I never had this issue before, but all of a sudden LR decided that it would be fun to mess with me and start creating folders with dates of import with all the photos in them right on my desktop. Where is the option to turn this off in the program, and how did it even get activated??
LR4 creating folders with copies of pictures on desktop?
- Thread starter eurotrash
- Start date
Is it downloading new photos to your desktop or is it replicating older photos and placing them on your desktop? If it's the former then it sounds like your target folder has been changed. If it's the latter then I suspect it's running a backup of your catalogue along with images and sending that backup to your desktop instead of your external or where ever you send your backup catalogue.
Or is it doing something completely different than these two scenarios?
Or is it doing something completely different than these two scenarios?
WhiteLight
Senior Member
I think in the Import dialog box, you have on the right side a few options-
File Handling, File renaming, Apply during import & destination.
Destination is what you need to look at.
When you expand 'Destination', you have a checkbox saying 'Into Sub-Folder' & below that a drop down 'Organize' which gives you a choice between 'Into one folder' & 'By date'
You may have selected 'by date' by mistake & LR happily has been crapping all over your folder with sub folders for each day
That option can really wreck havoc with organizing..
File Handling, File renaming, Apply during import & destination.
Destination is what you need to look at.
When you expand 'Destination', you have a checkbox saying 'Into Sub-Folder' & below that a drop down 'Organize' which gives you a choice between 'Into one folder' & 'By date'
You may have selected 'by date' by mistake & LR happily has been crapping all over your folder with sub folders for each day
That option can really wreck havoc with organizing..
BackdoorArts
Senior Member
I think you've already got all the advice you need, but I believe the issue you're having pertains to the LR option of making a second copy elsewhere (usually a large USB drive). I'm thinking that option got set somehow on your Import dialog, and Desktop was the default destination.
Horoscope Fish
Senior Member
It's a Feature!
Oh, that? Yeah, see Adobe products often become self-aware and institute workflow changes for you.
It's a feature!
Oh, that? Yeah, see Adobe products often become self-aware and institute workflow changes for you.
It's a feature!
BackdoorArts
Senior Member
There are SO many keyboard shortcuts available in Adobe products that it's entirely possible that something got fat fingered or clicked on accidentally. That said, Tim Grey had a thing on his email list today about Adobe Preference Files tending to get corrupt over time, and while he was talking about Photoshop and not Lightroom I would image that it's entirely possible that something got changed on its own. I've given up on trying to figure out the "How did it happens" of computer software and just concentrate on the "How the hell do I undo it" part. LOL
WhiteLight
Senior Member
You may have already tried this, but maybe a fresh install will help?
I AM VICTORIOUS! :victorious: I tried both suggestions to no avail. What finally did it was deleting my entire catalog and re-creating it. I hope I don't have to do that every time I hit a certain limit or something...that's just not cool. Then again, I really don't save anything on my machine's hard disk, so I guess it's good to start fresh from time to time. Really weird issue. Then again....Adobe. :disgust:
WhiteLight
Senior Member
But doesn't that mean you've lost all the work that you would've done on those pics in the Catalog?
Uhhhh....yep, probably.. I'll be honest and say I don't fully understand the catalog.
That said, I usually never go back to pictures once I export to JPG or print them. The jpg or if it's a really great pic, the raw files go directly to an external and sit, taking up space for all of eternity until I deem them un-needed and clean house.
That said, I usually never go back to pictures once I export to JPG or print them. The jpg or if it's a really great pic, the raw files go directly to an external and sit, taking up space for all of eternity until I deem them un-needed and clean house.