Stacking photos into version sets

I imported my photos into a new catalog, but now the version sets are separated into individual photos.
How can I get the photos restacked into the version sets?
I am presently using Elements 4, and intended on cleaning up my catalog prior to loading Elements 8.
Thanks

For some reason, the old catalog
would not allow me to import more photos, as it came up with an error mess
age. I also had several screwups in my
first catalog anyway.

Similar Messages

Can you please help solve my sudden problem saving photos in version sets?

Saving edited photos in Version Set
Ever since I have owned the excellent Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0, I have saved edited photos in a version set with the original. Now, in spite of the 'save in Version Set' box being ticked, they are saved separately. When the edited photo is saved, it says 'imported from hard disk'. It has never said this before.
When the photos are imported from the camera, they are saved in Adobe/Digital Camera Photos/code provided by photoshop (eg 2006-03-10-1632-38). Under properties/history it says imported from Panasonic DMZ-TZ3. This has not changed. All the saving arrangements appear to be unchanged.
Photos (thousands!) have been successfully edited and saved in a Version Set. Under properties/history it says 'edited version' and 'imported from Panasonic DMZ-TZ3'.
Suddenly, photos that have been edited and should have been saved in a version set, now say under properties/history nothing about being edited. They say 'imported from hard disk'. In other words they are being treated as a new photo.
I really hope you can help me to solve this infuriating problem. Please ask if you need more information.
I work on a PC with Windows XP
Michael

Michael: are you still using an old version o0f PSE (e.g. PSE V4)? Problems similar to the one that you described are relatively frequent in old PSE Versions ( I was suffering a lot from them)..... and there are quite seldom in newer PSE versions. Unfortunately, I do not remember which PSE Version became much better in this area (was it V5? or V6?)
If using an older PSE version and encoutering often the problem: consider to migrate to a newer PSE Version..

I can't stack photos (previously in version sets) imported via "Upgrade PSE Catalog". Why not?

I am currently using LR 3.6 on a Windows 7 OS/ HP laptop. Previously, I organized my photos using PSE 9 Organizer. When I switched to LR 3, I selected the option to upgrade my PSE Catalog to bring my photos into LR. LR imported all the photos and keywords/ratings but not my version sets or smart albums. I understand LR doesn't have version sets so I was willing to manually restack my photos but now LR is not giving me that option. Any pictures that were previously in a PSE version set are showing as unstackable (all the stack options are grayed out) even if they are located in the same folder on my hard drive. I'm having trouble finding anything on the web that addresses this issue. Any help/direction would be much appreciated as my catalog is rather cumbersome at the moment.
Thank you,
Sierra

If dj_paige's suggestions don't help, check to make sure that Lightroom thinks both photos are in the same folder. When I converted from PSE 8, I had some photos in version sets in the same actual folder that LR thought were in different folders whose name differed only by case (e.g. "MyFolder" and "myfolder"). Thus, LR refused to stack the photos upon catalog conversion.
You can check this by selecting each of the suspsect photos in turn, right-clicking, and selecting Go To Folder In Library.

Understanding Version Sets, Stacks, Picks, & Album Picks

Aperture's documentation is very good in most respects (adjustments being the major exception), but I found it very difficult to put my head around the whole version set / stacks / picks / album picks thingy.
While working on some images this morning, it all became clear.
1. Version Sets vs. Stacks
A Version Set is a single Master image with two or more Versions.
Version Sets have a light gray border around the contained images, and a single dark gray border around all those images in the Version Set.
A Stack is a collection of versions that do not use the same Master.
A Stack can contain single Versions or Version Sets (and Version Sets remain grouped within a Stack: you'll see a light gray border around the Version Sets and a dark gray border around everything in the Stack).
If you Stack two or more Version Sets, and then choose the Unstack command, all the Versions become separated--even if they share the same Master (i.e., UnStacking a Stack does not result in Version Sets, as you might expect--instead, it results in all individual Versions).
You can re-Stack these separated Versions that share the same Master, and you'll get a Version Set (light gray border surrounded by dark gray border) automatically (which is good, since there is no Create Version Set command).
From all these results, it appears that a Version Set is simply a Stack where each Version shares the same Master. It is different from other Stacks in that these Versions have a common light gray border.
2. Picks vs. Album Picks
Create an Album and add two separate images (i.e., two Versions with different Masters). Call it Album1.
Duplicate the Album. Call it Album2.
In Album1, create 3 different cropped versions of image1 (so you can tell the Versions apart). Likewise, create 2 different cropped versions of image2. You should now have 2 Version Sets in each album.
To help keep track of which Version is the pick, press 'T' to turn on image overlays so you can see the Version Title when you pause your mouse over an image.
Click on the number in the top left corner of each Version set to condense them. Notice that the left-most image (the Pick) is the image you se in the condensed Version Set. The same image will appear in Album1 and Album2.
Open the Version Set again, and click on the right-most image, then click the Pick button on the top toolbar (not the Album Pick button; the Pick button). Notice the rightmost image physically moves to the leftmost position. Close the Version Set and notice that this Version is now the one that displays when the Version Set is condensed.
Go into Album2 and condense the Version Set there, too. Notice that the same Version as in Album1 is the Pick. That's because we have not selected an Album Pick yet. The default Pick is the Pick for all albums until you pick an Album Pick for one or more albums.
While in Album2, open the first Version Set and select the right-most image in the Version Set. Now click the Set Album Pick button on the top toolbar. Notice no images move this time (compare that to clicking the Pick button on the toolbar). Instead, a black checkmark in a gray circle appears over the image. This means this Version is the Album Pick. Collapse this Version Set in Album2, and notice that the Album Pick image is what shows in the condensed Version Set. Now go back to Album1, and you'll notice there is no checkmark on any images. Collapse the first Version Set, and you'll see the left-most image (the default Pick) is the image that shows up on the collapsed Version Set. If you wanted to, you could open up the Version Set, select the middle image and click the Set Album Pick button, and the middle image would represent the Version Set in Album1, while the 3rd image would represent the Version Set in Album2. Version Sets can have no Album Picks, in which case the default Pick (the leftmost image) is what is selected for a collapsed Version Set.
OK, let's have some real fun now! Select the first Version Set, then command-click on the second Version Set to select both Version Sets. Now right-click (or control-click) on one of the images and select Stack. Both Version Sets should be combined into a single Stack, but you should still be able to see the light gray border around the two Version Sets within the Stack.
Click outside the Stack to deselect all the Versions. Now click on the left-most Version in the right-most Version Set. Click the Pick button on the top toolbar. Notice the entire right-most Version Set moves to the left to become the (default) Pick! Press command-Z to undo your change.
Now click on the right-most Version in the right-most Version set. Click the Pick button on the top toolbar. Notice that, not only does the entire right-most Version Set move to the left, but also the rightmost Version moves to the left-most position within the Version Set! You're not only telling Aperture to make the second Version Set the Pick for this Stack, you're also telling it that the right-most Version within that Version Set is the Pick for the Stack.
Play around with setting the Album Pick within each Stack and comparing Album1 with Album2 when you collapse the Stack.
This is a fun exercise that can really help you understand the difference (and similarities) between Version Sets, Stacks, (default) Picks, and Album Picks.
Please correct anything that I'm misunderstanding, or feel free to add anything you've found out about these topics.

Aperture's documentation is very good in most
respects (adjustments being the major exception), but
I found it very difficult to put my head around the
whole version set / stacks / picks / album picks
thingy.
While working on some images this morning, it all
became clear.
<...>
I thank you for the clarification on those matters, while I have used stacks quite a bit I have not yet explored in full detail the Version Set concept (though I had a rough idea of what it did). That was a great job of investigation.
To help bring a similar level of understanding to others regarding the Aperture adjustment tools (which as you note are not well documented), I have published an Adjustment Tool Guide (2 MB PDF) that covers all of the Aperture adjustments - you can find it at:
http://www.InsideAperture.com
Just follow the Adjustment Tool Guide links.

Version sets in 12 not working correctly

Do other people have an issue in Photoshop Elements 12 with it not consistently saving photos in version sets? someties it works correctly and somethimes it doesn't and it also bumps me out stating it is a new photo. i do have it configured to always save in version sets and to not notify me with new photos?
Emily

Thank you so much. We'll see if this fixes the problem. I had worked with
Adobe for many many hours in August and they couldn't figure out why it was
doing this. how come they don't know their own product!!!
Emily

How to save different files when can't save in version set?

For some reason I can't save my edits unless I uncheck Save Photo in Version Set. But I have some edits that I havein several versions. If I try to Save by changing name to indicate a version, Photoshop Elements 9 asks if I want to replace a previous edit, which I don"t. How can I save different versions of one file in I can't check Save Photo in Version Set? I am using a Mac.

If you have used Lightroom as an external editor on these images and not initially opened from Organizer, the file path will be broken.
See tips for working with version sets.
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/elementsorganizer/using/WSae2ea3b149d0c3591ae939f103860b3d59-7 f5f_WIN.html

Keeping version sets in slide show in Elements 4

I use Elements 4 in Microsoft XP Home to create slide shows, incorporating filters (e.g. posterize to be more creative for chapters introductions). How can I keep the original in the slide show and also the new version? I have tried everything , but I lose either the original or the new version.

This approach can work in some versions of PSE, but I do not have 4 installed on the system I am currently using to check it specifically.You cold try this if you have not already attempted it.
Use a different name for the slide show when you save the slideshow project.
This is not a version set the same as edited photos have version sets where the photos are grouped together with specific commands to manage the version set. However, it might give you two separate slide shows (with two separate thumbnails in the PSE Organizer). Then those slideshows could be manipulated individually (separately).

Why don't PS Elements 12 edited photos properly save in version sets after editing?

This is a problem that never occurred in PS Elements 11. But if I edite a photo that is currently in Organizer with PS Element Editor and save it after editing, it only gets properly included in Organizer and made part of the version set about 20% of the time. The rest of the time the edited file gets saved in the same folder as the original but has not been added to Organizer. The appropriate check boxes in the Save As screen are checked. But 4 out of 5 times it behaves as if the boxes are not checked. I have done several photos in sequence and used the same exact keystrokes and only one or two will be included in the version set. I then have to go "Get" the version and bring it into Organizer and tell the program to Stack the two photos. It is a pain to do it that way. Does anybody have a clue why it is not working as it is suppose to?

Known bug in converted catalogs. It works correctly if you create a new catalog or a workaround for converted catalogs is to kill the ElementsAutoAnalyzer.exe process in Task Manager.
Cheers,
Neale
Insanity is hereditary, you get it from your children
If this post or another user's post resolves the original issue, please mark the posts as correct and/or helpful accordingly. This helps other users with similar trouble get answers to their questions quicker. Thanks.

Missing Stack/Version Set opt. when "move to removable" with album

I'm using windows XP and I occasionally move pictures to a DVD and retain thumbnails for organization. If I use picture that DO NOT belong to an album and do a "copy/move to removable disk" I get three options (move, stacks, versions). If I use a picture that IS IN AN ALBUM and do a "copy/move to removable disk" I only get the single move option, the include stacks and versions set aren't grayed out, they simply aren't there. I'm working with photoshop elements 6 and have got the same results with photoshop elements 7.
The work around I have is to move all unsorted pictures into an album and REMOVE the pictures from the albums I want from that album into the unsorted/unassigned. This is really annoying because I'm trying to organize pictures with albums and backup to dvd (2) for safe keeping and not cluttering up the computer with pictures.
Does anyone else experience this? Anybody have a solution? I want a simple way to move to DVD and only retain linked thumbnail on computer.

Tony,
I dont think the solution is written down anywhere its just one of those things you figure out after using the Organizer for a really long time.
PSE albums have annoying behavior with respect to stacks and version sets. If you put one photo from a stack/set into an album, the entire stack/set gets placed in the album, and if you delete one photo in a stack/set from the album, all the photos from the stack/set get removed. The behavior you discovered you can only move the top photo in a stack/set is strangely inconsistent, but not surprising. Adobe has introduced a number of sloppily designed features in 6 and 7.

Stacking Version Sets

Does anyone know how to combine version sets? When I imported my photos they came across individually and it will take me hours to stack them one by one.

If your photos are no longer in version sets, the best you can do is stack them. There is an auto-stack feature, which should stack photos with similar capture dates, see http://helpx.adobe.com/elements-organizer/using/smart-events.html
If you are importing photos that were previously had been imported into Photoshop Elements, you are doing it wrong. YOu need to find the previous PSE catalog and then open that, and your version sets should be intact.

Version set of duplicate photos mac pse10

Just imported the first batch of pictures into my Mac PSE10 organizer and noticed it created a version set with one duplicate photo in a stack. This is just certain photos it has done this with. Anyway to turn this feature off. After importing, it ask if I would like to go ahead a visual index the imported photos which i selected ok.
Also upon importing I noticed that it was performing red eye reduction. It seemed to slow down the whole importation process.
I guess I have some preferences adjusting to do here? Thanks in advance

99jon wrote:
Version sets are an option upon saving files after eaditing.
mac pse10
under preferences/files
turned off automatically fix red eye and automatically suggest photo stacks.
Now it is importing without a version set which probably was an auto red eye edit. After reviewing the photos, in my opinion, the auto red eye edit does not work very well. Probably better to correct manually rather than have randon version sets upon import. Not worth the trade off in the organizer.
Thanks again for your responses 99jon

How are stacks and version sets handled in Mobile Albums

I am thinking of purchasing PSE 12. However, I have a question about the way stacks and version sets are handled in Mobile Albums within Revel.
When photos are in stacks or version sets in PSE 12 and I sync those photos to Mobile Albums in Revel, do the photos also appear as stacks and version sets in Revel? Or, do the photos which were in stacks and version sets in PSE 12 appear individually (i.e. un-stacked and not in version sets) in Revel?

I had the same issue. It took me a lot of time playing with the interface before I finally figured out the problem. Even though, when you double click a photo (single view) from within the default grid view, you "do" get the option to expand a stack or version set (not greyed out). However, it does not work. My frustration with that is that since it was not greyed out you would naturally expect it to be functional and it is not. In grid view the option is greyed out however that caused confusion as well since this option works in Elements 12 default view. So, one assumes it is a defect. Right? So the solution is to switch the grid view to detail view (view -> detail). Once you do that then the expand function works as expected. This should have been explained as I believe it is a change in functionality (user work flow) from earlier versions. I did try to find wording about this in the help file but no luck.

Modifying Version Set and/or Stack Attributes

My Photoshop Elements (PSE) 5.0 catalog has many version sets and stacks.
Contrary to my expectation, I recently learned that that edits to the top photo's attributes (e.g. Date, Caption, Notes, Tags, etc.) did not translate through to the underlying photos of the associated version set or stack. As a consequence, subsequently moving a different photo to the top of a stack or version set can lead to loss (or at least displacement) of these important attributes.
Is there a way to get PSE to automatically copy attribute changes through to the underlying photos or at least to ask the user if (s)he wants edits to translate through the version set or stack? If this feature is not currently available, I think it would be a significant value-added enhancement to the product.

Users tend to use software differently and to have differing needs and preferences. Barb's point is valid in that, should Adobe provide the ability to assign attributes 'through' a version set or stack, the feature would warrant a user prompt or preference setting to acomodate user's differing needs and preference.
Exceptional software, like PSE, anticipates and supports user needs in an efficient and predictable manner. Version sets, almost by definition, can be expected to have the same date, time, tags, captions and notes. Stacks - perhaps to a lesser degree.
Forcing users to perform tasks in a specified sequence (e.g. adjusting attributes before version sets or stack generation), or to expand stacks or version sets to assign attributes through to underlying photos, seems unnecessarily tedious and inconvenient. For instance, expanding version sets and stacks forces users to aboard current search criteria.
Anyone who has imported large batches of scanned negatives or slides which contain no meaningful metadata (with PSE set to auto-correct red-eye and to recommend stacks) knows how easy it is to generate version sets and stacks BEFORE the user begins the process of attribute assignment or correction.

PSE13 Organizer: stacks and version sets do not expand

Converted three catalogs from PSE12 show the stacks/versions sets overlay symbols in organizer but there seems to be no way to expand the stack/version set. All the menu choices for doing this are disabled.
Anybody else seeing this? Any workaround? Any ETA besides PSE 14 or higher for a fix?

I had the same issue. It took me a lot of time playing with the interface before I finally figured out the problem. Even though, when you double click a photo (single view) from within the default grid view, you "do" get the option to expand a stack or version set (not greyed out). However, it does not work. My frustration with that is that since it was not greyed out you would naturally expect it to be functional and it is not. In grid view the option is greyed out however that caused confusion as well since this option works in Elements 12 default view. So, one assumes it is a defect. Right? So the solution is to switch the grid view to detail view (view -> detail). Once you do that then the expand function works as expected. This should have been explained as I believe it is a change in functionality (user work flow) from earlier versions. I did try to find wording about this in the help file but no luck.

Importing photos and retaining version sets

Hello
I have had to reinstall PhotoShop Elements and re-import ALL my photos. In some cases I have 3 or 4 versions of the same photo appearing in the new catalogue, where I have edited the original.
Is there an easy way to re-build the version sets without manually deleting all of the old versions from the catalogue? I have about 1000 to get through!
Mark

Mark
Barb Olsen has posted this link before on how to manually make version sets. Its kind of sleight of hand and labor intensive http://photofanatic.com/topics/add_version.php
Also, if you are just trying to group the images together, you could use the stack command without having to do any editing. This would reduce the visual clutter (three photos would show as one). Might be one idea if you don't want to do any editing.

Stacking photos into version sets

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for