Files off line or missing.....Lightroom issue

photostar_1

photostar_1

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Carole
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I have files in Lightroom that I imported at Christmas. The original RAW files are sitting on my server and the server is awake and active. For some reason, Lightroom is telling me the files are missing or off line when I try to access one in the develop module. Any ideas as to why and what do I need to do to access them?
 
How is lightroom accessing the files on the server? Is it via a mapped driver letter (if so has that letter changed?) or via a network path such as \\servername\sharename\folder?

Go to the library module in LR and right click on the folder that is missing files, select locate missing files and see if you can find it on the network, LR should then update all the with the correct location.
 
pxl8 said:
How is lightroom accessing the files on the server? Is it via a mapped driver letter (if so has that letter changed?) or via a network path such as \\servername\sharename\folder?

Go to the library module in LR and right click on the folder that is missing files, select locate missing files and see if you can find it on the network, LR should then update all the with the correct location.
Click to expand...



My server is clearly showing and nothing has changed. I tried the right click, but there was no option to locate. Ended up deleting the lot and re-importing. Seems to have worked ok. Thanks for the help.
 
Deleting and importing works I guess but you lose all your edits :(
 
pxl8 said:
Deleting and importing works I guess but you lose all your edits :(
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Here lies the value of creating xmp files. And the greater value of using DNG which don't need them.
 
How do DNG files remove the need for settings/history/etc being stored in the LR db?
 
pxl8 said:
How do DNG files remove the need for settings/history/etc being stored in the LR db?
Click to expand...

I don't know how but it does. I work on DNGs on my laptop using an external drive for storage. I connect the hd to my desktop pc and import the DNGs (DNGs - not library or catalogue). The DNGs appear in my desktop Lightroom and have all the edits, I have hidden behind this TP page as I type a Lightroom window with a folder of photos edited on my laptop. All have the edits previously applied, including dust spots removed. The history panel is empty, but everything is still undoable.
 
That's interesting, I might be able to use that as part of my backup process :thumbs:
 
To do this you need to check the "Automatically write changes to XMP" check box (Catalog settings/Metadata on the latest version).

If you are leaving your files as RAWs a separate XMP sidecar file will be created with all the edit information, this file will have the same name as the RAW file and you will need to keep them in the same directory. If you convert to DNG all of the edit information will be stored within the DNG and will be available if you open it in different programs etc. Another advantage of DNG is the slightly smaller file size, over a few thousand images it adds up though...
 
pxl8 said:
That's interesting, I might be able to use that as part of my backup process :thumbs:
Click to expand...

I've converted RAWs that have been edited with xmps created, and all edits have been carried across to the DNGs. I don't think it will work without xmps. If you haven't already got LR set to create them then after selecting this option you need to select each picture, in the develop module IIRC, to create an xmp. At least that's what I had to do - not sure if there's an automatic way to create them all.
 
I was just going to select the files and Export to DNG, easy peasy :)
 
pxl8 said:
I was just going to select the files and Export to DNG, easy peasy :)
Click to expand...

If you have a lot to do, you'll find the standalone DNG converter to be much quicker than LR if you have xmps already present.
 
No xmp's, they slow LR down too much.
 
Sorry to resuscitate this one, but a whole load my images have gone missing from Lightroom - hundreds of "files missing or deleted"

I can re-import them, and I THINK they are the edited versions, alhough the step-by-step progress towards each final version has disappeared.

Why has this happened, and how can I stop it happening again?
 
You've not changed your hardware config at all? Have you checked the files are actually still where they should be?
 
jerry12953 said:
Sorry to resuscitate this one, but a whole load my images have gone missing from Lightroom - hundreds of "files missing or deleted"

I can re-import them, and I THINK they are the edited versions, alhough the step-by-step progress towards each final version has disappeared.

Why has this happened, and how can I stop it happening again?
Click to expand...

If you right click on the missing folder in the left hand window in the library module there will be an option to find the missing folder. Assuming it hasn't physically gone forever, you can then go looking for it. As for your edit history, just look at the settings in the develop module and you should see some settings there that you have applied i.e not standard default settings. All can be modified, so having the linear edit history in the history window doesn't really matter.
 
MisterE said:
I don't know how but it does. I work on DNGs on my laptop using an external drive for storage. All have the edits previously applied, including dust spots removed. The history panel is empty, but everything is still undoable.
Click to expand...

I thought I would point out a further advantage of using DNG embeded with a full size jpeg preveiw and that is most image browsers like Fastone, Acdsee and Ifanview can browse your raw files at full size and lighting fast speed because they just access the full size jpeg preview instead of having to render the raw image and you also see your raws with all the edits done in Photoshop ARC.

And if you do not use/like lightroom (like me) that is a major adavantage as with the dam program I use, I can just export the already rendered ,sharpened and edited full size jpeg ready for instant use.:)
 
pxl8 said:
You've not changed your hardware config at all? Have you checked the files are actually still where they should be?
Click to expand...

Bout time I got back to this.....

What I think I've done is move the location of the RAW files, without considering what would happen in Lightroom.

AND, this morning I've just moved a few hundred more....

***....:bonk:

But you can do it within Lightrom, can you?
 
jerry12953 said:
Bout time I got back to this.....

What I think I've done is move the location of the RAW files, without considering what would happen in Lightroom.

AND, this morning I've just moved a few hundred more....

***....:bonk:

But you can do it within Lightrom, can you?
Click to expand...

Yes - you can. But you don't have to. It's not always possible or convenient. Just show Lightroom where you have moved them to. As explained in earlier post.
 
MisterE said:
Yes - you can. But you don't have to. It's not always possible or convenient. Just show Lightroom where you have moved them to. As explained in earlier post.
Click to expand...

I think I'm getting the hang of this.....:thinking:

But before I go too far, I want to move a load of RAW files to an external hard drive. What's the best way of doing this so that Lightroom can still find them?
 
Just point Lightroom to the new external drive and the new folder that the files are in.
 
jerry12953 said:
Sorry to be thick but I don't quite understand what you mean by "point".

I think you might have to spell it out for me....
Click to expand...

That's ok. We all have problems some time or other. In the left hand panel when in the Library module all your folders that you have imported are listed. The ones that LR thinks are missing are greyed out and have a ? on them (I thought they used to be coloured red - maybe earlier). Right click on these and you will see an option 'Find Missing Folder'. Then browse (point) to where they are now located.

Any folders not listed there that you think should be, have somehow been lost to LR, unless in a different catalogue perhaps, and you will have to re-import them.
 
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