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Viewing dng images from backup drive in LR

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FrankU

Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2016
Messages
95
Lightroom Experience
Intermediate
Lightroom Version
Lightroom Version Number
6.14
Operating System
  1. macOS 10.14 Mojave
I have noticed that all my old dng files in the LR catalogue have just the 'first presets" attached and not the old revisions and improvements that are in the dng files on an external harddrive.

When I wanted to see and import those old, better looking image files, I made a new folder called 'Trialold' in the LR catalogue and I am trying to import those old better dng files to compare the two, but I do not know how? Importing as DNG, apparently killed the old pped settings during import and reverted them to my generic preset values. So should I copy, add, move them instead? What will keep those old dng settings intact in an upload or replacement?

AND when I try to import images from the external drive to the 'Trialold' folder, LR notices that these images are already in the library and does not let me import or even see the old pped versions at all.

How can I see and replace some now just simply' 'preset' image dng files in my LR catalogue with the old fully pped dng versions? And do so and see both 'development' level images displayed. To then choose either one as best. And available in LR.

How can I view a dng file altogether on a hard drive? I see no way to use the DNG converter that then pops up; what settings are needed?
 
A few things to consider-
1) -DNG files will only 'contain' processing steps IF you saved metadata to the files when they were processed.
2) - Your "old" DNG files will NOT show any edits if metadata had not been saved to the files, and they were removed from a catalog. (all editing would be lost!)
3) -If you re-import "old" files to the current catalog- restoring processing would be possible by a 'Read metadata from files', BUT only if it had been saved to the files!
4) -The DNG Converter has no part in this discussion whatsoever. (other than to note that DNGs can contain 'Saved metadata' whereas proprietary raw files have 'Saved metadata' in additional XMP sidecar files.
5) -Catalogs generally do not allow 'duplicates' of the same file to be imported. You will only be able to Import the 'old' dng files if there has been a change of filename to make them appear different. And, again, point 1) still applies.
 
A few things to consider-
1) -DNG files will only 'contain' processing steps IF you saved metadata to the files when they were processed.
2) - Your "old" DNG files will NOT show any edits if metadata had not been saved to the files, and they were removed from a catalog. (all editing would be lost!)
3) -If you re-import "old" files to the current catalog- restoring processing would be possible by a 'Read metadata from files', BUT only if it had been saved to the files!
4) -The DNG Converter has no part in this discussion whatsoever. (other than to note that DNGs can contain 'Saved metadata' whereas proprietary raw files have 'Saved metadata' in additional XMP sidecar files.
5) -Catalogs generally do not allow 'duplicates' of the same file to be imported. You will only be able to Import the 'old' dng files if there has been a change of filename to make them appear different. And, again, point 1) still applies.
Thanks!

Now how should I have saved metadata in my dng files of old?

Is there anything I should have done? What should I be doing with my current pp work that I might never have done before and was unawares of totally ...

I pp my current files from the preset settings as needed and when I reopen them they keep their contrast, color settings, whites slider setting etc settings from earlier pp efforts.

How, what must I do to preserve those edits? That escapes me, has escaped me thus far.

So please someone, let me know what to do to 'save the metadata'. I thought that would become part of the dng file and would be equivalent to the old 'sideca'r vm {?} files that were associated with each raw file before or without dng.
 
Now how should I have saved metadata in my dng files of old?
In Lr, Select files [Ctrl+S]. Or Menu/Photo/Save Metadata to file. Or have set in Preferences to Auto-save metadata.

Is there anything I should have done? What should I be doing with my current pp work that I might never have done before and was unawares of totally ...
Never remove your photos from the Catalog. (even if you move them with Lr to another drive location).
Backups of your original files should NOT be imported to Lr catalog.


I pp my current files from the preset settings as needed and when I reopen them they keep their contrast, color settings, whites slider setting etc settings from earlier pp efforts.
That is because the editing is preserved in the Catalog and Lr shows ALL editing- IF the photo remains in the Catalog.

How, what must I do to preserve those edits? That escapes me, has escaped me thus far.
Backup the Catalog! EVERYTHING (editing, Collections, Books, Flags, Labels, etc) is IN the Catalog.
Or Export derivative files- JPG, TIF, to embed the processing.
Or save the metadata to the files (but ONLY Lr or Ps will be able to read the metadata edits! in DNGs or RAWs)


So please someone, let me know what to do to 'save the metadata'. I thought that would become part of the dng file and would be equivalent to the old 'sideca'r vm {?} files that were associated with each raw file before or without dng.
It does "become part of the dng file" if you save metadata to file, BUT DNG files are RAWs and as stated- only Lr & Ps will understand this metadata in the DNG file.
 
Thanks!

Now how should I have saved metadata in my dng files of old?

Is there anything I should have done? What should I be doing with my current pp work that I might never have done before and was unawares of totally ...

I pp my current files from the preset settings as needed and when I reopen them they keep their contrast, color settings, whites slider setting etc settings from earlier pp efforts.

How, what must I do to preserve those edits? That escapes me, has escaped me thus far.

So please someone, let me know what to do to 'save the metadata'. I thought that would become part of the dng file and would be equivalent to the old 'sideca'r vm {?} files that were associated with each raw file before or without dng.
I made the change by clicking in LR catalogue settings>Metadata to Automatically write changes into XMP. And thereupon LR bombed, could not be force quit, Eventually I restarted the Mac and now LR gives me 34,000 files as it should, but all folders are with a - at the end, and 'Loading' goes around like wheely and nothing happens.

Do I need to use an earlier LR catalog? How done?

As I wrote this, the image number totals per folder reappeared correctly in LR. Clicking on any folder now gives me 'Loading' as a permanent screen.

I guess the poor Mac makes those xmp files right now.

And when that is done in the morning, I need to go to Library and ask it to make DNG ( with caps) files now, combining the xmp files with the raw ...

Maybe that will work. ...

Wow!
 
Yes, writing metadata to DNG files will need EVERY file to be re-written to disk, and also means that backup software will need to re-write EVERY DNG file to the backup. Very disk intensive and time consuming- even when working with the current catalog! (the very reason that I do not write metadata to DNGs!)
Is there really a major reason for wanting DNG files? What is that?
Writing the sidecar files to proprietary RAWS (NEF, CR2, etc) is much faster as only the tiny small XMP needs to be written.

an earlier LR catalog?
If you have catalog backups from earlier times, then you may have one that contains edits for those 'old' files, but only you can open and search each catalog to find the edits, if they exist.
 
Yes, writing metadata to DNG files will need EVERY file to be re-written to disk, and also means that backup software will need to re-write EVERY DNG file to the backup. Very disk intensive and time consuming- even when working with the current catalog! (the very reason that I do not write metadata to DNGs!)
Is there really a major reason for wanting DNG files? What is that?
Writing the sidecar files to proprietary RAWS (NEF, CR2, etc) is much faster as only the tiny small XMP needs to be written.

an earlier LR catalog?
If you have catalog backups from earlier times, then you may have one that contains edits for those 'old' files, but only you can open and search each catalog to find the edits, if they exist.
You ask: Is there really a major reason for wanting DNG files? What is that?

My reason is, or was so that I can have the benefit of the latest pped image version, which may be from 2 years ago, at all times. But for that to happen I just need to have all xmp files made and saved. And that is what the computer now does, slowly and for days ... so what.

Then my cloud storage will be up to date as from the last time I edited any raw file.

So now with your explanation, I should just wait for the XMP files to be done by LR and leave it at that. No need to have it all in one file with capital letters DNG; you are right.

But I should here known to save xml files all along. My bad.

I restarted my catalogue from scratching October since by sending stuff onto the cloud, all images were lost in the previous LR catalogue and we tried here to regain them and I gave up and eventually I loaded everything up anew from hard drives .

Dumb me, dumb LR, that cloud upload was expensive in time, nerves and with misunderstandings and ill advice here. . Thanks to you I will have what is needed from now on by saving all metadata changes directly.
 
FrankU, Your posts are totally confusing me now! I have been answering for a 'Standalone' version.

"my cloud storage "
What Cloud storage? Your profile indicates you have Lr v6.14 (standalone). Is that not so?
Post the top 10 lines from the Lightroom MENU: Help >System Info.. and we might know more about your system.

I restarted my catalogue from scratching October since by sending stuff onto the cloud
So you have the 'Cloud' version of Lightroom now?

file with capital letters DNG
Capitals, Lowercase, no difference!! DNG, dng, is only a file type.
 
FrankU, Your posts are totally confusing me now! I have been answering for a 'Standalone' version.

"my cloud storage "
What Cloud storage? Your profile indicates you have Lr v6.14 (standalone). Is that not so?
Post the top 10 lines from the Lightroom MENU: Help >System Info.. and we might know more about your system.

I restarted my catalogue from scratching October since by sending stuff onto the cloud
So you have the 'Cloud' version of Lightroom now?

file with capital letters DNG
Capitals, Lowercase, no difference!! DNG, dng, is only a file type.

I moved my images from external hard drives to cloud storage. in October and that messed up my LR catalogue to become unusable. So I started back from scratch. I still use the perpetual LR 6.14 on my Mac. Sorry about the confusion.

Lightroom version: 6.14 [ 1149743 ]
License: Perpetual
Language setting: en
Operating system: Mac OS 10
Version: 10.14.6 [18G103]
Application architecture: x64
Logical processor count: 8
Processor speed: 2.4 GHz
Built-in memory: 16,384.0 MB
Real memory available to Lightroom: 16,384.0 MB
Real memory used by Lightroom: 2,121.3 MB (12.9%)
Virtual memory used by Lightroom: 4,721.2 MB
Memory cache size: 1,122.3MB / 3,864.7MB (29.0%)
Maximum thread count used by Camera Raw: 5
Camera Raw SIMD optimization: SSE2,AVX,AVX2
Camera Raw virtual memory: 1111MB / 8191MB (13%)
Displays: 1) 6400x3600
 
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