Corrupted Lightroom Catalog

[edward1209]

I was working in Lightroom 2.5 (iMac) the other day when the power to the house flicked off and then on. The iMac shut down. When I booted it back up and tried to open Lightroom an error message indicated that my one and only catalog file was corrupt and could not be opened. It directed me to Adobe.com and a procedure.

The procedure had me create a new folder, move my corrupt file into it and the matching db file too. I was then to find a last backup catalog file and load it in the appropriate folder. I did all this and then opened Lightroom. Then a whole series of images (180+) could not be found. When I tried searching for them, I could only recover about half of them. When I tried searching the iMac's HD for the missing files, using Mac's Finder, I could not find the missing image files. The same thing happened when I searched my backup external HD, which was on and connected to the iMac when the power went out.

I'm not sure where to go from here.

So after all my rambling, here are me questions:

1. How many separate catalogs files can Lightroom maintain?

2. How could a back up catalog file become corrupted by a power failure when I was working of the iMac's HD?

3. I guess the images are gone forever.

If anyone has any ideas, you can reach me at edward@amindseye.com.

Thanks, Edward

[PeterAit]

I was working in Lightroom 2.5 (iMac) the other day when the power to the house flicked off and then on. The iMac shut down. When I booted it back up and tried to open Lightroom an error message indicated that my one and only catalog file was corrupt and could not be opened. It directed me to Adobe.com and a procedure.

The procedure had me create a new folder, move my corrupt file into it and the matching db file too. I was then to find a last backup catalog file and load it in the appropriate folder. I did all this and then opened Lightroom. Then a whole series of images (180+) could not be found. When I tried searching for them, I could only recover about half of them. When I tried searching the iMac's HD for the missing files, using Mac's Finder, I could not find the missing image files. The same thing happened when I searched my backup external HD, which was on and connected to the iMac when the power went out.

I'm not sure where to go from here.

So after all my rambling, here are me questions:

1. How many separate catalogs files can Lightroom maintain?

2. How could a back up catalog file become corrupted by a power failure when I was working of the iMac's HD?

3. I guess the images are gone forever.

If anyone has any ideas, you can reach me at edward@amindseye.com.

Thanks, Edward

I don't think the images are gone - they are stored as individual files independent of the catalog. But, if the catalog is gone then all the edits, keywording, etc. you did in LR are gone.

You are learning the hard way of the value of using a UPS and making regular backups to multiple locations! Good luck.

[MBehrens]

1. How many separate catalogs files can Lightroom maintain?

2. How could a back up catalog file become corrupted by a power failure when I was working of the iMac's HD?

3. I guess the images are gone forever.

1. LR can open one catalog at a time. The number that you choose to create and use in your process is up to you. From your message it sounds like you have been using just one catalog and making backups.

2. Most likely a catalog that is not open in LR when the power failed cannot be corrupted. If your system was brought to its knees by this power outage with other files being corrupted, then maybe, but that doesn't sound like the case here.

3. I would guess that the image files are still there, you are just not finding them or deleted them in the juggling process you used to try to recover.

If you know where the corrupted catalog file is located and the backup. Its a simple process of getting the corrupted catalog out of the way, rename it or move it to a different folder (sounds like this was what you did) them replace the corrupted catalog with the latest backup catalog. I don't know anything about a DB file, I have Windows and there is no "matching DB file" maybe that is where the previews are stored on a Mac, don't know. Not sure I'd remove the preview right off, I'd try the backup catalog alone and if there are preview issues then remove them and rebuild (with only 180 images rebuilding is an easy option)

LR isn't a silver bullet to good file management. It will let you be as sloppy or organized as you want. If you don't know where your images are and are resorting to searching for them then losing 90 images is a cheap lesson to learn. Lots of threads in this forum on Image File Management.

Good Luck.

[David Sutton]

It's vital you know where your images are physically stored on your computer. If you hit save after working on you images, or have "Automatically write changes into xmp" ticked in your catalogue preferences, then your edits are safe and stored in the xmp sidecar files.
Good luck, David

[John Caldwell]

It's vital you know where your images are physically stored on your computer. If you hit save after working on you images, or have "Automatically write changes into xmp" ticked in your catalogue preferences, then your edits are safe and stored in the xmp sidecar files.
Good luck, David

What is the best way to newly imposed a "write changes to xmp sidecar" for catalogs where xmp files have not been previously generated, please?

John Caldwell

[CatOne]

What is the best way to newly imposed a "write changes to xmp sidecar" for catalogs where xmp files have not been previously generated, please?

John Caldwell

Just click "save" on the photos (command-S) and it will write XMP sidecars for selected photos that have edits.  You can select all in the Grid view to do this if you want.

[John Caldwell]

Just click "save" on the photos (command-S) and it will write XMP sidecars for selected photos that have edits.  You can select all in the Grid view to do this if you want.

Thank you, CatOne.