Import From Travel Catalog

[MelissaA]

Lightroom Version

Lightroom Classic 10.4

Operating System

1. Windows 10

I have just returned from a trip where I used a travel catalog with my laptop. I now want to import those images into my main desktop LR catalog. However, when I follow the instructions for import, it comes up as showing no new photos. Can someone help me with figuring this out and getting the images imported into the main catalog, please? I have attached 2 screen shots - one showing the import dialog after it completes and tells me that there are no new photos and one showing the lightroom folder on my external drive that I used for the travel catalog with my laptop.

 

[clee01l]

How did you create the Travel Catalog in the first place. Did it contain images that were already in your master catalog? Did you import NEW image into the travel catalog that were not in the master catalog?


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[MelissaA]

I believe I copied the main LR folder - the one that says Lightroom-v10 on the attached file.

 

[clee01l]

If you copied your master catalog “Lightroom-v10.lrcat” from the desktop to the laptop and renamed it “Lightroom-v10 Travel Catalog.lrcat”, then it was a copy of the master catalog. Unless you imported new images to the travel catalog, the “Import from another catalog” would show NO NEW images. (It does show 950 images that exist on both catalogs that have been modified in the travel catalog.)


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[MelissaA]

The screen shot I originally sent shows 8 "dated" folders on the external hard drive, but they don't show up in the import dialog. I'm very confused. Also, I see that neither the main catalog or the travel catalog have .lrcat at the end of the name. Is that significant?

 

[clee01l]

Windows by default hides file extensions in an attempt to protect users from their own ignorance.

You are not clearly answering my question. Did you import new images into the travel catalog? If you did where are they stored on the travel computer? You need both the Lightroom travel Catalog and the folders containing any imported images present and available to the master computer and the Master catalog. What method are you using to make the travel catalog (originally located on the travel computer) available to the master computer and the Master catalog?

 

[DCBolton]

I apologize if I am being too obvious, but you should understand that the images are not "in" the catalog. The LrC catalog is simply a collection of data about the images, including where they are located. A library card catalog (if those still exist) doesn't hold the books, it just tells you about them including where to find them. So "importing images into the Lr catalog" really means "importing image data". You will need to move or copy your travel images from your laptop to a location that is accessible from your desktop computer, AND import the image data into the Lr catalog. Which order you do those two things will be determined by how you created your travel catalog and if you imported the image data into that catalog already.

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[MelissaA]

I have done this before and don't understand why I am having difficulty this time. I have the travel catalog and the new images in the same folder on an external hard drive. The screen shot "Travel Catalog Folder" shows this. The external hard drive with the new images and the travel catalog on it is currently plugged into the desktop computer. I have gone to file>Import from another catalog>where I then click on LR-v10 travel catalog. The screen shot entitled "import travel catalog" then shows "New Photos (none found). So unless I'm missing something here, (and that's very possible), the new photos I'm looking for do not show up, and therefore, I can't add them to the main desktop catalog.

 

[clee01l]

I have done this before and don't understand why I am having difficulty this time. I have the travel catalog and the new images in the same folder on an external hard drive. The screen shot "Travel Catalog Folder" shows this. The external hard drive with the new images and the travel catalog on it is currently plugged into the desktop computer. I have gone to file>Import from another catalog>where I then click on LR-v10 travel catalog. The screen shot entitled "import travel catalog" then shows "New Photos (none found). So unless I'm missing something here, (and that's very possible), the new photos I'm looking for do not show up, and therefore, I can't add them to the main desktop catalog.

There may be a possibility that the catalog called your travel catalog may not be the catalog that you used during travel. You might have opened the default catalog found in the /Pictures/Lightroom folder and not on the EHD.

One way to find out would be to connect the EHD to the master computer and open Lightroom. Then open the travel catalog on the EHD with the Master computer instance of Lightroom. You should see everything that you saw when the EHD was connected to the laptop. If you don’t. Then something is amiss with the travel catalog and its associated images.

Next connect the EHD to the travel computer and open the catalog located on the EHD. Is this the same catalog file you used during travel?


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[MelissaA]

I think you may be right. After much going back and forth, it looks as though THE catalog is indeed in the pictures folder. Now the question is, can I somehow move this onto the external drive so that the master computer can find it to import the photos?

 

[clee01l]

I think you may be right. After much going back and forth, it looks as though THE catalog is indeed in the pictures folder. Now the question is, can I somehow move this onto the external drive so that the master computer can find it to import the photos?

You can use the “Export as a Catalog” function on the correct catalog in the Pictures folder. Be sure to select digital negatives so the the function will create a package folder containing the created export catalog and the images associated with it. You can either create that package as a separate folder on the EHD or copy that package folder to the master computer for using the import from another catalog with the master catalog.


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[MelissaA]

I think you may have lost me. But let me see if I can possibly repeat what you said. The correct catalog is in the pictures folder on the laptop. Where do I find the "Export as a Catalog" dialog? Would that be under file in the LR folder on the laptop? And, if so, wouldn't it be imperative to make the package folder on the EHD? Otherwise, how would I transfer it to the master computer? Scratch the first question, I do see the export as a catalog dialog. I'm just not sure what to do with it after that.

 

[clee01l]

I think you may have lost me. But let me see if I can possibly repeat what you said. The correct catalog is in the pictures folder on the laptop. Where do I find the "Export as a Catalog" dialog? Would that be under file in the LR folder on the laptop? And, if so, wouldn't it be imperative to make the package folder on the EHD? Otherwise, how would I transfer it to the master computer? Scratch the first question, I do see the export as a catalog dialog. I'm just not sure what to do with it after that.

Yes open your correct catalog on your laptop. In the file menu you should find a submenu item labeled “Export as a Catalog” choose that following the instruction to include digital negatives (these are the source image files). For the destination, create a special folder on the EHD. The “Export as a Catalog” function should be directed to create it export catalog in this folder. When all is done you should have a catalog (exported catalog) file and sub folders containing copies of your image files that were in the original travel catalog.
After this is done, you can exit the laptop, connect the EHD to the master computer, open Lightroom and use the “Import from another catalog” function to open the catalog file found in the special folder on the EHD.


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[MelissaA]

Thank you! I need to quit for the day, but will revisit this tomorrow and report back.

 

[DCBolton]

Good job Clee01l!

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[clee01l]

Thank you! I need to quit for the day, but will revisit this tomorrow and report back.

I’ll be out of pocket for the weekend. Some one else will need to pick up if you need more help or wait until I return.


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[MelissaA]

SUCCESS! Thank you! Next time I will pay closer attention to where the computer wants to file my Lightroom Travel Catalog. Could you help me with one more thing, please? I am going to reformat the EHD that I use for my travel catalog. I have attached a screen shot of what my Lightroom folder looks like. Can you tell me which files I should copy onto the EHD to have the catalog, keywords, etc. on that drive?

 

[clee01l]

SUCCESS! Thank you! Next time I will pay closer attention to where the computer wants to file my Lightroom Travel Catalog. Could you help me with one more thing, please? I am going to reformat the EHD that I use for my travel catalog. I have attached a screen shot of what my Lightroom folder looks like. Can you tell me which files I should copy onto the EHD to have the catalog, keywords, etc. on that drive?

No screen shot. But I’ll take a guess . Mostly what you need is a copy of the Master catalog on the Travel computer. That catalog will have no images associated with it unless you copy then too. The catalog will have all of your keywords collections, Smart Collections and Publish services.
If you copy just the catalog file and open it in the Travel computer, it will complain of missing images. You can select all of the (missing) images in the travel catalog on the travel computer and choose REMOVE) to remove these image imports from the travel catalog.
Back in your master catalog you need to find the folder that contains your presets (settings). The location is found in the Presets tab of Preferences.There will be a different folder for each kind of preset. Copy this Settings folder parent including all of the preset folders to the travel computer IN THE SAME place as you find in in the Master computer.

The Preferences file is located in your library folder. Although not really required, a copy of your preference file in the Travel computer can take care of some of the incidentals.

I’ve probably forgotten some things but others can point out any other files that I I might have missed.


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[MelissaA]

Well, Duh!!! I guess I forgot to attach the screen shot. It is attached to this message - just so I can be sure that I understood everything you said.

 

[clee01l]

If you have "Store Settings with Catalog" checked in preferences, then many of your presets will be found in this "LightroommSettings Folder" The rest will be in a system folder.
From the Screen shot, the only two items you need to copy is the catalog "Lightroom V-10.lrcat" and the Lightroom Settings folder.

A complete list of the essential file ,location is found here: lightroom-classic-file-locations

 

[MelissaA]

I see there are different settings in both the programs and users folders. Will these automatically follow the new travel catalog? Also, if I would want to see the images from any previous shoots, would I need to copy the smart previews folder into the travel catalog? And, if I did this, would it make the travel catalog too large for my 1TB drive and any new images?

 

[clee01l]

I see there are different settings in both the programs and users folders. Will these automatically follow the new travel catalog? Also, if I would want to see the images from any previous shoots, would I need to copy the smart previews folder into the travel catalog? And, if I did this, would it make the travel catalog too large for my 1TB drive and any new images?

I’m not sure what you mean about settings in the “Programs and Users” folders. You need to copy the files and folders referenced in the Link above. The Smart Previews will let you process images already listed in the travel catalog from the master catalog without needing the original image. The Smart Previews folder and the Standard previews folder represent very compressed images and leave plenty of room on your 1TB disk.


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[MelissaA]

I was referring to C>Program Files>Adobe>Lightroom Classic and the same thing under Users>Melissa>AppData>Roaming>Adobe>LRCC>Develop Presets

 

[MelissaA]

I’m not sure what you mean about settings in the “Programs and Users” folders. You need to copy the files and folders referenced in the Link above. The Smart Previews will let you process images already listed in the travel catalog from the master catalog without needing the original image. The Smart Previews folder and the Standard previews folder represent very compressed images and leave plenty of room on your 1TB disk.


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I’m not sure what you mean about settings in the “Programs and Users” folders. You need to copy the files and folders referenced in the Link above. The Smart Previews will let you process images already listed in the travel catalog from the master catalog without needing the original image. The Smart Previews folder and the Standard previews folder represent very compressed images and leave plenty of room on your 1TB disk.


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Hi again Cletus! I have created a new Travel Catalog for my laptop to use with an upcoming trip next week. I copied the catalog itself, the smart preview folder, and the settings folder. However, when I attach the external hard drive (which contains the travel catalog) to my laptop and open LR, none of my presets show up in the develop module. What did I do wrong?

 

[clee01l]

Hi again Cletus! I have created a new Travel Catalog for my laptop to use with an upcoming trip next week. I copied the catalog itself, the smart preview folder, and the settings folder. However, when I attach the external hard drive (which contains the travel catalog) to my laptop and open LR, none of my presets show up in the develop module. What did I do wrong?

Referring to my earlier post the presets are in your settings folder that needs to be copied too.

If you have "Store Settings with Catalog" checked in preferences, then many of your presets will be found in this "LightroommSettings Folder" The rest will be in a system folder.
From the Screen shot, the only two items you need to copy is the catalog "Lightroom V-10.lrcat" and the Lightroom Settings folder.

A complete list of the essential file ,location is found here: lightroom-classic-file-locations

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