What is Elements Organizer?

The  Elements Organizer can be used to arrange, codify, systemize, group, and classify your media. When you import your images and video into the Orgnizer, you are adding information about your files to a catalog. Your files remain on your hard drive where they were, unless you are importing them from a camera, in which case the files are copied to your hard drive to a location of your choosing.

What is an Elements Organizer catalog?

The catalog is a database that stores information about the files you've imported into Elements Organizer. When importing a file, the first thing Organizer does is collect the file's name and location on the hard drive. If the file has any attached compatible metadata, such as keyword tags, these are imported as well. You can use multiple catalogs and your catalogs can be carried forward from version to version.

Why does Elements Organizer say my files are missing?

Since the catalog database only stores information about your file, and not the file itself, if any of that information is changed outside of Elements Organizer, the connection to the file is lost. There are three ways this can happen: the file name is changed, the file location is changed, or the file has been deleted. If you need to rename, move, or delete a file, you can do so within the Elements Organizer, and then the connection is not lost.

What is Reconnecting?

When a file has been renamed, moved, or deleted, the catalog database needs to be updated with that new information. The Reconnection process allows you to point out a file's new name, it's new location, or to delete the database entry on your file if the file no longer exists on your hard drive.

Where can I learn more?

Managing Files in Elements Organizer:

• Get photos from files and folders
• Importing photos from a digital camera
• Import photos from a previous version
• Moving files
• Hiding and deleting photos

Managing Catalogs in Elements Organizer:

• Use Backup, Restore to move catalog
• Troubleshoot catalog backup, upgrade
• Freeze when you repair a catalog

Reconnecting Media in Elements Organizer:

• Reconnect missing files
• Can't edit, open, reconnect photos or media | Incorrect drive letter