Importing Elements catalogue with LR2

[Steve_O]

Hi - hoping someone can help me. I've finally decided to make the switch from Photoshop Elements 5 (off a WinXP computer) to Lightroom 2 64-bit (Vista). I had figured since both were Adobe, the catalog transfer would be a piece of cake - not so!

LR doesn't offer to import PE5 (.pse) catalogs. At least my version doesn't - based on what I've read, others have been able to do this but maybe the 64-bit version is different? The only option I get is to import prevoius LR catalogs.

My main concern is maintaining my keywords. So my next strategy was to try and write the keywords to file (using PE5) so that LR would read them via the metadata. But unfortunately, alot of my old pics were Canon Raw files (.crw - shot with a Powershot G2) and apparently you can't save that info to file unless you convert from RAW (which I'd rather not). I tried another program (Breezebrowser) and it also didn't let me edit the IPTC.

Anyways, all that to say that I'm stuck and would sure appreciate any thoughts on how I can maintain my keywords as I transfer to LR since thousands of files are involved.

Steve

 

[Brad Snyder]

Steve, Welcome to the Forums. I don't use PSE, so I'm clueless, but I did want to take a second and let you know your post is being seen, I'm sure someone will have some advice shortly.

Bump.

 

[dj_paige]

I have complained to Adobe about this. Apparently, Lightroom under Vista 64 doesn't offer the menu option to convert PSE catalogs. Adobe claims that this is because PE5 was never tested under Vista 64, so you can't expect Lightroom to look in the right place (I'm paraphrasing) for the information that PSE is installed. Crummy reply by Adobe. Why does PSE5 even have to be installed, couldn't they just ask you where the catalog is located?

Anyway, my solution is to install Lightroom under Windows XP, and convert the catalog into Lightroom there. Or, on your Vista 64 machine, set up a dual boot, or run Windows XP under VirtualBox (which lets you set up a "virtual" operating system; this is freeware available from virtualbox.org) in either case you need to have both PSE and Lightroom installed under Windows XP. Pain in the neck, but it works.

 

[Steve_O]

Thanks for the warm welcome Brad - boy were you right!

Paige, you are brilliant & don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise! I took your advice by installing LR into XP, and then importing the LR catalog on the Vista 64 system and sure enough, it worked! All my keywords were maintained! :lol:

Now, I should report that the hierarchical file directory structure was not maintained. So while I originally had stored files in a subdirectory such as 2''8/'1 (for my Jan 2''8 pics), upon importing into Vista all subdirectories were moved to the root directory. Duplicate subdirectory filenames were renamed sequentially (so I had '1, '1-1, '1-2, etc). I had to do some moving around and renaming of directories but no files were lost in the process. Similarly, keyword hierarchies (e.g., friends/jones) were dealt with oddly in that the original structure was both maintained and broken down (as with the file directories) resulting in keyword duplications. But deleting the 'root' keywords solved that problem and allowed me to maintain all original keywords and levels.

All in all, while it took a few hours of tweaking, it was nothing compared to the weeks of work it would have taken to re-keyword all those files. So thanks again Paige - you are a lifesaver! And thanks to those running this very helpful & effective forum!

Steve

 

[dj_paige]

Thanks, SteveO! I appreciate you calling me brilliant, but I prefer cash to being called brilliant ...

I suggest you go to the top of the page here at Lightroom Forums and click on Log Bug/Feature Request (as I have done) to request that Adobe fix this (preferably by not requiring PSE to be installed at all, simply have Lightroom to ask where the PSE catalog is located)

The PSE tags do not always convert exactly to Lightroom Keywords, but most of the structure remains. I had problems with PSE tags that contained commas (for example, a tag such as "Buffalo, NY"), Lightroom doesn't seem to like keywords containing commas. But fixing the keywords in Lightroom isn't so terrible, and definitely better than not being able to convert the PSE catalog.

 

[BJB]

Version Sets and Stacks?

Steve,
Thanks so much for posting your results. I have been searching to try to get some answers on the import of PSE catalogs into LR2. Like you I am moving from using PSE as an organizer into LR2. Funny, I have been using CS3 for quite a while and now CS4....but have almost 9,''' images still in my PSE catalog.

A couple of questions. So you had the folders setup on your new PC and imported the catalog and it changed the folder structure of your original images?? Wild. I would have expected that it tried to do a "reconnect" type function and just find all the images in the catalog in the directory structure of where you pointed it. That is strange. So if the PSE catalog was made in XP and you import into vista it will re-path all the folders to look like they used to? My assumption is that you copied the original images to folders on your new PC, copied the PSE catalog, and then had LR2 import that catalog? It really seems like you have a handle on how this worked so look forward to your input.

Sadly, can you also confirm that the LR2 import function just ignores version sets and stacks made in PSE? This is a real issue for me as I have well 1,''''s of images in stacks and version sets. I did a small test and it sure seems to be true and I would call that a bug also and I did report it to Adobe. How can an import function not support a main organizational tool? Was this your experience also? It really would be nice if Adobe acknowledged this limitation and patched the import tool.

Thanks again for posting your detailed results.

BJB

 

[BJB]

I apologize. I have finally updated my sig line if that assists.
Thanks,
BJB

 

[dj_paige]

Steve,
Thanks so much for posting your results. I have been searching to try to get some answers on the import of PSE catalogs into LR2. Like you I am moving from using PSE as an organizer into LR2. Funny, I have been using CS3 for quite a while and now CS4....but have almost 9,''' images still in my PSE catalog.

A couple of questions. So you had the folders setup on your new PC and imported the catalog and it changed the folder structure of your original images?? Wild. I would have expected that it tried to do a "reconnect" type function and just find all the images in the catalog in the directory structure of where you pointed it. That is strange. So if the PSE catalog was made in XP and you import into vista it will re-path all the folders to look like they used to? My assumption is that you copied the original images to folders on your new PC, copied the PSE catalog, and then had LR2 import that catalog? It really seems like you have a handle on how this worked so look forward to your input.

Sadly, can you also confirm that the LR2 import function just ignores version sets and stacks made in PSE? This is a real issue for me as I have well 1,''''s of images in stacks and version sets. I did a small test and it sure seems to be true and I would call that a bug also and I did report it to Adobe. How can an import function not support a main organizational tool? Was this your experience also? It really would be nice if Adobe acknowledged this limitation and patched the import tool.

I am surprised too when Steve_O reports that his folder structure changed upon import into Lightroom. Doesn't make sense to me, but if that's what happened, then that's what happened. And it most definitely did not happen to me.

Typically, a reconnect does not move folders or photos, it changes the internal pointers in the database to the photo. I would not expect converting the catalog to Lightroom to "re-path" photos and folders.

The easiest thing to do is to import the catalog into Lightroom using XP, and only once things are working move everything to Vista. But even if you do the import of the PSE catalog into Lightroom in Vista, the photos must be in the same folders as they were in XP, or you may have problems. This is easiest if your photos are not on the C: drive, because Vista and XP set up the C: drive differently.

When you convert a PSE catalog to Lightroom, PSE Version sets become stacks in LIghtroom. This is not a bug in Lightroom ... there is no concept of a version set in Lightroom. PSE stacks also become Lightroom stacks. Worked fine for me. I don't know why you thought this doesn't happen, as it clearly does happen.

 

[Victoria Bampton]

This one's got me interested, because it's on my to do list of things to look into. Now, question for you Elements users, if you don't mind....? Does anyone happen to know whether there were much in the way of cataloguing changes between 3.x and 5.x? I know I've got a copy of 3.x around that I can install to test, but I'm just wondering whether it's missing anything crucial (i.e. stacks!)

 

[dj_paige]

The big change in the PSE catalog occurred when PSE6 was introduced.

I believe that any changes made to the catalog structure between PSE3 and PSE5 were minor, but I have no documentation of that statement.

 

[BJB]

When you convert a PSE catalog to Lightroom, PSE Version sets become stacks in LIghtroom. This is not a bug in Lightroom ... there is no concept of a version set in Lightroom. PSE stacks also become Lightroom stacks. Worked fine for me. I don't know why you thought this doesn't happen, as it clearly does happen.

Paige,
This is great news!! I have no problem with version sets and stacks in PSE becoming stacks in LR2. That makes perfect sense! I thought that version sets and stacks did not convert over because I did a small test with a small number of images and they did not. Plus others have reported that they did not convert over. But if they did for you, that is outstanding. Not sure why it would work for some and not others but it does provide some hope. My limited test was with PSE5 but a test system, not my eventual final home for LR2.

Thanks,
BJBBJB

 

[dj_paige]

BJB

Sorry to have to ask you such a basic question, but when you did this small test of converting a PSE catalog to Lightroom, you are aware of how Lightroom displays stacks, aren't you? I have seen some beginners posting here who were not aware of what Lightroom uses to indicate a stack.

The fact is, it may not have worked for you ... after reading the original post in this thread where the folders changed, I am surprised at that too.

 

[Victoria Bampton]

Thanks Paige, very helpful!

 

[dj_paige]

Now I'm going to retract an earlier statement.

After looking carefully, I think PSE Version sets are not converted to stacks when you convert to Lightroom. The two (or more) photos in a version set stay next to each other when you convert to Lightroom, but it would appear that they are not stacked. I believe I created the stacks (where version sets used to be) myself after converting the PSE catalog to Lightroom.

PSE stacks do convert into Lightroom stacks.

 

[BJB]

Paige,

Thanks for asking but yes I am familiar with the LR stacks. Based on your subsequent post, I can only assume what I tried to import were version sets (not sure and did not keep) which did not stack.

So stacks convert (good) and version sets do not (bad).
But at least if LR knows enough to put them near each other and that should help. They should have just had them become stacks via the import. I think every time I edited in CS3 it made a version set in PSE.

BJB

 

[BJB]

I wanted to report back to this helpful group.
After much research and trying to import a large PSE catalog into LR2, I gave up and just redid my tags and collections manually.

Normally this would frustrate me....but I am through 8,''' images and it actually allowed me to learn the program, and think about my tags and collections in ways that suited LR and not PSE.

Now I still think that Adobe should make this import more seemless as it certainly would be an easier starting place.

However for those that can't get it to work or don't like the results, all is not lost. And, I was surprised at how quickly it allowed me to do this as I did a chunk at a time.

BJB

 

[Victoria Bampton]

Thanks for the update BJB!