Deleted file from LR catalogue...

[wmm]

Ok, I am using Lightrrom 2, and shooting RAW. I have the option to write my changes and metadata into .XMP sidecar files.

My problem is that I accidentally deleted some files from the Lightroom Catalogue only, so I still have the original RAW file and I have the .XMP file with it, but how do I now get that photo back into Lightroom and have Lightroom show all the editing that I had done?

I have tried re-importing it, but it does not show any of the changes....HELP!

I am lost! Thanks....

Wmm

[paddler4]

I have had a similar situation when moving my raw and xmp files from a laptop I travel with to my main computer. I have been able to regenerate the edited images and snapshots, but the process I use loses the history.

The way I do this is by copying the folders intact to be subdirectories of a folders (call this a "parent folder") that is already in the LR database. I then right click the parent folder into which I dumped them and resynch it.

So rather than reimporting, if the images are still where they were (if you deleted them from the database but not the disk), try just resynching the parent folder.

Hope this works for you.

[cmason]

This is really simple, don't panic :D

Often I add images to existing folders in LR, where the image in now in the target folder, but LR doesn't know about them. For example, sometimes I export JPG out of LR into the physical folder, and LR doesn't know about these images, and needs to be updated to find them. This is a similar situation where you removed a file from the LR catalog, but it still exists in the folder.

What you need to do is synchronize the folder, not re-import. Re-importing simply processes a new RAW image. Synchronizing is really there to handle situations where you may have edited in a different program.

To do this, go to the Library Module, and then, find the folder where the missing file is physically located in the Folder view. Right click (Mac or Win) and select "Synchronize Folder..." and LR will pull in any files it finds missing.

[MarkR]

Cmason has it right. :thumb Synchronize folders is your friend!

The only thing I would add is that on resynchronization, add some sort of keyword like "orphan image" or "flag for evaluation" on re-import of the images. Occassionally I have accidently created files in my directory structure without importing them into Lightroom, and this gives you a quick way of finding them and separating them out for evaluation.

[wmm]

Awesome! I will try that tonight after work to see if I can get it all straight. I have about 50 images that got done this way. Really, I would love to re-organize my photo folders and kind of start my catalogue process over. When I got Lightroom, I was VERY new. Now I am just kinda new.

I have wanted to get my organizing done to a much better system, but have feared how to get my catalogue back in order. If I decided to do that it would mean moving around of a lot of images into different folders from the ones I originally imported them from. Would I correct this the same way as recommended for these that I deleted? or is there a better way?

Also, I assume that I do not need to re-import the missing file if I use the Synchronize Folders method...is that correct?

And thanks for all the help!

[wmm]

I did go home during lunch and synchronized the folder and the photo is back, but I do not see any history there....did I skip or miss something?

Wmm

[CoryUT]

I did go home during lunch and synchronized the folder and the photo is back, but I do not see any history there....did I skip or miss something?

Wmm

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the history is actually a lightroom property and is not stored in the sidecar files. Thus there will be no way of recovering the history even though the changes themselves are present.

[wmm]

I am obviously not sure, but on another forum where I was asking about the same issue, a member suggested that once I synchronize the folders that from the File Menu I should hit the otion to "read metadata".

I am uncertain if this will return the history of edits or not. I am going to try it tonight and I will post back. If anyone else knows an answer, please reply....

Wmm

[cmason]

Would I correct this the same way as recommended for these that I deleted? or is there a better way?

Also, I assume that I do not need to re-import the missing file if I use the Synchronize Folders method...is that correct?

And thanks for all the help!

While folder sync is good for 'unfound' images, I would not recommend it for image organization. One thing to remember about Lightroom, is that it is also a photo management system. While it gives you plenty of options where you don't have to care where your images are really located or what folder (Collections, Tags, Catalogs), it is tough to abandon old habits.

The best way to reorganize images on your hard drive is to do that WITHIN Lightroom. Simply drag and drop images to the folders you want, even rename folders (though renaming forces you to resync).