Creating new film rolls

Somehow all of the roll divisions were deleted from my iphoto library. I'm going back to try and reestablish them and reorganize my photos, but when I select a group of photos and try to create a new film roll under the file menu, the option is not highlighted. I tried to create a new roll before selecting photos, but the option is still not highlighted. Any ideas about what could be causing this?

First off: Is the View Menu -> Film Rolls item checked?
To create Film Rolls you must have the entire Library available. So, all the years under the word Library much be checked, plus you must have at least one pic selected.
Regards
TD

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Create New Film Roll feature grayed out

The "Create New Film Roll" feature is no longer available. It is continuously grayed out. Has anyone experienced this before? And if so, how did you correct the problem?

YESSSSSS! Making sure that all the year folders were checked seemed to do the trick. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge

"Create New Film Roll" feature in iPhoto

The "Create New Film Roll" feature is no longer available. It is continuously grayed out. Has anyone experienced this before? And if so, how did you correct the problem?

You'll be more likely to get a quick and applicable answer if you ask in the iPhoto forums rather than here in the iTunes forum.
Good luck.

Need help creating new film roll

I followed all the instruction in the Help section and still can not create a new film roll--it's grayed out and I am unable to click on it. What is it that I am doing wrong? Please help!

Are all the Year-based Smart Albums checked?
Beside the word Library in the Source (or left-hand) is a wee disclosure triangle. Click on it and you’ll see the Year-based Albums. Are they all checked?
Regards
TD

Creating new film roll

I'm trying to create a new film roll by selecting several photos from an existing roll. I read the help directions that says under file to select "create film roll", however this is not allowing me to select this function on the dropdown menu. any suggestions?

Is there an x beside the word "Library" at the top of the Source Pane? Click the little disclosure triangle so that you can see the year-based smart albums, and make sure that each of those is selected. Then the x will disappear, and you should be able to create a film roll.
Regards.

Creating a film roll

I had backed up all my earlier photos to dvd and removed them from my hard drive. Then I got an external drive and decided to re-import them to iphoto6
(some had been from 4 & 5) they re-imported but all to one big library without any film rolls, when I try to group them and create a roll from file menu it (create film roll) is grayed out. How can I create new film rolls?

Gee ---
this problem with not being able to create a new film roll (unless you have all the years in the library checked) has been going around since at least 2002. DUMB DUMB DUMB interface. It is 2007 and it is STILL HAPPENING. I thought is was my new camera (having only had the problem since getting it in Feb '07), but now realize it is not about the camera, but about the iPhoto IF. SIX looooonnnnng phone calls later with Apple Care, a complete reinstall of iPhoto, and rebuild (BY HAND) of all 10,000+ photos, and still it happens. Not one of the Apple Care people knew anything about it, until the "senior specialist" (the 6th iPhoto "expert" I spoke with) looked on the discussion strings.
[rant removed by Hosts]
Powerbook, other MACs, and others Mac OS X (10.4.9)
Powerbook, other MACs, and others Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Importing new film roll - naming roll

When I attach my digital camera to my MacBook Pro, iPhoto opens up and provides the opportunity to import the pictures on the roll. It also provides an opportunity to name the roll and enter a description. However, when I add a title and description and then want to drag the roll into the source pane to create an album, this doesn't appear to work.
I can drag the roll into an existing album which will add the photos to those already in that album. But I seem to have to manually create a new album with the same name as the imported roll rather than dragging it into the sources pane.
Is this possible or do I need to continue creating albums and re-typing album/roll names?
Thanks,
Steve
MacBook Pro 15" Intel Dual Core Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Steve:
Dashes are OK. I use them all the time. One character that has been shown to be problematic is the ampersign (&).
May I suggest a change in your workflow. Use a card reader to first upload the files to a folder on the Desktop. There you can name the folder to what you want the roll to be named. Then if you drag that folder to the Source pane when importing you'll get a roll and album with the same title as the folder. This will avoid problems with a dying battery interrupting an upload directly from the camera to iPhoto which can causes big problems. It also will save wear and tear on the camera's ports and battery. Card readers are very inexpensive.
Using Image Capture with the camera connected directly will also let you upload to a folder on the desktop first.
Do you Twango?
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto 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 written 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. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Creating film rolls does not seem possible?!?

I am trying to organise my iPhoto library by creating new film rolls but it appears that it will not let me do it. I select the photos that I want in the new film roll and then click <file> but "create new film roll" is still light grey and therefore not a selectable option. Anyone any clue what I am doing wrong?
Cheers,
Ben

Additionally make sure you are in the main Library and not an album. You can't create new rolls from within albums.
Do you Twango?
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto 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.

Film rolls

I am trying to organize my large iPhoto Library into more manageable film rolls, but the option "Create new film roll" under "File" menu remains greyed regardless of what combination of picture nominations, highlighting, "View" menu opening, etc. I do. How do I create new film rolls for the purpose of segmenting larger rolls in iPhoto Library?

It seems there is a problem with the application itself.
Without touching your iPhoto Library, move to the trash (do not empty) the following:
iPhoto (application folder)
iPhoto.pkg, iPhoto_602.pkg, iPhoto_603.pkg, iPhoto_604.pkg, iPhotocontent.pkg (main library/Receipts).
com.apple.iPhoto.plist (user library/preferences folder)
Next, insert your iLife06 Installer DVD and double click the installer -ilife-6.mpkg. Click through the installer screens. The screen after "select a destination" has a button on the left - customize. Select it.
Uncheck everything but iPhoto. Select "easy install".
Next screen>Install.
Once iPhoto is installed, go to software update to update to the latest version of iPhoto - 6.0.4. Restart the computer and repair permissions using Disk Utility.
When you start up iPhoto, hold down the option key. Select your iPhoto Library. Once the app. is open try the film roll selection after highlighting your library and selecting a few images. Remember you'll need to review your Preferences as the app. will show the default values.
Post back with results.

Multiple film rolls in source library

Belated thanks to those who helped me create new film rolls (in August!) Your advice was accurate, but my source library shows no film rolls except 'last roll'(although there are many rolls shown on the hard disk). When I create a new selection of photos in a new film roll it simply makes that selection 'last roll' and I can't rename it.

Yes, Film Rolls are very flexible. You can drag selected photo(s) into another roll. Don't release the mouse until the roll header is highlighted, and then the photos will drop into that roll. Command-click to add photos to your selection; that's the easiest way to select photos from different rolls at once. When they are selected, drag any one of them to the header of the roll to which you want them added. Or make your selection and do File > Create Film Roll to bring them into a new roll.
Film Rolls only list chronologically, in ascending or descending order. So if you'd like to tweak the order of your rolls a bit, you can edit the film roll date. It's independent from the dates of the photos, so it doesn't hurt anything to change it.
Have fun.

Dragging folder of photos does not create new roll

The help system says if I drag an entire folder into the photo viewing area, iPhoto 4 creates a new roll. But when I try it, it just sorts them all into by date year folders -- often incorrectly.
Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong?
Thanks.

Thanks for the tip on viewing rolls, but with the dates not sorting properly, it's really kind of messing me up.
Each separate import creates a new film roll. If you select multiple folders and drag into iPhoto, you will get a roll for each folder. If those folders contain subfolders, they may confuse iPhoto. It's best to do this with folders that do not have subfolders.
Also, what I really need is to drop a whole folder in and have that be accepted as a roll by itself, i.e., no further date sorting.
That IS what happens. You can check this for yourself. Immediately after importing a folder, select the "Last Roll" smart album. (If your version has this, it is near the top of the Source Pane just below Library.) Be sure that you have Film Rolls selected for your View, and you'll see the roll and its title. The title should be the same as the name of the folder you imported. Select the roll (click it's title header) and look at the date of the Film Roll. Note that there are 3 dates there: "date" just below title, and "from" and "to" dates below "time." The from and to should give the date of the earliest and latest photo in that roll. To edit those dates, you must select each of those photos and edit the photo date.
What you should check is that first "date". It is the date which represents the entire Film Roll. You can edit it there in the Info Pane. That date is independent of the photo dates. It can be handy to change it, because Film Rolls will display in your library in chronological order based on this date. It can also be confusing if this date is wrong, because a roll you expect to find at the top or bottom of your list may be filed somewhere else. Correct the roll date, and you correct that problem. As I said before, this date could be causing your photos to be filed into the wrong Year Smart Albums, even if the dates on the individual photos are correct.
Regards.

Create Film Roll - greyed out

I wish to create some Film Rolls, to better organize my photos....
As the title indicates the option under File 'Create Film Roll' is greyed out.
As extra info:
I have checked that all ticks are set under Library, no entry in the search box bottom right, and no filter bottom left.
I have recently imported the files, when I first swapped from WindowsXP, and they weren't put into film rolls which I would like to do now!

orchis
Welcome to the Apple Discussions.
To create a film roll you must be in the Full library
and
Have at least one pic selected.
Every pic in your Library is in a Roll, they have to be. Rolls in the iPhoto Window (View -> Film Rolls) correspond exactly with the Roll Folders in the Originals Folder in the iPhoto Library Folder.
Regards
TD

Some film rolls are named "originals" - why?

I'm still a fairly new user of Macs as well as anything like iPhoto. For quite some time, I only imported my photos into iPhoto for fear of breaking something.
Well, I'm getting over that fear, and I have noticed that some of my film rolls have a name of "orignals", but some (which do have edited photos in them) don't have that name.
This might be due to some photos possibly being imported more than once (again, possibly from concerns to be certain I could back up my photos), but I'm not 100% certain of that. Is it possible to either get rid of these rolls (but not delete the photos), or to completely rebuild my iPhoto library, without loosing the edits, and metadata I've already configured?
Mac mini 1.25/512 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Hi Lew,
At one time you probably used the "add to library" and pointed to another iPhoto Library folder to import.
If you did that, then what you would get is:
Your images will be imported in nice dated rolls. (make sure your view is set to sort by rolls to see it) There are a couple of caveats to this. You will get rolls named "Originals" These rolls will contain your video clips and your original images that you had edited. If you had RAW files they would be in those rolls too (I don't do RAW, so I don't know for sure) Delete what you don't want from those rolls. You will also get the jpeg pointer files to your video clips imported. They will just be jpegs and will not point to the video clips anymore as iPhoto made new ones when the clips were imported again. You can delete those. they should be in a roll right next to the newly imported video clips so they are not hard to find. The thumbnail files don't get imported as iPhoto makes new ones when the images are imported.
So, if you don't want the images that are in the Original rolls, as they are the originals of edited or rotated images, then just delete them. If you still want a copy of them for safe keeping then drag the images or the roll called Originals out of the iPhoto library window to your desktop, then delete the roll within iPhoto. You can burn the ones to disc on your desktop if you'd like.
Or:
you can combine images from that roll to another roll with the edited images in them if you like.
To create a new film roll, command click each image or roll of images or combination of both, then go to File>create film roll.
This will create a new film roll containing all the images you selected.
Lori

Iphoto 6 - photos in my various film rolls are mixed up.

I take a lot shots for my residential home insurance business. My work flow is as follows.
Take many shots of many home during the day. up to 100 for each home
Then at my computer
- create a separate new film roll for each home.
- drag each new film roll to the side bar creating an album of each home
- working in the album delete photos not required and edit the few that i need.
- then within each album i use the photo>batch change>title>text.. adding a suffix of A, B, C and so on as i need so that the end result is the first 10 shots are titled A-1 to A-9 and then next are B1 to B9 and so on until the home is done and then i repeat for each home.
The result is that my library of photos has many many shots labeled A1 or A2 or C3 etc.. but this has not been a problem since the shots are contained within separate film rolls never confusing the shots.
But now when i look back at older film rolls, they seem to have shots mixed up from various other film rolls.
Any thoughts? Would appreciate the help.

Ok. after first panicking and not reading further on how to fix iphoto, i calmed down and did the reading i should have done first. Seems that holding down the option and command key at iphoto boot-up initiates a rebuild command.
I did a complete rebuild and all the photos are back in order. Not sure why this occurred but I'm happy that it was fixable.
Iphoto rules.

Moving Photos Between Existing Film Rolls

Can I move photos from one existing film roll to another existing fill roll, without creating a new film roll? And if so, how? I think this is a pretty basic question, but if I need to clarify anything please let me know. Any input is greatly appreciated, since I'm trying to organize my iPhoto Library and it's been pretty daunting. Thanks!

Oh man, I should have figured that out myself. I was dragging them just near the other photos, not into the Roll Name. Thanks for the help!

Creating new film rolls

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