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Importing Catalogue does not recover original images

New Here ,
May 05, 2018 May 05, 2018

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Hoping someone can help

I have a series of images which I exported to a hard drive using jpeg mini (which compressed the files below 1 mb).  

I realise now that these files are too small to import into a photo album for printing.

I've imported the catalogue in the hope that it will reload the full size edited raw images so I can then re-export them in print friendly size.

Upon importing however I get the exclamation mark (lost file).

What am I doing wrong?   I'm thinking that I can't recover those full size edited photos (a wedding of all things!).

cheers

Kathy

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Advisor ,
May 05, 2018 May 05, 2018

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It seems there might be some terminology confusion here. I will try to ascertain what you have done and what you may have intended.

When you export files from Lightroom they are version or copies of the originals (unless you specifically state "original" in the export options. So if you started with Raw files and exported jags then the Raw files are still where they were on your hard drive.

There is no need to re-import the jpg files. They can be discarded.

If you open the catalog that contains the links to the raw files you can re-export more jpgs at a suitable size.

You state that you "imported the catalogue in the hope that it will reload the full size edited raw images... "

Im a tad confused at this as you don't state that you exported a catalog, just jpgs.

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New Here ,
May 06, 2018 May 06, 2018

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all my original raws and jpegs are on my hard drive - so I haven't lost the files per say

What I'm talking about is my lightroom edited files - pre -export.

What I want to do is export those edited files again but at a larger print friendly size.

To clarify they no longer exist in my lightroom library hence the desire to re-import. 

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Community Expert ,
May 06, 2018 May 06, 2018

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kr35672393  wrote

To clarify they no longer exist in my lightroom library hence the desire to re-import.

So why are they no longer in your Lightroom catalog? Did you remove them from the catalog? If you did that, then the edits are lost. Lightroom stores the edits in the catalog, not in the images, and removing the images from the catalog is a sign for Lightroom that it can remove the edits too.

-- Johan W. Elzenga

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LEGEND ,
May 06, 2018 May 06, 2018

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If the image files were in the LR catalog when you originally exported a Copy of them to a JPG file that was to small those original files are still in the LR catalog. They don't go anywhere when you export a JPG copy of them.

So there is no need to Re-Import them. You just have to Find those original image files. If you know the name on one of them you can search the catalog using the Filter Bar Text option.

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Advisor ,
May 06, 2018 May 06, 2018

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Possibility 1. You opened a different catalog or a new catalog. Verify that the correct catalog is open. The name of the catalog is at the top of the application window.

If you look in the Pictures folder (My Pictures) you should see a Lightroom Folder. That will contain your catalog(s). Verify there is only one and that is the one you are opening.

Possibility 2. You moved the files on your hard drive. This would leave preview files in the Library of the catalog but they will have "!" in their corners and the folders in the Folder Panel will have "?" on them. If so, right click on the topmost folder and select "Find Missing Folder"

Possibility 3. You "removed" the files from the catalog. In this case you will need to reimport them but you will have no records of the edits.

Possibility 4. You "deleted" the files from your hard drive via Lightroom. This is the worst case scenario. Check your system trash.

As you state "Upon importing however I get the exclamation mark (lost file)." I suspect - and hope - number 2.

In the Catalog Panel look at the "Previous Import" - What do you see? You should see the files you just imported. However Im not clear if you were referring to the raw files or the jpg files that you exported.

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New Here ,
May 29, 2018 May 29, 2018

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Thank you for your response.  Its very helpful

I think its 2 but it could even be 3

This my typical workflow

1. import raws

2. cull, edit, export to hard drive in new folder eg 'abc wedding'

3. export catalogue to the same hard drive in sub folder of 'abc wedding' (including smart previews)

4. delete files/previews from lightroom library

My problem begins here: 

To  access those edits in lightroom again I:

1.  import catalogue

2.  images appear with ! in the right hand corner

3.  click on the ! and get a pop up - file could not be found but it points me to locate in the original raw file.

I don't want to use the original raw file.  I want the edited version. 

Is my step 4 causing this? Or is it something else all together?

regards

Kathy 

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Enthusiast ,
May 29, 2018 May 29, 2018

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I am wondering if you're having some confusion about RAW, edited, and exported file.  If you edit a RAW file, unless you do something, your catalog will maintain those edits. The RAW file "appears" to be edited, but really, it is untouched and Lightroom shows it to you with the edites applied.  So if I am reading you right, you would want to create a new export from your same edited RAW in a different size.

Upsizing edited jpg files would likely produce unsatisfactory results - you always lose quality upsizing.

It might also be that you are unnecessarily creating many catalogs for many jobs, when one would suffice. I would put my exported files into a separate directory/folder structure to keep things tidy and separate your RAW/Lightroom images from your exported images.

I know I'm assuming a lot here and some or all my assumptions may be wrong!

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