Iphoto having troubles upgrading library since yosemite update

Question

I have been trying to upgrade my iphoto library from the iphoto '09 to the iphoto'11 since I upgraded to yosemite. Every time I open the application to upgrade my library it starts upgrading then seems to get stuck at the same point each time.  There are no error warnings or anything, the bar simply stops moving.  I have left it trying to upgrade overnight and even all day one day but every time it stops about a quarter of the way.  Does anyone know how I can get access to my photos again?  I did back up my computer before I installed yosemite just in case, so if necessary I can go back to mavericks but I would like to get yosemite working as I do like it other than my problems with iphoto. Thanks!

Answer 1

Download iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. (In early versions of Library Manager it's the File -> Rebuild command. In later versions it's under the Library menu.)
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.