Duplicate Images

[ChrisLF]

Lightroom Version

Classic Version 12

Operating System

1. Windows 11

As part of my recent housekeeping I've found that a few files were missing from my "For Lightroom" folder as I call it. Don't know why but not a big problem to fix.

The image is showing in LR but can't develop as message says the file is missing. I've reinstated the file using Explorer (perhaps this is the mistake?) and checked that the file name is exactly as the LR image. So far so good as can Develop again. But I now have duplicate images in LR and if I remove one they both disappear. Is there a way of removing one image?

I assume what I should be doing is reinstating the file and then using LR to find the missing file?

 

[Replytoken]

If you have been moving files outside of LR, then you would want LR to tell you where it believes the file should be so you can see if that is one that you moved. If the file is completely gone or deleted, then sticking an identical named file in the location where the original is will resolve the issue.

--Ken

 

[ChrisLF]

Thanks for the reply Ken. That's exactly what I have done, reinstated the exact same file from my backups, but as I say I have duplicates in LR now. Why should removing one via LR cause both to disappear from the Library?

I can't remember now but I may have reimported the files into LR which is probably causing the issue. It's only a small number of files so I think I will remove them completely from within LR, reimport them and develop them again.

I've already replaced all the missing files now so can't use LR to tell me where it thinks the file should be but will certainly use that first in the future if I do have any missing files again.

 

[Replytoken]

Thanks for the reply Ken. That's exactly what I have done, reinstated the exact same file from my backups, but as I say I have duplicates in LR now. Why should removing one via LR cause both to disappear from the Library?

I can't remember now but I may have reimported the files into LR which is probably causing the issue. It's only a small number of files so I think I will remove them completely from within LR, reimport them and develop them again.

I've already replaced all the missing files now so can't use LR to tell me where it thinks the file should be but will certainly use that first in the future if I do have any missing files again.

Reimporting will cause this to happen. If you do not have much work to lose on these few images, and can afford to lose it, you could just delete all version of the images and then import them. If that is not possible, then you will need to find the images and their duplicates in the catalog and see which ones you want to keep and which you can delete.

--Ken

 

[Califdan]

and if I remove one they both disappear. Is there a way of removing one image?

This is the part that I think has a vital clue. If the issue was caused by a re-import that bypassed the "don't import suspected duplicates" check, where the 2nd import was actually a second physical copy of the same image (in a different folder), REMOVING/DELETING one of the pair would not cause the other to also be removed. But if the 2nd import was for the same image in the same folder, I don't believe LrC would allow the import to take place as I don't believe you can have 2 entries in the catalog that pioint to the same file in the same folder.

Another possibility is that all but one of the images is a Virtual Copy. This would explain the behaviour

And, thirdly, this may be a permutaiton of the phantom disk problem where the same folders show up under two different drives (or Volumes) in the folders panel.

 

[ChrisLF]

Thanks. Had another look and indeed the duplicates were copies. They must have been created when I reimported the missing files. As I said earlier, with hindsight I shouldn't have done this but should have just relinked the images to the files once reinstated in the folder.

The copies have now been easily removed. Don't know why this didn't happen the first time, perhaps I was removing the image that wasn't a copy?

Anyway, all sorted now, and thanks again for all the help.