Deleting raw files

[lmunro1705]

Lightroom Version Number

Classic

Operating System

1. macOS 10.14 Mojave

Hi,
I have recently released that although I always choose ‘delete from disk’ when I’m deleting photos that I’ve marked with an x the raw files still exist on my hard drive. The trash is also emptied from time to time. Consequently my hard drive is filling up quicker than anticipated. Yes, I could delete from the HD but then I would be going behind lr’s back. What am I doing wrong?

 

[Johan Elzenga]

If Lightroom brings up the 'Delete from disk?' dialog and you do click that button, then you're not doing something wrong. However, it seems that Lightroom can't delete those files for some reason. 'Going behind Lightroom's back' is no problem in that case. The images have been removed from the catalog already, so Lightroom isn't keeping track of them any longer.

 

[lmunro1705]

If Lightroom brings up the 'Delete from disk?' dialog and you do click that button, then you're not doing something wrong. However, it seems that Lightroom can't delete those files for some reason. 'Going behind Lightroom's back' is no problem in that case. The images have been removed from the catalog already, so Lightroom isn't keeping track of them any longer.

Thanks, but that is going to be clunky and time consuming. Weird that the raws aren’t being deleted.

 

[Hal P Anderson]

clunky and time consuming

So it would probably be a good idea to figure out what it is about those images that keeps LRC from deleting them. Are they write-protected perchance?

 

[Califdan]

The problem may stem back to how you do your imports.

For example, if you have shoot JPG+RAW and store them in different folders but only import the JPG's, deleting them from disk will not touch the RAW's as LR doesn't know about them.

Maybe you are looking at the copies one can have LR create during import (create 2nd copy to...)? Once LR creates this 2nd backup copy it forgets about it so deleting the image from disk in LR will ignore that 2nd copy created during import

Another scenario is if you use the "Copy" or "Copy as DNG" import modes. Only the "copy" is added to the catalog. The original RAW (or jpg) file from which the copy was made is not in the catalog and thus will not participate in the LR "Delete from Disk" request.

Perhaps there are other scenario's where the RAW files that don't get deleted are not actually known to LR but without seeing your specific import settings and understanding other operations you may do on the side it's hard to tell.

 

[lmunro1705]

The problem may stem back to how you do your imports.

For example, if you have shoot JPG+RAW and store them in different folders but only import the JPG's, deleting them from disk will not touch the RAW's as LR doesn't know about them.

Maybe you are looking at the copies one can have LR create during import (create 2nd copy to...)? Once LR creates this 2nd backup copy it forgets about it so deleting the image from disk in LR will ignore that 2nd copy created during import

Another scenario is if you use the "Copy" or "Copy as DNG" import modes. Only the "copy" is added to the catalog. The original RAW (or jpg) file from which the copy was made is not in the catalog and thus will not participate in the LR "Delete from Disk" request.

Perhaps there are other scenario's where the RAW files that don't get deleted are not actually known to LR but without seeing your specific import settings and understanding other operations you may do on the side it's hard to tell.

Appreciate your time in answering . Thank you for your reply. Don’t shoot raw +jpeg, nor do I make a 2nd copy. Neither am I trying to delete from a collection which I know only deletes from the collection and not from the original folder or hard drive. Perhaps I’m being super stupid but on import it’s either copy as dng or copy, the latter brings in a cr2 for canon or nik for Nikon etc. Yes, there is move and add but do I want to choose these options?Perhaps my folder heirachy is incorrectly set up. I’m going to try importing just to an external HD and try and see what I’m doing wrong.

 

[lmunro1705]

So it would probably be a good idea to figure out what it is about those images that keeps LRC from deleting them. Are they write-protected perchance?

Embarrassingly I don’t know what that is or how to find out!

 

[Califdan]

Assuming the RAW files are already on your hard drive when you do the import, you'll see all 4 options.

Add = leaves the RAW files right where they are and adds the images to the catalog (creates an entry in the catalog pointing to the RAW file on disk)

Move = First physically moves the image from where it is now to where you tell it to put it in the destination panel at the bottom of the right panel in the import dialog. After it moves it it adds it to the catalog pointing to its new location

Copy = same as Move but leaves the original where it was. It makes a copy in the new location and adds the copy to the catalog. In this case if you subsequently "delete" the image in LR, it will only delete the moved copy - not the original

Copy as DNG = same as Copy but the copy is first converted to Adobe's DNG format. The original is left as CR2 or NEF for whatever.

With Copy, or Copy as DNG, immediately after the import you will have two copies of the image on disk. The original RAW file will be where it was before you did the import and a copy of it will be where you told LR to put it in the Destination panel. Only that copy is then known to LR and if you delete it the copy is deleted but the original is not be deleted. Is that what is happening?

 

[lmunro1705]

99% I’m importing photos from a memory card using a separate reader so options are copy as dng or copy and then the destination folder is by date and by default into pictures.

 

[Califdan]

So, based on your comments, your are certain that the RAW file(s) that remain on disk after a "delete" from LR are indeed the specific files that the entries in the LR catalog was pointing to.

In that case I'm left with an operating system culprit which is quite unlikely. As I understand it is (or was) possible (but rare) for the permissions on some files or folders, at the OS level, to be set so as to disallow deletion. Are you able to delete such RAW files through the OS? I suspect that you are able to delete them through the OS and if so, then I'm out of ideas and suggest getting Adobe Tech support to look into it.

 

[lmunro1705]

Thank you for your help. I have also googled extensively and not found anything similar so yes, maybe adobe are my next stop.

 

[Philippe Coudé du Foresto]

One thing you could try to verify :

1. In LR, right click on the RAW you want to delete and select select "Show in Explorer/Finder".
   Locate the file in the Explorer/Finder window, this is the file referenced by LR as original in its catalog.
2. Back in LR, delete the file and select "Delete from disk".
3. Back in the Explorer/Finder window, has the file located in 1 disapeared ?

This to confirm that LR doesn't delete the file refeenced as original in its catalog (which it should).

 

[msmack]

I have had the same problem. Using LR for years and I recently realized that the files that I asked to be deleted from Disk were not being deleted from Disk but were being deleted from the Catalog. Therefore my folder in the Expolorer would show 236 files but the folder in my catalog would show 152. I believe the folder in Explorer and the Folder in the Catalog should be a exactly the same.

Using a new computer now and that issue is not happening anymore. Never did find out where the bug was. How I dealt with it and it was time consuming, was to go to each folder in my catalog, and synchronize the folder. The files (images) that did not get deleted when they were supposed to showed up again for import. Imported them and in Previous Import chose them all and deleted. THEN, they came out of the folder in Explorer. I was given the idea on how to do this from someone in this forum. Although it took some time, I only did a few folders a day, the process moved quickly and I was able to get my Folders on my HD to be exactly the same as the Folders in the Catalog.