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I need help for major catalog transport

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lbeck

Active Member
Joined
May 21, 2015
Messages
150
Location
Hillsborough, NC
Lightroom Experience
Intermediate
Lightroom Version
6.x
Lightroom Version Number
6.0 (1014445)
Operating System
  1. Windows 10
I'll say up front that I'm a photo hoarder. But I'm trying to reform.

My current catalog has more than 42K photos. Using an app "Duplicate Photo Cleaner" I find that more than 10K are marked as duplicates. This is partially because I have been saving both JPG and NEF versions of the same pic, and partially because the app chooses very similar photos as duplicates based on EXIF data and some other algorithms. I suspect that I can trim my catalog by as much as 80% by eliminating duplicates and deleting non-duplicates that simply aren't worth saving.

I would like to preserve my bloated catalog until my project is complete in case I do something terrible and want to reverse part of what I change.

I have several large HDDs. The first thing that I want to see is the size needed if I want to mirror my existing catalog. How do you find that? I have Victoria's Lr6 book and still can't find how to determine the HDD size needed to mirror my existing catalog and associated files (pictures and metadata).

Once I select a HDD for the mirror I'll likely choose "Self-Contained Catalog" described on page 493 of the book.

Any advice or warnings is appreciated. I especially need to determine the size of my existing catalog package that I want to mirror.
 
How do I edit a post that is a couple of hours old? My Lr version actually is 6.10.1 build 1117303

I'm attaching a screenshot. Do I need to start the export with these settings before I can see the size? Are the correct options checked?
Thanks
2018-05-17 (6).png
 
Last edited:
Thanks, Johan.

I have all my photos and Lr files transferred to a dedicated HDD now. Not surprisingly, all the photos were marked as missing. I remapped many and they all have the "metadata changed" message in the screenshot below. I don't know what "other application" is referred to. Should I choose to overwrite? What do I lose if anything if I do? Should I import my photos in a different way? As shown above I exported from Lr but they actually resided on a couple of drives. If needed I can copy the photos directly from their respective HDDs but I want to be sure that the metadata remain associated.

2018-05-18 (4).png
 
For my detailed explanation:
A = desktop computer that has some photos
B = 2 TB USB drive that has most of my photo collection, lrcat file, and other stuff
C = Empty, reformatted HDD
N = new laptop computer
O = old laptop that I am retiring

My original Lr collection resides mostly with pictures on B . I have Lr6 program on A and O. I've been able to open Lr either A or O and and clicking on the lrcat file in B. I want to have Lr photo collection on a portable drive C.

To be more clear on how I attempt my new configuration, I:
  • Open Lr with all 42K photos (most on B) from my main desktop computer (A)
  • "export as catalog" all photos to C. See screenshot in my second post above.
  • Copy Lrcat, Lrdat, backup folders from the original location (B) to C
  • Attach C to new laptop computer (N).
  • Click on the lrcat file that now is on C
  • Lr opens on N and shows thumbnails of all my files, each with the ! showing that the photo is missing
  • I remap the ! file to the new location on C
  • Picture is found and the "metadata changed" message in the screenshot above appears.
Do I need a different procedure (e.g., start a new catalog on my laptop and import each folder anew)? All of the information is on HDD "C". I would like to keep the photos on C as a dedicated portable catalog.
 
Post editing is limited to about 10 minutes, because spammers were coming back and adding spam links to old posts, but you can always just follow up with a new reply, as you did.

I would like to preserve my bloated catalog until my project is complete in case I do something terrible and want to reverse part of what I change.
Personally I'd mark the ones you're going to delete as rejects until you're happy you got the right ones, and then delete at the end.

I'll likely choose "Self-Contained Catalog" described on page 493 of the book.
So this is to use on multiple computers? Or is this mirror just a backup, essentially?

I remapped many and they all have the "metadata changed" message in the screenshot below.
If your catalog looks correct, you want Overwrite Settings (or Cancel!) Import Settings from Disk is only for when you've intentionally changed photos using other software such as Bridge.

To be more clear on how I attempt my new configuration
What were you trying to accomplish? You started off talking about removing duplicates, but it sounds like you're trying to move all the photos and catalog to a separate drive for multiple computer use now? Was there a particular reason you used Export as Catalog?
 
Victoria!

Thanks so much for your personal involvement in this. Your confusion is certainly justified. Let me address your last questions first.

I've realized for a few years that my hoarding habits would bring me ruin unless I change. I've finally decided to take on the task of making my catalog more manageable. Problem is - even as messed up as it is - I've put a lot of work into my catalog and want a fail-safe method of reversing any hasty decisions. So my objectives are:

1. Mirror my existing catalog (with photos) to increase my comfort level while I take the meat cleaver to the fat. Thinking that I can revive what I killed if needed. I will set aside the clone for at least a year because mistakes sometimes hide for a while.

2. With all my photo work saved to the clone, I then will use the aforementioned software to delete duplicates. The software allows me to delete just originals, copies, oldest, newest etc. I believe that I can eliminate many of the photos that I should have trashed years ago but didn't because of inexpensive storage space and procrastination.

3. Export as Catalog was used probably out of ignorance. When I open Lr on my desktop machine I have my entire photo collection in 2 places, an internal TB HDD and an external 2TB HDD. I have imported photos to both places. The mother location is not apparent when I open Lr. I have tweaked my metadata over the years by adding keywords, facial recognition, labels, snapshots etc. I "Exported the Catalog" to an empty HDD thinking that it would pick up all of the metadata and photos and "clone" the catalog. I also copied to the clone HDD all of the associated photos in their original folders. I still have some mapping to do but Lr identifies the filename and path so I believe this is doable. In the process, I'm now getting the "metadata changed" message in the screenshot above.

4. If I'm successful in creating a self-contained catalog with all my photos and metadata I'll keep everything on one HDD. This will hopefully make my work more portable and will minimize the problems with ALMOST (but not all) all of my work on the 2 TB external drive. My lrcat file is on my 2TB drive and also my desktop machine. Needless to say there is the occasional "missing file" notation if I open the catalog from one mother and a child is on a different drive.

I haven't adulterated my original catalog so maybe I need to start anew with a different approach. My work so far will be lost but that is preferable to losing a few years work at worst or redoing much of the metadata transposition at best.

I'm open to any help that you can provide.

Lee
 
Ok, I'm with you.

So the exported catalog on the external drive is essentially just a backup, right? But you also copied to the clue HDD all of the photos in the original folders... why? Surely the Export as Catalog already did that for you?

I'm not quite clear on why you're having to relink a load of photos...?
 
So the exported catalog on the external drive is essentially just a backup, right?
yes
But you also copied to the clue HDD all of the photos in the original folders... why? Surely the Export as Catalog already did that for you?
hmmm If you don't know I surely don't know why the photos weren't found. When I copied stuff to my empty clone HDD I copied all the photos also - simply because the space was available. Then I THINK that I opened the Lr from the lrcat file on the clone. Probably a procedural error somewhere. I'll return to my original and clone to see if I can determine a source of error.

Scenarios like this is why I'm working with a copy (clone) rather than my working Lr catalog.

Thanks,

Lee
 
I'm attaching a couple of screenshots. the one w/o pictures shows the files that I copied to the clone drive. The screenshot of Lr library is what I get when I open the catalog by clicking on the lrcat file residing on the clone drive.

I'll check my desktop computer when I return home in about a week. I see from my second post screenshot above that the export may have been sent to my "Pictures" folder. I made my transfers/copies hurriedly to take on this trip to work with. Sometimes mistakes happen stuff is done too fast (and late at night).

Obviously I've never "Export as Catalog" before. If I can find the export file I'll try clicking on that. It may open my catalog with the pictures?
2018-05-21.png
View attachment 10980View attachment 10980
2018-05-21 (2)_LI.jpg
 
Okay. I've found my error - a big one. As simple as it is, I didn't choose a folder on my local machine (my laptop) to store the exported catalog. See the "save as" window in the screenshot of my second post in this thread. So the default folder "pictures" on my desktop is where my exported catalog was stored, and I'm away from my desktop machine for a week.

It was only with the help of separate eyes to my problem that the obvious became apparent to me.

I redid the Export as Catalog here on my laptop, saved to an external HDD, and practically everything is as anticipated. i'll end this thread with a big thank you for all your help. I have a couple of remaining issues but I'll tackle them separately.
 
Oh well done Lee, sorry for disappearing for a day or two!
 
No problem at all, Victoria. I feel privileged when I get your personal involvement.

It was your comment questioning why my metadata didn't carry over to my exported catalog that caused me to look at my export protocol more closely. Only then did I see that i exported to a desktop folder at home prior to leaving on vacation (holiday;)). I had the raw material for another export to my local machine (a laptop). After "export as catalog" to a local folder I was able to do my trimming as planned so now I'm happy as a clam.

Thanks as always for your generous help.

Lee
 
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