How can I import tags from PSE 12 into LR6 from either an external hard drive backup or from Crashplan?

Report · Nov 13, 2016

I have updated several versions of PSE over the years (4,9,12) and have been using PSE12 for some time now. Like an idiot I never backed up my catalog in PSE12. Dell support had me reset my computer (against my better judgement) and I lost all data from PSE12, most especially many years worth of tags that I had created. I have an external hard drive backup of PSE12 that I made in mid August 2016 which theoretically contains my tags (logical, but is this true?). I also have the home version of Crashplan that I should be able to backup PSE12 tags from. This reset was done on 10/1/16. I migrated all programs and data from my old HP computer on to this "new" Dell on 1/1/16. As I have been unable to restore PSE12 data from my external hard drive or Crashplan (both only back up data, not the programs themselves), I was ultimately able to restore all data and tags from my old HP PSE12 to my new Dell PSE12.

I recently purchased LR6 and have managed to import all of my data from PSE12 into Lightroom. This data is only current up until 1/1/16 when I quit using the HP. I am missing a lot of data from PSE12 from 1/1/16 until today mostly new tags that I had created since 1/1/16. I have not imported my many thousand photos since 1/1/16 for fear of not knowing what I am doing.

My questions:

>>> ALL of my photos are on my C drive. Only the photos prior to 1/1/16 have presumably been imported into PSE12 and then LR6. I am curious how to prevent a lot of duplicates of photos - 62,000 photos already in LR6 - from showing up in LR6 as duplicates. Is there an easy way to prevent duplicates when importing photos into LR6?

>>> Is there any way to get the PSE "tags" (now "keywords" in LR6) from 1/1/16 until 10/1/16 back as keywords in LR6?

>>> If these keywords can be imported or reestablished, will they automatically reestablish themselves with the correct photos?

>>> If the keywords will reestablish themselves, do I have to have the photos from 1/1/16 until 10/1/16 already in LR6, or can I somehow import the keyword information into LR6 and then import the photos?

It is a very complicated issue that i have spent many 10's of hours trying to resolve. Any assistance or direction for me to get this problem resolved would be very greatly appreciated! Many and very sincere thanks to anyone who can help!

Report · Nov 13, 2016

I have an external hard drive backup of PSE12 that I made in mid August 2016 which theoretically contains my tags (logical, but is this true?).

It depends on what files are in your backup. Your PSE catalog file must be included in the backup. Is it?

>>> ALL of my photos are on my C drive. Only the photos prior to 1/1/16 have presumably been imported into PSE12 and then LR6. I am curious how to prevent a lot of duplicates of photos - 62,000 photos already in LR6 - from showing up in LR6 as duplicates. Is there an easy way to prevent duplicates when importing photos into LR6?

If, as you say, the photos prior to 2016 are in PSE, doesn't this make it very easy to determine what is a duplicate? I'm not sure I am understanding the question anyway, how does any of this produce a duplicate?

>>> Is there any way to get the PSE "tags" (now "keywords" in LR6) from 1/1/16 until 10/1/16 back as keywords in LR6?

If you have the PSE catalog file in your backups, you first need to restore all of the backups (catalog and photo) so that PSE is in working order, and then the following instructions can get this information into LR: How to import photos from Photoshop Elements, other Lightroom catalogs, or apps such as iPhoto in Li... Do not let the title of this article confuse you, because you don't actually import the photos into LR, you upgrade the PSE catalog into a Lightroom catalog.

>>> If these keywords can be imported or reestablished, will they automatically reestablish themselves with the correct photos?

When you do a proper restore of the backups, yes

>>> If the keywords will reestablish themselves, do I have to have the photos from 1/1/16 until 10/1/16 already in LR6, or can I somehow import the keyword information into LR6 and then import the photos?

I don't know if you have the photos from 1/1/16 until 10/1/16 already in LR6. Whatever you do, there is NO importing of photos.

It is a very complicated issue that i have spent many 10's of hours trying to resolve. Any assistance or direction for me to get this problem resolved would be very greatly appreciated! Many and very sincere thanks to anyone who can help!

Two major steps are all that is needed.

Restore the PSE catalog. You will most likely get better help on this via the PSE Forum, not the LR forum
Once that is finished and working properly: Upgrade the PSE catalog to a LR catalog

And some advice that is so important, I'm going to say it three times:

NO IMPORTING OF PHOTOS

Report · Nov 13, 2016

dj_paige,

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my cry for help! I will attempt to address your questions thusly: Your question followed by ~~~ then my response:

If, as you say, the photos prior to 2016 are in PSE, doesn't this make it very easy to determine what is a duplicate? I'm not sure I am understanding the question anyway, how does any of this produce a duplicate? ~~~ Let's say that I have a PSE catalog that has 10 photos in it. I have a backup of that same catalog from a later date that has 12 photos in it. When I import the catalog with 12 photos in it into the catalog with 10 photos in it (I realize that the photos are not actually "in it"), would I duplicate the first 10 photos as well as add the 2 new ones? (Thus now having a catalog with 22 photos in it...)
Here is perhaps a better description of my current situation / problem: I have reestablished PSE12 from my old HP computer into my new Dell. In turn, PSE12 was imported successfully into LR6. Unfortunately it is only "current" as of 1/1/16. I have several thousand "photos" that were at one time also in PSE12. That is to say that on 10/1/16, when my computer was reset, I "lost" everything in PSE12. When I went to open PSE12 it was empty. No thumbnails, no "photos", no tags, nothing. I have spent many, many hours simply getting PSE12 reestablished on my Dell, but only current through 1/1/16. I have Crashplan backups of PSE12 from any date I want, let's say 9/30, though I cannot seem to figure out how to restore whatever data is in the backup into PSE12 OR LR6. (IF I can restore directly to LR6 that would be terrific. If not, I would like to restore PSE12 up through 9/30/16.) All of the photos in the Windows Picture folder are still there. Though I only have them updated in PSE12/LR6 through 1/1/16.
>>> How do I go about restoring either PSE12 or LR6 with photo file information from pictures on my computer in the Pictures folder AND have the associated tags from 1/1/16 - 9/30/16 reestablished with these files as they once were???

I appreciate your patience with me! I may be "over thinking" the problem. In PSE12 if I click File > Get Photos and Videos > From Files and Folders and bring in all photos, will I duplicate the 62,000 that are already in PSE12? Most importantly, how do I reestablish my old tags from the 9/30 PSE12 backup? Sounds like you are saying that once PSE12 is up to date and reestablished to my satisfaction, THEN import it into LR6, is that correct?

Thank you again dj_paige!

And I fully understand that...

NO IMPORTING OF PHOTOS

Report · Nov 14, 2016

If, as you say, the photos prior to 2016 are in PSE, doesn't this make it very easy to determine what is a duplicate? I'm not sure I am understanding the question anyway, how does any of this produce a duplicate? ~~~ Let's say that I have a PSE catalog that has 10 photos in it. I have a backup of that same catalog from a later date that has 12 photos in it. When I import the catalog with 12 photos in it into the catalog with 10 photos in it (I realize that the photos are not actually "in it"), would I duplicate the first 10 photos as well as add the 2 new ones? (Thus now having a catalog with 22 photos in it...)

No importing of photos! No importing of catalogs!There is NO importing in this process.

I have reestablished PSE12 from my old HP computer into my new Dell. In turn, PSE12 was imported successfully into LR6.

This is new information.

Unfortunately it is only "current" as of 1/1/16. I have several thousand "photos" that were at one time also in PSE12. That is to say that on 10/1/16, when my computer was reset, I "lost" everything in PSE12. When I went to open PSE12 it was empty. No thumbnails, no "photos", no tags, nothing. I have spent many, many hours simply getting PSE12 reestablished on my Dell, but only current through 1/1/16. ... I have Crashplan backups of PSE12 from any date I want, let's say 9/30, though I cannot seem to figure out how to restore whatever data is in the backup into PSE12 OR LR6.

Then upgrading this PSE catalog (which is only current to 1/1/16) to LR 6 is not the right thing to do. You need to find your final PSE catalog, the one that allegedly Crashplan has backed up, you need to make sure it is working properly in PSE, and then all of your photos are available in PSE and then you upgrade this catalog to LR 6.

>>> How do I go about restoring either PSE12 or LR6 with photo file information from pictures on my computer in the Pictures folder AND have the associated tags from 1/1/16 - 9/30/16 reestablished with these files as they once were???

Didn't you just say you restored the earlier PSE catalog which is current to 1/1/16? You do the exact same thing with the final PSE catalog, that's how. You don't need the catalog current to 1/1/16, you stop using this particular catalog, set it aside, and use the final one after it has been properly restored.

Report · Nov 15, 2016

dj_paige - Thank you very much for your help. I believe that I now understand most of what it will take to get my LR6 in completely up-to-date order. I appreciate your patience with my newbie types of questions.

Two questions and I should be done:

- Since photos are not actually imported into either PSE or LR (which I fully and completely understand), though menu choices in both programs as well as help topics all use the terminology that photos are imported, what then is actually imported? Metadata? (In which care "tags" in PSE would be considered metadata...)

- One last time regarding duplicates: Please bear with me... If have restored a PSE catalog into LR, and then for whatever reason try to reestablish that same catalog a second time from PSE into LR, will duplicate photos show up, or does LR "know" to not add those photos or data the second time?

Thank you again for all of your patience and assistance! It has been greatly appreciated!

Report · Nov 16, 2016

- Since photos are not actually imported into either PSE or LR (which I fully and completely understand), though menu choices in both programs as well as help topics all use the terminology that photos are imported, what then is actually imported? Metadata? (In which care "tags" in PSE would be considered metadata...)

This is poor wording by Adobe, do not pay any more attention to it. Nothing is "imported" in this process. The menu choice in Lightroom is "Upgrade", not "import".

- One last time regarding duplicates: Please bear with me... If have restored a PSE catalog into LR, and then for whatever reason try to reestablish that same catalog a second time from PSE into LR, will duplicate photos show up, or does LR "know" to not add those photos or data the second time?

When you upgrade a PSE catalog to LR, you do not get any duplicates (unless the PSE catalog had duplicates). You get an entirely new LR catalog. Use File->New Catalog and then File->Upgrade PSE Catalog

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How can I import tags from PSE 12 into LR6 from either an external hard drive backup or from Crashplan?