Missing files after attempted delete

[dandyman]

I apologize in advance. I am not certain I can even state the problem with any clarity, but I will try.

I am no novice to LR having catalogued over 45,''' photos, but I have a problem and this is the 2nd or 3rd time it's happened.
I import every new file into a folder called 2'1'. Occasionally I download by accident into a new folder, but inside an existing folder. (This happens because when you import, "into existing folder?" defaults to the last folder. I wish I could get it to default into my "2'1'" folder---but that's for another day.

So, I have a folder in a subfolder and want to move it "up" to the main 2'1' folder. Not so easy. I tried dragging it, I tried dragging the files to a folder that IS in the right place. No success. Then I tried deleting the folder and all the pics and starting over---I have a copy of the files on a memory stick. I deleted the files, then the folder and emptied the trash (I have a Mac). Should do the job, right?

When I go to import the files again from the memory stick, it won't recognize them, and instead wants to import another file.

So here are my questions.
1. Can I get LR to default to a certain folder when I am importing?
2. Is there a simple way to move a file from a subfolder to the main folder in LR?
3. Why won't it import the files from my memory stick after I previously imported and deleted them?

 

[dj_paige]

1. Lightroom has an import option to "Move Photos To A New Location And Add To Catalog". You can specify any folder you want, so I don't understand what is the problem.

2. Using the Lightroom folder panel, Drag and drop.

3. Deleting the files from your hard disk doesn't delete them from the Lightroom Catalog. You can't import a file that already exists into the catalog. You would need to delete them from the catalog as well.

Advice for beginners: no more moving photo files or folders that contain photos in your operating system. Only move or rename photos and folders from within Lightroom.

More advice: please pay particular attention to the parts regarding how the Lightroom Library Module (also called "Lightroom catalog") in The Lightroom Starter Kit and Ten Things I Wish I Could Tell Every New Lightroom User.

 

[Victoria Bampton]

[quote author=dandyman link=topic=9645.msg65195#msg65195 date=1272'3836']
So, I have a folder in a subfolder and want to move it "up" to the main 2'1' folder. Not so easy. I tried dragging it, I tried dragging the files to a folder that IS in the right place.
[/quote]

As Paige has answered your questions, I'm now more interested in this bit. Do you want to move the FOLDER into 2'1', or the photos into 2'1'? What's the path at the moment?

 

[dandyman]

1. Lightroom has an import option to "Move Photos To A New Location And Add To Catalog". You can specify any folder you want, so I don't understand what is the problem.
The "problem" is my current mini-disaster. When it gives me the option to "move photos to a new location and add to catalog" I wanted to know if I can make it default to a specific folder WITHOUT changing anything---then I create my own subfolder. On 2 or 3 occasions I have forgotton that LR is going to default the new location to the previously imported folder and I then create a subfolder within that previous folder. AND I can't get the new folder out of the subfolder.

2. Using the Lightroom folder panel, Drag and drop.
Dragging doesn't seem to work.

3. Deleting the files from your hard disk doesn't delete them from the Lightroom Catalog. You can't import a file that already exists into the catalog. You would need to delete them from the catalog as well.
Well, how do I find them if the photos are deleted and the folder has also been deleted from the list of folders on the left side panel in Library?

 

[dandyman]

[quote author=Victoria Bampton link=topic=9645.msg65219#msg65219 date=1272'5'896]
[quote author=dandyman link=topic=9645.msg65195#msg65195 date=1272'3836']
So, I have a folder in a subfolder and want to move it "up" to the main 2'1' folder. Not so easy. I tried dragging it, I tried dragging the files to a folder that IS in the right place.
[/quote]

As Paige has answered your questions, I'm now more interested in this bit. Do you want to move the FOLDER into 2'1', or the photos into 2'1'? What's the path at the moment?
[/quote]

I originally created a folder called My Lightroom Photos. I then created folders within it called 2''9, 2'1'. When I import a new group of photos, I place them in the folder "2'1'" and then give that group a new name. My goal has always been to separate out my photos by year. It's worked well for me mostly. I have folders on an external hard drive for each year, and the photos for that year are in it, organized by each imported folder.

I really feel like I need someone to sit down with my for 2' minutes to help me solve my current problems. They are hard for me to describe and evidently even harder to respond to.

 

[Jim Wilde]

Hi dandyman,

Shall we try again? My understanding of what you want to achieve is to import to your folder structure which (this year) would be:

My Lightroom Photos\2'1'\sub-folder

and you want the first two elements of the structure to be constant, leaving the naming of the final sub-folder to you. Is this correct? If it is, then this is simple to achieve:

1. On the import dialog (assuming you are importing straight from the memory card/stick), the File Handling option you would choose is "Copy photos to a new location and add to the catalog".
2. Next line, "Copy to:", click on Choose and browse to My Lightroom Photos\2'1' and click OK. This "fixes" the 2'1' folder until such time as you need to change it, i.e. January 1st 2'11.
3. Next line: "Organize:" - there are a variety of options, mainly date based. Choosing one of these will create the appropriately named sub-folder(s) in the main 2'1' folder. You can alternatively choose to organise "Into one folder", which puts ALL in the current import images into one folder, which you get to name, which is again a sub-folder of 2'1'.

So you see it should be possible to set things up so that you get the folder structure you want. If you don't want to use date-based sub-folders, but DO want to use different sub-folders for every import, YOU will have to be disciplined enough to change the name of the sub-folder on import. The main My Lightroom Photos\2'1' folder name can remain constant until 2'11.

I hope this explains things for you.

Regarding the second issue, yes you cannot drag a sub-folder onto a parent folder. If you have pictures in a sub-folder that you want to put into a different sub-folder then click on the first sub-folder to put all of its images into the grid, select them all and drag the images, not the folder name to the destination folder and that will do the trick. The original sub-folder will now have a zero image count and can be deleted.

Regarding the third issue, I'm not sure about. It may be because you have "Don't re-import suspected duplicates" checked, though I'm really not certain. Need a Guru for that.

Hope the above helps. Do let us know if things are still not clear.

 

[dandyman]

Update: Everything is safely where it should be. Not sure I can replicate what I did to correct things, but I'll try not to make the same mistake that led to these problems.
Thanks for the help.