Lightroom 3 problem

LRussoPhoto

I am running LR3 on both a pc and mac. The other day when going to open LR i got a message saying something like " Lightroom encoutered an error while reading preview cache and needs to quit, lightroom will try to fix the problem next time lightroom is opened." I tried to reopen lightroom and i would kept getting that message. The only thing I can think of to do was create a new catolog and re add the images from my hard drive back into lightroom. Now it just happened on my mac while I was editing my export settings. Problem this time is it happened on my portable drive which has all the original images on it. I really dont want to create a new catolog and re add all the images again to that drive. Whats going on???????

LRussoPhoto

Did a google search and seems its a problem with the new lr 3 upgrade. Some people are saying to delete the preview file then let it rebuild but I saw this thread : http://forums.adobe.com/message/2946710#2946710
In post 13 it says you can just delete certain previews, does anyone know how to do that?

basflt

C:\Users\username\Pictures\Lightroom\Lightroom 3 Catalog Previews.lrdata

LRussoPhoto

I knew where it was but when i double click to open it says there is no application set to view it, what one do I use and how do I know what files to delete?

basflt

in the folders are files with the extention .Irdata
those are the previews meant in the forum-link you gave

if you go in LR preferences you see that they are discarded after several days

you also delete from LR library
library > previews > discard

LRussoPhoto

On my mac if i go to my lr folder there are only 2 other folders inside that. One is back up and the other is lr settings, the lr settings folder contains all the preset folders as well as a watermark folder. In the main lr folder there is a file with the ext lrdata but thats all I see. Am I missing something?

Thanks for the info about discarding manually through lr. Although when I go to preferences I don't see anything about previews there, what tab is it under? Good to know for the further but it won't let me open lr because of the error.

basflt

edit > catalog settings > file handling
default is 30 days
[ dont know about mac ]

also
what version you have ?
latest is 3.5
[ help > check for updates ]

LRussoPhoto

yes 3.5 but both on my mac and my pc when i go to file handling i see import dng, reading metadata, file name generation and custom raw cache settings.

basflt

thats preferences
you need ; edit > catalog settings > file handling

jww

Weird! I haven't had any problems with 3.5. Keep us posted!

Previews are managed via

Edit | Catalog Settings | File Handling

You are going into Edit | Preferences << not correct


Edit: Ooops beat by 2 minutes. lol

basflt

mayby this can help

http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/11/friday-lightroom-3-big-crashes-and-easy.html

LRussoPhoto

Got it thanks for the help. Yea I downloaded the new version a few weeks ago and had no problems, then with 2 days had it happen on my mac and pc.

LRussoPhoto

basflt wrote: »

thats preferences
you need ; edit > catalog settings > file handling

basflt wrote: »

mayby this can help

http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/11/friday-lightroom-3-big-crashes-and-easy.html

Thanks, worked. I have all my images in one catolog. should I be separating them?

basflt

nice to know , i updated this morning : well , i'll see what happens

edit
and backup too

jww

QuadRacer041 wrote: »

Thanks, worked. I have all my images in one catolog. should I be separating them?

I make a new catalog for every event. LR 1.00 was notorious for blowing up after so many images. They assure us they have fixed it, but I don't like having so many photos in one catalog, if for no other reason performance and a bit of safety.

I keep my catalogs in a directory structure that helps me keep things separate at a high level such as Pro racing, Club Racing, AutoX, Car Clubs, Family photos etc.. and inside those, each catalog for those events I have shot.

LRussoPhoto

So all your folders and catalogs would be on one drive, you would create a folder for lets say pro racing but that folder would really have nothing to do with lightroom. All the lightroom catalogs would just be inside that folder? And that really has nothing to do with where your images are located on your drive right?
Right now all my images are in a folder called Photos on my portable drive(also have backup on other drives). Inside that folder are subfolders arranged but date, family, racing, etc. Also inside that same photo folder is where I have my lightroom database all in one catalog called lourussophoto. You suggest making all new catalogs inside that main photos folder?

jww

I have my images elsewhere in another directory structure and always Add images to the catalogs that I create in yet another directory structure, though similar. I hate mixing file types as photos and LR catalogs are two different things and can back them up separately as well.

basflt

please keep in mind that the catalog(s) dont hold your photo's
it are only advanced links to them

you should make back-up copy's of the actual photo's [ RAW's ] as well

LRussoPhoto

Jww, that hows I do it now but all in one catalog, images are all in one place. I'll try making new catalogs for different categories like you do and see how it goes.
basfit, yes I know that. I do have backup's. I have a portable drive that I use to keep all the images so I can take it with me on locations to plug into my laptop pc and then I have a external drive that I also copy the images to attached to my mac desktop.
Thanks for your help guys

idiotabroad

@basflt - good to know we have a resident LR3 god. It fixed my problems as well.

jww

basflt wrote: »

please keep in mind that the catalog(s) dont hold your photo's
it are only advanced links to them

you should make back-up copy's of the actual photo's [ RAW's ] as well

Exactly. ..and why I like to keep them separate. To reiterate what you said, the catalogs are only the collections, tweaks and other changes made inside Lightroom.

jww

QuadRacer041 wrote: »

Jww, that hows I do it now but all in one catalog, images are all in one place. I'll try making new catalogs for different categories like you do and see how it goes.

Cool! ..and remember, I am just a bit picky since LR 1.00 was so buggy. ..but even then I feel the performance is much better not having all your photos in one catalog. ..though I might shoot a bit more than most for an event.

LRussoPhoto

jww wrote: »

Cool! ..and remember, I am just a bit picky since LR 1.00 was so buggy. ..but even then I feel the performance is much better not having all your photos in one catalog. ..though I might shoot a bit more than most for an event.

I am now creating a new catalog being its a new year. But it looks like I have to crate all new metadata info, user presets for develop and exporting, is there a way to copy from other catalogs? I know a lot of people make new catalogs for all there clients, creating all new presets would be killer for every catalog right? How do I do this?

Anthony

Nobody (I think) has suggested a single catalogue and the use of Collections, particularly Smart Collections to do essentially what you are doing with separate catalogues. For example: a Smart Collection based on a particular year. This would allow other Smart Collections to be created *using some of the same images* to be based on say, football matches, or holiday trips, or weddings, or family... you get the idea.

Catalogue security is already handled with regular backups by Lightroom itself.

Anthony.

LRussoPhoto

jww wrote: »

I make a new catalog for every event. LR 1.00 was notorious for blowing up after so many images. They assure us they have fixed it, but I don't like having so many photos in one catalog, if for no other reason performance and a bit of safety.

I keep my catalogs in a directory structure that helps me keep things separate at a high level such as Pro racing, Club Racing, AutoX, Car Clubs, Family photos etc.. and inside those, each catalog for those events I have shot.

Anthony, this is what JWW posted. Isn't that what he is saying here, creating a new catalog? I have seen tutorial's online about using LR and a lot of photog's create numerous catalogs. But I don't see anything about presets from other catalogs.

Anthony

QuadRacer041 wrote: »

Anthony, this is what JWW posted. Isn't that what he is saying here, creating a new catalog? I have seen tutorial's online about using LR and a lot of photog's create numerous catalogs. But I don't see anything about presets from other catalogs.

No absolutely not. JWW talks about creating multiple catalogues. I am talking about having a single catalogue and creating *Smart Collections*. Nowhere have we mentioned presets which are something else entirely.

Anthony.

LRussoPhoto

Yes I know he is talking about creating multiple catalogs. He clearly states that's what he is doing in the opted I quoted of him. That's what I am doing as well. My question is.....when creating multiple catalogs is there a way to import your presets from other catalogs?

Anthony

QuadRacer041 wrote: »

Yes I know he is talking about creating multiple catalogs. He clearly states that's what he is doing in the opted I quoted of him. That's what I am doing as well. My question is.....when creating multiple catalogs is there a way to import your presets from other catalogs?

Well, as I was talking about something totally unrelated ie. an alternative to multiple catalogues, we seem to be at total cross-purposes, so I will bow out of this thread as gracefully as I can...

Anthony.