There has to be a way to restore the edits of 700 photos I just accidentally removed from LR catalogue, right?

[degibox]

Please tell me that I did not just WASTE the last 24 hours of my life. I have been editing over 700 photographs since yesterday morning. I was going through them one last time to make slight adjustments and found a photo that I hadn't noticed was put of focus before so I decided to remove it. Well, I guess I had accidentally selected "select all" and send all 700 photos, edits and all, in the trash....

Hahahahahahaha... not funny.

So, anyway, what is the keyboard shortcut that undoes this in one second? Because there has to be one, right? I didn't just waste an entire day of my life that I won't ever get back, right?

Can't wait to hear what button to press to make tis problem go away instantly! Thanks!

-Perer

[Nancy OShea]

Check your computer's Recycle / Trash Bin. 

You have posted in the non-technical Lounge.

I'm moving this discussion to the Photoshop Lightroom product forum.

[degibox]

All of the files are there, yeah, but my edits are gone. It's not the files that I have lost, it's the entire day and half's work. Any way to restore?

[dj_paige]

No, don't import. Just move them back to their original folders, using your operating system. (In Windows, if the files are still in the trash, you can open the trash, right-click and select Restore)

Remember.

DO NOT IMPORT

DO NOT IMPORT

DO NOT IMPORT

DO NOT IMPORT

One more time with emphasis

DO NOT IMPORT

[degibox]

Not Windows. Mac OS

[99jon]

The editing is stored in the catalog database. So if the photos are on your hard drive, or can be put back from the trash or you have a backup copy of the originals; it should be possible to re-link the files with your develop settings.

[degibox]

Thank you so much! If I re-import the files from their original disk, will it restore the edits do you think?

[99jon]

If you have removed everything from the catalog, do you have a prior backup of the catalog? If so find the dated folder and unzip it to extract the file – your catalog name with the ending .lrcat. Then double click on it to launch the backup in Lightroom.

[degibox]

Thank you so much! If I re-import the files from their original disk, will it restore the edits do you think?

[dj_paige]

Don't import!

[D.A.R]

Not unless the backup catalog was made the night before, after you had done edits and before you went in "one last time".

A backup catalog for days prior will not have any knowledge of the edits over the last 24hrs.

[degibox]

Please explain how to create a backup? That would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

[cmgap]

Did you check your recycle bin as DAR recommended?

[cmgap]

If your files are still in the trash you may not have lost your edits. If you have 'write changes to XMP files' checked in preferences and your XMP files are in the trash, you can move them back to the original folder.

[D.A.R]

To create a backup:

Lightroom > Catalog Settings... General.

Choose the frequency of when you would like backups of the catalog to be created.

Right now I would choose When Lightroom next exits. then quit Lightroom.  You will see a dialog that shows where the backups will be. You can change this if you wish.

By default they are in the Pictures folder in a Lightroom/Backups Folder.

You can also change the frequency at this point to.

note that backups do NOT backup your image files. Only catalog data (edits and stuff)

[degibox]

Hey, man. This is what my settings are currently on. Is there a chance the edits I made yesterday are still there? 

[D.A.R]

Yes, if you shut the catalog down the night before, and didn't choose "skip this time".

However, judging by the date and time of the last backup, Im not hopeful

[degibox]

Dear Diary,

It turns out that that "No Backup" dialogue box I have been getting all the time is in regards to Lightroom and not my Mac as a whole as I had previously suspected. It might be a good idea for me to pay more attention to that and other dialogue boxes.  My life will be so much more stress free.

Also, there's a dude named D.A.R. who can see what I'm doing somehow. Creepy.

Anyway, I should probably get to work on re-editing 735 photos. Talk to you later!

Love, always,

-Peter

[degibox]

When backing up my catalogue, do I need an external hard drive or something? Or does everything just backup from where it is?

[D.A.R]

You don't NEED an external HD.

The catalog will be backed upon to the location you choose in the Catalog Settings dialog shown earlier. Although, note that this is on the same HD as the actual catalog anyway. So is just as vulnerable as your operating system.

If you have any backup strategy in place that backs up your computer you are covered as the backups will be backed up separately along with the computers HD.

If you have no backup strategy for your Mac in place then

a. get one!

b. stick to it.

If you want to tackle the OS backup at a later time thats fine. All you need right now is as simply as a thumb drive. Periodically copy the Lightroom/Backup Folder to it. Lightroom will continue to create backups on your working drive at the schedule you choose. Providing that drive doesn't fail you'll be set.

[D.A.R]

Regarding Lightroom Only:

Default locations:

Catalog is in a folder called Lightroom in your Pictures folder.

Your Backups are in the Backup Folder in the same Lightroom Folder

If its inconvenient to have an external drive plugged in al the time then leave the location set as is and periodically copy the Backups Folder to a Thumbdrive. The only reason you are doing this is in case of system drive failure.

From time to time you can delete the older backups as your catalog grows. I generally keep no more than 2 months worth.

Ultimately it would be better to have a backup strategy that took care of your entire HD. I use Chronosync by Agile Bits to backup my HD's to external drives on a schedule.

[cmgap]

Keep in mind that if you store Lr backups on your internal drive and your internal drive fails, your backup will be gone with it. If you have a Dropbox account you can move your Lightroom backup folder there. Once that folder syncs up with the cloud you will be at less risk of losing it should a drive failure occur.

Are you using Time Machine to back up your system?

[D.A.R]

Assuming you got this dialog and didn't read the first line noting the number of images.

If so, the images are in the trash but the you will have lost the edits unless you have the Catalog Settings set to Automatically write changes to XMP. In which case the edits will be available to as .xmp files next to the image files.

If your images are on a server then they will not be in the trash folder on your desktop and will be gone (subject to the server having its own trash folder)

[degibox]

Um...what?

[dj_paige]

Ok, please clarify something. Did you delete the photos from inside LR (using the same dialog posted above by DAR)? Or did you delete the photos using your operating system? Which?