OMG I think I lost my iPhoto library and no backup!

I am running yosimite and have been for a while now..
The other day I went to open my photo library and got a message saying the iPhoto library had to update. I let it run and it still would not open.   It was frozen for along time so i and to force quite and restart.
I did that when I went to load my iPhone it was like there was no library there.   I then went to my time machine and realized it was not backing up my external drive. 
I then decided to go into the actual iPhoto file. Went to show package contents.  then went to originals and there is only one folder there from 2014 thats it.
I do know that the photos are someplace on my hard drive because I used a program called disk drill to recover the photos they are there but the problem is mixed in with all of the photos are the thunmbail photos..... is there a way to fix the original file?
There is a file called old masters that seems to have most of the images in it.  can I do something with that?

Just want to add to this that there are folders called Before Restore  Before Restore_2 Before Restore_3 Before Restore_4    Here are all the files in my iPhoto
library folder---
One last comment-  seems like the folder old masters seems to have all of my photos in tac  now how do I fix and restore them all?

Similar Messages

  • Lost the iphoto library and all the photos

    I have recently installed some updates and upgraded to Yosemite 10.10.1.  When I opened up Iphoto today there was no library and therefore no photos. I've searched the whole computer and can't find any jpegs so the library hasn't been moved.
    I have been using the Time Machine with an external hard drive but today when I plugged in the drive to try to restore iphoto from my back up, the drive won't show, it's not recognised.
    Has anybody got any ideas on what I can do to find my photos?

    Restart your system and try again
    This is not an iphoto issue - it is either  a TM issue or an issue with you computer - maybe something here will help - https://www.apple.com/support/timemachine/ - or here - http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
    LN

  • I have lost my entire IPhoto Library and albums

    IMac OS X  V 10.6.8
    I have lost my entire IPhoto Library and albums. 
    How do I restore?

    Your only other option is to stop using your Mac as soon as possible to minimize precious data being overwritten to, purchase a high quality, fast external hard drive, preferably a FIreWire external hard drive such as these
    http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/1394/USB/EliteAL/eSATA_FW800_FW400_USB
    using an OS X Snow Leopard install disc, format this external drive as a Mac OS extended (journaled) formatted hard drive with a GUID partition scheme and then, using a install disc of OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, install a fresh copy of OS X Snow Leopard and boot your Mac to that external hard drive by using the Startup Disc icon in the OS X System Preferences Panel to boot your Mac to the external hard drive. Once your Mac is booted and running from this hard drive,  then use the OS X Software Update feature to update that version of OS X Snow Leopard to OS X 10.6.8.
    Then, you need to do a web search for a Data recovery software such as Prosoft Engineering's Data Rescue and purchase, download, install and use this software to perform data recovery of your iMac's internal hard drive following the proper instructions on how to use the software. to recover the data.
    Be advised that any images you recover will no longer be in a format that IPhoto will read and most like will just be a folder with just the images alone without any more linkage to the IPhoto library, but I am not completely sure about this as I always have redundant backups of my entire system.
    If this seems all too complicated and complex to you, you need to stop using your Mac ASAP and either contact an Apple Store or Apple Authorised reseller/service/repair center to find out how much it will cost for them to recover your data and bring your Mac in for a more professional data recovery.
    I still strongly advise you purchase a high quality, large storage, fast, external hard drive to use for future data backups to prevent such a catastrophic data loss from happening, again.
    Every  computer user SHOULD have, at least, one external backup drive and having redundant backup drives is even better.

  • Lost link between iPhoto library and iPhoto.app

    While learning how to use Photoshop Elements 4.0 and Bridge, I made the choice to "browse" in Bridge. When I next started iPhoto 6.06, my link to the Library was lost. I have worked with AppleCare support, done every exercise short of creating a new library and losing my organization. With 20,000 + photos I would like to avoid that exercise. I do have backups but am trying to figure out if I can solve this any other way. All my files are still in iPhoto Library, and I can see the organization of my albums in Bridge. With some exercises, I get the message: "Unreadable files: 1. The following file could not be imported: '/Users/john/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Library.iPhoto.'"
    If I delete Adobe Photoshop Elements and Bridge from the hard drive, will this help? I promise I did not do anything within iPhoto Library in Finder!
    Thanks so much!
    iMac   Mac OS X (10.4.9)   iPhoto 6.06
    iMac   Mac OS X (10.4.9)   iPhoto 6.06
    iMac   Mac OS X (10.4.9)   iPhoto 6.06

    cdkayak
    Welcome to the Apple Discussions.
    There's absolutely no harm in using PSE with iPhoto, it's Bridge that's a killer. So that's what you chuck from your machine. Set up PSE as an external editor in the iPhoto Preferences. That way you can double click a pic in iPhoto and it will open automatically in PSE, save it PSE and have it come back into iPhoto seamlessly.
    What's likely happened here is that you have (or Bridge has) made changes in the iPhoto Library Folder which has broken the link between iPhoto and the library files.
    Some things to try:
    Hold down the option (or alt) key and launch iPhoto. Choose Locate, and point iPhoto at the iPhoto Library Folder.
    What Back Ups do you have? If there's an up-to-date one, then try copying the library6.iphoto file from it to the iPhoto Library Folder allowing it to overwrite the confused one.
    That said, if these don't work, your options will only be to create and populate a new library: To create and populate a new library:
    Note this will give you a working library with the same film rolls and pictures as before, however, you will lose your albums, keywords, books, calendars etc.
    Move the iPhoto Library Folder to the desktop
    Launch iPhoto. It will ask if you wish to create a new Library. Say Yes.
    Go into the iPhoto Library Folder on your desktop and find the Originals folder. From the Originals folder drag the individual rolls 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 Folder 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.
    Finally, the message
    "Unreadable files: 1. The following file could not be imported: '/Users/john/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Library.iPhoto.'"
    is because iPhoto will not import a picture that's in the active iPhoto Library Folder - a sensible precaution against duplication.
    Regards
    TD

  • Installed YOSEMITE. Lost entire iPhoto Library on my iMac. Tried Apple's UPGRADER 6 times. No LUCK. Please help.

    Installed YOSEMITE. Lost entire iPhoto Library on my iMac. Tried Apple's UPGRADER 6 times. No LUCK. Please help.

    Your iPhoto library is usually kept in your pictures folder.  Did you look there?  If it is still there then you did lose your photos.  Just need to get the iPhoto app at the latest level.

  • Lost my iPhoto library using iboostup.

    somehow i managed to put my whole iphoto library in the trash then did a quick clean using iboostup now have lost all photos, work and family. Is there any way i can undo the quick clean and recover my photos. any help would be greatly appreciated.

    "Normal" use of the trash (provided you don't use "securely empty trash") may allow data recovery software such as DataRescue to locate and recover your files. I'm not familiar with how iBoostup works; if it simply empties the trash, this may still work.
    However, if you have Time Machine set up, backing up automatically to an external hard drive, your better approach is to look at the TM data. In your menubar (at the top right of the screen) you'll see a series of icons; one is the Time Machine icon (it's a small "clock" symbol with a curved arrow pointing anti-clockwise). Click that and click "Enter Time Machine". If the backups are running, you should then see a "starscape" screen with dates along the right side. You can go back to before you did the cleanup, navigate into the Pictures folder, choose the iPhoto Library and click Recover.
    More information on Time Machine recovery (click Restoring Data from Time Machine Backups):
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
    Good luck!
    Matt

  • Hi, my 2 kids each have an account on my iMac and simultaneously lost the iphoto application and the respective libraries of photos. Mine is ok. Any suggestions to either find their location? Have searched through what I think is as much as I can.

    Hi, my 2 kids who have an account each on my iMac have simultaneously lost their iPhoto apps and libraries. Can't find it anywhere. My iPhoto and library still remains. Any suggestions?

    Are you sure that's what happened?
    Typically, there is one iphoto on your computer and each account uses that, so there's no iPhoto for each account. So if you have they should too. Where is it missing from?
    The disappearing libraries: did they rename their accounts by any chance?
    Regards
    TD

  • I am thinking of buying a "new" iPad but I have a very large iPhoto library which I would like to keep intact and be able to view on my new iPad.  Is there a way to use a external storage device to store the iPhoto library and view it on the iPad?

    I am thinking of buying a "new" iPad but I have a very large iPhoto library which I would like to keep intact and be able to view on my new iPad.  Is there a way to use a external storage device to store the iPhoto library and view it on the iPad?

    You can't use an external hard drive like you would with a computer.
    You can use a USB flash drive & the camera connection kit.
    Plug the USB flash drive into your computer & create a new folder titled DCIM. Then put your movie/photo files into the folder. The files must have a filename with exactly 8 characters long (no spaces) plus the file extension (i.e., my-movie.mov; DSCN0164.jpg).
    Now plug the flash drive into the iPad using the camera connection kit. Open the Photos app, the movie/photo files should appear & you can import. (You can not export using the camera connection kit.)
    When you first connect the USB flash drive, you will only see thumbnails of the pics on the iPad; you have to import the pic file to see the full size. With your large library of pics, you will have to do this repeateably and then delete pics so you don't exceed your memory capacity.
     Cheers, Tom

  • I have deleted the iphoto library and lost my photo's......

    i have deleted the iphoto library and cleared my trash and now all my photo's are gone. I have bought software to retrieve deleted data but not sure what file I am looking for. Can anybody help?

    best solution is to restore yoru backup form before you made this error - that is the reason you must always have a good backup
    If you don't you should start backing up immediately
    to use the photos you recovered you look for photos (typically they have a .jpg or .jpeg extention to the name - and select the largest version  of each photo and import it into iPhoto
    Note that for not much more that the cost of the data recovery software you could have had an extrnal hard drive and been running TimeMachine so none of this would be required
    LN

  • I am trying to rebuild my iPhoto library and noticed my backup contains aliases (pointers?) and not the actual file. What's the best way to rebuild my library?

    I am trying to rebuild my iPhoto library and noticed my backup contains aliases (pointers?) and not the actual file. What's the best way to rebuild my library?
    Facts:
    In moving to a new iMac, I copied the iPhoto library to an external HDD assuming that I would point the new iMac to the backed up iPhoto Library
    All worked fine when I pointed the new library but noticed that some folders contained aliases and not the original file. So when I attempt to open that photo it can't find it because the alias is pointing to another drive.
    I do have all original photos from a couple of external HDDs. In the folders titled, "Originals" (from older versions of iPhoto) and "Masters" (from current iPhoto)
    I'm thinking I can create a new folder and drop the original files and make that my new iPhoto library. Is there a better way to rebuild my library? I do not want to create any future aliases.
    Thanks in advance for any help!

    do you have a strongly recommended default "managed" library (the iPhoto preference to "copy imported items to the iPhoto library is in its checked state) or a referenced library - you have unchecked that option?
    It sounds like you have a referenced library and are now experiancing one of the very siginificant drawbacks of a referenced library and one of the many reasons they are strongly not recommended
    Also note that iPhoto '11 may use alises in the originals folder as part of the upgrade
    It is important that we understand exactly what you have and what is not sorking - what error messages you are getting
    You must NEVER make any changes of any sort to the structure of content of the iPhoto library - there are no user servicable parts in it  --  and you can not rebuild yoru librtary - only iPhoto ir iPhoto Library Manager - http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/ -  can rebuild a library unless you are a SQL programmer and understand the structure that iPhoto uses
    LN

  • Reloading iphoto library and streamlining iphoto file system.

    I had a hard-disk failure recently, and lost a lot of photos: basically all the full size files. Only the thumbnails remained on the system disk, so when I had the new drive installed, the engineer made these the iphoto library.
    Fortunately, I had most of my photos backed up on a separate harddrive (in the 'originals' folder). What is the best way of putting these into my iphoto library in place of the thumbnails already there? (ie, don't want to see both in iphoto).
    I'd put the iPhoto library on the separate hard-disk, but unbeknownst to me, about a year ago, iPhoto began saving imports on the system drive again, so these were the pictures I lost.
    On another point, since I installed iphoto 6, the location of photos has become confusing, with the whole photo library pre-iphoto 6 duplicated in a folders called 'Originals' and 'Data'. Neither of these maintain the original easily navigable and logical date hierarchy file structure, but have saved all photos in a folder marked 2007, by roll number. The date folders which remain only contain a 'data' folder containing .attr files. Not very practical.
    In short the whole thing is a mess: for some photos the system has saved 5 copies in various places.
    Is there anything that can be done to consolidate the iPhoto library and put it back on a date-based filing system?

    raggabishp
    To start at the end:
    Is there anything that can be done ... put it back on a date-based filing system?
    No, once you use iPhoto 6, that's the file system. But it's not that difficult to follow: A Note about the iPhoto Library Folder:
    In this folder there are various files, which are the Library itself and some ancillary files. Then you have three folders
    Originals are the photos as they were downloaded from your camera or scanner.
    (ii) Modified contains edited pics, shots that you have cropped, rotated or changed in any way.
    This allows the Photos -> Revert to Original command - very useful if you don't like the changes you've made.
    (iii) Data holds the thumbnails the the app needs to show you the photos in the iPhoto Window.
    Finding the Picture file is easy: There are three ways (at least) to get files from the iPhoto Window.
    1. Drag and Drop: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.
    2. File -> Export: Select the files in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export. The dialogue will give you various options, including altering the format, naming the files and changing the size. Again, producing a copy.
    3. Show File: Right- (or Control-) Click on a pic and in the resulting dialogue choose 'Show File'. A Finder window will pop open with the file already selected.
    Rolls in the iPhoto Window correspond exactly with the Roll Folders in the Originals Folder in the iPhoto Library Folder. You can move photos between Rolls, you can rename rolls, edit them, create them, as long as you do it via the iPhoto Window. Check out the Info Pane (wee 'i', lower left) the name and date fields are editable. Edit a Roll Name using the Info Pane, the Roll Folder in iPhoto Library Folder/Originals will also have the new name.
    So the structure is different, but - especially if you use the Film Rolls view - very straightforward.
    There is no easy way to rid yourself of these 'thumbs become originals'. If the thumbs have the same filenames as the Originals, then you could overwrite the thumbs with the Originals, but you would need to do that on a file by file basis, I'm afraid.
    Other than that, compare the full size pics with the thumbs and trash the duplicates is all I can suggest.
    Regards
    TD

  • How do people backup iPhoto library for offsite backup?

    I use time machine for a local backup and I also copy the iPhoto library to another external USB HDD for extra backup.
    So I know you should also have a backup offsite in case of disaster. So how do people do this? What methods, cloud? External HDD? DVDs? Etc and where do you keep it?
    What I'm thinking is as the iPhoto library can become very large 100's of Gb it's not easy to backup to say the cloud or to DVDs (is this possible at all?), how do I do this?
    Also once copied to say another external USB HDD, every week it changes so do I have to do a full copy of the library again everytime?
    Cheers

    My Library lives on my iMac. It’s Backed up to two external hard disks every day.
    These disks are permanently attached to the iMac. These back ups run automatically. One is done by Time Machine, one is a bootable back up done by SuperDuper
    It’s also backed up to a portable hard disk when ever new photos are added. This hard disk lives in my car. For security, this disk is password protected. For this job I use DejaVu because it makes a simple back up that is clear and can be tested easily without doing an full restore.
    I have a second off-site back up at a relative’s house across town. That’s updated every 3 or 4 months.
    My Photos are backed up online. Personally I use SmugMug but there are many options including flickr. However, check the terms of your account carefully. While most sites have free uploading, you will often find that these uploads are limited in terms of the file size, or the bandwidth you can use per month. For access that allows you to upload full size pics with no restrictions you will need to pay.
    Every couple of months I test the back ups to make sure they are working correctly. It’s very easy to mis-configure a back up application, and the only way to protect against that is to do a restore.

  • I lost my iphoto app and Im unable to view pictures

    I lost my iphoto app and Im unable to view pictures

    To re-install iPhoto
    1. Put the iPhoto.app in the trash (Drag it from your Applications Folder to the trash)
    2a: On 10.5:  Go to HD/Library/Receipts and remove any pkg file there with iPhoto in the name.
    2b: On 10.6: Those receipts may be found as follows:  In the Finder use the Go menu and select Go To Folder. In the resulting window type
    /var/db/receipts/
    A Finder Window will open at that location and you can remove the iPhoto pkg files.
    3. Re-install.
    If you purchased an iLife Disk, then iPhoto is on it.
    If iPhoto was installed on your Mac when you go it then it’s on the System Restore disks that came with your Mac. Insert the first one and opt to ‘Install Bundled Applications Only.
    If you purchased it on the App Store you can find it in your Purchases List.

  • I know many have this issue but i can't find a solution to the problem. i get message saying insuffisiant disk space in the volume iPhoto library and i have plenty of space available. i have the new macbook pro with retina display.

    I know many have this issue but i can't find a solution to the problem. i get message saying insuffisiant disk space in the volume iPhoto library and i have plenty of space available. i have the new macbook pro with retina display. i have never seen this message before and i have 2 other macbooks and have had many other also. i am assuming this is a problem with the new macbook retina. does anyone know the exact fix to this issue? i have seen many sugestions to try to fix this issue but none have solved the issue for anyone that i can find in the Apple Support Community. thank for looking into this in advance.
    ******A true apple fan********

    Actually your suggestions are the ones that i have tried. i have seen that you have tried to help others with this issue and the only one that i could find that said they found the problem said that it was an ilife update issue and it fixed it and i have no available updates. i know it has to do with something in photo stream because it happens when i create a new library and it is loading the photos but i get the message before i reach the maximum 1000 photos. so i've tried updating, new library(first backing up photos and then deleting them from iPhoto), reinstalling OSX many times, running disc utilities. I called Apple the first day i had this issue and i was the first person to call them for support with the retina display and i actually had it escalated to a senior advisor and we thought we fixed the problem but we did not. i am pretty fluent in dealing with troubleshooting these type of issues and this is the first time i'm reaching out to the community. i figured now that the retina has been out some time now that there would be an obvious answer to this issue. thanks for the quick reply.
    Bebers5

  • Ihave 51 iphoto library and they keep increasing and i do not know why

    My iphoto has 51 libraries and they keep increasing and i do not know why, i would like only one iphoto library and consolidate all photos in that.

    If you're using an IMAP account, also check your other devices to be sure you don't have some filters or rules set up that either delete or move emails to subfolders. You can see all Emails on your iPad, but displaying the sidebar showing Mailboxes, tapping the email account you are having trouble with (NOT the Inbox, but the section below), then tapping All Mail or something similar depending on your provider.
    If the mails are there, they are somehow being moved by one of your mail clients or by a rule you set up with your provider.

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