Hope of restoring photos even if Library6.iPhoto file is lost/deleted?

All of my 283 events still visible in iPhoto, neatly named and organized, and I can open them, but I can't open any of the photos or videos inside. When I click on a video thumbnail, nothing happens; when I click on a photo thumbnail, I get a large exclamation mark instead of a photo.
Following some advice on older iPhoto threads, I've tried rebuilding my iPhoto Library by holding down option/alt as I launched iPhoto and checking all the options to rebuild. But doing that seems to have only made things worse, because the thumbnails that used to appear as tiny thumbs of my photos and videos (useless as they were) now are blank/empty squares bordered by dotted lines, though still labeled with their proper filenames.
I've been reading thread after thread about lost iPhoto Libraries, and part of the restoration always has something to do with the files AlbumData.xml and Library6.iPhoto. (What exactly are these files for, anyway?)
I have AlbumData.xml in the package contents of my 'iPhoto Library' (for which I am now prompted to look for an application with which to open it), but I can't find the Library6.iPhoto file anywhere. I think it was lost in some moving I did between my external hard drive and my Mac yesterday.
Supposing it was permanently deleted, is all hope of restoring my photos and videos lost?
(Also, I've just checked the space available on my Mac and it's gone from less than 1 GB to about 96 GB. Cause to panic? ... That's 7689 photos and videos that I kept in iPhoto and never thought to backup. Stupid.)

If you're using iPhoto 09 then there may well be no Library6.iPhoto file. That refers to earlier versions.
I'm afraid this does not look good:
I've just checked the space available on my Mac and it's gone from less than 1 GB to about 96 GB.
That space came back because something got deleted. Mind you I wouldn't expect that 7700 photos and videos would take up that much space. So, I think you've lost more.
And a likely cause:
the space available on my Mac and it's gone from less than 1 GB
Did you get warnings about the available disk space?
OS X needs about 10 gigs of hard drive space for normal OS operations - things like virtual memory, temporary files and so on. Without this space your Mac will slow down as the OS hunts for space on the disk, files will be fragmented, also slowing things down, apps will crash and the risk of data corruption - that is damage to your files, photos, music - increases exponentially.
AS you have no back up, then I'm afraid you're into a Data Recovery scenario. You're going to need an external hard disk, an app like File Salvage and a lot of patience and luck.
Regards
TD

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IPhoto asked to upgrade library and has now come up empty even though my iPhoto file is over 130GB. How do I get back my photos?

iPhoto asked to upgrade library and has now come up empty even though my iPhoto file is over 130GB. How do I get back my photos? I am using OS X Yosemite 10.10.1 with Mavericks. My iPhoto is 9.6. I am very concerned as this file has all my photos for the last 15 years!

If the iPhoto Library is still 130 GB large, your photos are probably still inside; perhaps the library has a corruption.
Or the iPhoto Library is on drive, that is incompatible with iPhoto. Where is your iPhoto Library stored?
To check for a library corruption: Ctrl-click or right-click the iPhoto library and select "Show Package Contents". This will show the folders inside the library package.
Are there folders called "Masters" or "Old Masters"?
If there is a folder "Old Masters", you are having a problem with recent bug, that corrupts iPhoto Libraries when upgrading. In that case, it would be best to restore your iPhoto Library from a backup you made before you upgraded to Yosemite.
Or, if no backup is available, copy the "old Masters" folder to a folder on your Desktop and create a new iPhoto library and import the Old Masters folder.
If there is no folder "old Masters" try to rebuild your iPhoto Library with the First Aid tools :
Make a backup copy of your iPhoto Library, but don't overwrite any older backups.
To launch the "First Aid Tools" hold down the options-command keys ⌥⌘ while double clicking your iPhoto Library.
Keep the keys held down firmly until the First Aid panel appears.
Select "Rebuild Database".

Hi, i can't open photo library on my iPhoto. Now lost all my photos. How to restore al photos on iPhoto?

Hi, i can't open photo library on my iPhoto. Now lost all my photos. How to restore all photos on iPhoto on Macbookair?

With the amount of information you've provided it's impossible to offer a potential solution. We can't see your computer so we need to know the details of your problem and setup, i.e.:
what version of iPhoto are you using?
what system version are you running?
what do you see when iPhoto opens?
what fixes have you tried?
where is your library located?
did you apply any updates or upgrades just prior to the problem occurring?
are you running a "managed" or "referenced" library?
what type of Mac?
how much free space on your boot drive?
OT

? Corrupted Library6.iPhoto file?

I updated iPhoto to 7.1.2 a few days ago. On opening iPhoto the next AM I noticed that all my pictures from summer 2006 to present are missing when running iPhoto; those before summer 2006 remain. It was a few days since I had looked at pictures before the upgrade. Fortunately, all my pictures appear to be in the correct place and are viewable with Preview when I click on the photo file (user/Pictures/iPhoto Library/) on the internal hard drive. Whew!
I've reviewed the forum for the last 2 hours and assume that I have a corrupted database file. Not sure if it is the Library6.iPhoto file or albumData.xml file. I have tried copying both of these from my SuperSuper backup volume (done last Sunday evening automatically before I knew I had a problem) on my external hard drive without correction of the problem. Should I also try to copy over the Library.iPhoto file? I didn't see this recommended elsewhere.
Prior posts recommended copying over the Library6.iPhoto file if a backup was available, and if no improvement, to rebuild the library using iPhoto Library Manager. Before jumping into this, I want to make sure that is what others would recommend. I've got the program downloaded and see the command to rebuild. It will save the new library as "rebuilt library" in the pictures folder. Is this my best action?
If I rebuild, shouId I then throw away my old "iPhoto Library", then change the name of the rebuilt library to "iPhoto Library"?
What are the ramifications of rebuilding the library? Although I have a lot of albums, I only have a couple slideshows, only 1 web gallery item, and no cards. I assume I'll have to rename events; no big deal.
I am a little surprised rebuilding the library is not built into iPhoto somewhere. Good thing someone wrote a program.
Given this corrupted file, should I be checking my drive for other problems? Permissions are correct and the disk verified fine with disk utility.
Thanks,
Justin

jcgraff
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 (Right Click -> Show Package Contents) allowing it to overwrite the damaged file.
2. Download iPhoto Library Manager 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 back.
3. If neither of these work then you'll need 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 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 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

Time Machine recovery of library6.iphoto file in iPhoto 08?

Hello everyone,
Is it possible to use Time Machine to recover a previous (uncorrupted) version of the library6.iphoto file? This is located within the iPhoto Library file, and is only viewable (as far as I know) by right clicking on the file to show package contents.
Thanks for any suggestions,
Vincent

A Time Machine back up is not readable from the FInder. It works in increments. So the first runis the whole object being abcked up, thereafter only the changes are recorded. So, to access the back up you need to restore. This produces the original plus all the changes since.
You have put your Library on a Disk Image. You need to restore the disk image and mount it to view the contents of the Library.

Corrupted Library6.iPhoto file. New Library from ext. drive?

My Library6.iPhoto file is corrupted. How do I create a new 'Library' when all the 'original' stills are on an external drive and will not fit on my 'desktop'?
Ben

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 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 08 libraries 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.
Do you Twango?

Library6.iPhoto file

Hello,
I have been useing iPhoto exclusively and due to some other problems have ended up repopulating my Library a couple times. I have had to rename and recreate all of the files and albums, respectively. I have had to re-import my pics again in the past few months from my backup on my external HD and have been trying to find if there is a way i can find the names of the pics and the albums I have created previously. I have noted that many of the repsonses discuss 3 folders in the iPhoto Libray folder (Originals, Modified, and Data). I don't have them nor do I have a Library6.iPhoto file. Instead I have some orignial folders in folders named by the year the pictures were taken and a "Library.iPhoto" file. I have a couple questions:
1) Is the missing Library6.iPhoto file where my albums and names for the pics would be?
2) Is there a way to get the names/albums back into my library so I don't have to recreate the wheel?
3) How can I get the three folders?
Thanks
Powerbook Pro G4 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Hi,
What you're describing is the iPhoto library structure for versions prior to v6. In iPhoto, go to the iPhoto menu and choose Info. A box will pop up to show you which version of iPhoto you are using. Then you can direct your future questions to the forum for the version you have. As for now, it sounds like your library structure is normal and shouldn't be the sole cause of your difficulties.
Good Luck.

How do I restore photos from backup into iPhoto 2?

I tried to create a backup of only one roll of photos in my Photo Library, but when I dragged it to an external hard drive, instead of copying it, it moved it, so that afterwards I could no longer use iPhoto in my computer to open any of the pictures in that roll (the number of the roll still shows in my Photo Library, but when I click on it, it appears empty). I then tried to restore the roll by copying it from the external hard drive into the Library/Pictures folder in my computer, but the pictures still do not show up in iPhoto (I'm using version 2). What am I doing wrong?

There must be more to it than that. Simply dragging images from the iPhoto application window does not move (or remove) files. The only way I can reproduce what you've described is to command-drag files or folders directly from the iPhoto Library folder using the Finder. Anyway, if your photo database wasn't corrupted at first, then dragging files directly back into the iPhoto Library folder would have done it for sure.
To rebuild your photo database, start iPhoto while holding the shift+option keys. Don't release them until you're prompted to confirm the intent to rebuild. Click "Yes", then click "Save".
Check iPhoto Help to see how to safely import/export pictures, and how to backup your iPhoto Library.

My Daughter did not sinc pictures to her MacBook pro or her icloud. Is there a way to recover the photos even if they appear to be lost on an iPad.

Daughter lost all her photos from her ipad 2, She did sinc to macbook pro or her icloud. ipad froze and she had to restart it or something like that. lost pictures. Is there a way to restore them on ipad?

Unfortunately, you have done the equivalent of putting a bunch of photos through a shredder, for all practical purposes. Some of them may be recoverable, if you pay an expensive recovery service to take apart the iPad and read the data directly out of the hardware... emphasis on may. There are no guarantees.
If this were a Mac or Windows machine, you could download some file recovery software and use that, but that is not possible on an iPad. Apps are not given direct access to the iPad's file system. I doubt even Apple's apps have that kind of access. Apple would have to build a file recovery tool into the basic system, and they'll probably never do that because then people would expect it to "just work," which is an impossibility for something like this.
Sorry to be so strongly negative, but it's best you rip off the Band-Aid fast and give up on any false hopes you may have. Those pictures are gone, and even spending $800- $1500 on recovery will probably not bring all of them back, possibly not any.

Removing a web gallery album, even after the iphoto album has been deleted.

I have just created an Album of photos in iphoto, and then published the album to the web gallery. I was able to view the album via the web and my wife did too on a windows based laptop. I then went back to add 2 more photos to the album in iphoto, then again went back to see if they were uploaded too. One was and one wasnt, then the second one did after a couple of minutes. Now I have deleted the albums I created in iphoto, but I still have the link to go to the web gallery site and the album is still online with 24 photos. How can I remove the photos from my online gallery.
Thanks in advance to anyone who can help. I'm still in honeymoon stage but of course loving my new imac. and .mac account.

I think your best bet is to post your questions on the iPhoto discussions. More people will see them there.
I have been using the web albums for some time. I have merely started iPhoto, then select the web gallery album you wish to delete. Click on the "Web Gallery" icon located at the bottom right hand side of the window. When it opens click on "advanced". You will see the option to hide the gallery on the web.
Now you should be able to go back to the album in iPhoto and delete it.

Import photos from iDisk to iPhoto to replace lost pics?

I lost many photos a couple of years ago from my iPhoto. The thumbnails showed up but when I tried to enlarge them all I saw was white. A genius at Apple tried to fix but ended up almost losing all 4000 of my photos. He was able to rebuild the library but all of the pictures that had the problem I described were gone.
I realized not long ago that some of the photos that were lost were on my homepage. How do I import those back into iPhoto?

Download them from your homepage to the desktop then import them to iPhoto.
Regards
TD

Restoring photos in iPhoto

I have several photos for which the thumbnail displays, but the full photo displays as blank. Is it possible to restore these?
Thanks -
Dudley Warner

If Smtr's suggested fix doesn't bring back those missing files into the library you can follow Tutorial #1 to create a new library with the same rolls and keywords as the one you have now.
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.

How to restore photos with all albums and metadata to later version of iPhoto?

Hi everyone
I recently had a hard drive crash on my "vintage" 2006 intel iMac. Got the HD replaced but the support service I used was unable to retrieve any of my data off it. Luckily I had all files backed up in a cloud service.
The support service reloaded Snow Leopard onto my new HD but using their own disks, not mine.
I've downloaded my iPhoto Library folder with all photos etc from my backup service and have tried to simply drop it into my Pictures folder to get back everything I had: photos, albums, photo metadata (I'm thinking Ratings in particular).
However when I open iPhoto I'm getting the message "You can’t open your current photo library using this version of iPhoto. You have made changes to your photos using a newer version of iPhoto. Please quit and use the latest version of iPhoto"
I'd appreciate any expert help before I continue. Does this suggest that the support service have loaded an older version of iPhoto than the one I previously had, or could it be the case that they in fact loaded a newer one?
What's my best course of action to fix this? I'm guessing that I could reload Snow Leopard from my own disks without running a disk erase and get back to the version of iPhoto that I used to edit these photos before the crash - does that make sense?
I am not at all technically literate and well appreciate I may be overlooking or misunderstanding something.
Any help greatly appreciated
Thanks

6.0.6 is the latest version of iPhoto 6.
And no, unless you had iPhoto 08 or some later version already, upgrading will not fix the problem. It's a bogus message. If you did not open the Library with iPhoto 08 or later then the Library is corrupt.
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 iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. (In Library Manager it's the FIle -> Rebuild command)
This will create an entirely new library. It will then copy (or try to) your photos and all the associated metadata and versions to this new Library, and arrange it as close as it can to what you had in the damaged Library. It does this based on information it finds in the iPhoto sharing mechanism - but that means that things not shared won't be there, so no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your events, albums and keywords, faces and places 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.

Upgraded to iPhoto 6 and lost link to images/photos in iPhoto Library

I just installed a 160 GB hard drive (70GB free) and iLife06 upgrade on iMc G5 with 768 MB. When I ran iPhoto it shows all original folders and rolls but thumbnails are blank and exclamation mark in edit mode and no images found. My iPhoto Library folder is in finder>picture and contains 6000 photos with original, data, modified, recovered and Library6.iPhoto folders among others. I have tried Apples recommended iPhoto Library rebuilding recommendations without success. I am trying to restore to original configuration to keep all past iDVD slides shows and videos active and working. I installed the larger hard drive and iLife because iLife04 iPhoto kept crashing when opening. I thought I needed more hard drive capacity and iLife06 advertised ability to handle greater number of photos. Please help, I have tried everything I found on discussions.

CK:
Welcome to the Apple Discussions. To see if the database file is readable use iPhoto Library Manager. If it can see the slideshows, rolls, etc. than there's a chance rebuilding the library with iPLM can save them. If iPLM cannot access the library then I'm afraid the dB file is damaged beyond recovery. If you have to start afresh here's a possible way you might be able to recover the keywords. Check in the library and see if clicking on a keyword will bring up, even though they are blank, a specific set of photos. If so then you can try to follow Tutorial #1 to write the keywords back to the actual original files. Then do the following:
1 - move the old iPhoto Library folder to the desktop.
2 - launch iPhoto and create a new library.
3 - drag the "Originals" folder from the old library folder into iPhoto's open window.
This will generate a new library with the same rolls as were in the old library. Some of the roll dates may be changed however. The keywords will be retained if Tutorial #1 worked.
Do you Twango?
TIP: For insurance against future iPhoto database corruption that you and 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.

Photos not showing in iphoto, help!

Just upgraded to leopard, and now, when I try to open a photo in iphoto or make one of my own pictures a background, it wont do it, and comes up with this image in iphoto. Its iphoto 6 and not 08.
Here is the picture:
http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/chaslam500/?action=view&current=Picture1- 2.png
AS you can see its picking the photos up, its just not displaying them like it should do.
Can anyone help?
Message was edited by: Christian Haslam

Hi
Yes I draged some of the pictures from the finder and made a new folder called photos, but when I look for the photos in the finder under itunes they are all still there.
It is strongly advised that you do not move, change or in anyway alter things in the iPhoto Library Folder as this can cause the application to fail and even lead to data loss
Now, to recover the situation you have two options:
1. Return things exactly as they were or
2. Restore an up-to-date back up or
2. create an populate a new library.
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 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.
Assuming that you moved those files to make the easier to find, 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.
To upload to MySpace or any site that does not have an iPhoto Export Plug-in the recommended way is to Select the Pic in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export and export the pic to the desktop, then upload from there. After the upload you can trash the pic on the desktop. It's only a copy and your original is safe in iPhoto.
This is also true for emailing with Web-based services. If you're using Gmail you can use THIS
If you use Apple's Mail, Entourage, AOL or Eudora you can email from within iPhoto.
If you use a Cocoa-based Browser such as Safari, you can drag the pics from the iPhoto Window to the Attach window in the browser. Or, if you want to access the files with iPhoto not running, then create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use THIS
The change was made to the format of the iPhoto library because many users were inadvertently corrupting their library by browsing through it with other software or making changes in it themselves. If you're willing to risk database corruption, you can restore the older functionality simply by right clicking on the iPhoto Library and choosing 'Show Package Contents'. Then simply make an alias to the folders you require and put that alias on the desktop or where ever you want it. Be aware though, that this is a hack and not supported by Apple.
Regards
TD

Hope of restoring photos even if Library6.iPhoto file is lost/deleted?

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