more complicated.

(1) Select the photos you want in LrC. If there are a lot of them it's probably easiest to put them into a collection. It just makes it easier to keep track of them.
(2) Export the selected photos as a catalog. File > Export as Catalog.
(3) As above, open LrC and open that new catalog.

As noted previously, your images are not IN your catalog. Deleting a catalog does not delete the images.
Personally, I would archive the old catalog, then erase it from your working disk. You will not need it using LrC, but if you keep it you can go back to LR and still use it if necessary.

PS: the process is not "moving photos". It is "Updating a Catalog". The photos do not get moved. They remain where they are currently on your disk.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Even with the clarifications, I still don't exactly understand the issue. As mentioned, 'collections' are virtual. But, you seem to be asking about physical image files and multiple installations / versions of Lightroom?

Adobe doesn't make things easy, renaming the exact same software, every few years, sometimes interchanging names between different existing products. Your reference to 'old LR' makes it difficult too. You might clarify if you mean LR Classic or the browser-based LR, now called "Lightroom".

You can simply import images into the desired target software as if they were 'new' images. If needed, move the files around on disk to their intended 'formal' storage location, prior to the new import.

If you need to retain editing performed in the 'old LR', you might export the images from the 'old LR' as a DNG so you bring both the image and the LR edit instructions from 'old LR' to the 'new LR'. Put the DNG into the same folder as the original image file. Import both the DNG and the original into the new / target LR.

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

Enabling LR to write sidecar files will allow you to import your images into the newer LR with edits. You don't have to use DNG, which will be a larger file than the XMP sidecar files.

But since the edits are included in the catalog, just opening the old catalog in the new program will carry along the old edits.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Agreed on the XMP. Alas, enabling them for historical images in a large catalog has a time-delay. We don't have a good idea of the specific / actual issue, so a few options are available, XMP files might be one of them.

But, if the idea is to merge all images into a single consolidated LRCAT, swapping LRCAT files is not the solution.

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

What is your objection to updating the catalog to the new format by opening the old catalog with the new software (which is what I assume you mean by 'swapping LRCAT files')? The old edits are in there and will be carried over. The new software will have its own catalog and all the original image files are used in the old locations.

If you're using a really old catalog, it might be worth importing images anew to take advantage of improved editing algorithms. That could be done selectively by producing virtual copies to retain both versions. You could erase all (or some of) the old edits to produce a virtual copy, then restore them on the original.

I agree that the original poster's problem is not well described.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

You're making assumptions not present in the OP ....

delder Loc: Maryland

NOTE:

The LR [or similar] application does NOT contain your ACTUAL Photos/images. It INDEXES them to their existing location on your Hard Drive.

Follow the tales of woe on UHH from those who moved LR to a new Computer WITHOUT moving the ACTUAL Photo Files as well.

kitrn23

I will try and be more specific. 6 months or more I had a hard drive crash and my catalog was a mess. Luckily I had all my photos backed up. Last week I decided to stop using folders and set up collections. The move went well. When I went to look at my apps in microsoft, I found an app labeled Lightroom, when I opened it there were 325 folders that were not in my LRC catalog. I understand about where the photos are, and about virtual copies. The photos are in my external backup, I cannot figure out how to copy them over to the correct collections in LRC. Sometimes I get more confused with the answers I get here. I have a Masters in nursing not Lightroom. Isn't there an easy way to copy them over? These photos are from 2016, and I have no idea why the are in LR and not LRC. There is a difference, right?

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Alas, this still doesn't help clarify. Let's begin with what specific software you're using. Just go into the Help / About menu for the Lightroom software you're using and reply back with the specific software title and versions number the About menu reports. This answer will help to clarify the community's responses to be specific to your software, rather than what we think / assume you're using.