Import I now have a chance to import and recreate my LRC Library

[VictoriaJZ]

Lightroom Version

12.4

Operating System

1. macOS 13 Ventura

I had an issue with my MacMini which was running Monterey so wiped the drive and installed Ventura and have been re-downloading and installing the apps. LRC is now on my Mini and on looking at my Pictures folder all the LRC catalog folders etc are there [I had brought them over from my SuperDuper backup just fine] and the external drive where everything [other than the catalog] resides is fine. But now I can - I think and hope - reorganize things but before doing so want to be sure of what I am doing. Before I wiped I was trying to import some contents from a different drive - and there were other catalog folders already in the LRC folder in Pictures =
SO - in essence my LRC on my Mini is 'empty' - but the 'old' catalogs are available and the actual images etc are on that external drive - so do I import from the catalogs on the Mini or do I re-import and create 'new' catalogs from the stuff on the external drive == I am still in the early process of moving to LRC so there is nothing in the original catalogs that I* need - I can re-create the keywords or whatever - so should I start fresh with an import from the library drive or just bring in the catalogs already on the Mini and re-link them to the images on the Library drive ???

 

[Califdan]

DO NOT RE-IMPORT unless you are 100% certain that you don't care about losing everything you did in LrC up to this point. In this scenario, you can use use File Manager to reorganize your images folders before you do the im[port (if desired), but by so doing you will make your old catalogs more or less useless as they will still be pointing to old folder names and locations

If you do care about your prior work, then open the most recent good catalog you have and you may need to relink your image folders.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

If you start from scratch, then you will lose all your edits because these are stored inside the catalog. For that reason it makes much more sense to start with your latest catalog, and then ‘reconnect’ the images if necessary. You don’t really want to try to reconnect images one by one, but by parent folder. That means you should try to have your images in the same folder structure as before. If you do, then reconnecting may not even be necessary, but if it is, then it is simple: https://www.lightroomqueen.com/lightroom-photos-missing-fix/

 

[VictoriaJZ]

Thank you - did not re-import - found the Master LrC catalog [to which I had mistakenly imported stuff not needed] but now I can work with that Master LRC and clean it up = thanks.

 

[Paul_DS256]

SO - in essence my LRC on my Mini is 'empty' - but the 'old' catalogs are available and the actual images etc are on that external drive - so do I import from the catalogs on the Mini or do I re-import and create 'new' catalogs from the stuff on the external drive

As one who has externally reorganized pictures then reimported them to a new catalog my advice is DONT DO IT. Best to use you existing catalogue and reorganize there.