LR3 Thinks an Image is in the Catalog but it's Not

I'm new to LR and continue to struggle with (but am learning) their approach to the catalog. I'm trying to import a collection of images, but a portion are blanked out. When I try to select one individually, I get a message that it's already in my catalog even though it most certainly isn't. I assume the issue may be that I work with mutliple camera bodies and probably have duplicate image numbers even though they are stored in different diretories. Is this the problem? Or is it something else? How do I get around this short of removing other images that I'm not done working with?

Thanks.

Rename your images during import. This is the easiest way to combat the issue of multiple cameras with the same file name. I change mine to yyyy_mm_dd_originalfil​ename.jpg

Sounds like a good idea for the future, but is there no fix for now short of renaming my new files?

Peacefield wrote in post #10838218
Sounds like a good idea for the future, but is there no fix for now short of renaming my new files?

You can rename the files already in the catalog. How many are in the catalog?

I'm not sure that's what's going on - my Lightroom catalog has hundreds of images with the same name (before I started renaming them).

Is "check for duplicates" on in the import box?

best to start a new catalog, and import what you need from the old one, plus the new photos.. it's best to save you edits into sidecars by saving metadata in the library module, this will allow you to import most just by importing the orig directory

pearts wrote in post #10838883
best to start a new catalog, and import what you need from the old one, plus the new photos.. it's best to save you edits into sidecars by saving metadata in the library module, this will allow you to import most just by importing the orig directory

Disagree, because if a new catalog has the same settings you will run into the same problems. In addition, if you don't want sidecar files you don't have to deal with them. If starting a new catalog I would just import images from the old one.

Naming issues shouldn't be a problem unless the images are in the same directory (which wouldn't be possible anyways). OP, what are your import settings?

You guys are also confusing me. New catalogs? Sidecars? In spite of picking up an Adobe Press book, LR's approach to catalogs still has me fumbling a bit.

Peacefield wrote in post #10842564
You guys are also confusing me. New catalogs? Sidecars? In spite of picking up an Adobe Press book, LR's approach to catalogs still has me fumbling a bit.

Well, things can go quite smoothly with the LR process, but if you run into glitches like what you've posted you just have to figure out what is wrong and how to fix it. But of course it can be complicated to do that, and especially when us out on the InterWebs don't have the full first-hand picture of what is going on! So you get a bunch of piecemeal advice, but it may just be some slow going on your part to try to analyze what is different with the files you are struggling with, and how to approach getting your workflow underway.

Peacefield wrote in post #10837861
I assume the issue may be that I work with mutliple camera bodies and probably have duplicate image numbers even though they are stored in different diretories. Is this the problem?

Nope, that's not it. The duplicate detection requires a match on filename + capture date/time + file length (i.e. size).

3.0 or 3.2?

Do you have it set to back up a second copy when importing?

I had already upgraded to 3.2. I ended up moving those images to a new folder, renamed them, and they finally imported fine. Thanks, everyone.