reob87093354 wrote
There is the option to import the pictures which I did. Then I deleted the pictures and I cannot reimport. It says that they are in the catalog which they are not.
Sent from my iPhone
Yes, there is such an option, but it does not mean you 'upload' = copy files to your computer. I have always been against using the word 'import' which is totally ambiguous. It's easy to translate, but the ambiguity is carried over to other languages.
So, import means either copying files to your computer or registering their contents in a catalog. Or both at the same time...
So the 'Import' (or 'get') files button has to choices:
- 'from camera or card reader' assumes you want necessarily to 'upload' (or 'download', or 'copy') the files from camera to the computer
- From files and folders. That's the option when the files are already on your computer, in which case nothing is copied, only the catalog is updated. Note that an external drive is considered just like an internal one, not like a card reader. A thumbnail stick may be considered both ways, your choice.
In your case (reorganizing a library), it's the second option and there is no copy.
There is also a third case which was current in the first versions of Elements. By that time, you stored your files on CD or DVDs instead of external drives or thumbnail sticks. When you did the 'Import', you had the choice to consider the CD/DVD just like a camera and want to copy their contents to the computer, or simply to register the info in the catalog. That required that the media be plugged in to be able to read and edit the files. The information (tags and thumbnails) was available in the catalog even if the media was 'offline'. When importing from a CD you had also to tell the organizer if you wanted to copy or not.
Anyway, the most important advice with the organizer or any other software based on catalogs (Lightroom...) is never to delete, rename or move files outside of the organizer itself. If you delete files from outside, as you did, the catalog is not aware of the fact. It still stores outdated info and the thumbnails. In the organizer, the deleted files are shown as 'missing' or 'disconnected'. If you want to reimport, the organizer will show the message and won't add new entries in the catalog. If the file you attempt to import is in the same location as before the deletion, it will no longer be tagged as 'missing'. If it's elsewhere, it will be ignored to avoid importing a duplicate.
So, to be simple, follow the advice from Greg_S and preferably start with a new catalog.