Library module Too many folders..

[nkay71]

Lightroom Version Number

13.3

Operating System

1. macOS 15 Sequoia

Dear Lightroom experts!!!
First I must admit while I have been using this for years, quite poorly, I am now at the point I am very confused. I recently exported photos from my LRC to folders so I can send photos to people. I do not recall this ever happening but it seems now when I do this I am STUCK with all these folders on my desktop. If I try to move the folders say to the documents location just so they're not on my desktop I can no longer access the original photo inside light room. For example. I shot, had film developed and scanned. I downloaded the folders, then imported those photos into LRC. When I try to clean up my desktop POOF.. gone from Lightroom and I had to go back and redo the entire thing and now I am stuck with folders all over the place.

I am at the point I am afraid to export anything because either I cant find the photos no matter how I name them or if I make a folder then it must remain on my desktop permanently.

I sincerely in advance thank you for any help!
~Nora

 

[clee01l]

Dear Lightroom experts!!!
First I must admit while I have been using this for years, quite poorly, I am now at the point I am very confused. I recently exported photos from my LRC to folders so I can send photos to people. I do not recall this ever happening but it seems now when I do this I am STUCK with all these folders on my desktop. If I try to move the folders say to the documents location just so they're not on my desktop I can no longer access the original photo inside light room. For example. I shot, had film developed and scanned. I downloaded the folders, then imported those photos into LRC. When I try to clean up my desktop POOF.. gone from Lightroom and I had to go back and redo the entire thing and now I am stuck with folders all over the place.

I am at the point I am afraid to export anything because either I cant find the photos no matter how I name them or if I make a folder then it must remain on my desktop permanently.

I sincerely in advance thank you for any help!
~Nora

Likely, you have exported derivative JPEGs and included these exports automatically in the catalog with a setting on the export panel.

In the Classic folder panel you should be able to see these folders in the folders on the Desktop. If you do not see the Desktop folder in the folders panel, you can right click on one of these folders in the folder panel and choose “Show parent”

Still in the folder panel you can add a parent folder (or select a folder in the folder panel that is not in the Desktop folder) and drag these folders to it. This will move the desktop folder and images to the new folder but will not move the Desktop folder.

A screen shot of the Folder panel showing these folders in the Desktop may help us if this needs any further clarification.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Paul_DS256]

First I must admit while I have been using this for years, quite poorly, I am now at the point I am very confused. I recently exported photos from my LRC to folders so I can send photos to people. I do not recall this ever happening but it seems now when I do this I am STUCK with all these folders on my desktop. If I try to move the folders say to the documents location just so they're not on my desktop I can no longer access the original photo inside light room

It sounds like you select 'Add to this catalog' when you export. This means the desktop folder location is stored and why you can't find the photos when you move the folder outside of LrC. If you want to retain access to the photos:

• Initially export to Documents or the final location
• Use LrC and not Finder to move the folders from Desktop to Documents
• User LrC find missing photos to allow LrC to find the moved folders

FWIW, when I export for sending photos to other I consider it one-and-gone. They get deleted after sending. IF they are for a specific purpose, that I may need to reuse, I create a Collection so I can easily export them again.

 

[nkay71]

It sounds like you select 'Add to this catalog' when you export. This means the desktop folder location is stored and why you can't find the photos when you move the folder outside of LrC. If you want to retain access to the photos:

• Initially export to Documents or the final location
• Use LrC and not Finder to move the folders from Desktop to Documents
• User LrC find missing photos to allow LrC to find the moved folders

FWIW, when I export for sending photos to other I consider it one-and-gone. They get deleted after sending. IF they are for a specific purpose, that I may need to reuse, I create a Collection so I can easily export them again.
Click to expand...

ahh ok.. I had not thought of that, creating a collection. You mean a collection in Lightroom? Ok I was NOT exporting to documents either. I will post a photo

 

[nkay71]

Likely, you have exported derivative JPEGs and included these exports automatically in the catalog with a setting on the export panel.

In the Classic folder panel you should be able to see these folders in the folders on the Desktop. If you do not see the Desktop folder in the folders panel, you can right click on one of these folders in the folder panel and choose “Show parentâ€

Still in the folder panel you can add a parent folder (or select a folder in the folder panel that is not in the Desktop folder) and drag these folders to it. This will move the desktop folder and images to the new folder but will not move the Desktop folder.

A screen shot of the Folder panel showing these folders in the Desktop may help us if this needs any further clarification.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Ok here is a screen shot. I am gathering that I need to export to documents? I just don't recall having this issue years ago and now as I stated I make folders I'm really confused.

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[clee01l]

Ok here is a screen shot. I am gathering that I need to export to documents? I just don't recall having this issue years ago and now as I stated I make folders I'm really confused.

How to take a screen shot. Screen shots can be sent to a file or (better) copied to the Clipboard
https://support.apple.com/en-us/102646

Phone photos are more difficult to read because the pixels in the screen are not 1 to 1 captured by the phone.

From what I can tell from your photos, you are exporting to the folder "Owen" in your Desktop folder but "Add to this Catalog" is not checked. So when and how do you import them to the master catalog?

Can you post a screen shot of the Folder panel that shows the folder "owen" and its parent folder?

 

[nkay71]

How to take a screen shot. Screen shots can be sent to a file or (better) copied to the Clipboard
https://support.apple.com/en-us/102646

Phone photos are more difficult to read because the pixels in the screen are not 1 to 1 captured by the phone.

From what I can tell from your photos, you are exporting to the folder "Owen" in your Desktop folder but "Add to this Catalog" is not checked. So when and how do you import them to the master catalog?

Can you post a screen shot of the Folder panel that shows the folder "owen" and its parent folder?
Click to expand...

Wow! I had no idea I could screen shot like that.. thank you!! So I am supposed to also check add to "this catalog?"

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[nkay71]

Wow! I had no idea I could screen shot like that.. thank you!! So I am supposed to also check add to "this catalog?"

I honestly used to just hit export and they went into a Lightroom export folder.. now when I do this I cant find them so I began making separate folders to know where to find them and now I am having other issues. I really need to learn how to use LR as I honestly have had it for eight years and I still have no idea what I am doing ‍♀️

 

[clee01l]

Ideally, you do not want or need your exported files added to the catalog. So leave the box unchecked.
As Paul has said:

when I export for sending photos to other I consider it one-and-gone. They get deleted after sending. IF they are for a specific purpose, that I may need to reuse, I create a Collection so I can easily export them again.

Here is a Lin to a free e-Book that I think is a must read for anyone that needs to use Classic:
https://www.lightroomqueen.com/members/downloads/

If you are not adding these files and folder in the Desktop folder to your Lightroom Catalog on export, How are they getting into Lightroom?

Also (asking again)

Can you post a screen shot of the Folder panel that shows the folder "owen" and its parent folder?

 

[Paul_DS256]

For example. I shot, had film developed and scanned. I downloaded the folders, then imported those photos into LRC. When I try to clean up my desktop POOF.. gone from Lightroom and I had to go back and redo the entire thing and now I am stuck with folders all over the place.

Re-reading your initial post, this section made me realize your problem may also be related to how you IMPORT the scanned photos.

In the IMPORT Dialog box you have choices of how to handle the photos. If you choose ADD then the photos stay where they are. In other words, in the desktop folder. That means you can't move/delete the folder or LrC loses it's pointer. If you choose MOVE them then the photo is move to a new folder location you select on the right side. More info can be found at LrC Getting Started.

Remember, LrC does not IMPORT your photos inside LrC. It leaves them where they are imported from or where you have LrC move them. LrC only has pointers to where the photos are.

I don't mean to confuse your post but it would appear as if you have both an EXPORT issue as well as an IMPORT issue.

 

[nkay71]

Ideally, you do not want or need your exported files added to the catalog. So leave the box unchecked.
As Paul has said:

Here is a Lin to a free e-Book that I think is a must read for anyone that needs to use Classic:
https://www.lightroomqueen.com/members/downloads/

If you are not adding these files and folder in the Desktop folder to your Lightroom Catalog on export, How are they getting into Lightroom?

Also (asking again)
Click to expand...

Oh yes I am sorry! I will do that.. I was merely showing the screen I see when I export and wasn't paying attention. My apologies. I have not issue importing it's just when I export to say share or print, LR no longer says they are there. I will do a new screen shot

 

[nkay71]

Ideally, you do not want or need your exported files added to the catalog. So leave the box unchecked.
As Paul has said:

Here is a Lin to a free e-Book that I think is a must read for anyone that needs to use Classic:
https://www.lightroomqueen.com/members/downloads/

If you are not adding these files and folder in the Desktop folder to your Lightroom Catalog on export, How are they getting into Lightroom?

Also (asking again)

Ok forgive my ignorance, by parent folder you mean the actual folder I have here on my desktop?

 

[clee01l]

Ok forgive my ignorance, by parent folder you mean the actual folder I have here on my desktop?

Folders are nested both in Explorer/Finder and in the Classic Folder panel. A sub folder is sometimes called a Child folder and its parent the folder that it is a sub folder to. I would like to see that parent in the folder panel that shows "owen" and its parent.

 

[nkay71]

I am quite literally so frustrated. As I used to just export my photos to Lightroom saved.. and that option is gone. I keep exporting a photo and I am unable to find it no matter how I title it and I do not want to put it on my desktop as that seems to make the photo lost in LRC
These are my options for exporting.

 

[nkay71]

Folders are nested both in Explorer/Finder and in the Classic Folder panel. A sub folder is sometimes called a Child folder and its parent the folder that it is a sub folder to. I would like to see that parent in the folder panel that shows "owen" and its parent.

I have no idea what you mean

 

[clee01l]

I am quite literally so frustrated. As I used to just export my photos to Lightroom saved.. and that option is gone. I keep exporting a photo and I am unable to find it no matter how I title it and I do not want to put it on my desktop as that seems to make the photo lost in LRC
These are my options for exporting.

Nothing about the Lightroom Export process has changed in years. Lightroom does not manage exported files after you export them, it never has.

In the Export dialog, you specify a destination folder. That folder from that point is only available in the Finder app unless you designate that exported image to be imported into Lightroom Classic its destination folder to the Lightroom catalog Then that folder becomes visible in the Lightroom folder panel.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[nkay71]

Nothing about the Lightroom Export process has changed in years. Lightroom does not manage exported files after you export them, it never has.

In the Export dialog, you specify a destination folder. That folder from that point is only available in the Finder app unless you designate that exported image to be imported into Lightroom Classic its destination folder to the Lightroom catalog Then that folder becomes visible in the Lightroom folder panel.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I know you are correct.. I think I may have figured it out. Thank you!