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Importing lost photos

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Topgardenboy

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Premium Classic Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2017
Messages
51
Lightroom Experience
Beginner
Lightroom Version
Lightroom Version Number
12.5
Operating System
  1. macOS 12 Monterey
When I last opened LRC a folder named St Ives was greyed out with ? So I went into pictures and found the photos and reimported them into LRC this importing took about 5 seconds but when I went back to library all the photos from the folder 369 in total were gone. I still can find the photos in pictures but can’t find them in LRC. What have I done wrong or not done.
 
Lightroom probably didn’t import the photos because they are already in the catalog. If a folder in Lightroom is shown as ‘missing’ with a question mark, then you should not try to re-import it but right-click on it and choose ‘Find missing folder’. In the dialog that follows select the folder where it really is on disk. That ‘reconnects’ the Lightroom folder to the real folder.
 
when hyou did the 2nd import, do you recall what import mode you used (Add, Copy, Move, Copy as DNG)?

If you haven't done another import since the, click on the "Previous Import" special collection in the Catalog Panel and see if the images show up. If they do, right click on any of them and in the context menu select "go to folder in library". Then lood to see which folder is highlighted in the folders panel. that is where the images are.
 
I checked my previous import which does not show the missing photos
when I returned to check the St Ives folder it had completely disappeared and you can see the next folder St Ives 2014 has a ? So I clicked on that find missing folder it takes me into pictures but the folder is not there. I took five screenshots but it says the files are to large
 
I'm a bit confused. First you said (note the part I placed in bold letters):
When I last opened LRC a folder named St Ives was greyed out with ? So I went into pictures and found the photos and reimported them into LRC this importing took about 5 seconds but when I went back to library all the photos from the folder 369 in total were gone. I still can find the photos in pictures but can’t find them in LRC.
and now you say:
I checked my previous import which does not show the missing photos when I returned to check the St Ives folder it had completely disappeared and you can see the next folder St Ives 2014 has a ? So I clicked on that find missing folder it takes me into pictures but the folder is not there.
So what is it? Can you find the pictures (when using the Finder) or not? If so, then why can't you reconnect the missing folder? Is the name of the folder changed perhaps? If so, then simply select the folder anyway. Lightroom will 'reconnect' it and rename the folder in the folder panel.
 
Yes I have found one of the missing folders in finder, but how do I get it back into Lightroom?
when I drag it into Lightroom it just goes back to the finder window, if I drag it onto the desktop I can see all the photos but it will not import back to Lightroom
 
Yes I have found one of the missing folders in finder, but how do I get it back into Lightroom?
That I already explained in message #2. Or do you mean the folder is not shown as missing with a question mark, but disappeared completely from the folder panel?
 
The photos were in pictures as I said , I then said the folder had disappeared in library and I then could not find it in pictures. Using finde r I found the folder but cannot move it from there into Lightroom.
 
The photos were in pictures as I said , I then said the folder had disappeared in library and I then could not find it in pictures. Using finde r I found the folder but cannot move it from there into Lightroom.
I'm sorry, but you are not making any sense. Can you see the photos when you select 'All Photographs' in Lightroom or not?
 
Sorry I am not making sense yes i can see them in all photographs
Then right-click on one of these photos and choose ‘Go to folder in library’. That will select the folder, where Lightroom thinks this photo is stored, in the folder panel. If this folder is shown as ‘missing’ with a question mark in front of the name and the name in italics, then use the procedure I described to relink it.
 
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