| Joined: | Mon Apr 2nd, 2012 |
| Location: | South Lakeland, UK |
| Posts: | 4066 |
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The images you see in Lightroom are the Lr rendered images which are stored in the LrCat (Lightroom Catalogue) They are a very quick way to display the images while you browse the catalogue but they are NOT the actual images stored on your HD. It would be far to slow for Lr to dig them out, process and render them while you are browsing the Library.
What Lr is complaining about is the link between Lightroom and the ACTUAL images is broken.
I know nothing of PC file structures (which is why I use a Mac!) but I do know there is a folder called 'My Pictures' or something like that.
ALL of your photograph files should be in sub folders in that folder and NOWHERE else (Unless they are in a 'My Pictures' folder on an external drive).
In my system I have a similar folder, 'Pictures'. ALL of my general images are held in that folder.
If you look at the screenshots above you can see the folder structure
Pictures>
Year 1> Folders>
Shoot 1> images
Shoot 2> Images
Shoot 3> images
Etc.
Etc.
Year 2> Folders>
Shoot 1> images
Shoot 2> Images
Shoot 3> images
Etc.
Etc.
Year 3> And so on...
All my shoot folders are dated "yy-mm-dd Brief description". It took me a while and a lot of frustration before I devised this simple but effective hierarchy which works very well for me.
I have a separate HD for my botanical images with it's own LrCat.
In that I have something that looks like this...
Botanical Images>
Kew Botanic Gardens 1> Images
Oxford Botanic Gardens 1> Images
Ness Gardens 1> Images
Kew Botanic Gardens 2> Images
And so on...
You need to create a similar type of system which you can use to save your images into so you can find them and perhaps even more importantly, so Lightroom can find them too. The structure is up to you but it needs to have structure and order or it will quickly become a mess as you add more images over time.
You don't have to go by years you could go by subject, Football, Landscapes, Bears, Motorsport, etc. The problem arrises then if you mix subjects on one shoot... But it's up to you.
Once you have done that, create a new catalogue, point Lr at the folder "My Pictures' and go have a beer, or two!
Then discard the old LrCat file. Use the new one.
____________________
Robert.