Lightroom ate my Photos!

<p>A word of Warning to new Lightroom3 Users!<br>

When I first started to use Lightroom 3 I couldn’t get my head around it. Compared to Adobe Bridge CS4 I was really struggling with it an could not make head nor tale of the file renaming and management etc.<br>

Once I spent some time learning it I was getting really exited about how it could get the best out of my images and I eventually worked out how to rename files to the way I had used to and use the Develop tools. After extended practice over few weeks I was confident to use it for real.<br>

So I copied the files to my hard drive, imported the files, looked through the ones I wanted and deleted the ones I didn’t want. I then renamed the rest. It all went very well I was happy editing the shots and exited about the results.<br>

On my second session I went through the Import Process looked through the filmstrip, selected odd ones I didn’t want. a message come up each time “Do you want to delete from Lightroom or Hard disk . Well as I did’t want them I’ll delete from Disk.<br>

Looking back afterwards I saw an error message that folder was empty!<br>

I checked in Explorer and found to my horror that several of the folders that I had been working on had been wiped clean.<br>

What did I do Wrong??<br>

I had a clue when I did a test the following day. I imported some test files and deleted one from Light room and hard disc. The Result; all the images in the folder were deleted.<br>

I was in Library Mode not Develop Mode. I’m still not 100% sure why this happened. Thankfully I’d backups so did not lose anything. I’m just posting this as a warning to anyone who might make the same mistake. </p>

<p>User error. LR can’t delete anything unless you specifically tell it to, just as the Finder on Mac or Explorer on Windows can’t. When you delete, you can remove the link to the catalog OR trash the images. You pick trash the images, its just as if you threw away the documents outside of LR. </p>

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<p>What did I do Wrong??</p>

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<p>You told LR to delete not remove from Catalog. </p>

<p>Lightroom also does not 'wipe' the images. It moves them to Windows Recycle Bin or Mac Trash. You can easily restore them if you have not emptied the RB or Trash.</p>

<p>The first mistake was that you didn't back up your files before working on them. It's not like backing up is something new, people have pointed out the need for backup here and elsewhere for years. Lightroom will create a backup on import, it's incredibly simple.</p>

<p>The second mistake is that you didn't understand selection and had selected everything without bothering to check your selection. When you have photos selected, Lightroom tells you at the bottom of the grid how many you have selected. It's likely that you were inadvertently selecting all.</p>

<p>The third mistake was to not use flagging for deletion, because that gives you a lot more information. This is a rare case where I disagree with Andrew Rodney, I use Lightroom to delete files from the disk all the time, but I use flagging. If you hit the "X" key while selecting a photo, it flags it for removal. This works in Library mode or in Develop mode when the crop tool is not active (when the crop tool is active, "X" flips the crop.) After going through all your photos and flagging the ones for deletion, you go to the menu bar and hit Photo->Delete Rejected Photos. Lightroom will then give you the same options for deleting from the drive or removing from the catalog, but it will also show you the photos you are deleting and give you a count of photos that you will be deleting (see image). This is well thought out and incredibly safe.</p><div></div>

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<p>This is a rare case where I disagree with Andrew Rodney, I use Lightroom to delete files from the disk all the time, but I use flagging. If you hit the "X" key while selecting a photo, it flags it for removal. </p>

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<p>I do exactly the same (so I don’t know we disagree). My point is, as you illustrated in the screen capture, LR pops a dialog that clearly asks you if you want to delete from disk or remove from the catalog. It does this even if you don’t first use the X key to flag the image first. </p>

<p>In my case<strong> I did have backups </strong>on my laptop Computer + the Original camera files on Memory Cards.<br>

As for Flagging for Deletion I had no idea I could do that until I read Jeff Spirers post just now. thanks so much!<br>

Ive had 10 years of Using PS and then Bridge CS and an short time trying out LR V1.2 but never got on with it.<br>

Iv'e only been using LR3 for a few weeks and finding it excellent ; however I'm still learning!<br>

Can jeff expain what he means by flipping the Crop??</p>

 

<p>"Can jeff expain what he means by flipping the Crop??"</p>

<p>Go into crop mode ® and hit x to see what it does.</p>

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<p>"Can jeff expain what he means by flipping the Crop??"</p>

<p>Go into crop mode ® and hit x to see what it does.</p>

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<p>Or you can go into crops, lock that aspect ratio, drag a corner and flip it from horizontal to vertical aspect</p>

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<p>You can do it either way, but if you are trying to flag for deletion, it's now easier in the Library module. Before Lightroom 3, "X" didn't flip the crop so you could flag for deletion in Develop at any time. Now you have to make sure that the crop tool is closed.</p>

<p>Also, LR does not delete folders from the hard drive - deletion only affects individual images. Furthermore, what was said about image deletion is only partly right: LR will move your images from your existing location to the trash, not delete them outright IF your library and the images are located into the internal drive. If the images are on an external drive, they are deleted outright.</p>

<p>This is very scary! Every time I try and import files into LR3 they disappear from LR and have been deleted from the Hard drive. I have not been deleting any of them!<br>

When I Look in the recycle bin there is no trace of them! <br>

I still have copies on another drive and laptop. I do not appear to have any virus on PC. I'm at a total loss as what to do now.</p>

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<p>If the images are on an external drive, they are deleted outright.</p>

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<p>Not on my iMac. They are in the trash bin after being deleted from an external drive.</p>

<p>Dave, you should probably post on the Adobe board. First, you should try re-installing Lightroom. It sounds like some sort of bigger problem, maybe LR got corrupted or there's a problem with your OS.</p>

<p>To flow up my last comment. I had a failure to copy more test files and an error message stating my d drive was Full. As I was supposedly saving to a 1000GB Hard drive F with plenty of space I was shocked to find my D drive was totally full. I had 18GB left on the 120GB drive yesterday. Why does Light room save to a different disc? I thought ti would save to the drive I was working on or my C partition which I have only programs and user data which has enlarged hugely to 68Gb!<br /> Its obvious now that its not a LR Problem but a hard drive problem possibly caused by light-room placing its catalog somewhere. I haven't a clue where it is but it must have something to do with the 68gb of user data that I have just discovered.<br /> Oh dear I feel like I'm starting Digital imaging all over again!</p>

<p>IF you happen to have clicked on "Select All" then click to delete, LR can delete an entire folder or even every image on the drive, if in the main folder. Doing so, depending upon the size of the drive or if an external drive, can mean they do not go into the Recycle Bin. For if the size of all images is larger than the Recycle bin will allow, they go into the void.<br>

But, there are "Recover" programs available, some are even free. These programs if used immediately afterward, can recover all the files on the drive. They are usually put into a "Recover Folder" with mine, it appears on the desktop.<br>

Searching for "Recover" in the download files of CNET.com or Filehippo.com and Tucows.com or other download services is a good way to find one to use. Naturally its best to have one on hand, before we have such an event. BUT, sometimes many of them can be recovered even week or more afterward.</p>

 

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<p>IF you happen to have clicked on "Select All" then click to delete</p>

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<p>He said it happens when he hasn't been deleting them, so that's obviously not the problem. </p>

<p>You should probably uninstall LR, run some virus/malware scans, re-install, and see what happens. And, as I suggested before, if it's still happening, check in on the Adobe boards.</p>

<p>The problem appeared to have been solved. I have a steep learning curve on this as I'm new to LR It has stored my catalogue on C drive with dates and not the original folder names. I did not specify C drive and thought that LR was storing the catalogue in the original folders.<br>

I feel like a total novice and I have totally lost control of my filing system now; but LR is the only way of reading my NEF files. It has some great tools so I will persist with it.<br>

I'm still unsure of how to delete flagged files ? </p>

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<p>I'm still unsure of how to delete flagged files ?</p>

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<p>Same thing I said before. Work in Library for this. Mark every image you want to delete with an "X". Then go to the menu bar and hit Photo->Delete Rejected Photos. The thumbnail filmstrip at the bottom will then show only the files you have marked for deletion, and the dialogue box will tell you how many you will delete. Make certain that you aren't deleting anything you want to keep. Then click on "Delete from Disk." If you click on "Remove," they will still be on the disk, just not in the Catalog.</p>

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