Just days ago, I downloaded and created folders for two batches of photos and now they are missing. They were not deleted by anyone, and even if they were, they were not found in my trash can. What happened? They were erased from my camera, so I am upset.

Question

Just days ago, I downloaded and created folders for 2 batches of photos I downloaded from my camera to iphotos but now both are missing.  They were not deleted and even if they were, were not found in my trashcan. I have looked through every folder and they are not there. Is there a bug that can get into iPhoto to do this? Is there a program Apple offers to retrieve lost photos? Thank you.

Answer 1

debbie5891 wrote: ... They were not deleted and even if they were, were not found in my trashcan...
How do you know they were not deleted? Is it possible that they were moved to the trash and the trash has been emptied, if not by you, perhaps by someone else?
In the best case, you mean they were not deleted from your camera.  If so, it will be simple to merely download again from your camera after you have corrected any problem with your Mac or workflow.
If you have a way to be certain that your two folders were not deleted from your Mac,  follow the directions provided by your Mac's Disk Utility to repair your Disk (not Disk Permissions.)  On more than one occasion, disk repair has restored the visibility of missing folders I knew I had not deleted.  If you have trouble with the process, post back which specific Mac OS version ( > About This Mac) you are using so we can offer specific help.
It is also possible that the missing folders might be saved somewhere you do not expect them to be.
It is also possible that they may merely be invisible and, thus, not showing in your Finder windows even after performing a Disk Repair.
Here are some more ideas you can consider:
Restart Mac and then look where you expect the folders to be.  They may be visible there now.
If not, try a Spotlight search for the folder name(s) you used.  Spotlight may give you a list of places to look.  If you don't remember the folder name(s), try a search for the file type your camera uses for saved images.  My cameras save "jpg" files, but yours may save other image file types. 
You can also open a finder window and use the window's search oval to search.  The method allows you to use the search "+" button to add invisible items via the "File Visibility"  choice.
debbie5891 wrote:... I have looked through every folder and they are not there....
If you are using any version of Mac OS X, I doubt this statement can be true.
If you select your disk volume name (not the Media item) in the sidebar of your Mac's Disk Utility, you will see that the number of Folders and files on your disk is very large.  For example,I keep my startup disk small and write most of my files to other disks.  Even so, my startup disk contains more than 195,000 folders.
If you mean you used some software to search each folder, please post back the name of the app you are using.
debbie5891 wrote: ... Is there a bug that can get into iPhoto to do this? ...
I have not had the problem you describe, nor have I heard of such an iPhoto Bug.
I have used every version of iPhoto I have seen including the current new version: iPhoto '11 version 9.5 (902.7).  You can find the version you are using by executing the iPhoto > About iPhoto menu command and post it back here.
debbie5891 wrote:... Is there a program Apple offers to retrieve lost photos? ...
I am not aware of any Apple apps that work specifically on photo files.  If you know the pathname to the lost files, and if you are comfortable with Unix commands, you might be able to use your Mac's Terminal utility to retrieve at least some of your images.  However, it will be MUCH simpler to merely download another copy from your camera.
You can search the Mac App Store for "unerase" to find several apps that can unerase files, including deleted photo files, in certain circumstances even after the trash has been emptied.  To determine whether one or more of them may meet your needs, see their product info and reviews for specifics about each one.
debbie5891 wrote:...Thank you.
You're most welcome.
If you need to post back for more information, please provide specifics on your Mac OS, iPhoto version, which of the suggestions offered here you have tried, and any details not already provided about the problem status.
Message was edited by: EZ Jim
Mac OSX 10.9