LR - I need to move files

[tonybynum]

I need to move about 200 GB of images from my internal hard drive to an external hard drive. I have 4 externals

and two internals and need to free up space on my C: drive.

 

I want to move the 200 GB to an external drive, which is only a fraction of my images, can someone tell me where

I can find the best information on moving them, or can you explain how best I should move them and not upset my

entire catalog, or have to go back and re import them again. . .

 

Thanks for the help,

 

Tony

[mark_sirota1]

The simplest way is to move them right in Lightroom.

 

If the destination folder/disk doesn't show up in Lightroom right now, put a single temporary image there, import that image, and then you'll be able to drag your current files over there in Lightroom's folder panel. Then you can delete the temporary image.

[benjamindbloom]

Mark's suggestion of doing it right in lightroom is a good one - as long as you're running Lightroom 2.

 

If you're running Lightroom 1.x, you can quit lightroom, move the files, and then start lightroom. you'll have to right-click on

the moved folders and select "locate missing files" or something like that. You could also export the selected photos as a

catalog, move the exported items to the external drive, and import the catalog, then delete the files on the internal. I

haven't worried about moving files that Lightroom manages since I upgraded to 2, though, so this is from memory.

[godfrey]

Benjamin,

 

Lightroom 1.x works exactly the same in this respect as Lightroom 2. The Folders panel in LR2 contains some additional

(and useful) UI and controls to make it easier, but there's no difference at all in the functionality or with moving files.

 

Godfrey

[tonybynum]

I'll give that a try, thanks for your help!

 

Tony

[andy_heffernan1]

Note that in my experience, moving files with Lightroom 1.X is buggy -- I will find that this process will occasionally fail, complaining that a particular file cannot be moved because it is write protected. The file was never write protected in the first place, and I eventually find my files somewhere and restore sanity to the system. Not a wonderful problem description I know, but after the third time this happened (with the accompanying near-heart attack), I have always done it the way Benjamin does it -- move them using the operating system, then visit each moved folder within Lightroom to reconnect one file and get the rest all hooked up.