Copying contents from one EHD to another EHD

How did you do this? There is no access to the filesystem Copy function in LR. You can use the Import process to COPY once into LR. From that point on, the filesystem functions are available only in the LR Folder panel. These consist of MOVE, RENAME and DELETE. If you use Finder to Copy image files from one volume to another, then this happens outside of LR and since LR only has the path to the original location stored in the catalog file, it nows nothing about what you might have done in Finder.

I suspected something of this nature, and anticipated your question. I found the instruction to do this in Scott Kelby's book "Lightroom 5..." on page 5, but now I can't find where he describes the steps to do it (I'm still looking). It required that you pick a single picture from the folder to be copied move it to the target ETH and select copy from a drop down menu and 5 hours later it completed the task. I'm sure it wasn't as straight forward as that, but that was the outline. I now have a 2nd copy of my main EHD folders on the target EHD that are completely unknown to LR.

I now have a 2nd copy of my main EHD folders on the target EHD that are completely unknown to LR.

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Only one of these copies of the image files can be in the database. Lightroom has no knowledge of the copy operation that performed using finder. It only has a record of the path to her images when you first imported them.

So what do you really want to do? Do you want to MOVE the images in your LR catalog to another location? I don't have Scott Kelby's book. So, I don't know what he is trying to accomplish.

Since MOVE is the only LR process that is useful to LR, I will proceed with that.
LR stores the path to the cataloged image in the LR catalog which is a database file. When you move an image file from one drive to another, you need to inform LR to update the path to these files in its database.
There are two methods to get to the same end result.

1. You can used Finder to MOVE (or Copy) the files to a new location. If you do that then LR's catalog is out of sync and you need to Go into LR's Folder panel and right click on a folder that has a new location. A Context menu will open and you can choose "Update Folder Location" from the context menu.
2. The Second option is let LR do the Move and it will automatically update the path in the database. To make this happen you first need to add a Parent folder at the new location.
   1. In the Folder panel Header, click on the plus(+) and choose "Add Folder..." form the dropDownMenu. In the Dialog that opens navigate to the location for this parent folder, either select and existing folder for the parent or choose New Folder in the dialog and create a new folder. When you finish, this parent folder will show up in the LR Folder panel.
   2. Once there, you can select any other existing folder(s) in the Folder panel and simply drag and drop them onto the new Parent folder. Lightroom will use the filesystem MOVE function to move these Folders and their contents to the new location. At the time this movie is complete, LR will change the path field in the database to be this new path.

Cletus, I'm sorry my question wasn't as clear as it could have been. My aim was to COPY not MOVE, (Adobe seems to think they mean the same thing, they don't) so that I can get identical contents onto more than one EHD. I realize that on import I can select a 2nd location drive and end up with two drives containing the same contents. The trouble I am faced with, as I see it, is what I want to COPY is already in LR and on an EHD so it would really mess things up if I tried to import something that's already imported. What I did yesterday resulted in 50,000 images being COPIED to another EHD, and I now have two EHDs with identical contents which was the desired object. The problem is LR doesn't know they are there, although I was in LR all the time, and the progress bar was showing the copying taking place: it even estimated the transfer time at 5 hrs and it actually took 15 minutes less. I will resume my search for the steps I took to get the copying done and post them for comments.

I suspect that you actually used the file system (e.g. Finder) to do the copy (Lightroom doesn't COPY, it only MOVES, and when doing so I don't believe it gives an estimated transfer time).

So now you have a second copy on a different EHD, but Lightroom doesn't know about it, correct? What was your intention.....to have Lightroom having both copies in the catalog (really bad idea!), or were you trying to switch Lightroom to use the new EHD instead of the old? That's easily done, but is that your intention?

As I have said, you shouldn't have two copies of the same image in LR. That is why there is no Copy option in the Folder panel in the Library
If you want a backup copy of the images on an EHD, the process has nothing to do with LR. And LR should never be involved.

JohnHK said:

What I did yesterday resulted in 50,000 images being COPIED to another EHD, and I now have two EHDs with identical contents which was the desired object. The problem is LR doesn't know they are there, although I was in LR all the time, and the progress bar was showing the copying taking place:

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I simply do not understand what you did in LR to make this happen? There is no LR menu option to copy a file . You can MOVE a file or folder in LR by using Drag and Drop.

So, I re-ask my question. What do you really want to do? There is nothing in LRs normal/typical Workflow that involves an image file needing to be replicated on another volume.

Also can you explain in some detail what actions that you took IN LR, to make you think that "50,000 images were COPIED to another EHD:?

I was merely trying to duplicate the contents of one EHD onto another EHD, I confess I had no idea it would involve the catalog. I've been searching for the steps I took to get where I am, without success, all morning. The warnings about making changes outside LR have been sufficient to make me stay in LR whenever I play with photos, but, I cannot find the instruction I followed.
As for the images COPIED to another EHD, I still have a functioning LR with all my folders intact, and when I go out of LR and look in the new EHD all the files are there, so I assume they must have been COPIED not MOVED. Would it make sense to eject my main EHD, to preserve its content, and format the new EHD and start again, or is there a way to get LR to recognize the new drive without it trying to put two copies into the Catalog? Thank you all for the help you have given me, I wish I had known you were here long ago.

JohnHK said:

I was merely trying to duplicate the contents of one EHD onto another EHD, I confess I had no idea it would involve the catalog.

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This does not involve LR or the catalog file at all. As Jim has suggested you probably used Finder to make a copy. There should be no expectation that these copied files would show up in LR.

I've been searching for the steps I took to get where I am, without success, all morning. The warnings about making changes outside LR have been sufficient to make me stay in LR whenever I play with photos, but, I cannot find the instruction I followed.
As for the images COPIED to another EHD, I still have a functioning LR with all my folders intact, and when I go out of LR and look in the new EHD all the files are there, so I assume they must have been COPIED not MOVED. Would it make sense to eject my main EHD, to preserve its content, and format the new EHD and start again, or is there a way to get LR to recognize the new drive without it trying to put two copies into the Catalog? Thank you all for the help you have given me, I wish I had known you were here long ago.

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The default Finder operation across volumes is COPY. The Default Finder operation inside the same volume is MOVE. This is why you had two copies. LR can point to only one of these copies at a time. Why do you want to see the new copy in your LR Catalog? You can switch the path in the LR catalog from the old volume to the new volume IF that is what you want. I explained how to do that in method 1. of my earlier post.

John, in case your basic intent was simply to have a backup, here is a good lecture on the topic: Which Lightroom files do I need to back up? | The Lightroom Queen

Denis, Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Cletus, Whatever gave you the idea that I was trying to get information into the catalog? I clearly stated the catalog was never in my mind, least of all as a target. I stand by everything I have said on the forum, and now it's time to drop the subject and move on, thank you for trying to help. My next move is to watch the lecture suggested by Denis.

JohnHK said:

Cletus, Whatever gave you the idea that I was trying to get information into the catalog?

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Just these comments by you:

JohnHK said:

How do I get LR to recognize that drive and its contents.

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JohnHK said:

is there a way to get LR to recognize the new drive without it trying to put two copies into the Catalog?

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If it is Backup that you wanted, as deduced by Denis, I was unable to guess it from any of your conversation. Twice I asked, "What do you really want to do?" and never really received an answer.

OK, Thanks.