LR4 catalog question-can I do this?

I'm not sure how to pull this one off and am seeking assistance.

I've created a couple of empty catalogs on an external drive (G) and would like to use images on drive C in the catalogs.

In LR4, I selected the images that I wanted on drive C and exported them to the appropriate catalog on drive G. Upon opening the catalog on drive G, LR asked me to begin importing. Reluctantly, I finally decided to give this a try hoping that only the selected files would be selected for import but that wasn't the case.

Hopefully something in there made sense.

I haven't done or tried this, but if I understand them correctly.... I believe Catalogs require that images be included into the catalog library (e.g. imported). In this case, I believe you would need to open the Catelog that you created, then import the folder(s) or file(s) that you would like to be included. However, this doesn't move files from their physical location to the location of your catalog - it only supplies the LR catalog with the location of the file(s). You can choose to export Catalogs to be used on other computers; useful when you import photos to your laptop, and decide you want to move the files + any edits in LR that you have performed to another computer (e.g. desktop). However, within a catalog you can create Collections of images from within that library.

I don't know if you are familiar with the Apple 'eco-system' [If you will] with regard to how iTunes works, but I understand it much better to think of how LR works in those terms. I can have music in many places on my computer, on various drives and in various folders. I can choose what files/folders to import into the iTunes library (a la Catelog); I don't have to import all of it. I can access any of these songs (only those which I've added) via iTunes. Additionally, I can create various playlists of my favorite songs (a la Collections). I can choose to put the same song into various playlists; simiarly to the way that pictures can be added to collections. In both cases (whether imported or added to collections) the files aren't duplicated (in terms of physical copies of data) they are simply linked.

If I am following you correctly, I think it would be easiest to import pictures into a specific catalog, then export the Catalog (including the actual files) to another drive. This assumes that you want to remove the pictures from your C drive. After exporting the Catalog, you would still need to physically delete the images from your C drive - after ensuring that exporting your Catalog worked properly.

I think what you want to do is "export as catalog" on the source drive, then "import catalog" on the destination driver. This will transfer all your edit from one catalog to the next, not just the photos.

Let me explain why I'm doing this (and why I sound like a mad man).

I've been asked to get intimately familiar with LR catalogs for a class. My specific personal assignment is to create 4 catalogs, import images in to each, then create a master catalog and copy images from the 4 catalogs in to the master. *whew*

Since I have to bring all of this to class I'm putting it on a portable drive. However, my images are on my internal drive. I created the catalogs (I'm quite proud of myself-quit laughing) on the external drive. But, I couldn't export the images to it. Thinking about it again, I will either have to copy actual files to the external drive or export them as a catalog. No?

I'm not familiar with itunes at all but I understand your example. I'll play around with this a bit and see how it works. Thanks for the help.

Oh, there is another threadfloating around here about LR tutorials that I'm going to start exploring. I have caffiene, I have food-I'm ready!

Yeah, I'm not sure how to create Catalogs that integrate with each other - in any sort of 'master' configuration. As I mentioned, I know that you can certainly create a single Catalog, and manage images into various Collections (in this case, the Catalog would essentially be your 'master').

I would have used the "Export to Catalog" option to create the four new catalogs, as this would have saved some steps. However, since your new catalogs already exist, the command you want to look at is "Import From another Catalog."

Open one of the new catalogs you created on your external hard drive, and select file->Import from another Catalog. Choose the option to make a copy of the photos and indicate your external drive as the destination. (Because you'll be turning in this external hard drive, you need to make sure the photo files are copied onto it. If you don't copy the files, the new catalog will refer back to the files in their current location -- your internal drive. Don't worry, you won't change your existing catalog or photo files by doing this. It will simply create a new duplicate copy of the photo on the external drive, and only the new catalog on the external drive will point to them.

Check out this article on the Adobe site for step-by-step instructions: http://help.adobe.com …4b-8413-053347F21456.html

chantu wrote in post #15804048
I think what you want to do is "export as catalog" on the source drive, then "import catalog" on the destination driver. This will transfer all your edit from one catalog to the next, not just the photos.

This is what finally worked. I think exporting as a catalog, as mentioned, probably would have made life easier. Thanks for the Adobe link, too.

Thank you everyone!

There are two ways yo do this.
1. Create a new catalogue on the drive, then import images.
2. Open an existing catalogue, select some images/folders and then use the export as catalogue function.

To create your master catalogue create a new catalogue on the same drive and then go to File > Import from another catalogue (repeat for all 4)

Just one final issue, do you need to show the photos in class? If the Catalogue on your external drive points to photos that are actually on your C drive, it wont be able to access them when you plug the drive into a new computer at school. You will get the ? image can't be located message.

When you do the Import or the Export to catalog you do have the option to copy the "originals" to a new destination. Since you are doing this for a class project, I'd say do the copy to the external drive and then when you are done with the project you can either delete the copies or just keep them on the external drive and keep your "main" catalog on your C drive pointing to them (and you could delete the C drive copies. Just make sure you do things step by step, don't lose track of what you are doing, otherwise if you get confused, you'll just make Lightroom "confused"!

You seem to making this more complicated than necessary.
If you have created an empty catalog use its import feature, find and select the images on the other drive and then add the images to the catalog (farthest right option.) that puts the images into the catalog put keeps them on their original drive which shows up in the file section of the left panel.

As mentioned, if they are already in a catalog you can select them or the folder, or the collection and export as a catalog, select the option for leaving the files where they are. Save the exported catalog on the new drive.

Either option ends up with the same results.