Missing file previews in Lightroom 4

Since upgrading to Lightroom 4, when I import photos, many of them, sometimes all of them, are missing previews. I get the message, Previews for this file are unavailable. It doesn't seem to affect the import, but it means I can't pick and choose which photos to import. What's going on with the new version?

What file types are affected?
What's the source of the files?

Similar Messages

  • How to fix 'missing files' in Lightroom 4? [was: adobe lightroom 4]

    Hi,
    I have the scenario whereby all the images, I assumed, on my hard drive were as I imported to my  catalogue.  but it now appears that all of my images, are showing as previews but some are showing as 'missing files'.  Attempts to reconnect are proving futile as the usual click on and find previous file location location point me to the 'c' drive with a request for the file name.  On doing this, the 'C' drive doesn't appear to the have file name I require.  Have I in-advertately scrubbed something?  I have a lot of images of my grandkids, some of which I can delete but there is one particular image of my premature born grandaughter in the hospital I really need to keep.
    I can't do any saving, moving of files whilst these question marks are in place, can someone help as this software, is not as user friendly as I first assumed.  All I want is a simple walk thru explanation of saving images from a camera and sorting of existing HD files,(many from past shoots on different cameras), to enable me to sort into some kind of format.
    Would it be a good idea to completely scrub all of my images from the 'C' hard drive, (I have a backup on my external deskstop drive), and start afresh?
    I have a external drive connected to my laptop and all those images are showing ok with no missing file links.   It's only the laptop internal drive that is showing the problem.
    any help would be a bonus as the online youtbe video instructions don't answer my problem.

    Thanks Jim for your response,
    I will upgrade to 5.3
    Kind regardsEut van Berkum
         Op woensdag 28 januari 17:04 2015 schreef JimHess <[email protected]> het volgende:
    how to open NRW-files in Lightroom 4?I
    created by JimHess in Photoshop Lightroom - View the full discussionThe only way to use those files with Lightroom 4 is to convert them to DNG using DNG converter 8.3 or higher. The camera wasn't supported in Lightroom until version 5.3. If the reply above answers your question, please take a moment to mark this answer as correct by visiting: https://forums.adobe.com/message/7140310#7140310 and clicking ‘Correct’ below the answer Replies to this message go to everyone subscribed to this thread, not directly to the person who posted the message. To post a reply, either reply to this email or visit the message page: Please note that the Adobe Forums do not accept email attachments. If you want to embed an image in your message please visit the thread in the forum and click the camera icon: https://forums.adobe.com/message/7140310#7140310 To unsubscribe from this thread, please visit the message page at , click "Following" at the top right, & "Stop Following"  Start a new discussion in Photoshop Lightroom by email or at Adobe Community For more information about maintaining your forum email notifications please go to https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1516624.

  • Is there a way to contact Lightroom help by phone? I have a complicated issue with missing files.

    When I downloaded my photos into Lightroom today I used today's date on the folder, but got the year wrong, 2013. After I completed editing my entire photo session, and tried to export some of the images, I realized I had the date wrong on the folder.  I used my Mac's "Finder" to locate the file and change the name to 2014, with the rest of the folder name.  I see now that this was a mistake and I should have probably changed the file name IN lightroom instead.  Now I cannot export because I am getting the message about the files being offline or missing.  I have tried to correct this by changing the folder name back to the original incorrect name (year), but this did not solve it.  I clicked on the question marks and tried to "find" the folder, but that did not work either. It would be nice to be able to save my work in editing, rather than to have to start over again.  In addition, Lightroom now shows several extra folders with the same folder names have been created that I didn't plan or create, purposely at least : )  Now I am really confused as to how to fix this...

    You should be able to use
    "Find Missing Folder" ok......
    How about putting a screen shot of your Library and matching HD like these:
    and:
    Then we can help you out... don't panic and don't reimport the files. Everything just needs relinking somehow.

  • Missing files Lightroom 3 and OSX 10.9.5 - how do I fix this? PLEASE

    Hi Mr. Jim. I am having very similar problems with my Lightroom 3. I recently updated my Mac OSX to 10.9.5 and since doing so my photos are missing or offline and I cannot import from any source, even my Canon. I found updates on Adobe that take it up to 5.6 but when I downloaded it, it seems to have downloaded the Lightroom 5 version. It requires a serial number to use so.... that does me no good. So then I downloaded the update 3.6 and opened it but it did not seem to apply itself to my Lightroom program because it still says Lightroom 3.2... I hope that all made sense. So I guess firstly, is there a way to upgrade it to another version without buying a serial number? If that cannot be done, could you or anyone else help walk me through my Lightroom issues?
    I tried your solution up to Ctrl+click Import but there is not a selection for "Update Folder Location". I made the 3 new folders and I am stuck at this part of your process.
    I currently have 5791 missing photos and I need help . I did read that the bridge between the files on the HD and the files in Lightroom get messed up if they are moved and you have to track them down but I cannot seem to do that because when I found some of the "lost" files the contents were all grey and un-clickable.
    Message was edited by: Geoff Walker
    I branched this off from another thread so it is more visible

    Please read this: Adobe Lightroom - Find moved or missing files and folders
    You do not want to be in the Import section of Lightroom, you want to be in the Library Module. You don't want "Update Folder Location", you want to ctrl-click on a Folder name (not in Import, but in the Library Module Folder Panel) and select "Find Missing Folder"
    You do not want to re-import photos that have already been imported, this is almost always a bad thing to do.

  • Locating and reinstalling missing files in Lightroom 1.4 ....

    I would like to know how to re-install missing files once you locate a missing folder or set of files, I don't understand what to do next (once you have found the files) in order to put the file back into it's original location so the files will work in Lightroom (i.e. change the "red" wording back into "white wording" in the folder column). Initially I click onto the red word and a"locate missing folder" window pops up indicating the files original location at the bottom of the window. I have tried putting that file back into it's original location but nothing changes in Lightroom.
    Also I notice that the file will still be listed in the library so when I have tried to just drag that fie back into Lightroom, I am unable to because a window pops up saying the file is already in the catalog. At which point it ask me if I would like to see that file in the Library. Once I see the file in the library I have to delete it in order to re-install the original file.
    EEEEKKKKKS there must be a simpler way than this just to re-locate files and make the work again ????? I have tried finding information in Adobe's support manual for Lightroom but can't seem to find the answer. I have also tried using other sources like Scott Kelby's book on Lightroom.
    This seems like such an obvious problem that would occur with all users so I know I must missing or overlooking something here. I love Lightroom but this is one of the little frustrations I have with the program. I wish a better manual came with the program when I bought it......
    I would appreciate any help anyone has on this topic..... Wesley Wong

    function(){return A.apply(null,[this].concat($A(arguments)))}
    lovetotakepics wrote:
    Hi Marc:
    Thank you so very much!!  Your recommendation worked.  I was able to do a complete search of my computer and found that LR actually stored the originals on my external HD.  I was able to link the missing photos from there and I am back in business again!  Thanks again for the advice......you are a lifesaver!!  Still learning the ins and outs of LR, but I'm getting there.
    Glad to hear it all worked out !

  • When client open folder with html files to preview web site, some pictures are missing when previewed.

    However all images are in "images"folder. Same images are missing when previewed in Firefox and Explorer.
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    Thanks.

    Are you sending this other person all of the image files in
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    images (folder)
    image1.gif
    image2.jpeg
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  • Lightroom catalogue is missing files!

    today when i went into my lr catalogue to view pictures some were missing.  This has happened before.  so under lightroom on f drive i went into recent lrcat5 backup  and clicked twice.  This usually restores the missing pictures or entire folder,but not this time.  Out of 4700 images their are 501 with the ! mark in small rect. box on upper right of picture. I hit on one of the images and clicked locate the miss file,but could not find them as it said orig. file could not be located. The missing images are not on the f drive.    What steps can i take to restore these missing images.  No i have not done a backup recently of my images on an ext. hard drive.  I don"t know the cause of it as i did my routine post processing in lr5 a few days ago on some of these images and did some work in pe10  and then they were returned to lightroom.  Heeelp!! Perplexed!  Thanks.   Irwin lakin

    If and what steps to take depends on what happened to the images.  LR doesn’t move or delete images without your telling it to.
    If the images are on an external drive, perhaps the drive letter changes based on what else is also plugged into your computer.
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    Do you work with more than one LR catalog?  Where you might have done a Move Import in one catalog of the same images that were already in another catalog and so that second import will move the images so that the LR catalog you did the first import to won’t be able to find them.

  • Lightroom 5 Missing file/Catalog error

    After prompted to find a "missing" file in Lightroom 5 (which is still in its original/previous location) once selected it says "The file "example" is associated with another photon the catalog. Each file can only be associated with one photo." Understood, but that photo doesn't exist anywhere else, and when I click show in library it just shows me the photo that i just attempted to relink. Please help!

    Hi,
    Please download CC desktop from the mentioned link: https://creative.adobe.com/products/creative-cloud and try to install Lightroom from there. Before installing CC desktop please remove Lightroom from Control Panel and run the cleaner tool: http://www.adobe.com/support/contact/cscleanertool.html and then try installing.
    Regards,
    Romit Sinha

  • Lightroom data base files previews

    I wish to be able to Remove these Lightroom 5  Data Base Preview Files that NOW show up in my libraries pictures( June 2014 ) daily folder and also the Root Thumbnail icon that is showing.
    Please note all my other photos imputed from my picture library and SDHC memory  card before June 2014 does NOT have these files and it seems every time I input a photo from my memory card I get another 2 icons  saying this is LRPREV FILE (no image other than a box with text) with the modified date. shows up  when I select my Pictures in Windows
    CAN YOU PLEASE SHOW ME HOW TO STOP THESE FILES BEING IMPUTED INTO LIGHTROOM 5.
    There must be a key I can press...Thank you. David
    Also I did try to delete these files in the Lightroom Folder in Windows but when I input new photos in Lightroom they KEEP coming back every time.

    I feel like there may be something you're not telling us, which would explain how it came to be this way in the first place (yours is a very unusual problem).
    I've heard confession is good for the soul. If you have a confession, now's the time..
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  • Nikon Df RAW (NEF) files will not load previews into Lightroom 5.4. Nikon d300s RAW (NEF) files load just fine. Df files do not.

    Nikon Df RAW (NEF) files will not load previews into Lightroom 5.4. Nikon d300s RAW (NEF) files load just fine. Df files do not.

    Thank you for your response.
    I have loaded directly into Lightroom using import and via Nikon Capture NX2. RAW files display fine in Capture.
    In Lightroom, blank previews are created for each available image, with the message "Preview unavailable for this file."

  • Lightroom catalog backup find missing file location- please help!

    Hi,
    Before I start, if anyone can answer this question I would be so grateful. I would cry!
    Ok, so let me start.
    Recently I cleared my whole entire mac and backed up everything on a hard drive. when I reinstalled lightroom on my clean mac, I also imported the catalog that I backed up.  It all worked fine, and this post isn't about a lost catalog, or accidentally deleted photos.
    So, what is hapenning is. When I imported my catalog I got an error message, for all the photos and folders. this:
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    May I PLEASEE get help on this. I am SO STUCK and do not want to mess up ANYTHING at all!
    I would appreciate so much for ANY help! PLEASE!
    Kind regards,
    Josh

    Please post on the Lightroom Forum.

  • Why can't Lightroom TRY to find "missing" files?

    It's so frustrating--can someone please tell me why Lightroom can't even TRY to find "missing" files? Years and years ago, iView (now Expression Media)  did it so it shouldn't be that difficult to offer "missing file suggestions"!

    CSS Simon wrote:
    Vienna_Sydney wrote:
    If you move and rename your files from within LR, your outside programs can't find them, unless you export them. This creates quite a mess in the end
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    Anyway, I don't have a problem - as I had mentioned in my first reply. Synchronising folders does the job for me very well

  • Help with missing files within lightroom

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