Lost Image Files - Lightroom

[Lyssi]

I have a small harddrive so I store my images and lightroom files on a 160G external drive. I then copy everything to a second 320G external drive, as backup.

During this copy process I had a Lightroom Folder go missing that contained 2 months of images I was working on in LR. (This would be from what's termed the catalogue folders I assume). These images are of course now red-framed in the LR Library as LR cannot locate them.

Fortunately for me I keep the original image from the camera in a Master File so all I will lose is my editing. I convert to DNG and import a copy of the image to Lightroom.

My guess is there is nothing I can do to recover these images in Lightroom but I wanted to confirm that before I take any further steps:

- I do regular Lightroom backups in LR but that backup will only restore meta data, correct? It does not save the actual DNG image with the edits?

- If they are indeed not recoverable, am I right that I would proceed as follows:

1. Delete the "thumbs" from Lightroom so that any info associated with them in the Library Files will be deleted also.

2. Re-import the images. (and start again :rolleyes:)

Seeking confirmation and any further advice so that I don't make things any worse! Thank you.

[Victoria Bampton]

If LR still knows about the files (and knows they are missing), then you can put files back and show LR where to find them, and all of your edits will be reapplied. Just click the little question mark or right click on the red folder and tell it to relocate missing files.

[Lyssi]

Thank you so much Victoria. :)

Relocating the LR images individually worked. It did not retain the .dng conversion but did give me the opportunity to link it as a .CR file. I can't see that as being any kind of problem, at least I won't have to do all the work again.

I have them saved in subfolders by date in LR and was trying the relocate function on the folders, which wouldn't work. I had to relocate each image which I wasn't aware of.

I'm so glad I waited for a reply and didn't go on to deleting and re-importing them. Thanks again.... LR is such a bright program!

[cosworth]

I'm still doing a forensic search on a missing folder that Lightroom has lost. It's one folder, it isn't inside another folder and it is not on my backup dvd. I am not sure it failed during import or what have you. It may have been selected when deleting another folder.

I consistently find that I am so close to deleting things when I look and see something selected that should not be. Lightroom is great for some, but for me using software since I was young and software was young fails on a couple usability issues.

Be aware of what is selected and what isn't when using lightroom.

I hope you find the missing data and also find WHY it went missing even if it is human related.

[figmented]

it could have been renamed.. and when u go to find it, its not the same exact name, and it thinks its missing..

ive had that happen when im moving images from 1 folder to another, while renaming and deleting folders.. something gets caught up in the process and ill have 2 folders with half images in each but with diff names.. and lightroom gets confused.

[In2Photos]

I'm still doing a forensic search on a missing folder that Lightroom has lost. It's one folder, it isn't inside another folder and it is not on my backup dvd. I am not sure it failed during import or what have you. It may have been selected when deleting another folder.

I consistently find that I am so close to deleting things when I look and see something selected that should not be. Lightroom is great for some, but for me using software since I was young and software was young fails on a couple usability issues.

Be aware of what is selected and what isn't when using lightroom.

I hope you find the missing data and also find WHY it went missing even if it is human related.
I really don't see why people have trouble with deleting files. Do you read the dialog box that pops up saying "Do you want to delete 500 files?".

[cosworth]

When you click on an empty folder you assume you are only deleting the empty folder. If another folder is selected and you don't know it is then yes it would stand out.

If you are deleting a folder of crap and another folder of not crap is mistakenly selected and you haven't counted then yes, you could do this.


I'm not a dummy with computers. but i'm not going to assume it was software only when a folder gets deleted and it shouldn't have. Culpability is on the user %99 of the time.

I think all day where the folder could be and if I could even find it. I plan on running a convar process on my drives to see if I can locate any .tif files from the 1ds that was used.

File loss is a real pain in the butt and i have always been a proponent of "your data is only as good as your last backup". Problem is if you back up and don't know if you are missing something you're hooped.

I still to this day haven't implemented a burn to DVD process that is part of my import. One day I'll learn.