Location/extraction of LR image preview files

[gsking]

I had my drive go south on me. Fortunately, it was only 4 months old, and all my recent photos were also backed up. But I lost some less important photos that I hadn't archived.

Since they are still in the preview screen, is there an easy way to get them back? The data is there and it's more than even screen size, so it's hardly a "thumbnail". I could do a screen grab, but that would take forever to do one-by-one and would lose resolution.

Just a reminder to also put your LRCAT backup files on a different drive than your main files, or to also backup that folder. Otherwise, you may have your originals, but all your edits will be history.

I guess there's a downside to "non-destructive editing" after all.

Thanks,
Greg

 

[dougpeterson]

I had my drive go south on me. Fortunately, it was only 4 months old, and all my recent photos were also backed up. But I lost some less important photos that I hadn't archived.

Since they are still in the preview screen, is there an easy way to get them back? The data is there and it's more than even screen size, so it's hardly a "thumbnail". I could do a screen grab, but that would take forever to do one-by-one and would lose resolution.

Just a reminder to also put your LRCAT backup files on a different drive than your main files, or to also backup that folder. Otherwise, you may have your originals, but all your edits will be history.

I guess there's a downside to "non-destructive editing" after all.

Thanks,
Greg

Sorry to hear your loss. I don't have an answer for your question. But thought I'd post in sympathy. That sucks!

Every program's workflow has advantages and disadvantages. LR/Aperture uses a dedicate catalog which keeps the drive tidy and all your edits can be backed up in one place. But you do have to back up the edits separate from the raw files themselves. Capture One keeps the edits in a sidecar folder next to the raw files (wherever they are) which litters your drive with "Capture One" sidecar folders but means that edits stay with the raw files assuming you move the entire folder of raws which thereby includes the sidecar folder.

There is no perfect way, but I'm sure in the future you'll never allow your catalog file to go unbacked up for long!

 

[gsking]

Doug,

Thanks for the tips. I don't use C1 enough to get familiar with it, but that method would indeed have protected me against disaster.

Better now than later. Had I not fully cloned my data drive in March, I'd have lost a couple year's of edits (back to when I started using LR), since my previous backup drive just has the photos.

Tempted to go NAS RAID someday, but for the time being, it's not the best solution.