# Lost Presets when loading Nik Silver Efex Pro



## Chrissy (May 17, 2009)

Would someone help me please? I have downloaded a trial version of Nik Silver Efex Pro software for Lightroom, using the suggested method via preferences, plug in, choose and when I went back into Lightroom all my presets in develop mode had disappeared, including my Lightroom presets! Do I just reinstall the previous back up and try again or is it something to do with Nik and their trial versions? Or would someone suggest only using the Nik in Photoshop CS4? Help?
Many thanks

Chrissy:roll:


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## Victoria Bampton (May 18, 2009)

Hi Chrissy

That's a new one!!!  So is it just the Develop presets that have gone missing, or presets from everywhere?  Is your catalog still full of images as expected?

Initial thought - go into Catalog Settings and check or uncheck the 'store presets with catalog' and see if that solves it.


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## Chrissy (May 19, 2009)

Hello Victoria, I didn't look at other presets I admit, but found them in usual place in explorer. Oddly enough when I tried to open Lightroom the catalogue couldn't be found - that happens alot at the moment. Maybe I need to get a  new backup drive. I have had problems with the Seagates before.  I keep my Raw files on one and the Catalogues on another to free up the main hard drive and to be safe, but after reading Matt K's backup notes am not sure whether I am wasting my time!
I have just sorted the opening in Lightroom and the Presets in Develop say only edit in external programme. and the Slideshow presets have gone but the Print presets are still there? I will try your suggestion and get back to you, otherwise should I contact Nik?
thanks Chrissy


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## Chrissy (May 19, 2009)

Hi Victoria, I have tried your idea, but can't find a 'store presets with catalogue' option in the Catalogue settings????
Now what am I doing wrong?
Sorry to pester
Cheers Chrissy


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## Brad Snyder (May 19, 2009)

Chrissy, it's actually Preferences and not Catalog Settings:

Try Edit > Preferences > Presets tab, second panel 'Location', checkbox 'Store presets....'

(Although, I'm with Victoria, sure sounds like it ought to be in 'Catalog Settings', tho'  )


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## Victoria Bampton (May 19, 2009)

Doh, would you believe I even went back to LR to check which dialog it was in.... and THEN typed the opposite?!?!?

Thanks Brad!


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## Chrissy (May 19, 2009)

Hello Victoria and Brad, I did eventually find the presets option in preferences, but didnt' have time to get back to you as I had to go back to work! but it didn't work... I have emailed Nik software for help, but no answer so far.  Would you suggest I relaunch from a few days before my backup folder? it will loose me some work though. bummer. or any other ideas? I am grateful for the feedback. Cheers Chrissy


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## Kiwigeoff (May 19, 2009)

Chrissy I don't believe that launching from a back up catalog will solve this as the presets are not stored in the catalog but in the OS system.
You could search using Explorer or find for .lrtemplate files to see if you can find them. Look in your recycle bin as well.


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## Chrissy (May 19, 2009)

Hello Geoff, I have looked in recycle bin and only found that I had cleaned up my calibration file by deleting old beta files, but nothing else. Nothing else showed up. But I have found two Lightroom files? One in My Pictures with nothing in the folders and one in My Documents with all the downloaded presets I have used. But no Lightroom default presets except in the slideshow and print module.???? I have also looked at the Lightroom settings file in my backup, they are not there. BUT.... I have seen that one day when Lightroom decided by itself to use a different catalogue that I never use to back up to, and I had thought I had lost my work, that alot of the presets are in that catalogue, but not the usual adobe ones. I am stumped... should I export all my catalogues, reinstall lightroom and try again. and I thought I was getting really good at all this>? either that or go and pour a large glass of wine! It all started when I upgraded to PS4??? any clues or have I baffled you too?
Thanks for your patience.
Chrissy


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## Kiwigeoff (May 19, 2009)

Chrissy, are you using LR 2.1?? If so upgrade to 2.3 it is the best release yet. My other suggestion is to reinstall LR (the upgrade should do that) but I'm ot 1''% sure of the best procedure for PC's so maybe one of the other Guru's will chip in with the cleanest method please.


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## Chrissy (May 20, 2009)

Hello Geoff, I have Lightroom 2.3. The Nik software people have suggested I reinstall Lightroom and Nik. If I do this do I loose my catalogues? that is a scary thought. And thanks again for your time I really appreciate it!  Cheers


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## Chrissy (May 20, 2009)

:?Hello Geoff, I had answered this but its not showing? anyway I had just said that I do have Lightroom 2.3 and now see why you thought that so have updated my signature! lots to think of... The Nik support person in US suggested a phone call or to reinstall Lightroom and Nik and call them and they would talk me through, but that sounds expensive from Oz. If I did do that, would I loose my data? scary thought. I am sounding thick again? I am at a complete loss. By the way I always stop my backup programme when working on data. Do you think back-up programmes are more trouble than they are worth? I am just using using the Western Digital ones to external drives that came with the hardware?
Cheers and I do appreciate the help


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## Brad Snyder (May 20, 2009)

Chrissy, an Lr re-install is supposed to be completley transparent to existing data. I personally have never lost any data to a re-install.  Nonetheless, I'm always careful of my backups before I try.


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## Kiwigeoff (May 20, 2009)

Brad Snyder said:


> Chrissy, an Lr re-install is supposed to be completley transparent to existing data. I personally have never lost any data to a re-install.  Nonetheless, I'm always careful of my backups before I try.



This is my experience with installs. You should be fine but as the wise man says back up first (catalogs, etc).


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## Chrissy (May 20, 2009)

Thankyou Brad and Geoff I always back up. but will I have to reinstall my additional presets, and also If I do try again with Nik will I find it overwrites PS4 as a plug in? questions questions? hope I am not abusing the friendship! yet....thanks


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## Chrissy (May 20, 2009)

Hello all, well I have reinstalled Lightroom 2.3, uninstalled Nik Silver Effex trial version.  In one catalogue I have one or two of my presets and absolutely no lightroom presets to be seen, or my Matt K's downloaded presets. Now I am stumped..any more hints? Should I know get on the Adobe help line? Cheers Chrissy


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## Victoria Bampton (May 20, 2009)

Here's an idea - download one of Matt's presets again to find out what it's called, and then run a search on your whole computer to find out where it is.  Once you find that, you'll hopefully have found the others too.


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## Chrissy (May 21, 2009)

HI Victoria, I did find preset file in Explorer, and all the folders are there showing, but not the Lightroom ones? I thought of pressing the Lightroom default preset button, after copying the other Matt and personal presets files and then reimporting them, do you think that would work? except I am not sure where the adobe LR presets are going to come from? Getting really frustrated now.  I don't use presets that often just a few ones for importing theatre stuff and nice now and then to do old fashioned B&W/s and play... Now I will have to take perfect pictures! I will wait for your comment and maybe then I should be phoning the Adobe Help line, Nik  have not answered more than one email...Thank you for your time.

Regards Chrissy


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## Brad Snyder (May 21, 2009)

Chrissy, on Windows, I *think* those default Lr factory presets are embedded in files of type *.lrmodule, which are to be found in sysdrive:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.3\*.lrmodule.

Have a look in that directory and make sure those files are there, there should be one for Develop, Import, Export, Library, Print, Slideshow, Web, and I have one for MultipleMonitor as well. On my system, these all date to the installation of 2.3.


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## Chrissy (May 21, 2009)

Hello Brad,when I ask preferences to find the presets folder it finds them in documents & settings/Administrator/application data/Adobe/Lightroom - my preset folders are there except for the Lightroom default preset folder under User Presets in Develop. The import presets are gone too. all others are there...If I reinstate original Lightroom presets I have a feeling it will say they are gone. but I am prepared to do it all again.  The odd thing is, having reinstalled Lightroom 2.3 from my Adobe online account in downloads, my programme folder shows only Lightroom 2.  I am so confused my brain is spinning. Now looking in Control panel it is saying Lightroom 2.3 is in a temp file unobtainable and won't repair. onwards and upwards. I wil keep you posted....


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## Chrissy (May 25, 2009)

Hello Victoria, Brad and Geoff, apologies for late update, but I have been backstage for a few days...I finally managed to get hold of Adobe technical help and they suggested I again uninstall lightroom, but also delete the Lighroom file completely from my 'Documents & Settings/Administrator/application data/Adobe path. Then reinstall Lightroom again. This seemed to work! I got back the Lightroom presets folder etc but had to reinstall all the other non-lightroom presets and will have to start from scratch again for other templates and personal presets....BUT when I came to bring in last catalogue alot of recent developing was gone. I went back a few days and brought in an earlier catalogue, but its not what I wanted. Can I keep bringing in new backup catalogues until they get as close as possible to the one I used before the disaster? Or does that tempt fate?... Also, should I delete the previews backup folders to stop any muddles or are those folders sacrosanct?

Apologies for asking more questions again! Onwards and upwards though, and I wonder if I should dare download Nik again? I want to, its beautiful! regards, Chrissy:roll:


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## Victoria Bampton (May 25, 2009)

The backups should be in dated folders Chrissy, so it should be quite easy to work out which was the last backup, shouldn't it?


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## Chrissy (Jun 15, 2009)

Hello Victoria, again I apologise for my disappearance from this site for afew weeks.  I missed it too! my backups and lost develops weren't as logical as just reimporting the latest dates, as it seemed that LR catalogues had set up backup folders within the usual catalogue set up and it was really confusing, anyway I lost some, sorted it out and started again.   Since then I have had a video card crash and been off the computer for quite a few days...and now Nik keeps crashing again! ahh the lovely reinstall time again... I have looked at the recent forum's re video cards and wonder if  anyone has furhter insight into the best ones to replace the old one with. My computer guru has lent me one for the moment. He said to say_
Just thought it might be an idea, if you had a quick chat with your Lightroom / Photoshop mates, on what type / model video card they would suggest, you get for best performance.

If they need to know, your computer has a Quadcore Q66'' Cpu ,and 4GB of Ram.

The video card will need to be PCIE (type of connector it plugs into the mother board)

There are lots of High power video cards on the market, some are more compatible with gaming, rather than photoshop ect.

Cheers and endless thanks for the other forum questions that I find so useful!

Chrissy


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## Brad Snyder (Jun 15, 2009)

Chrissy, the high-end specifications of the video card have very little. if any, effect on Lr performance. As strange as it may sound, Lr does not stress a video adapter very much, from a performance perspective, although it is quite good at finding driver incompatibilities. 

On the other hand, CS4 *can* take performance advantage from certain high-end video/GPU features, but personally I'm not familiar with the working details of that. I'll yield to someone with experience/knowledge here.


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## Chrissy (Jun 17, 2009)

Thanks Brad, maybe I should go for the option to help CS4 and hope LR is advantaged! hoping someone else will have an input too. grateful for your comments though. Sometimes I think technology gets in the way of art!
Chrissy


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## Chrissy (May 17, 2009)

Would someone help me please? I have downloaded a trial version of Nik Silver Efex Pro software for Lightroom, using the suggested method via preferences, plug in, choose and when I went back into Lightroom all my presets in develop mode had disappeared, including my Lightroom presets! Do I just reinstall the previous back up and try again or is it something to do with Nik and their trial versions? Or would someone suggest only using the Nik in Photoshop CS4? Help?
Many thanks

Chrissy:roll:


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## Brad Snyder (Jun 17, 2009)

On the other hand, Michelangelo couldn't start sculpting, until some artisan-engineer somewhere built him an iron/steel chisel.


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