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FILES CAN'T BE FOUND but associated with another catalog

Contributor ,
Jun 01, 2012 Jun 01, 2012

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In Scott's Kelby's Book LR3 on page 88 step 6, he talks about 3 options for importing a catalog.....

In particular he talks about option#3 and says he has NO IDEA wy anyone would choose that option of importing without the images.

SENARIO: I just switch to MAC. All my work for years was on Windows PC including LR and CS4 design premium. So now when I go to work on images in the same location on THAT windows hard drive I get the message that I cannot do JACk with those images because they are associated with another catalog.

I can't even click on the "?" in LR4 to find them without the same message coming up.

I was thinking of firing up the old Windows Box, somehow finding all the images through LR3 and then using option #3 to import all 10,000 images or at least their locations to my new shiny Mac system(s).

Objective: I am trying to access the images on an EXT. HD that gives me the "files are assiciated with another catalog message".

Windering if importing that catalogue would help?

IS THERE A WAY TO DISASSOCIATED A CATALOGUE FROM AN IMAGE?

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LEGEND ,
Jun 02, 2012 Jun 02, 2012

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Step 1: Ignore everything Kelby says about the Library Module.

Step 2: Please tell us exactly the steps you followed to get yourself into the current situation. "I just switch to Mac" isn't really an explanation of how you got there. Please give us details so we can help you. Also, please quote the exact error message that you are getting. Thanks.

Step 3: Every time you think of re-importing an image into Lightroom ... tell yourself that re-importing is a terrible idea. And then, don't re-import.

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Contributor ,
Jun 02, 2012 Jun 02, 2012

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thanks for the look-see.

#2: I bought a mac book pro and a Mac Mini. switched everything to Mac flavor and am trying to have the same access to all my images files.

  • I hooked the ext. HD to the Mac mini.
  • opened LR4.1
  • selected ALL PICTURES ~12,000 images
  • picked one with a "?" I went to year, folder, day, file.
  • dialogue box asking if i want LR to find the image and i say yes please
  • I get the following message: "each file can only be associated with one photo"

That is where I am at this point: STUCK.

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LEGEND ,
Jun 02, 2012 Jun 02, 2012

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So, please fill in a few more details

1. The catalog file and all photos were on the ext. HD? Yes or no?

2. I don't understand the phrase "picked one with a "?" I went to year, folder, day, file". Please explain this further, especially the part "I went to ..."

3. Are you sure that you have quoted the error message exactly? The words you quote seem meaningless to me

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Contributor ,
Jun 02, 2012 Jun 02, 2012

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1. The catalog file and all photos were on the ext. HD? Yes or no? NO

2. I don't understand the phrase "picked one with a "?" I went to year, folder, day, file". Please explain this further, especially the part "I went to ..."

IF YOU OPEN LR'S LIBRARY MODULE AND CHOOSE ALL PICTURES AT THE TOP, you will see ALL your images if you are lucky and have done all your homework. If you have moved stuff around outside of LR then you will have a blank placeholder for each image LR cannot find and it will also have a "?" (a question mark in that frame); you've never seen this before? When one clicks the "?" (question mark, a dialogue box opens and tells you of the last know location...i go there; mine are arranged by year, month and day and file which is irrelevant; i go to the location whereever it is.

3. Are you sure that you have quoted the error message exactly? The words you quote seem meaningless to me: the message is this: "each file can only be associated with one photo"

thanks

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LEGEND ,
Jun 02, 2012 Jun 02, 2012

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Well, I have been asking for details about what you did, and you now are saying you don't have the catalog file and photos on the external HD. How did you get your catalog file to the new Mac? Where is the catalog file?

Now earlier you said "selected ALL PICTURES ~12,000 images" and then you clicked on the question mark. What happens if you select only one photo and click on the question mark? Do you get the same ERROR message or not?

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Contributor ,
Jun 02, 2012 Jun 02, 2012

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Hmmmmm.

I transferred the contents of the windows computer to the MAC.

In the pictures directory on the MAC is where the LR folder is located. ( this could be the/a problem) I didn't import from WINDOWS. hmmm.

I can only select one "?" at a time and yes I get the same error. and I suspect i am getting this error because I din't import the blasted LR catalogue to the MAC from WINDOWS.

So now what do I do?

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LEGEND ,
Jun 02, 2012 Jun 02, 2012

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I don't think there's a need to import a catalog if you have a working catalog from Windows.

To tell you the truth, I'm stumped at this point. Everything I can think of is a long-shot, and doesn't really match the symptoms you stated.

So, I give you one long-shot, and hope that someone else has a good thought. The long-shot is make sure your catalog file is in a folder where you have write permission.

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Community Expert ,
Jun 02, 2012 Jun 02, 2012

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Select just one file, click its question mark and try to link it to the original. If you can produce the "each file can only be associated with one photo", then we've got a file we can work on.

With it alone selected, go to All Photographs and sort the catalogue by capture time. Ensure no filters are active. What I suspect is that you will then see duplicate thumbnails for this picture, one with no question mark and others missing - that's what the message generally means.There could be other things happening, but focus on just one picture for now. Once we're sure what's happening to it, the rest will probably be easier to solve.

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Community Expert ,
Jun 02, 2012 Jun 02, 2012

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And follow up this one file in Finder too.

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Contributor ,
Jun 02, 2012 Jun 02, 2012

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Thanks JOhn...Look but what if I simply moved the picture folder( that also contains the LR folder) from the old computer (windows) to the MAC without doing the import/export catalogue process?

Could this be causing all my grief? I am the admin., lord and master of the computer(s) LOL!

JOhn , I only click one file...with the "?" and I DO link back to the original, but no matter what happens I still get that message.

I will return to ALL PHOTOGRAPHS and do as you suggest and will report back....  This must be pretty bad if you guys can't figure it out......

Thanks, I am diving back in...

v.

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Community Expert ,
Jun 02, 2012 Jun 02, 2012

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Part of the problem is that we can't see and can't have the eureka moment when it's all obvious. There's also uncertainty about "each file can only be associated with one photo" and "files are associated with another catalog".

Anyway, If you have simply copied the old computer's pictures folder over , and have opened the lrcat file on the Mac, that should be good. I would expect that the lrcat opened on Mac would not initially understand the exact folder path for your images, so you would see question marks on the folders. Normally you would click these folder question marks, rather than those on the pictures.

You've done (generally) the right thing in not importing/exporting. Also don't be tempted to use Synchronise to try to get yourself out of trouble - it usually doubles it!

Also, are you still at the point where we could say, wipe the Mac and do the whole transfer over again? Be 100% certain your backups are solid.

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Contributor ,
Jun 02, 2012 Jun 02, 2012

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This is bad.

All ths images are located or at least point to different locations .

here is what I see: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5501747/futzcatalog.tiff

I often thought I was going to do that a few weeks ago.

I could delete everything from lightroom before MAY 2012 and then start over......like you suggest but I have to think this through.

This is a collossal mess.

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Contributor ,
Jun 02, 2012 Jun 02, 2012

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here is the follow-through: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5501747/futz2.tiff

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Community Expert ,
Jun 02, 2012 Jun 02, 2012

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vdotmatrix wrote:

here is the follow-through: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5501747/futz2.tiff

That's the message that implies the duplicates issue.

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Contributor ,
Jun 02, 2012 Jun 02, 2012

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BRAINSTORM!!!!!

What Happens if I just start a NEW CATALOG?

Then I import the stuff anew and then these folders won't be associated with any other catalog?

I am really about to throw up...I have so much work to do ....and can't access these files.....I only need about 50 out of 12,000

LOLOLOLOLOLOL

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Community Expert ,
Jun 02, 2012 Jun 02, 2012

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OK, well you know the saying about when you're in a hole you should stop digging. Maybe step back a bit, and I've alerted the others at LR Forums (as I'll be away for a couple of days).

Look through your folders panel. Are any folders showing question marks? Can you point those at the Mac locations.

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Contributor ,
Jun 02, 2012 Jun 02, 2012

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The issue is not with items at the MAC locations, they are just fine.

the items that come from other places other hard drives that is the big deal here.....

John-I appreciate your help. Sorry about the flap next door: "it don't ,eam nuttin".

cheers

v.

14.johnbeardy,

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Jun 2, 2012 4:08 PM   in reply to vdotmatrix

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OK, well you know the saying about when you're in a hole you should stop digging. Maybe step back a bit, and I've alerted the others at LR Forums (as I'll be away for a couple of days).

Look through your folders panel. Are any folders showing question marks? Can you point those at the Mac locations.

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Community Expert ,
Jun 02, 2012 Jun 02, 2012

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"The issue is not with items at the MAC locations, they are just fine."

I understood that, and said that you should  point folders which have missing question marks to where those hard drive folders are shown on the Mac. They will have a different path - it's like "catalog" and "catalogue" and you need to do a minor translation.

So look through your folders panel - are there any question marks there?

You can start a new catalogue, but you may end up with twice the confusion!

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Contributor ,
Jun 09, 2012 Jun 09, 2012

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A world of hurt has transpired since this last post in an attempt to remedy this CONTINUING NIGHTMARE.

All the edit were done on the WINDOWS box backed up to an ext. HD. ( the images were once on that windows box as you'll see again later).

I thought I would cut to the chase and simply import all the pictures from the ext. HD, but I must have forgotten to or unchecked the prevent duplicates box and ended up with 41,000 duplicates, triplicates and quads.

Simplest thing to do, was to delete the previous import and start over but since I was traumatized about gathering info from different forum sources I sat and spun around. for a day or two paralyzed in my work flow.

I did the stupid thing and contacted ADOBE live chat. She told me to rename the plist file. GREAT! It essentially I think restarted the upgrade from LR3 to LR4 and of course everything was gone since my last LR3 backup.

So I have serious work to do so I just re-imported the ext. HD without the images and just added everything t the catalog with the box checked to prevent duplicates or apparent duplicates.

I have the edits for the same images.

when I try to do anything but especially re-populate existing collections I get this again: 

http://db.tt/SO0mj2dQ

http://db.tt/vCgkdoq5

So what do I do?

Is there a way to disassociate an image from a catalog (or catalogue), or another image as in this case??

Maybe I could go back to the old computer put everything where it thinks everything is. Export as a CAT. without the pictures or backups ( because they are already at  a/the destination).

A lot on the plate!!!!

HAs anyone seen this sort of thing before?

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Contributor ,
Jun 09, 2012 Jun 09, 2012

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so when I show in library it takes me to the recently added ext HD...when I open the right click window for collections it says it isn't part of any collections.

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Community Expert ,
Jun 09, 2012 Jun 09, 2012

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As I said before....

"So look through your folders panel - are there any question marks there? "

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Contributor ,
Jun 09, 2012 Jun 09, 2012

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yes, this is the problem.

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Contributor ,
Jun 09, 2012 Jun 09, 2012

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http://db.tt/SO0mj2dQ

http://db.tt/vCgkdoq5

these are a result of following those hundreds of question marks....

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Community Expert ,
Jun 09, 2012 Jun 09, 2012

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Click the question mark ON THE FOLDER (sorry to shout)

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