Is the iPhoto library supposed to be located in the iCloud Drive folder?

27" iMac (2011) Yosemite / iCloud Drive
Is the iphoto library / database file supposed to be in the iCloud Drive? I expect it to normally be found in the Pictures folder under the active user. If it is not supposed to be there how did it get moved there. The iPhoto library is also locked and is over 200 Gigabytes in size. (see attached image)
My theory is that someone tried to move it to the iCloud Drive, without understanding the limitation.

As long as the user has purchased adequate disk space for the iCloud Drive, they can move their photo library to it. It can be anywhere so long as one modifies iPhoto so it knows where to find it.

Similar Messages

I restored the iPhoto Library from yesterday's backup but the photos end in August 2013. Help!

Hi,
my iPhoto library is located on an external hard drive.
Each time I import photos to the Library I perform a complete Time Machine BackUp with the external drive and iPhoto Library mounted before deleting them from the camera or iPhone.
Yesterday I did just that but something happened that corrupted my iPhoto library.
I opened Time Machine and scrolled back to the last backup, selected the iPhoto Library file and clicked restore.
After it completed. I opened iPhoto. The most recent photo in iPhoto is from August 2013.
It looks like all of the photos between August 2013 and yesterday are missing.
Is there any way to restore the complete library back to the most recent version?
Note, each time I ran the Time Machine backup the external drive with the iPhoto Library was connected to the Macbook Pro and included in the locations to be backed up.
What, if anything, can I do to recover the photos from August '13 to the last backup of the iPhoto Library file from a couple of days ago?

It's says that file does not exist. How come? And why does it still show the image info.?
Where can i find those files (i have a daily backup)
The original image files are missing form your iPhoto library or iPhoto cannot find them, because the link to the originals has been broken. The image info is stored in the internal libraries, independent of the original files. That is, why you are still seeing them.
I restored the whole library from my backup.
Try restoring from an older backup, from before you first noticed the problem.
How large is the library, that you restored? Is the file size large enough to hold all your photos, or has the size been reduced? If the library is still large, the photos may still be inside, even if iPhoto cannot find them.
It's says that file does not exist. How come?
What happened, before your iPhoto library got deleted? Which applications have you been running, or which new software have installed or upgraded? Have you moved the library to a different disk or tried to use it from different user account or access it over the network?

Can I copy the iPhoto Library to a different user on the same computer?

I have spent a lot of time organizing my iPhoto library.
My wife also has a user account on the iMac. She would like the iPhoto library I currently have, but (for many reasons) we do not want to share the same library.
Another words, I want to copy my iPhoto library to her side, then both maintain independent libraries.
Can I copy the iPhoto Library icon (in the Pictures folder) on my side to the the shared folder, then delete and replace her iPhoto Library file with mine in her Pictures folder? Or is there something about how the library is set up that will cause problems if I copy my iPhoto Library to her side as well?
Thanks,
-Lee

TD,
Thanks. I deleted her iPhoto Library, and replaced it with mine. I did hold down option and command the first time I opened iPhoto as you suggested. However, it did not ask me anything. It just opened as I might normally expect it to.
The library works perfectly, it is definitely my library that copied over.
Should I be worried that it did not ask me anything (like about rebuilding or repairing library permissions)?
Thanks,
-Lee

How do I recover the original jpg photo files from my computer? They are embedded in the iPhoto Library and I cannot see the actual file.

I am trying to locate the original jpg or photo files that I uploaded from my camera. I know that the photos are there, because they show up in my iPhoto Library. Where can I go to find the original file ex: DSCN1242.jpg or OLM4564.jpg ?

Select the photo in iPhoto and use the command "File > Export" and set the "Kind" in the Export panel to "Original". That will write a copy of the original to a folder you can access in the Finder.
The command "File > Reveal in Finder" will show you the original inside the iPhoto Library, but you must not access the files this way. If you access them from other apps using the Finder, you will corrupt your library.
See Terence Devlin's user Tips:
iPhoto and File Management
How to Access Files in iPhoto
To what purpose do you need to find the files? Is there a problem and iPhoto giving an error message about missing originals?

IPhoto library upgrade failed, one third of the photos lost, but the library works as normal. No corruption.

Hello! I recently replaced my tragically crashed Macbook Pro 2008 with a newer model and transferred my volumous iphoto library of 20 000+ photos to my new machine. To be able to use my iphoto '08 library with Aperture I had to upgrade the library in the iphoto '11 version. I left the computer on during the day, and when I got back it seemed to work fine. I browsed my library in Aperture and could see all the thumbnails, but looking closer I noticed a small yellow warning triangle with an arrow in the corner of some pictures. Turns out all pictures from before ~2010 are lost! When I wiev the photos I see nothing but the infinite black of the data void.
Here's how I've tried to fix the problem:
1. Opening the iPhoto Library package in Finder. All the folders for the earlier dates are there, but they are empty. I notice no incorrect or impossible dating, which seemed to be a common problem among users who's libraries where corrupted during the upgrade process.
2. Rebuilding the iphoto library in iphoto. No effect.
3. Recovering the iphoto library from my Time Machine Backup. SInce my old hard drive was just 200 GB, I stored all pictures older than one year on my external hard drive (note that about half of those pictures were successfully imported/upgraded). Both the internal and the external hard drive where backed up using Time Machine on a NAS from Seagate (Black Armor 110, 3TB). I was able to access backed up files on my external drive through Time Machine on my old computer, but since it is now rendered unbootable I tried using Migration Assistant to let my new computer inherit the old backup. However, I could not find the backup of the external drive in Migration Assistant, just my old internal drive. When I tried to access the backup volume on my NAS through Finder it didn't show up (I could find it that way on my old computer).
4. Googling "iPhoto library upgrade failed", or "Inheriting Time Machine backup of external drive", and similarily desperately specific phrases - Nothing useful. Other people seems to have had problems with corrupt Libraries, but I'm not sure that's the case here.
My pictures must exist somewhere on my computer and in a backup on my NAS. I just can't find them! Do anyone have a clue to what may have gone wrong? I'm afraid the computer might have gone to sleep during the upgrade, because I didn't thinkabout adjusting the power saving settings before starting it. But since pictures 1-8000-something are missing, it doesn't seem to have worked properly during the whole beginning of the upgrade, not just during the middle. As I knew I had a backup of the library I didn't worry about upgrading the single functional copy. From now on I will think thrice before doing anything as serious as this.
I am eternally grateful for any answers that might help me recovering my photos!
//Teodor Nilson

b) I split up my photo collection into two iphoto libraries. One for the new photos stored on my internal HD            and one for photos older than one year stored on my external HD
And exactly How did you Split up your iPhoto library?
c) I used Migration Assistant in an attempt to access the Time Machine backup of my old MBP from my new      MBP (by inheriting the backup). When I made my backups, I made sure Time Machine included the external      HD. But Migration Assistant could only find the backup of my Internal HD with the library of new photos!
And again
You should not use Migration assistant on an iPhoto library - it generally does not work
and
     d)   When signing in and mounting the NAS in Finder, I used to be able to see a Time Machine backup      folder/icon. Now I was unable to locate it.
I believe you are using your NAS for your Time Machine backup. If your Time Machine backup and/or your iPhoto library is on a NAS you will have problems - both need to be on Mac formatted volumes - the least troublsome is a volume formatted Mac OS extended (journaled)
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
Manually preparing a new disk for Time Machine
If you want to erase a disk before using it with Time Machine, follow these steps:
Open Disk Utility (located in the Utilities folder).
Connect the disk if it isn't already attached.
In the left side of the Disk Utility window, select the disk you want to use with Time Machine.
Optional: If you want to partition the disk, click the Partition tab and select a layout. Make sure "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" is selected in the Format menu for the partition that will be used for backups. Click Apply.
Click the Erase tab.
Optional: If you want to securely erase the disk, click Security Options to configure, then click OK.
Click Erase.
After erasing, open Time Machine preferences in System Preferences and configure as described in the section above.
Are the iPhoto libraries kept on an external drive formated Mac OS extended (journaled)? Or are they on the NAS? - If you are using the NAS for iPhoto and/or Time Machine that is the source of your problems
LN

Can time capsule be used to store the iPhoto library?

Hi.
Can somebody please advise if the time capsule can be used to store iPhoto library files (90GB) and iMovie files (600GB).
Kind Regards
Tony

Don't know about iMovie, but if you check with the experts in the iPhoto support area, they will strongly advise against locating the iPhoto library on the Time Capsule....especially if you are using wireless.
Might be a good idea to post over there for first hand info, but even if you decide to do this....risking corruption to your image library....have you thought about how you will back up the iPhoto library once it is on the Time Capsule?
You will need another hard drive for this, of course...and an application that can backup a network drive....since Time Machine cannot do this.
A better idea might be to connect a hard drive directly to your Mac using USB or FireWire and store the iPhoto library there....as the iPhoto experts will also recommend.
Then....Time Machine will back up both your Mac and the hard drive.....so you have backups of everything.

How is the iPhoto Library organized

I apologize if this topic has been covered - point me to earlier discussions if appropriate.
I'm curious about the filing scheme in the iPhoto Library. When I look in the Finer in the Library I see that there are folders by year, and within those folders are subfolders, and sometime sub-subfolders, identified (named) with numbers (eg 8, 12,15). The subfolder numbers do not begin with 1, and thought sequential there are gaps in the numbering. How does iPhoto decide what folders to create and what to put in each folder? There doesn't seem to be much rationale?
Also, one of the folders in each year (buried down a few layers) is Orginals - which seems to have the original versions of images I modified. How to I access those Orginals within the iPhoto (v 2) program?
Thanks much everyone.
Jim

Hi, Jim. A correction to my prior post: Pictures aren't filed by the date on which they were imported; they're filed by their "last modified" dates.
Brie will correct me if I'm wrong about this, but I don't think there's any simple way to determine within iPhoto (v. 4 or earlier, anyway — I've never used any later version) whether an image has been altered or not. You have to look into the Finder file hierarchy to determine that, and it isn't very easy. Every image you've edited in iPhoto remains right where iPhoto put it initially, but as soon as you edit it, a *copy of the original, unedited image* is stored in an Originals folder in the same location as the edited image. So the way to figure out which images have been edited is to look in the Originals folder within the day-month-year folder to which a given group of pictures was imported, and compare the filenames of the images stored within the Originals folder with the filenames of those stored outside it, in the same enclosing Day folder. The images for which there are no copies within the Originals folder are unaltered from when they were first imported into iPhoto. The ones for which there are copies in the Originals folder have been altered, and the altered versions of those pictures are the ones outside that folder. That's all clear enough. What's much more confusing is that the originals of pictures you haven't altered are NOT in the Originals folder — they're loose outside it.
If you aren't thoroughly bewildered yet, I can keep working on you. ;o) But in sum, iPhoto's storage habits are strange and arcane enough that most people never bother trying to understand them, and even those who study of them ultimately find it doesn't do them much good. iPhoto is completely inflexible about these arrangements, so if you want your pictures stored in a folder hierarchy you can readily understand and manipulate yourself, iPhoto is the wrong application for you to be using. I have eight separate iPhoto Libraries for different groups of pictures, and of the roughly 100,000 pictures I've stored in all, only a third are in any of those libraries. The rest are filed according to my own needs and preferences, in Finder folder hierarchies of my own design, and I manage them using other applications. iPhoto is a convenient tool for managing my less important images.

Two specific questions on how Aperture handles the iPhoto library

Hi,
I've not been able to find an answer to this online. I have a few thousand photos in iPhoto. I'm happy with how they're organised, appear on my iPhone/Apple TV etc. However, some of them need a little improvement above what iPhoto's tools can offer.
If I access the iPhoto library from within Aperture and edit a photo:
- Will the file appear as normal the next time I start iPhoto, but reflecting the edits I've done in Aperture ?
- Will it leave an original copy in the iPhoto library structure, and put a new 'modified' file in the iPhoto library?
If not, what is the easiest way to achieve my aims? In particular I'd like to preserve the original date, time and location the photos were taken.
Thanks in advance.
Matt

Matt
No and No.
In more details:
- Will the file appear as normal the next time I start iPhoto,
Yes... but
...reflecting the edits I've done in Aperture ?
No. Like iPhoto Aperture is a Database and can only "see" and "process" photos that have been imported to it. So there's no option to "open" a photo, just one to "import". Once imported and edited or processed you would need to export to the desktop and import to iPhoto as a new image.
Will it leave an original copy in the iPhoto library structure,
Yes, Importing is copying, not moving...
and put a new 'modified' file in the iPhoto library?
No. This is perhaps the biggest difference between the two apps. When iPhoto edits a pic is preserves the original by making a copy in the "Modified" folder. When Aperture performs the same task it records your decisions in the database and applies them live each time you view the pic. There is no "modified" file, only the original and a record in the database.
For the kind of operation you are describing you require an external editor for iPhoto. In order of price here are some suggestions:
Seashore (free)
_[The Gimp|http://www.gimp.org/macintosh>_ also free
Graphic Coverter ($45 approx)
Acorn ($50 approx)
[Pixelmator|http://www.pixelmator.com> ($60 approx.)
Photoshop Elements ($75 approx)
There are many, many other options. Search on MacUpdate.
You can set Photoshop (or any image editor) as an external editor in iPhoto. (Preferences -> General -> Edit Photo: Choose from the Drop Down Menu.) This way, when you double click a pic to edit in iPhoto it will open automatically in Photoshop or your Image Editor, and when you save it it's sent back to iPhoto automatically. This is the only way that edits made in another application will be displayed in iPhoto.
These will work in precisely the way you describe.
Regards
TD

I have iphoto 6 and my pictures are no longer showing. I have tried importing them but it just give me an error msg. (file format not recognized) I have tried rebuilding the iphoto library but that doesn't work either. Any suggestions?

I have iphoto 6 and my pictures are no longer showing. I have tried importing them but it just give me an error msg. (file format not recognized) I have tried rebuilding the iphoto library but that doesn't work either. Any suggestions?

How did you rebuild?
Try these in order - from best option on down...
1. Do you have an up-to-date back up? If so, try copy the library6.iphoto file from the back up to the iPhoto Library allowing it to overwrite the damaged file.
2. Download <a href="http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/"><b><u>iPhoto Library Manager</b></u></a> and use its rebuild function. This will create a new library based on data in the albumdata.xml file. Not everything will be brought over - no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your albums and keywords back.
Because this process creates an entirely new library and leaves your old one untouched, it is non-destructive, and if you're not happy with the results you can simply return to your old one.
3. If neither of these work then you'll need to create and populate a new library.
To create and populate a new *iPhoto 6* library:
Note this will give you a working library with the same Rolls and pictures as before, however, you will lose your albums, keywords, modified versions, books, calendars etc.
Move the iPhoto Library to the desktop
Launch iPhoto. It will ask if you wish to create a new Library. Say Yes.
Go into the iPhoto Library on your desktop and find the Originals folder. From the Originals folder drag the individual Roll Folders to the iPhoto Window and it will recreate them in the new library.
When you're sure all is well you can delete the iPhoto Library on your desktop.
In the future, in addition to your usual back up routine, you might like to make a copy of the library6.iPhoto file whenever you have made changes to the library as protection against database corruption.

I photo and the iphoto library

Guys -
Being fairly new and inexperienced with the whole iphoto thing i think i have mad "a fatal error". Allow me to explain...
I have put a several dozen pictures into iphoto and begun organising events. all going well..
There were some pics i didnt want so deleted them - and found them in iphoto trash - so i deleted them too. Thought everything was fine so i was browsing in the finder and found the option "all photo" clicked there and the deleted ones were there too..this is where i did something stupid - inadvertantly - i selected them all and deleted them - sent them to trash - and then emptied trash - Ahh - i know what your all saying! When i realised what happened i couldnt open iphoto any more - i think i deleated that too! So had to reinstall iphoto from the install disc - that went well - now - when i use the finder and browse to iphoto library the library size is nearly 50mb - which COULD suggest my pics are still there - but when i open iphoto now my events are shown with the correct number of pictures in each event - but no pics - is there a way of importing the iphoto library containing this 50mb - back into iphoto - ive tried the iport function and i browse to the iphoto library but cant select it. Any ideas of have i just been a numpty and lost all my pictures??!!

I wish that 'All Images' link in the SideBar did not exist at all. It's causing more grief than it is worth.
That's a saved search. It's no way to access your images - especially if you use iPhoto. Please ignore it from now on.
If your iPhoto Library is 50 mb then you have maybe 30 photos in there? Does that sound right?
SOme background: iPhoto is a database. This is why your Events are reporting the correct number of images - they are entered in the db, but I'm afraid you trashed your images.
iPhoto will not import from the active Library - to prevent duplication.
I think the best you can do now is start over. You're posting in the v6 forum, but as you refer to Events (a v7 feature) I'll guess that you're using that.
To create and populate a new library:
Note this will give you a working library with the same Events and pictures as before, however, you will lose your albums, keywords, modified versions, books, calendars etc.
In the iPhoto Preferences -> Events Uncheck the box at 'Imported Items from the Finder'
Move the iPhoto Library to the desktop
Launch iPhoto. It will ask if you wish to create a new Library. Say Yes.
Go into the iPhoto Library (Right Click -> Show Package Contents) on your desktop and find the Originals folder. From the Originals folder *and only the originals folder* drag the individual Event Folders to the iPhoto Window and it will recreate them in the new library.
When you're sure all is well you can delete the iPhoto Library on your desktop.
In the future, in addition to your usual back up routine, you might like to make a copy of the library6.iPhoto file whenever you have made changes to the library as protection against database corruption.
Regards
TD

Lightroom cannot identify my photo data in the iPhoto Library

I am the new user of Lightroom 4, after installing the program I then tried to import (add) pictures from my iPhoto Library to the Lightroom, the iPhoto Library folder did not show on the source column. My iPhoto Library is under the Pictures folder and which is under the User folder on my Apple's hard drive, both User and Pictures phoders did appear on the saurce column except for iPhoto Library. What should I do to allow Lightroom to identidy the iPhoto Library so that I can import the data to start using the ptogram?

Sara
Welcome to the Apple Discussions.
Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.
Look there for a Folder called 'Import' or 'Importing'.
Drag it to the Desktop. *Make no other changes*.
Start iPhoto. Does that help?
Regards
TD

"MOVE" not Copy items to the iphoto library

when I check this option in the preferences it copies the photos to iphoto and it leaves me with 2 copies! Why?!?! I just want to move them into the iPhoto library permanently, but if I uncheck the box it just links to it!
How do I "MOVE" items to the iphoto library?

It's the nature of the beast. Just delete the original version of the photos after they've been copied into the library. The result, just one copy on the HD.
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto (iPhoto.Library for iPhoto 5 and earlier) database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 6 and 7 libraries and Tiger and Leopard. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Moving images into the iPhoto library after importing them

I imported all my 4,500 pictures to iPhoto but since I wanted to keep my file structure intact i chose not to import them into the iPhoto library but to keep them in the existing folders. Now, I want to move the pictures into the library. How to do?

Welcome to the Apple Discussions.
You want to change from a Referenced to a Managed Library?
When you run a Referenced Library iPhoto makes aliases to the files in your folder structure. You can replace these aliases with the actual files using an app such as AliasHerder.
Regards
TD

How can I access the iphoto library using windows pc? Upgrading to aperture solves my problem?

How can I access the iphoto library using windows pc? Upgrading to aperture solves my problem?
My home network is used both by my macbook and my wife's windows pc. Considering that, I would like to know if we can share our pictures with each other (specially because I intend to store all of them into a NAS storage - WD My Cloud, probably).

No you can not - neither iPhoto nor Aperture has any cross platform capability
You can share photos with the PC using MyPhotoStream or Shared PhotoStreames
You can not share the iPhoto library
And you can not put the iPHoto library on a NAS - it MUST always be on a volume formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) and mube on a fast wired local connection - it can not be on a Network
There are Digital Asset Managers that can do what you want - iPhoto and Aperture can not
LN

HT2311 After waiting 27 minutes while the new iTunes supposedly downloaded onto my computer, the Finder window did not appear, and the iTunes.mpkg icon didn't appear on my desktop (where downloads usually go). What do I do?

After waiting 27 minutes while the new iTunes supposedly downloaded onto my computer, the Finder window did not appear, and the iTunes.mpkg icon didn't appear on my desktop (where downloads usually go). I also looked for the new iTunes by clicking on my Hard Drive icon but didn't see it there either. I only see the icon for the old iTunes. What do I do?

The exclamation mark means that the app has lost the link to the actual file.
First step: try and make sure the iPhoto Library is working correctly:
Go to the App Store and check out the Purchases List. If iPhoto is there then it will be v9.6.1
If it is there, then drag your existing iPhoto app (not the library, just the app) to the trash
Install the App from the App Store.
Sometimes iPhoto is not visible on the Purchases List. it may be hidden. See this article for details on how to unhide it.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4928
One question often asked: Will I lose my Photos if I reinstall?
iPhoto the application and the iPhoto Library are two different parts of the iPhoto programme. So, reinstalling the app should not affect the Library. BUT you should always have a back up before doing this kind of work. Always.

Is the iPhoto library supposed to be located in the iCloud Drive folder?

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