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How To Replace Proxy Images with the Originals in Photoshop Elements Organizer

Copying CD Images Back to the Hard Drive with Photoshop Elements Organizer

By Sue Chastain, About.com

I recently had a situation where I originally imported photos from a CD, opting to leave the photos offline and only copy a low-resolution proxy image onto the hard drive. These were photos from a friend, and I knew I didn't want them all on my hard drive. After tagging the photos and finding my favorites, however, I decided it would be more convenient to have the originals of my favorite photos from this CD on the hard drive. In other words, I wanted to replace the low-resolution proxy files with the original file on my hard drive. I couldn't find anything in Photoshop Elements Help on how to do this, but through some experimentation I discovered it cam be done using the File > Move command. Here's how:
  1. Switch the photo browser arrangement to view by folder location using the menu in the lower left corner of the screen.
  2. At the bottom of the folder list you will see an icon for offline media. Expand the tree and then double-click a folder under offline media to jump to the first image in that folder. (Alternately, you can use other search features to find the pictures you want to replace.)
  3. Select all the photos in the organizer that you want to replace. Offline files are indicated with a gold CD in the top left corner of the thumbnail.
  4. Make sure the CD or DVD containing the photos is in the drive.
  5. Go to File > Move
  6. Click Browse and select a folder on your hard disk where you want the original photos to go, or create a new folder and select it.
  7. When you click OK, you will get a warning that says, "Proceeding will make offline item(s) online." That is exactly what we want, so click OK to continue.
  8. Photoshop Elements will copy the items from the CD or DVD and update the references in the catalog to point to the originals on the hard disk instead of the offline disc. Now when you go to print, edit, or use those photos in a project, you will no longer be prompted for the disc.
Sue Chastain
Guide since 1999

Sue Chastain
Graphics Software Guide

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