Changed file names outside Lightroom - what now?

[Soulman1949]

I'm a newbie LR user looking for help with a specific problem.

I've just realised that partway through last year my photos should have rolled over from file names C_04xxxx.CR2 to C_05xxxx.CR2 with the result that there were around 4500 files with the prefix C_04 rather than the prefix C_05. Some of these have already been imported into LR. I've corrected the names of the offending files outside LR but realised that this will affect photos in the imported collections.

I'm not sure how to correct the issue so my edits are not lost.

Thanks

Alan

[F. McLion · Accepted solution]

You can re-link the photos, but you have to do this for every photo.

How to find missing photos in Photoshop Lightroom

btw: Why do you care about the file names? I don't see why you changed these file names in the first place.

Basic rule: Perform file manipulations only from within LR, except you know exactly what you do.

[Soulman1949]

Thank you. I was looking for such a reference link!

As to your btw, it's the system I use! It's important that the filenames are unique and sequential for my system, so it would be a nonsense to have two files with the same name.

[F. McLion]

Regarding your system:

I also have unique filenames. I let LR generate a unique filename upon import/copy and never have to worry about it.

[john beardsworth]

Outside Lightroom, change the file names back to what they were. That's the easiest way to correct things. And in future, do any renaming in Lightroom (but you've already learnt that lesson, I hope).

Do you have Bridge? Its file renaming feature allows you to search for C_04 and replace it with C_05 - it's called "string substitution" in Bridge's renaming dialog.

[Soulman1949]

Thanks, I'll have to consider which is the easier option of the two suggested!

Unfortunately, I don't have Bridge, but yes, lesson learned! 😞