Library module Problem with catalog linking to picture folder.

[Bill K]

Lightroom Version Number

14.4

Operating System

1. Windows 11

My LR classic, my Folder panel shows all the total numbers number of pictures, but the pictures do no show up on the screen. It pictures are in the catalog, and also in the the pictures folders, but they don't seem to link. A message pops up, which says: "The metadata for this photo has been changed by both Lightroom and another application. Should Lighroom import settings settings from disk or overwrite disk settings with those from the catalog?" I am hesitant to do this, as I don't want to mess up my catalog which has over 35K pictures in it. I can't remember actually having changed the metadata!
What is the best way to fix this??

 

[clee01l]

My LR classic, my Folder panel shows all the total numbers number of pictures, but the pictures do no show up on the screen. It pictures are in the catalog, and also in the the pictures folders, but they don't seem to link. A message pops up, which says: "The metadata for this photo has been changed by both Lightroom and another application. Should Lighroom import settings settings from disk or overwrite disk settings with those from the catalog?" I am hesitant to do this, as I don't want to mess up my catalog which has over 35K pictures in it. I can't remember actually having changed the metadata!
What is the best way to fix this??

There is nothing to Fix. The Message is an informational message. Not an error condition. When you import the catalog gets all of the metadata from the original file As long as you maintain that information and add other metadata in the catalog then the export of that image will get it metadata form the catalog not the metadata that might be in the original image file.

The file contains a modified data tag. Any app that touches that file ca update the MDT It does not mean that the important metadata has been altered just that the metadata. Is different in the file from what was imported. Apps that change the metadata could be something as inocous as your backup app. Or An external editor that added Titles and captions and keywords. As long as the information in the catalog file is what you want to write to any export, the MDT flag signaling a change is irrelevant. Imports to Lightroom Desktop and mobile don’t even have this message and if Adobe were to rebuild Classic, I suspect they would not even be checking the MDT.

As for your other unrelated issue, The folder panel shows image in folders that have been imported into Lightroom Classic. Pictures in the catalog file are ONLY those images that have been imported from those folders. The catalog stores the filesystem path to those files for those images If the path stored in the catalog does not match an actual path to the file for that image, LrC reports is as missing. Is this what you are seeing? There will be a [!] icon in upper right corner of the thumbnail for missing images.


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[Califdan]

If the Folders Panel shows image counts on folders and does not have "?" on the folders' icon but the grid is empty, you probably have a filter set.

If you don't see the filter bar above the central area when in the Grid view in the Library module, click "\" (backslash) on your keyboard to make it visible. Then click the word "None" on the filter bar.

As Cletus said that other message about metadata is just letting you know. It is nothuing to worry about.

 

[Bill K]

Thank you Cletus, this is very helpful! I resolved my issue