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jessica eve
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How to move files from external drive to main drive WITH keywords?

Aug 12, 2011 8:47 AM

On a recent trip, I uploaded several thousand images onto an external hardrive that I was using with my laptop.I keyworded and edited these files while on the road.

 

Back home, I want to move the files (keywords and all) to my permanent LR library which resides on a different hard drive. How can I make this transfer without losing keywords?

 

Thank you in advance.

949 Views   9 Replies   Latest reply: _marc_b_, Aug 15, 2011 10:08 AM
 
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  • Lee Jay-ZyZk56
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    1. Lee Jay-ZyZk56,
    Aug 12, 2011 9:51 AM   in reply to jessica eve
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    Use Lightroom to move them.  If they are in a Lightroom catalog, do an import from catalog.

     
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  • jessica eve
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    2. jessica eve,
    Aug 12, 2011 10:07 AM   in reply to Lee Jay-ZyZk56
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    What do you mean, use lightroom to move them?

     

    I did not create a catalogue before importing files onto the external drive.

     

    I can use lightroom to import files from one drive to the other, but I will lose keywords if I do this.

     
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  • Lee Jay-ZyZk56
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    3. Lee Jay-ZyZk56,
    Aug 12, 2011 10:11 AM   in reply to jessica eve
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    jessica eve wrote:

     

    I did not create a catalogue before importing files onto the external drive.

     

    So you didn't use Lightroom for this?

     
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  • jessica eve
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    4. jessica eve,
    Aug 12, 2011 10:37 AM   in reply to Lee Jay-ZyZk56
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    I imported the files onto the external drive using LR. But I did not create a catalogue for them.

     

    The exist in a LR Library folder on my external drive. I want them to move into my main LR library, with keywords, etc.

     

    I am attaching images to make this more clear:

     

    Lacie Orange is my portable drive. Within the Lightroom Library, the files I want to move are contained within the yellow highlighted 2011-07 and 2011-08 folders.

     

    Their destination is the LR libarary on my DROBO.

     

    Thanks.

     
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  • Lee Jay-ZyZk56
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    5. Lee Jay-ZyZk56,
    Aug 12, 2011 10:56 AM   in reply to jessica eve
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    jessica eve wrote:

     

    I imported the files onto the external drive using LR. But I did not create a catalogue for them.

     

     

    Lightroom can't function without a catalog, so you had to have them in a catalog somewhere.

     
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  • BOSU BABU
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    6. BOSU BABU,
    Aug 12, 2011 11:47 AM   in reply to jessica eve
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    I used to keep my photos in folders and subfolders.Recently I thought of arranging all of them datewise.All my photos were already keyworded. I connected my new external drive and imported all my photos in old drive (under copy mode) to the new drive under new catalog .I find all my key words intact in new catalog--Bosu Babu

     
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  • _marc_b_
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    7. _marc_b_,
    Aug 14, 2011 4:32 AM   in reply to jessica eve
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    Hi Jessica,

     

    There seems to be a confusion of terms here: the catalog is where LR stores all its information (what your referred to as LR's library in your original post).

     

    While you were on the road, did you use LR to add keywords to the photos, or did you use some other tool? If you used LR, than you already have a catalog on the laptop, which you can then import into your main LR catalog (using the Import from Catalog option from the File menu). Let us know if you get stuck anywhere.

     

    Marc

     
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  • jessica eve
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    8. jessica eve,
    Aug 14, 2011 8:08 PM   in reply to _marc_b_
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    Thank you, Marc, and others.

    I have successfully completed the import. Hooray.

     

    For the future, what is the best practice for traveling?
    Shall I create a new catalogue on my laptop (travel computer) and at the end of the trip import this entire catalogue into my LR library/main catalogue?

     
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  • _marc_b_
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    9. _marc_b_,
    Aug 15, 2011 10:08 AM   in reply to jessica eve
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    Good to hear you managed to sort it all out :-). Yes, creating a new catalog and then importing it at the end of the trip is the easiest way to go about it. Afterwards, you can either delete the catalog from the laptop (but only after you've verified all is OK on your main computer, and you've made some backups, of course!), or just use it again for the next trip. During the import into the main catalog, LR is smart enough to identify photos from previous trips which have already been imported.

     
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