Export will not overwrite existing file

[Ray]

Lightroom Version Number

LRc 12.1

Operating System

1. Windows 10

Hello

Trying to export to a specific folder and there is a pre-existing file (same name) I select "overwrite " but it does not overwrite.
Thanks for your help
Ray

 

[Replytoken]

Can you create a new folder, copy the image that you want overwritten to that folder, and then try to export the new image that you want to overwrite it? Trying to see if the problem can be replicated.

--Ken

 

[bobsomrak]

LrC Overwrites the file for me. If the file you are trying to Overwrite is already in the catalog LrC will not let you Overwrite it.

 

[Ray]

LrC Overwrites the file for me. If the file you are trying to Overwrite is already in the catalog LrC will not let you Overwrite it.

Thanks for the responses.
Your answer explains the reason. I am trying to overwrite a file that is in the LR catalog. Is there a quick way around this other than removing the pre-existing file ?
Thankyou
Ray

 

[Replytoken]

Thanks for the responses.
Your answer explains the reason. I am trying to overwrite a file that is in the LR catalog. Is there a quick way around this other than removing the pre-existing file ?
Thankyou
Ray

I have not ever deliberately overwritten a file already in my catalog with a new file, so I cannot say if there is a quicker way than deleting the existing file first, but I would like to ask if there is a reason why you want to this? Just want to make sure there is not another way to approach what you are trying to accomplish without replacing a cataloged file.

Thanks,

--Ken

 

[bobsomrak]

I don’t think so. it’s a safety feature to protect the original images in the catalog. If you overwrote the file it would have the edits that are baked in by the export PLUS the edits you did in LrC so you would have double edits.

 

[Califdan]

Deleting the file first (i.e. using Windows File Manager) but leaving it in the catalog I suspect would still not work as LeX still has the entry for that image in the catalog. What you would need to do is to export and let it create a new name (-2 at the end). then using Windows File Manager, Delete the orginal and rename the new one to the same name of the just deleted original.

But, as @bobsomrak indicated you will probably not be happy with the results as in Lrc you would have double edits. To get around this problem, you'd have to "reset" the image to removed all the edits in the catalog leaving the pixels in the export un-edited (they have the previous edits baked into the pixels). And, I echo the question from @Replytoken as to why would you want to do this? Or, perhaps a better question is what are you trying to accomplish?

 

[Gnits]

All of my export presets have the option set to include exported images in my catalog.

I regularly use the option to overwrite images previously exported AND in my catalog. The main reason is that I have spotted something I need to adjust in the develop module and then re-export and overwrite.

The main reason I may have an issue is that I sometimes open the image in another app and the app locks the file, so when I try to export and overwrite in that scenario I get an error message.

I should add, I always export to a sub folder. If you are exporting an image to the same folder as the source then I can understand the possibility of raising error conditions (Ie to avoid an infinite loop).

 

[Ray]

I have not ever deliberately overwritten a file already in my catalog with a new file, so I cannot say if there is a quicker way than deleting the existing file first, but I would like to ask if there is a reason why you want to this? Just want to make sure there is not another way to approach what you are trying to accomplish without replacing a cataloged file.

Thanks,

--Ken

HI
Thanks for asking.

After I am done processing a photo with PS/LR, that is in LR catalog, I save it as a PSD file. I also save a copy as a JPEG file in a separate folder that is just for JPEG's. All of which is included in LR catalog. Sometimes at a later time I may decide to edit further the PSD file in LR/PS. When I am done editing the PSD file, I save it back in the same folder that the PSD file was in but also want to update/replace the corresponding JPEG file with the new edits, without changing the name. I try to do that by exporting the file from LR, as a JPEG, so that it is included in the LR catalog . However as stated that can not be done, unless I first delete the old JPEG file
Hope this answers your question

Thanks
Ray

 

[PhilBurton]

HI
Thanks for asking.

After I am done processing a photo with PS/LR, that is in LR catalog, I save it as a PSD file. I also save a copy as a JPEG file in a separate folder that is just for JPEG's. All of which is included in LR catalog. Sometimes at a later time I may decide to edit further the PSD file in LR/PS. When I am done editing the PSD file, I save it back in the same folder that the PSD file was in but also want to update/replace the corresponding JPEG file with the new edits, without changing the name. I try to do that by exporting the file from LR, as a JPEG, so that it is included in the LR catalog . However as stated that can not be done, unless I first delete the old JPEG file
Hope this answers your question

Thanks
Ray

Ray,

We need to isolate this problem by removing Lightroom to do some tests.

As an experiment, how about this. Export a JPEG into your favorite export folder and then do a second export to another folder. Then quit Lightroom, so that you can work with files in Windows Explorer.

Copy (or move, doesn't matter), the second export of that JPEG into your favorite export folder. Is that operation successful or does Windows give you some kind of error message?

Also in Windows, go to your favorite export folder, select any JPEG and right-click on that file. Select the Properties menu item (likely the last item in the dropdown list.) See if the Read Only box is checked or not,

 

[Replytoken]

HI
Thanks for asking.

After I am done processing a photo with PS/LR, that is in LR catalog, I save it as a PSD file. I also save a copy as a JPEG file in a separate folder that is just for JPEG's. All of which is included in LR catalog. Sometimes at a later time I may decide to edit further the PSD file in LR/PS. When I am done editing the PSD file, I save it back in the same folder that the PSD file was in but also want to update/replace the corresponding JPEG file with the new edits, without changing the name. I try to do that by exporting the file from LR, as a JPEG, so that it is included in the LR catalog . However as stated that can not be done, unless I first delete the old JPEG file
Hope this answers your question

Thanks
Ray

I am a bit unclear why you are also saving your exported jpeg files in LR when the PSD files should already display the changes in LR. What is the reason that you are importing these jpeg files back into LR?

--Ken

 

[GregJ]

Hello

Trying to export to a specific folder and there is a pre-existing file (same name) I select "overwrite " but it does not overwrite.
Thanks for your help
Ray

Ray, what are you trying to do? You are talking about exporting a jpeg from a raw file that has been imported to LR and is linked in the catalog, right? Raws are our negatives, and we can edit them a hundred times and nothing on the raw file changes (you know this but I'm just saying it).
The JPEG or TIF that we export is stored somewhere for some specific use and does not need to be in the catalog. It's already been edited. If you want to reedit the raw, do so, export the jpeg to a location of your choice and tell it to overwrite the old filem or rename and it and keep both. But the location where it sits is not linked to the cat.

For example, let's say I shoot 500 images in the town of St Louis on a 3-day trip. In LR, I import those images to a folder on my main data drive and they are forever linked to the cat. Then I decide I want to export 200 of them as jpegs (for posting on Flickr, email, or whatever) and I export them to a folder on my laptop or other disk (not linked to the cat) and use them and then delete them. Delete the exports - keep the raw. Or keep the exports somewhere (storage is cheap) and keep those exports awasy from the cat.

What is it you are trying to do?