Import from Catalog fails: Unknown error

[celeste]

Lightroom Version Number

12.3

Operating System

1. Windows 11

While on vacation I created a new catalog just for those pictures. I now want to add those images (with my associated work) to my master catalog.

From my master, I choose:
File-->Import from another catalog--> then browse to the appropriate ltcat file.

I get a dialog box which has a status bar and says, "Preparing to Import" and then almost immediately I get the message "Lightroom could not import this catalog due to an unknown error."

I googled it. Most of the posts I found were fairly old. There was one on LrQ but specifically referenced Mac operating systems.

Both catalogs are on the same external SSD drive, which has over 600gb available space. Both catalogs were backed up/optimized prior to attempting. Both launch just fine.

I'm on
LrC 12.3
Windows 11 Pro with 32 gb RAM.

Master catalog is 2.2 gb, travel catalog is 117mb.

 

[johnrellis]

Try opening the vacation catalog, doing File > Export As Catalog, and then importing from that newly exported catalog. Sometimes Export As Catalog cleans up catalog inconsistencies.

You could also try making a new catalog and doing File > Import From Another Catalog, selecting the vacation catalog, and then importing from that new catalog. Sometimes Import From Another Catalog cleans up inconsistencies.

 

[celeste]

Try opening the vacation catalog, doing File > Export As Catalog, and then importing from that newly exported catalog. Sometimes Export As Catalog cleans up catalog inconsistencies.

I tried this, but Export As Catalog seemed to have only created an empty folder structure, but no .lrcat file. It was clearly finished running. I have no idea.

I searched on the external SSD where I pointed the export to, and where the empty folder structure is, and I searched my entire harddrive and there is no exported.lrcat file to be found.

 

[celeste]

I tried this, but Export As Catalog seemed to have only created an empty folder structure, but no .lrcat file. It was clearly finished running. I have no idea.

I searched on the external SSD where I pointed the export to, and where the empty folder structure is, and I searched my entire harddrive and there is no exported.lrcat file to be found.

So...the folder structure wasn't empty. Some of the folders had copies of images in them. Several folders from the original vacation file structure weren't there. No catalog file was created.

I've since tried your second suggestion, but I get the same error trying to import from catalog. The vacation catalog has no missing images, and has been optimized. It would be so nice if Adobe's error messages were ....helpful.

 

[celeste]

I've also tried adding all of the photos in the vacation catalog to a collection, and then exporting that collection as a catalog and that fails with an error message "Lightroom was unable to export catalog due to an unexpected failure."

 

[celeste]

I've also done the 'test integrity of catalog' on both catalogs, checked the hard disk space, file permissions on my various drives and memory. I'm at a loss. I guess I'm stuck with two catalogs for now.

 

[johnrellis]

The vacation catalog is clearly corrupted in some way. You could try to get Adobe techs to repair it, but that process is very painful -- you first have to contact Adobe support, waste much time working with them while they fail to solve the problem (most of the time), then argue with them to escalate a catalog repair to engineering.

Alternatively, you could transfer all your edits and metadata changes by selecting all the photos in the vacation catalog, doing Metadata > Save Metadata To File, and then importing the photos into the main catalog. This will lose collections, stacks, saved prints, collections in publish services, and other stuff. You can "save" collections by assigning them keywords and then, once the photos are imported in the main catalog, use the keywords to select the photos and make corresponding collections.

 

[celeste]

I know that is an option, but I've done a bunch of keywording and editing and I would like to retain the edit history, ratings and flags, which I think get lost with this method.

 

[johnrellis]

The Develop history and flags will get lost, but the keywords, ratings, color labels, and other fields you've changed in the Metadata panel will be preserved. You could preserve the flags during the transfer using keywords.

 

[celeste]

Is there a way to keep the edit history by using XML files in some way? Or is that creating more trouble than it's worth?

 

[celeste]

Nevermind that last one... I guess that is what ctrl+s does.

 

[johnrellis]

Is there a way to keep the edit history by using XML files in some way?

Not with built-in LR commands, unfortunately. The steps in Develop History are not written to the .xmp sidecars by Metadata > Save Metadata To File.

 

[celeste]

Currently exporting one folder at a time from the travel catalog to new individual catalogs to see if I can find the problem.