# Where did my imported photos go?



## cameragirl (Oct 5, 2010)

Having Lightroom2 for a few years, I am now using a trial version of Lightroom 3. I just imported new photos, but I have no idea to which folder they went??  I can find them by keywords, tags which I did right away (so I know there are imported) but I don't understand in which folder they went, I really don't know where to look? Help please?


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## Jim Wilde (Oct 5, 2010)

In Library, select one of the pictures and look in the Metadata pane (RH Panel)....ensure the Metadata view is "Exif and IPTC" and you should see the folder name....hover over this and the full system path should show.

For future reference when importing in LR3, you can set the Destination (for Copy/Move operations) using either the box at the right-hand side of the Import Dialog header, OR use the slightly more comprehensive Destination pane at the bottom of the right-hand panel.


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## Sean McCormack (Oct 5, 2010)

Jim/Cameragirl, 
With Quick Describe in the Metadata panel, an arrow appears beside the folder name, which you can click to bring you to that folder in Lightroom. To see it on disk use Ctrl R on PC or Cmd R on Mac.


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## Jim Wilde (Oct 5, 2010)

Sean, yes I thought of adding that (the arrow appears in both views), but I figured that wouldn't help that much in this case....but I didn't know about the Ctrl/Cmd R though, so thanks for that. My learning for the day.


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## harrylimey (Oct 5, 2010)

Right click on the image in Library mode and choose either -
"Show in Explorer" or "Go to folder in library"


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## cameragirl (Oct 5, 2010)

Thanks for all tips. I was able to locate the picture in folders using all your tips and advice. However, I still don't understand why I don't see a folder in my Library. In LR2 if I import photos it creates folder like 2'1'-1'-'5. In LR3 it does not do that (I select date format as 2'1', organize: by date) My problem is probably where I import photos. I see folders on the right hand with all dates 2'1'/2'1'-'1-'1 etc and select date where it should go, but the 2'1' folder in the left hand in Library does not show all the dates as when I have Imported the photos.
I really like LR3 but I just cannot figure out this problem... :


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## harrylimey (Oct 5, 2010)

What happens when you Right click on the image in Library mode and choose "Go to folder in library"
It should show you the folder in your left hand panel in library mode??


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## erro (Oct 5, 2010)

What is the path to where your old photos are stored?

What is the path to where your new photos are stored?

What is the path to the folders displayed in LR's left hand panel?


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## Victoria Bampton (Oct 5, 2010)

Let's make it even easier. Do you know how to take a screenshot? Can you show us your Folders panel and the panel in the Import dialog?


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## cameragirl (Oct 5, 2010)

Really appreciate your help. I tried to figure out and compare what went wrong. In LR2 there are all folders organized as; 2'1'/2'1'-'1-'1 and then 2'1'-'1-15, 2'1'-'1-17 and so on.
In LR3 it seems that not everything has been imported, because this one has the last folder 2'1'-'2-16 and then nothing else in 2'1'.
So here might be the beginning of the problem?


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## cameragirl (Oct 6, 2010)

I made lists and wrote down where all photos/folders are. Then I imported two new photos to see what happen. I found out it goes into my 2'1' folder but then they are not in a subfolder by date (2'1'-1'-'5) but goes as separate photos to the end of the 2'1' list. So the problem is "destination". How do I set up that new imported photos go into one folder (2'1'-1'-'5) just under the 2'1'-1'-'4 as I have it in Lightroom2.
I noticed in "destination" there are options to check "into subfolder" or "organize by date or "into one folder" and date format. I think this is why and where I am confused and cannot find my photos in the Library. Does it make sense to you and can anyone please help me?


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## Jim Wilde (Oct 6, 2010)

It sounds to me that you have not had your destination settings quite right. If you want to create date-based sub-folders then you have to get your settings to look like my first screenshot. Note that you choose which 'parent' folder in which to create the sub-folders just by clicking on it and Lightroom will show you how it will import. In my example I have clicked on folder 2'1''8, so LR is now proposing to create the date-based sub-folders underneath that. The format of the date-naming convention can also be changed by using the drop-down list alongside "Date Format".

It also sounds like your previous imports have all been going into the root of the 2'1' folder, rather than into sub-folders as intended. To check this, go to Library and open up your Folders panel. Normal display would look something like my second screenshot....here you can see I have a parent folder called 'Canon 5D MkII' with some month-based sub-folders. The display tells me how many pictures are in each sub-folder and how many in total (1476) are in the parent plus sub-folders. Without doing some maths, I can't tell from that display if there are any pictures in the root of 'Canon 5D MkII' or if they are all in the sub-folders. Clicking on the parent folder will simply put all 1476 pictures into the Grid/Filmstrip.

However, if I go to Library in the Menu Bar and uncheck the option to "Show Photos in Sub-Folders" I will get a more informative view, as per the third screenshot. Here I can see that I have zero pictures in the parent folder (as intended) and also if I click on the parent folder I will get a blank screen because no photos are selected.

So, suggest you try that setting and if you have imported directly into the root of 2'1' this is where they will show up and you will be able to isolate them and move them into other sub-folders (though you may have to manually create them if you want to continue with the exact date-based hierarchy). Depending on how many there are I might be tempted to simply create a single sub-folder for the mis-imported pics and drag them all into it.


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## cameragirl (Oct 6, 2010)

[font='lucida grande', verdana, helvetica, sans-serif]Hi JIm and others who replied, first of all I so appreciate your help. I think I will get out my mess but have to do it step by step, probably a lot of manual copying and dragging or whatsoever. Yesterday I added photos from catalog LR2 to LR3 so that is complete now [/font][font='lucida grande', verdana, helvetica, sans-serif]OK before I go into this, I have two screenshots taken, one on the left Library and one of Destination. I have to go to work now but if I get a chance I will look into it. It does make sense, Jim, what you did and what I have to do. So here are my screenshots and will work on it tonight, or whatever I have to do to make it work logically![/font][font='lucida grande', verdana, helvetica, sans-serif]Thanks guys![/font]


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## Jim Wilde (Oct 6, 2010)

One thing....looking at your screenshot from the Import Destination panel, it seems as if you are importing into a Top Level Folder called "Movies", whereas in your screenshots from the Folders Panel it would seem that you really want to be importing into the Top Level Folder called "My Lightroom Photos".....is this part of the problem?


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## cameragirl (Oct 6, 2010)

Just quickly a reply in my lunch break 
Top Level Folder "Movies" is not how I want to set it up. Somehow I started in the wrong direction and after two years now...I'm lost : Like I said, it is a mess and I don't know how to start over again, but here is how it is nowictures/My Lightroom Photos/2'1'/2'1'-month-day(as in attached screenshot)


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## Jim Wilde (Oct 7, 2010)

Cameragirl, I noticed from one of the other threads that you are considering 'starting over', presumably because you think your folder structure is 'messed up'. Have I got that right? The thing is, looking at one of your earlier screenshots, you seem to have almost 8''' pictures which appear to be logically structured in your preferred date-based format....so I guess there may be up to 2''' images which 'need sorting'? Is this right? I have to say that I would personally be inclined to use Lightroom itself to do this, I certainly wouldn't be thinking about starting over just yet.

Is there anything we can do to help you clean up the catalog?


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## cameragirl (Oct 7, 2010)

Hi Jim, maybe the whole structure is not so bad as it is. Honestly I can find all photos because I tag and keyword everything. The problem started and I have not solved this, is that there is a problem with the Destination settings. Somehow if I want to import, lets say three photos that I took on October 5th, it creates a folder in 2'1' with these 5 photos. They don't go to the folder in 2'1'/2'1'-1'-'5 as they would in my Lightroom 2. If I can get this working I think I be okay.
So you think that the structure is quite logical and there is still hope?


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## Jim Wilde (Oct 7, 2010)

Cameragirl, I don't think there is anything wrong with a date-based folder structure....many people will use one, and I do myself (though mine is somewhat simpler than yours). The point is that if you have already taken the trouble to keyword your images the actual folder structure to some degree becomes irrelevant (the only reason I use a formal structure is simply because I don't like the alternative of putting all pictures into one folder....so the OCD in me demands a semblance of order, which date-based seems to provide!).

I fully agree with Paige in the other thread that "starting over" would be a waste of all the effort you have already put in to tag and keyword. Yes it would be possible to save much of that by writing XMP metadata and then importing to a new (LR3?) catalog, BUT the underlying existing folder structure would still be there....so why bother? Let's just put right the import problems and you can move on from there....although, until you make your mind up on LR3 I would also concur with Paige that you should continue to use LR2 as your 'main' environment, just use LR3 for a bit of experimentation to see what you think of it. *This means importing new pictures FIRST into LR2*, into whatever structure you were using, then you can simply import into LR3 using "ADD", not "Copy", and using the date-based folders as your import source....no issues then with the Destination panel!  Although IF you decide to purchase LR3 that is still a hurdle you will need to overcome, and I can easily help with this.....just yell when you are ready.

One other thing you could also consider. I sense from your comments in the other thread that you are a little unhappy with the long folder list that you end up with when importing on the day-based date structure. Have you considered simplifying this and going to say a month-based structure, i.e. one folder for each month, so just 12 folders per year, as per the screenshot I included in an earlier post? That is what I do (and I believe Victoria also), and it would be very easy to reorganise your existing structure within Lightroom along those lines. Have a think about that, and if you want to do it I'll be happy to explain how. Has another benefit with LR3 in that once you set the destination folder at the beginning of the month it will stay 'set' like that unless you change it for something else.

Have a think about some of these issues and get back to me/us if you want any help changing things a little.


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