# Images All Greyed Out??



## lam63 (Apr 21, 2013)

Hi EverybodyJust getting to grips with LR over last couple of months, everything going ok, until laptop trying to die, not died yet but certainly on it's way out. New laptop going great guns, and LR installed including new update so now on 4.4 instead of 4 which was old laptop. I had/have all photos and catalogues on external drive and everything worked well on old laptop, but  had problems in opening on new one, where it was telling me not able to open catalogue, so think have solved that now with changing drive letter?? BUT although LR can see the 6,000 photos I had slowly been cataloging and can see keywords etc, it isn't actually showing the images, there are no ? marks on any of the folders or images, but all images are greyed out. If I right click on 'image' and then click on show in explorer the image shows up on external drive??!!  Help, I've obviously done something wrong, but absolutely no idea what!ThanxsLisa


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 21, 2013)

Hi, welcome to the forum.

If you definitely have no "?" marks anywhere on images or folders, it's likely that LR doesn't like the monitor profile on your new laptop. To test this, try changing the monitor profile to sRGB - instructions are here - if that works, suggest updating the monitor profile with the latest version from the manufacturer (not from Windows Update).


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## lam63 (Apr 21, 2013)

Hi Jim
Many thanks for your quick reply. I've tried changing the profile as you suggested, unfortunately it didn't work 
At some point before this problem I copied and pasted the catalogue on to my desktop, so I've just tried to open that and I do have ? marks on folders & images. I'm hoping this makes a difference and makes it easier to rectify................??  Otherwise would it just be easier (if not time consuming) to just re-catalogue images??
Thanks again.
Lisa


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 21, 2013)

No, don't re-import (re-catalog) anything yet.....can you give me screenshots of the Folders Panel on the desktop, and a bigger screenshot from the laptop which shows both the Folders Panel and the grey boxes?
Thanks.

If you need help with screenshots, start here.


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## lam63 (Apr 22, 2013)

Hi Jim
Ok think I've managed to do screen shots??  Only had windows 8 a week, so getting used to that on top of everything else!!!
I've taken 3 shots 1 of the desktop, 1 of the folders panel with the ? (which is the desktop catalogue) and 1 of the greyed out images (which is the external drive catalogue). 
Hope this is ok.
Many thanks again.
Lisa

Desk Top Folders


Desk Top Catalogue

 External Drive Catalogue


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 22, 2013)

OK, let's forget about the catalog that you've got on the desktop for now (but don't delete it yet, we may need to try to use it). Let's concentrate on what you refer to as the "catalog on the external drive", as that seems to be seeing all the files OK, but as you say thumbnails are greyed out. What happens if you take one of the images into Develop, do you see the image then?

Are you confident that you set your monitor profile to sRGB? Because that sure looks like the corrupt monitor profile issue. Can you give me a screenshot of your Colour Management screen (Control Panel >Colour Management) just to check.

There are a couple more things we could try, but let's confirm the profile issue first.


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## lam63 (Apr 22, 2013)

Hi, have just tried viewing image in develop and yes I can see it and when I go back with image into the library it's still showing. But if I go out of that image and take another image into develop which also is visible, if I then go back to the original image in library it's greyed out again. Hope you're following this cos I'm compleltely confused now!! lol

   Colour Management Screen


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 22, 2013)

Yes, me too!

OK, let's try hiding the previews cache so that we force Lightroom to create a new one. Find the catalog on the external drive, and in the same folder will be the previews cache, which is called "*catalogname* Previews.lrdata". Rename this file (just change "lrdata" to "oldlrdata") then restart Lightroom. Initially the previews will again be blank, but as you bring images into the grid and filmstrip Lightroom should start building previews for them and you should see then thumbnails again. Let me know if that works....


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## lam63 (Apr 23, 2013)

Haha
Thanxs Jim, I shall give this a go 2moro when more time available!


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## lam63 (Apr 25, 2013)

Hi Jim
Be afraid, be v afraid - I'm back...............!!!! 
But with some good news, have done as you suggested and fingers X it's worked, yay!!
Not sure wot to do now though, I have them all still in LR so do I now just close down and let LR do automatic backup?
Many thanks again 
Lisa


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## Jim Wilde (Apr 25, 2013)

Good news, Lisa.

If Lightroom is now showing the thumbnails OK, you have a couple of options:

1. You can have Lightroom rebuild previews for all the images in your library if you want. Click on All Photographs, then Ctrl+A to select all photographs, then go to Library>Previews>Render Standard (or 1:1) previews.

2. Alternatively, do nothing....that way Lightroom will automatically re-build standard previews but only as you being photos into the grid or filmstrip. Nothing wrong with this approach, although it will initially cause a small slow-down in the Library module as the previews are rebuilt on the fly.

Other than that, just carry on using Lightroom as normal. If the problem doesn't recur, you can think about deleting that old renamed previews folder.


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