Folders issue with LR2.1 RC

[ATJ-renamed]

I recently migrated to LR2.1 RC from LR1.4.1. I had all my old photographs in the LR1.4.1 catalog and now they all show up in LR2.1 RC catalog. I had need to create some JPEG versions of a some photographs from a certain month and I used a tool to create the JPEG files in the same directory as the raw files. When I went to import the directory into LR2.1 RC, it appears that LR didn't know the raw files were already there and would have imported them again. I chose to selectively import just the JPEG files but when I use the Folders navigator in the Library module, the JPEGs appear in a different folder - even though the files are in the same physical directory. I suspect this is because LR stores the relative directories rather than the absolute (from the root).

I'm running Windows XP. All my images are on my D: drive. I have a top level folder called "alTables" (don't worry about the name, it is historical). Under that I have a directory for the camera, "NikonD7'", "NikonD3''", etc.. Under the camera directory I have the images stored by month, e.g. "2''61'", "2''611".

When I first imported the Nikon D7' files, I just imported the whole "NikonD7'" directory and subdirectories. When I imported the JPEGs, I just imported "2''61'" within "NikonD7'. I'm guessing that's why I have the problem.

Here is how it looks with the two folders highlighted. The top one has the JPEGs and the bottom one has the NEFs.

Is there anyway to tell LR that they are the same directory and display the files together? I know I can select both folders (which I have done in the picture), but I'd like LR to know they were the same.

 

[Kiwigeoff]

Try synchronising the Nikon D7' folder.

 

[ATJ-renamed]

Thanks Geoff.

It didn't fix it. LR found the files but wouldn't import them as they were already there. Looks like the only solution is to remove them and then synchronise.

 

[Kiwigeoff]

So, they are linked to the catalog twice. Once where they should be and the other in the folders higher up the folder list (outside D7').
I think you could just delete/remove the unwanted folder from LR. Right/ctrl click the folder for the option.

 

[ATJ-renamed]

They are not actually linked twice. Lightroom won't let me do that. It just appears that Lightroom only stores the relative path rather than the full path. So, it has some files in NikonD7'\2''61' and some files in 2''61' but doesn't realise they are the same directory. The files are not the same just the directories.

I can remove that particular folder from Lightroom and reload it with Synchronise, but I have others that I have metadata and develop mods that I will lose.

 

[Kiwigeoff]

Try moving/dragging the files from one folder to the other.

 

[ATJ-renamed]

Try moving/dragging the files from one folder to the other.

If you mean in Lightroom, I have already tried that. It appears you can only drag folders not files. There's no point doing that outside Lightroom as they files are already in the same directory.

 

[Kiwigeoff]

If you mean in Lightroom, I have already tried that. It appears you can only drag folders not files. There's no point doing that outside Lightroom as they files are already in the same directory.

You can drag files in LR but they must all be in both LR folders, is that correct? I guess so as the folders have the same number of files.
Then remove the one you don't require, easy.
You may end up then having to synchronise the remaining.
You Aussies !!:lol::lol::lol:

 

[ATJ-renamed]

You can drag files in LR

D'oh. I couldn't get it to work, but I was dragging the frame rather than the centre of the image.

but they must all be in both LR folders, is that correct? I guess so as the folders have the same number of files.

They have the same number of files because one "version" has the NEF files and the other has the JPEG files I created from the NEFs.

I originally had the 84 NEF files in NikonD7'\2''61'. I then created the JPEG files in the exact same directory on the hard disk. i.e. the directory had 168 files. When I imported just the JPEG files (as the NEFs were already in the catalog), it put them in the folder 2''61' (without the parent) within Lightroom. The files were still in the same place on the hard disk.

I gave up on those ones as I could remove the newer ones (only just imported) and import them using synchronise.

Interestingly, for the ones I didn't want to lose, I imported from the higher directory and it moved the existing ones (with metadata and mods) into the correct hierarchy. So it appears to work one way and not the other. Very strange.

Just to explain a bit more... I already had the images from D:\alTables\NikonCoolpix45''\2''5'9 in the library, but I had only imported them from 2''5'9 so that's what Lightroom thought. I just imported all of NikonCoolpix45'' and it recognised the existing subdirectory and moved it into the hierarchy. So I can't test the dragging now.

 

[Kiwigeoff]

Pleased that is worked out - thanks for your responses.

 

[ATJ-renamed]

While I have found a workaround for the problem, it appears it is still a problem in Lightroom. I am able to reproduce it.

This time I tried the drag/drop route. It doesn't work as Lightroom wants to move the file on disk but it is already present.

Perhaps I need to raise a bug report.

 

[Victoria Bampton]

I'm only reading quickly because I'm trying to catch up this morning, but the other thing you could try is right-clicking on the top folder and choosing 'add parent folder'. I can't remember, off the top of my head, how it behaves when that folder already exists in the hierarchy, but it's worth a shot.