How do I fix a messed-up iPhoto Library?

I have been using iPhoto since version 1. In the early days when iPhoto's performance was severely crippled by large number of photos I used iPhoto Buddy (v1.3) to create separate Libraries. As iPhoto matured and got more efficient at handling large libraries around 2005, I decided to merge my separate (organized by year) Libraries into a single, large Library. I have obviously failed miserably since I now find photos scattered all over my hard drive.
In the Pictures folder I have five iPhoto Libraries: 1) iPhoto Library (7.5 GB, my latest photos) 2) iPhoto Library 2001 (360MB), 3) iPhoto Library 2002 (160MB), 4) iPhoto Library 2003 (202MB) and 5) iPhoto Library Archive (513MB). I understand that the underlying iPhoto Library architecture has changed over time and my earlier Libraries, generated prior to iPhoto '06, are fundamentally different from the more current Libraries (I am now using iPhoto '08 v7.1.5). The first two Libraries in the above list are packages (i.e., newer format) while the others are separate folders with subsequent sub-folders. My most recent photos are so deeply buried in my screwed-up file structure that it practically impossible to find individual original files. For example, here is the path-name to a recent photo: User/kmf/Pictures/iPhoto Library/2003/10/04/iPhoto Library 2004/Data/2008/November 21, 2008!!
How do I restore some order to this mess. My wife is mad at me because she can't find some of her original photo files without needing to drill deep into the file structure. Can a program like iPhoto Library Manager help, although it sounds very much like the iPhoto Buddy application that got me into this mess in the first place? Help.

Karl
Welcome to the Apple user assistance forums
first - you should never be using the finder to look at or move photos
I'd start by launching iPhoto while depressing the option (alt) key and using the select library option and see what libraries you can find that iPhoto likes - open each one and verify it - and then download iPhoto Library manager - http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/ - and use the paid version to merge the ones you just found into one new library
Once you have a know good library that contains all of the photos from good libraries then back it up and delete the libraries that you merged to create it
Then spotlight "Originals" and see if you find any originals folders from old libraries - if you do take a look at them and see if it looks like you want the photo from them in your "new" library - if you find ones you want drag them (of the folder if you want the entire folder) to iPhoto to import them
Then if you believe there are still photos not in the new library you will have to use spotlight to find JPEGs that are not in the new library and import them
Once you get things like you want my personal suggestion is to keep everything in one big library - and back up often
I only use secondary libraries for projects (books, etc) and testing
Good Luck
LN

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If you have an iPhone and have it set to keep the normal photo when shooting HDR photos the two image files that are created will be duplicates in a manner of speaking (same image) but the only diplicate finder app that detected the iPhone HDR and normal photos as being duplicates was PhotoSweeper. None of the other apps detected those two files as being duplicates as they look for file name as well as other attributes and the two files from the iPhone have diffferent file names.
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OT

How do I fix a messed-up iPhoto Library?

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