LR Help!

been using it about a year, love it. Came back from a shoot, put my card in the reader, and went about my business. Came back later and started looking through the captures. Selected one image and when I processed it through Define (software plug in) it would try and save the image to my card reader? Then gives me the message that I cannot do that! When I remove the card from the reader LR cannot find the image? Using an iMac by the way, drug the file with the pics into my pictures file then removed the card again, LR still can't see the pictures? HELP! also to consider, I am an old fart from film days, computers are like modern cars in that they are too complicated to figure out. I just want to drive! Thanks....

Generally it is not a good practice to write a file -- even of the same file type which is written by the camera itself -- from computer to memory card...cameras may well not be able to view the file. I know with certainty that Canon cameras will not detect the presence of that file simply because an entry is not written into the proper place within the memory card for the camera to detect the actual file.

LF has a database which files need to be imported into...a list of file names and their folder locations are written into the LR Catalog file. When you edit images, the list of changes to be made to each image is written into the Catalog as well and the original files are left unchanged.

When you copied the files from the memory card reader onto your Mac pictures folder, the files were copied without the LR catalog being updated during the Import, so LF does not know they are there. LR thinks your files are in the reader location, not the Pictures folder. If you go back to the Library, you should see a '?' next to the folder which had the files originally. You should be able to select that folder and click on it, and see a menu to Update File Location, and then by selection of your Pictures folder then LR will start to look in that location for the files.

My description above is a generic one, as I have Windows PC and have not used LR in the Mac environment, so I cannot instruct you precisely about menu selection wording nor explicit button selections, etc. Maybe a Mac LR guy can fill that in for you, if you can't figure it out.

That sounds as though in your initial importation you selected Add instead of Copy, however on a PC when the file source is a card reader there is no Add option. Is it possible the Mac build is different? It could be, if the reader is seen as an external drive. At any rate, the process of updating LR regarding the current files' location, as described by Wilt, is fairly easy, but in the future you can save yourself the bother by not moving things in Finder, only in LR.

i never try to write to my memory card with any files, I was surprised when it tried to write to the card in the first place, not sure what I did to confuse LR? Have triied the suggestions with NO luck. No folder with a ? to double click on. I see the files are there in finder but LR refuses to see them.....iPhoto sees them and keeps wanting to import them.

Sounds like you need to re-import the images into LR.

Remember, LR's folder structure on the left doesn't show EVERYTHING like finder... it only shows the files that you previously, specifically, chose to be imported.

Again, as suggestions above state:
1) When importing from memory card, always MOVE <wrong - see edit note> the photos to new HD location. [EDIT - Sorry -I mistyped... you should not use a MOVE option from memory card (on PC you can't) you should COPY from mem card to PC] (Personally, since I've acutally seen LR (v1) mess up on a move from Mem Card, my standard practice is to manually copy images from card to a "Import" folder on my hard drive, I then use the move option during to have LR organize my photos where I want.)
2) Only move photos to new locations using LR's own tools.
3) When edits are done using LR-Launched-External editor, just save the file (don't use save as... or rename it.)
4) If external edits are made without using LR to launch external editor (or you use Save as, and rename the file) you will have to import that new edited version into LR itself.

To "cleanly" start this over again, pull out the card then open Lightroom and select all the images you previously "imported" and delete them.

Then re-insert the card and go to the Import dialog.

In the Import dialog, make sure that Copy is selected/highlighted. In Windows, this is the default, not sure about the Mac.

I suggest using Copy instead of Move because of the possibility that downloading images can get messed up (I've seen it happen), which is why at least with Windows LR defaults to Copy. Once you have a good Copy, it's simple to then Format the card in the camera.

In the Import dialog, ensure that you have both a destination "parent" directory (you will initially choose one, after that the setting is "sticky") and then, you can choose the option to copy the files into a "sub-folder" that is named for your shoot. I do this -- I choose a "base" filename for the shoot and use the "Sequence" option to number the individual files, and then I copy and paste the base file name into my subfolder name (or vice-versa).

Following that simple routing will ensure that you get your photos in a place that imports into the Lightroom catalog, shows up in the Lightroom Folders panel, and can be easily found by your system browser or other programs when/if needed. And, if you use a plug-in or Photoshop using the Edit with... function, when you edit an image and Save (saving to the same location) the edited file will show up in Lightroom, automatically imported into your catalog!

Copy is not just the default, it's the only option (other than Import as DNG). LR agrees with you, moving the files from a card is risky, so it won't do it.

tonylong wrote in post #15662385
To "cleanly" start this over again, pull out the card then open Lightroom and select all the images you previously "imported" and delete them.

Then re-insert the card and go to the Import dialog.

In the Import dialog, make sure that Copy is selected/highlighted. In Windows, this is the default, not sure about the Mac.

I suggest using Copy instead of Move because of the possibility that downloading images can get messed up (I've seen it happen), which is why at least with Windows LR defaults to Copy. Once you have a good Copy, it's simple to then Format the card in the camera.

In the Import dialog, ensure that you have both a destination "parent" directory (you will initially choose one, after that the setting is "sticky") and then, you can choose the option to copy the files into a "sub-folder" that is named for your shoot. I do this -- I choose a "base" filename for the shoot and use the "Sequence" option to number the individual files, and then I copy and paste the base file name into my subfolder name (or vice-versa).


Following that simple routing will ensure that you get your photos in a place that imports into the Lightroom catalog, shows up in the Lightroom Folders panel, and can be easily found by your system browser or other programs when/if needed. And, if you use a plug-in or Photoshop using the Edit with... function, when you edit an image and Save (saving to the same location) the edited file will show up in Lightroom, automatically imported into your catalog!

as I stated, I alway COPY from my card to LR, then later format my card in camera. For whatever reason it was assuming my card was a drive? Still not sure what I must have done to confuse things. I did try the suggestion of removing the card, deleting the imported files, and then re-inserting the card, LR now does not see them on the card? They ARE still in the card, looked at them in camera and finally downloaded too iPhoto as the wife wanted me to post some of them. I have never drug files from my card to my iMac this was a first AFTER I started having problems. really want to get them recognized by LR, not much I can do with them in iPhoto as it is very basic....so any other ideas?

When you insert the card with photos into a reader, if the Lightroom Import dialog does not open automatically, if you click the Import button (or press Cmd-Shift-I) the Import dialog/module should open.

If the files/photos in the card reader don't then show up (the default behavior), then in the left panel there will be a file browser where you "Select a source". That browser should show all your available drives and if you scroll down, the card reader should show up, and you can open the folders to find your images. Are you seeing all this or not seeing your card reader folders at all?

I just inserted the card, LR went to the Import module, it shows the folder but when I click on the folder it sees no pictures?

Hmm, it's possible you have a corrupt memory card (that does happen) -- do you have another card you can try out?

Another thing you can check out -- what happens if you use your system browser to browse to the folder in the card -- can you open the folder and see the shots?

If so, one thing you can try as part of your troubleshooting -- try copying the files in your system browser then pasting them into a new folder in your Pictures directly. If you can do that, then try in Lightroom in the Import module locating that folder in the left panel and doing an Import, "Add"-ing instead of Copying and see what happens!

Keep us posted!

still trying to figure out what went wrong. What would happen if the downlooad was complete but I pulled the card without hitting the IMPORT button? Could that have caused this problem?

ralff wrote in post #15674445
still trying to figure out what went wrong. What would happen if the downlooad was complete but I pulled the card without hitting the IMPORT button? Could that have caused this problem?

Well, of course! If you don't Import, then you don't Import!

tonylong wrote in post #15674497
Well, of course! If you don't Import, then you don't Import!

IF that is what started the problem, where do I go from here?

In the Import module, click the Import button!