Iphoto library distorted thumbnails AND links missing

while moving some pictures from my imac (2.1 Gh G5) to my ibook (800 Mh G4) the iphoto program running on my Imac told me it need to "update". Clicking OK resulted in COMPLETE ruin of all my thumbnail photos. They are all distorted and some are missing altogether.
I contacted apple via instant messenger and asked howe to fix this. I was told to rebuild my iphoto library. OK I attempted this, of course iphoto died 1/2 way through the process and now i have NO thumbnails of any of my photos, the entire library is completely disconneted from iphoto. The only good news is that all the pictures are still there.
How can I fix this? Help!!!
Jake

Hi Jakob,
what were the exact steps you took to move pictures from the iMac to the iBook?
If the rebuild didn't work you can create a new library.
Close iPhoto
Rename your messed up iPhoto Library to "iPhoto Library_old"
Drag this library to your desktop
Hold down the Option key and launch iPhoto
This is the window you will get
Create a new library or choose a library to open
Choose to create a new library
Once this new empty library is open it is time to import the images from your old library
Go to File>add to library
Navigate to the old library on your desktop and highlight it in the window, then click the "open" button.
iPhoto will start importing the images from your old library
This is what to expect:
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.
Once all you images have been imported, check through the library and make sure everything looks ok.
You can now start making your Albums, and do your keywords or any other organizational steps.
You can also delete the old library on the desktop.
It is also a good time to backup this new library to CD/DVD by burning the iPhoto LIbrary folder in the Finder, or copying the iPhoto Library folder to an external drive formatted for Macs, or copying the iPhoto LIbrary folder to an iPod.
Good luck!
Lori

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IPhoto library-file deleted - and originals missing in Aperture....

Just moved my Aperture-library to my new iMac. Unfortunately almost all pics came from my old iPhoto-library which is gone now.
I can't do anything but look at the pictures. Can't edit, export, share etc.
When trying to e.g. export a file Aperture says 'The selected original image is either offline or not found. Please reconnect it and try again.'.
Don't ask about the backup from Time Machine - that too is gone...
Now what?
Thanks.
Thomas

How did you import your old iPhoto photos? And with what Aperture version?
Before the unified Aperture - iPhoto library has been introduced, it was possible to import an iPhoto library as referenced. This left all originals in the iPhoto library, so iPhoto continued to work, but Aperture could use the master files. Is that the way you imported your iPhoto library, with the master files in there original location?
When trying to e.g. export a file Aperture says 'The selected original image is either offline or not found. Please reconnect it and try again.'.
That is the typical error message, when Aperture cannot access the original files. And Aperture wil not be able to do anything with your images, unless you restore the missing originals.
Just moved my Aperture-library to my new iMac.
Where did you move your Aperture library from ? From an older mac? From a backup?
Did Aperture work on that old Mac and could access the originals?
Do you still have that old mac, and is there any chance that recovery software could retrieve the missing original files on that mac?
Sometimes Aperture reports originals as missing, even if they are managed inside the Aperture library.
You can find out, where Aperture is looking for the original files, if you select some image files in the browser and use Aperture's command "File > Locate Referenced Files".
In the panel that opens, you can see the path to missing files in the upper right corner below the thumbnail.
What do you see, when you use that command?

My IPhoto library is gone and I cannot find it. I have found an earlier version witha few photos but the big one is gone. Any ideas?

My IPhoto library is gone and cannot be found. There is an IPhoto in Applications marked "original". I can find the one I'm looking for using Time Machine but when I try to open it it says that it cannot be opened as there is a newer version installed. Any help would greatly be appreciated:-)

Download and use Find Any File to search for the file "Library6.iPhoto" which is in every iPhoto Library package. If you find more than one check both to see if one is your missing library.
OT

Why does my Finder indicate that my "iphoto library" is 13gb and "photo lib" is 15gb?

Why does my Finder indicate that my "iphoto library" is 13gb and "photo library" is 15gb if they are supposed to 1 library used by both?

kenamac1 wrote:
Thanks Larry, but sorry if I'm being dense, but are you saying that the space being used is not 13gb (Iphoto) + 15 gb (Photo) = 28gb? And that if I toss the iPhoto Lib I won't save 13gb? That's what I not getting about this 'shared' library.
Yes that is exactly what I said - and what the article I liked said with a somewhat detailed description
Basically both libraries use Linux HardLinks to the original photos - the finder sees each has containing the compete set of photos although the photos are only on disk once
And deleting one library only deletes the links and a few overhead items - so again as I said would save very little space
LN

My iPhoto library has disappeared and there is no past library for me to import. Where did my pictures go?

I was cleaning up my laptop last night to free up some space. I deleted some unessecary pictures from iphoto and re-organised my events. I then deleted some pictures from 'images' which shows up in 'all my files' - I didn't delete any of the pictures that I kept in my iphoto, but not all my pictures showed up in 'images' anyway. I also then deleted the pictures that were loose in the 'pictures' folder but these were all edits I had done in photoshop not the originals. I emptied my trash before I went to sleep and this morning when I turned on my laptop my iphoto library was gone and there was no past library to import so I had to create a new one. Although I have the pictures from my 'images' folder not all of my pictures are there. Have I lost my pictures for good?

No previous backup? When you opened iPhoto did you get any error messages? iPhoto normally stores the images inside /Machintosh HD/Users/YOURNAME/Pictures/iPhoto Library you won't be able to simply look at the images if you go there directly you have to open it with iPhoto. You can hold the option key > then open iPhoto to make sure you didn't somehow create a different library.

I can't upload or import videos from my iphoto library, into final cut pro x. When i click, IMPORT MEDIA in FCP, It lists iPhoto Library as GRAY, and will not let me access it. I need the videos out of there. I have tried every way I can think of.

Like the title says...
I can't upload or import videos from my iphoto library, into final cut pro x. When i click, IMPORT MEDIA in FCP, It lists 'iPhoto Library' as GRAY, and will not let me select it. I need the videos out of there. I have tried every way I can think of.
I have also tried from the iphoto side, to export the videos or share them to final cut. I have had no luck.
I have tried to drag and drop indidual video clips from iphoto to fcp, and the programs simply do not respond to each other
I can see in the OLDER version of final cut pro x, where it has IMPORT FILES as an option, it was possible. I see this on forums and youtube videos of the older versions.
However, the newer version that i have, does not have IMPORT 'FILES' as an option, it is simply all lumped together as IMPORT 'MEDIA'
Thank You for the Help

at the end, you say "import preferences", which program are you describing?
So im safer using footage that is remotely being pulled from iphoto...
vs
using footage that is imported into FCP from imovie?
Is there anything i can do in fcp to make this footage more reliable or safer or more stable as i pull remotely from iphoto?
All the footage, and all the libraries to all programs, or on a new pegasus 12tb raid 5 setup fyi.

Just downloaded trial version -- don't see iPhoto library in Aperture and need to import selected photos-not entire library!

I just downloaded trial version -- don't see iPhoto library in Aperture and need to import selected photos to edit, not entire i Photo library! I read manual and it says:
Browsing and Selecting Images in Your iPhoto Library
You use the Aperture iPhoto Browser to review iPhoto images and import specific images into the Aperture library. The iPhoto Browser gives you a handy way of looking for certain images without having to import your entire iPhoto library.
So, where do I review the iPhoto images...there is nothing in there that says "iPhoto Library" Everything I see pertains to Aperture Library which of course is empty since I haven't imported (or dragged) any photos in there yet.
Also is tech support available for Aperture? I have Apple Extended Support and I sure would love it if I had individual help. I have a deadline --3 days to edit 300 photos and I'm a complete amateur. iPhoto doesn't have the capability to erase parts of a face (I need to contour the neck of a mannequin to make it proportionate to the separate head I put on top of it. I'm sure Aperture must have a tool to help me do that! At least I hope so.

where do I review the iPhoto images
File -> Import -> Show iPhoto Browser
I have a deadline --3 days to edit 300 photos and I'm a complete amateur. iPhoto doesn't have the capability to erase parts of a face (I need to contour the neck of a mannequin to make it proportionate to the separate head I put on top of it. I'm sure Aperture must have a tool to help me do that!
Sounds more like a job for Photoshop to me
if I decide to import entire iPhoto library into Aperture will it delete my iPhoto library?
No.
Regards
TD

Moved iPhoto library to EHD and lost events, ratings, other info

Hi, I just moved my iPhoto Library to an external drive to free up space on my full mac book internal drive and it didn't transfer any of the events, ratings, or other info I had made over the years. I used the export library function from my old library, closed iPhoto, opened it again holding the option key, created a new library on the EHD and then imported the library. I worked, I can see the pictures fine it's just that I now have 15,000 pictures over 6+ years in one big event. I wasn't suprised to lose my edits because I chose to export as the original file (would rather have the RAW than the post processed JPEG). is this decision the cause of my problem?
much thanks,
Lou

The cause is you did it wrong - exporting does not maintain the library structure - the iPhoto library is a SQL database and must always be treated as a single entity
Moving the iPhoto library is safe and simple - quit iPhoto and drag the iPhoto library intact as a single entity to the external drive - depress the option key and launch iPhoto using the "select library" option to point to the new location on the external drive - fully test it and then trash the old library on the internal drive (test one more time prior to emptying the trash)
And be sure that the External drive is formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) (iPhoto does not work with drives with other formats) and that it is always available prior to launching iPhoto
And backup soon and often - having your iPhoto library on an external drive is not a backup and if you are using Time Machine you need to check and be sure that TM is backing up your external drive
LN

After Mavericks reinstall, I copied iPhoto library over, but now photos missing? Where are they hiding or how do I recover them?

I was told by Genius?Bar to reinstall Mavericks and avoid using Migration Assistant, but rather manually copy over my data because of ongoing issues. I have a newer version of iPhoto now (9.5.1, not sure the previous version). I copied the iPhoto Library from the Pictures folder of my Time Machine backup. I want to keep all the folders, albums, keywords, etc. Now, several photos are missing and showing an exclamation mark, however the folders they were in are still there. I tried rebuilding the database and had no luck with that. I still have the Time Machine back up, but no idea where the missing photos are if they aren't in the iPhoto Library file. Most of the photos were imported from an iPhone and iPad, so not sure if there is a default location they would save to other than iPhoto Library? Any help is greatly appreciated.

but the Genius Bar guy specifically advised me to "drag and drop" my data
That will not work - TM backups MUST be restored - not copied - seehttp://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US andhttp://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
There is nothing more to say - it will not work and you have proven that to yourself by doing it and having it not work
LN

Iphoto library is gone and I can't access iphoto in time machine!

I've lost my iphoto library - and I've looked (searched for .jpgs) and the photos are no longer on my computer. It must have been when I deleted a folder I'd called iphoto library 2 which was a copy of a couple of albums - or at least I thought that's what I deleted. And then I emptied the trash. And now it seems that those 2 albums are the only ones left in iphoto.
So I felt sick to my stomach - but I thought thank goodness I do time machine back ups from time to time... BUT I can't seem to find them on my time machine backup either. I opened time machine with iphoto open but I can't access anything behind the front (current) window. And I only just learned that if iphoto is still open time machine can't back up your iphoto library properly (am I the only one this is news to?)
I hope someone can help. Thanks!
(iphoto'09 8.1.2 )

In addition to the links that Larry provided, you can restore your iPhoto Library from Time Machine as described here:
iPhoto '11: Restoring from Time Machine with iPhoto '11 (9.2 or later) and OS X Lion 10.7.2 (or later) - Apple Support
The procedure should work even with iPhoto '09 and Mac OS X (10.6.8).

IPhoto 6 losing thumbnails and ability to edit images

Upgraded to iPhoto 6 yesterday with no glitches. Library looked fine. Now, I have a bunch of photos in the library that show up as blank frames in the organizer view. These images still exist in the library, but the thumbnails are gone and they cannot be edited.
I've tried rebuilding the thumbnail databases, etc., (included running all 4 rebuild options accessible via the Cmd-Opt-Shift startup mode). Disk permissions are up to stuff too.
The original images, and the thumbnails, are all fine-- i.e. they can be viewed in spotlight or in other applications.
Any ideas?
Thanks, Alan

I found this solution from Mac OS X Hints. It worked for me as I had done the same as the author of this solution.
This problem has taken me almost a week to solve, so I thought your readers may benefit from my experiences. Nobody had posted about it on Apple's forums, so I got no help there. At the end of the the day, I may have broken a golden rule and tampered with the /System/Library folder (which seems to have caused the problem), but this workaround had not given a problem prior to iPhoto 5.04.
The problem was that on importing a folder of photos, the thumbnails were all black. I had also had my privileges corrupted on my user folder by a bad installer, and could not empty trash, or create new folders, etc. I fixed the privileges, but still had the same problem with iPhoto. All the usual fixes didn't work -- logout/login ; rebooting ; created a new user; trashed preferences file; rebuilt iPhoto library (this actually turned all the good thumbnails black as well!). I even moved the iPhoto library folder to allow iPhoto to create a new blank library, and that didn't work. Nor did trashing iPhoto and reinstalling an earlier version
The only course of action left was to re-install the full system. I backed stuff up, and did an erase and install. Over the next few days, I then brought everthing up-to-date, checking iPhoto operation at each stage. I wasn't sure if QuickTime7 may have been cause, so I only installed QT 6.5.2. Finally, all up-to-date and running OK again, and then ... it did it again! What caused it?
At some point in getting back up-to-date, I had re-applied my previous workaround to fix a bug whereby iPhoto changed the embedded colour profile from sRGB to Generic RGB when editing a photo. I did this by modifying some files in the /System -> Library -> ColorSync -> Profiles folder. I discovered that changing any colour profiles there results in the default permissions being changed on said files. However, resetting the permissions did not fix it directly. To fix it, I had to copy this folder off my daughters' Mac, then fix the permissions again. Finally, it was fixed!
The moral of the story? Don't touch any colour profiles in your system library!
Powerbook G4

Iphoto Library is locked AND spotlight search stops working

This has been happening for several months.
a restart of my Mac Pro temporarily fixies it for a few days but then it happens again
I have read many threads on the iphoto locked library issue and I have tried all of the suggestions except for the download iphoto library manager.
I don't want to do that uless I have to, and because of the issue with spotlight, I think that it won't be a permanents fix
I don't know if the spotlight search issue is causing the iphoto lock or visa versa, or if there is another thing causeing both,
but after experiencing this problem many times I know that both issues happen a the same time and must be linked in some way.
restarting the mac pro (intel Xeon Dual Core os 10.7.5) solves the problem temporarily. both iphoto and spotligh search work fine after that until the next time.
I don't know what triggers it. and it's really frustrating because I don't understand how the os works and I really need to be able to use the search function for work. I need to be able to search my emails and files and it just doesn't give results except for older files and emails when this happens. the more recent files and emails are either not indexed or not coming up for some reason
my iphoto library is on a seperate drive from my operating system and it is formatted extended journaled and set to ignore permissions
I have tried deleting the iphtotlockdata file but when I do that and try to start iphoto I get a weird message saying
"the library "iphoto library" is open in iphoto. to open this library in iphoto you must quit iphoto."
I've rebuilt the iphoto library before (after restarting) but eventually the problem happens again.
not sure what else to try
thanks in advance for your help

aOne thing that I forgot to add is that I can never just restart or shutdown my computer
It always gets stuck on the grey screen at shutdown and will stay there forever if you let it. I always have to hole the power button to force it off.
Boot into Safe Mode, Mac OS X: Starting up in Safe Mode. and then reboot normally. That will run a number of repair routines and might fix the shut down issue.
I second Terene's suggestion of using iPhoto Library Manager to rebuild the library.
Using iPhoto Library Manager to Rebuild Your iPhoto Library
Download iPhoto Library Manager and launch.
Click on the Add Library button,
navigate to your Home/Pictures folder and select your iPhoto Library folder.
Now that the library is listed in the left hand pane of iPLM, click on your library and go to the Library ➙ Rebuild Library menu option
In the next window name the new library and select the location you want it to be placed.
Click on the Create button.
Note 1: This creates a new library based on the LIbraryData.xml file in the library and will recover Events, Albums, keywords, titles and comments. However, books, calendars, cards and slideshows will be lost.
Note 2: your current library will be left untouched for further attempts at a fix if so desired.
OT

Importing from one iPhoto library to another and retaining metadata.

I have an iPhoto 11 library stored on DVD. Each image in the Library has a number set as its title, 1 through to 350.
The actual names of the images in the filesystem have the format 'P1010004.jpg'.
I want to export the images from iPhoto so that they use the title for the filename so that they're numbered 1.jpg, 2.jpg etc (effectively renaming all the files to use the image title instead of the camera generated title). I know this possible using the File > Export dialog.
With the DVD inserted, the library appears in iPhoto in the 'Shared' section in the left-hand pane. I can navigate through the library on the DVD and the titles and metadata are appearing correctly when I click on 'info'
When I try to export directly from the DVD, the 'File > Export' option is disabled / greyed out. So I presume I need to import these images to my local library to allow me to then export them.
However, when I try and copy the images to my local library by dragging the images from Shared library to my local library (all within the iPhoto window), the image title data is lost, the title becomes the filename 'P1010004'.
I've tried copying the Image Library from the DVD to my local drive, then opening iPhoto with the 'alt' key to select this library, however iPhoto won't open it and the following error appears: You can’t open your current photo library using this version of iPhoto. However, I know that the DVD was created by iPhoto 11, the same version I'm using.
Can anyone please tell how I can import these images to my local library and retain the metadata.
Thanks,

I'm just wanting to export to a local folder.
I've looked at iPhoto Library Manager but it didn't seem to want to load Library I'm trying to merge, and I'm not convinced that iPLM is fully compatible with the latest version of iPhoto.
What I really don't understand is that iPhoto immediately recognises the library stored on the DVD, and it automatically pops up in the 'Shared' list on the left hand side.
However, if I first copy the Library from the DVD to my local drive, then try and open iPhoto with this library using the ALT key, I get the following error:
You can't open your current photo library using this version of iPhoto
You have made changes to your photo library using a newer version of iPhoto. Do you want to quit and use the latest version of iPhoto, or do you want to create a new photo library?
... which is strange because I'm using the latest version of iPhoto, and I know the iPhoto Library on the DVD was created using iPhoto 11.

How to access same iPhoto library from MacBook and iPad without making a copy (sync option)

I have a simple question to you guys (tried to sort it out with Apple tech support but no luck there!)
How can I set up iPhoto in a way that I can have access to the same files from iPhoto on MacBook and from iPhoto app on iPad? I do not wish to sync files as this will create a copy of a file and also when for example you do editing of an image on Mac you want that to automatecly reflect on a file being viewed later on on iPad (and the other way around) without the need of a sync. option
I tested this with photo stream but the problem there is that in order to make any changes to an image you HAVE to do it in the library folder you can not do it in the photostream i.e you took a pix on your iPhone, - photostream pushed it to your iPad and to your Mac, - you've desided to let's say to crop the image on Mac then you've closed that image. When then you open the same image on your iPad (or iPhone) the image is not cropped, why? becouse you've edited an image inside the iPhoto library on the Mac and didn't sync it with iPad.
So it would be great if iPhone and Mac worked with the same library - save space and cleaner workflow!

And again
there is no solution today
You can not - there is no commonality between iPhoto on the Mac and on the iPad except the name
You can sync - you can use PhotoStream - you can not share a library - and IOS devices can not access external hard drives and if they could they can not read the contents of the iPhoto library since there is no commonality between iPhoto on the Mac and on the iPad except the nameYou can put your iPhoto library on an external drive if you wish as long as the volmne it is on is formattted Mac OS extended (journaled) - but that does not change the fact that neither the iPad nor the iPhone can access it since there is no commonality between iPhoto on the Mac and on the iPad except the nameIt really is extremely simple - you can not do it today
Period
LN

If I store files in the TimeCapsule's own HD, will i be able to use time machine to back those files up also? (specifically can i store/run my iPhoto library from TC and then have Time machine also make/include a backup up of the iPhoto library?)

I curretly use my iphoto library from an large external HD (2 tb) and then have time machine back it up to my airport extreme (which has an external HD attached, 500gb ) Long story short... I am running out of storage space on the 'large external hd 2tb'. however, I still have space on the HD (500gb) that is attached to my airport extreme.
My question is,
1. If i move my iphoto library over to the HD attached to my airport extreme, Is there a way for Time Machine to also back this up.
2. same question only applied differentliy = If i purchase a Time Capsule. and store files on its HD. (specifically an iPhoto library) would time machine create backups of this 'locally' stored data on its own TC HD?
TC = time Capsule
HD = hard drive
TM = Time machien

1. If i move my iphoto library over to the HD attached to my airport extreme, Is there a way for Time Machine to also back this up.
Sorry, but no. Time Machine cannot backup from network drives.
1. If i move my iphoto library over to the HD attached to my airport extreme, Is there a way for Time Machine to also back this up.
2. same question only applied differentliy = If i purchase a Time Capsule. and store files on its HD. (specifically an iPhoto library) would time machine create backups of this 'locally' stored data on its own TC HD?
Again, sorry, but no. Same reason. The TC's internal HDD is treated as a network drive.

Iphoto library distorted thumbnails AND links missing

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