Lightroom 6 - software, not CC - refuses to open ORF files from Olympus OMD-1

[robsshots2]

I've been using LR 6 on my MacBook Pro for over two years without a hitch. All of a sudden, LR stops recognizing the files in my camera. It says it cannot read the files so ergo will not import images from the camera to LR for editing.

Scratching my head here. Rebooted LR 6 to original settings, made no difference. My Olympus files are ORF. and have never had a problem importing them before with over 12,000 images in my files.

WTH? Anyone can help, please let me know!!!   Have several new images in Page AZ and am now stuck with no options.

Thanks in advance.....

[Brad_Polt-Jones]

While this is not a direct fix for your problem, you could try temporarily importing the files using the Adobe DNG converter. Here is a direct link to the download and information on how to use it.

Adobe Digital Negative Converter 9.x

[robsshots2]

I import all my photos in DNG format already. I think I might try using a different image format and see if that helps. Will let you know - thanks for the suggestion.

[robsshots2]

Thanks, Brad, for the suggestion. The default and only available import format in LR 6 preferences is DNG and dng. No other options!! I know this must be quite different from LR 6 CC.

[john beardsworth]

So this is when the camera is attached or you are using a card reader? What happens if you copy the files to your hard drive using Finder - can you import them from a regular folder?

Are you certain you have opened Lightroom 6 And not an earlier version?

No advantage to saving them as DNG. I would not try that In this case.

[robsshots2]

And yes, John, I am opening LR 6 - it is the only one I have installed. And DNG is the only file format available to me in LR preferences. So I cannot adjust that, unfortunately.

[robsshots2]

I was trying to avoid a workaround, John, but that one is an idea I had not considered. I experimented with importing the photos into Photos, then importing them from there to LR 6, but that was not effective. I'll give the Finder file a shot, but I'm assuming it won't import the images in RAW. I'll find out in a couple of minutes and find out!!

[DdeGannes]

Quote "It says it cannot read the files so ergo will not import images from the camera to LR for editing."

The error message, files could not be read, usually occurs when at import you are trying to copy the files to a "Destination" folder for which you do not have full read and write privileges. This needs to be corrected using your operating system tools or choose a different location to copy the files..

The permissions may have been changed when a recent update was made to the OS.

[robsshots2]

I should have done a better job of explaining my set-up. I store all of my images in an external HD. When I import from my camera, it is saved to my external HD "through" LR. I have to connect my HD, then open LR, then turn on my camera. Preview images appear in LR (as they still do) and I check the ones I want to import from the camera. It used to be that when I did that, LR would import the selected images and store them in my external HD. Now when I check my preview images, and I hit the "import now" button, I get that stinking "cannot read" message and it shows zero images to import. I have been using this approach since November 2015. And suddenly, since I arrive in Page, AZ four days ago, this situation has developed. I checked the drinking water AND the humidity levels, and all seems well. So I figure it is somewhere in the software. I double checked all my camera settings, and nothing was changed. Happy to switch out of DNG if that fixes the problem, but the Adobe software is supposed to convert my ORF RAW files in the camera into DNG files. I read somewhere to do that to ensure data quality, so have been using it for over a year with no hiccups.

[dj_paige]

robw54264692  wrote

Now when I check my preview images, and I hit the "import now" button, I get that stinking "cannot read" message

DdeGannes​ has already explained the answer. You need to change the permissions on the Destination Folder (or change to a different destination folder).

[robsshots2]

Not true. There is no DESTINATION folder. The images simply get imported into my external hard drive. There are no folders on my external hard drive. All of my folders reside in Lightroom. There are no permission option on my external hard drive. There are no folder permissions in my version of LR. LR CREATES a new folder when I import my images from the camera.

So that is NOT the answer, sorry, DdGannes and dj_paige. It just ain't so. Unless I am misunderstanding something. I have checked everywhere for permissions, file names, file formats...no where is there any such thing as permissions for folders. Now if someone has a roadmap for me... 

[JP Hess]

Your folders cannot reside "in" Lightroom. The folders have to reside on the external hard drive. Images and folders are not in Lightroom. The only file that Lightroom opens is the catalog. Check the permissions for the external hard drive itself and make sure that it has both read and write permissions.

[robsshots2]

Thanks, Jim - I seriously thought about your comment, and got Seagate support on the phone. Outstanding!! Fixed all the permissions, and the HD is now wide open for reading and writing..even arithmetic. But to no avail - it simply WILL NOT WORK. So I am quitting this useless exercise in futility and ordered a new HD and will set up a new storage/editing HD for my photos. At this point, wishing I had not bought LR but a more recent photo editing suite. Such is life. Might just do that while waiting for my new Seagate 2 TB hard drive to arrive.

[dj_paige]

Have you tried the suggestion to change to a totally different destination folder?

Did the Seagate people change the permissions to WRITE on ALL folders on the drive, or did they just change the permissions on the drive itself to WRITE (which probably won't fix the problem).

[robsshots2]

Hi, DJ - yup, went in there and made sure ALL folders are permission read and write. Still will not read files from my camera.

[dj_paige]

I asked two questions, one of which doesn't appear to be answered:

"Have you tried the suggestion to change to a totally different destination folder?"

And as long as I'm asking questions, what happens if you change the destination folder to a totally different drive?

[robsshots2]

Sorry, dj, for not answering your question earlier. Missed that one.

When I use Photos on my laptop, photos are imported in RAW without a problem.

I don't have another drive to send the photos to, other than Photos which runs on my native laptop hard drive.

Hope that answers the questions.

Now, I am posting screen shots of what kinds of messages I get in my response to Jao vdL. Coming right up.

Sorry for the delays. I am without internet where I am staying, and have to use my iPhone as a hotspot connected via bluetooth. I have used up all of my high speed data allowance from Verizon so I am on slow speed. Think dial-up. It takes forever for stuff to load, and after trying for half an hour last night I was unable to even open up this site. Right now I am sitting in a McDonald's and hopefully providing enough info someone can walk me through what I have to do to LR. The problem based on my prior experience with LR, is in LR, NOT my Seagate external hard drive.

What has convinced me of this is that I tried to edit existing photos in my folders on my Seagate external hard drive last night. LR refuses to open any of my photo editing plug-ins. I have all the permissions and links in place. All my plug-ins are authorized and running - but LR refuses to allow me to use them. So I am convinced that somehow LR is totally messed up. Maddening situation, as I am running out of available space on my photography SD card. So please look at my response below and see what you think.

BTW, I very much appreciate your attempts to help me. Not being technically savvy, getting assistance from some experts is critical to me, and I thank you very much for assisting me.

[dj_paige · Accepted solution]

robw54264692  wrote

Not true. There is no DESTINATION folder. The images simply get imported into my external hard drive.

Then there is a destination folder. Whatever folder they get imported into is the destination folder.

And also, what JimHess​ said.

So that is NOT the answer, sorry, DdGannes and dj_paige. It just ain't so.

It is so, and if you'd give it a try, you will find out that the permissions are the problem, and fixing the permissions (or selecting a different folder which has write permission) will fix the problem.

[robsshots2]

Okay, got Seagate support on the phone - outstanding support, BTW - and we walked through every permission setting on earth on that hard drive. All to no avail. So, since serious help from Adobe just aint possible, my only options are to go to an Apple store (my always fail-safe option) or to buy another hard drive and begin again with photo files stored in a new external HD. Since I won't be in Denver till June to hit the Apple store, I am bailing on the Apple option at this point. Today I ordered another 2 TB hard drive from Seagate and will set it up with LR to begin a new portfolio of images by importing the 450 photos sitting on my camera's memory card.

Appreciate all the proffered help, but none of what was suggested/recommended worked. Something has gone haywire, and unless I can sit down with a knowledgeable tech person I don't believe there is any fix possible. At this point, I am really disgusted with LR. Wish I had chosen a different option for editing my photos - but I seriously appreciate the suggestions and recommendations and the willingness to help with a very puzzling situation. Now that I have written this I believe I'll check out the photo editing software options that have been marketing to me for the last three years.

[Jao vdL]

Please post a screenshot of your import panel. We'll be able to tell you what to fix as it is almost definitely the problem that the destination folder is not set correctly. This is a very easily made mistake and the dialog is quite confusing.

Since you are using a mac book pro, what is the format of your external drive - i.e. did you reformat it to hfs+ as you should when you first connected it. If the drive is NTFS formatted, Mac OS X (and therefore Lightroom) will not be able to write to it.

[robsshots2]

Hello, Jao - thanks for joining in to help be get this resolved. You are dead right, LR is damn confusing when trying to trouble shoot.

Sorry for the delay in answering your question/suggestion . I am without internet where I am staying, and have to use my iPhone as a hotspot connected via bluetooth. I have used up all of my high speed data allowance from Verizon so I am on slow speed. Think dial-up. It takes forever for stuff to load, and after trying for half an hour last night I was unable to even open up this site. Right now I am sitting in a McDonald's and hopefully providing enough info someone can walk me through what I have to do to LR. The problem based on my prior experience with LR, is in LR, NOT my Seagate external hard drive.

What has convinced me of this is that I tried to edit existing photos in my folders on my Seagate external hard drive last night. LR refuses to open any of my photo editing plug-ins. I have all the permissions and links in place. All my plug-ins are authorized and running - but LR refuses to allow me to use them. So I am convinced that somehow LR is totally messed up. Maddening situation, as I am running out of available space on my photography SD card.

BTW, I very much appreciate your attempts to help me. Not being technically savvy, getting assistance from some experts is critical to me, and I thank you very much for assisting me.

Well, I'll be darned. As I set up to import photos from my camera, I redirected them to a different destination and they are downloading. Same destination as I tried earlier this week, but now they are downloading. WTH?? I don't care, I'll take it. As soon as they download, I'll try to edit and see what happens. (PAUSE WHILE DOWNLOADING)

And now...my plug-ins have resumed working. Sitting in McDonald's, slightly stunned. Just edited a slot canyon photo - fantastic. I can't believe this. I've struggled with this for over two weeks, tearing my hair out and finally seeking help from this forum. But it must have been that destination folder thingy that finally allowed importation. dj_paige got it right, I got it wrong, and will likely be scratching my head for months to come over this. Seriously, I tried to edit some photos last night for our neighbors so they could see the difference between a RAW photo and an edited version. No way those plug-ins would work last night. I tried every thing I could think of, and I've been playing with those plug-ins for over five years. But sitting here at Mickey D's - BAM!! They start working again.

Sorry for wasting all of your time, although I never would have gotten this done without the encouragement and never-ending insistence by dj_paige. Tip of the hat to you, man. You saved my bacon, despite my unbelief. Problem solved, back to the fun of editing 500 images from Page AZ area. Thanks again, guys, no way I ever would have gotten out of this fix without you guys.

[Jao vdL]

Not a waste of time. Glad you got it resolved. This precise thing can happen when you import to an external disk and the disk is missing at some point or mounted at a different mount point. Sometimes the import panel then can get confused and you just reselect the destination to get it back to normal. The plugins not working is likely a result of your images being offline, likely because the disk wasn't connected or the disk was mounted at a different point again (happens even on Macs). Anyway good you got it resolved.

I'll be in that area in a few days. Sounds like you had a good time.

[DdeGannes]

@Jao vdL, I think this thread is a classic and should be used as a reference when users dispute that there have a permissions problem.

This is one of the most frequent problems experienced by Lightroom users.