My iPhoto thumbnails are trashed photos...

... and yet when opened, produce the larger version of photos - in order - not trashed at all.
Apologies if this is repeated anywhere; I'm quite ignorant and tend not to fiddle with things hidden (like directories), but I'm at a loss as to what to do.
Out of the 7000+ photos I kept on my MBP up to last week, I trashed about 4000 and this is what has happened. Photo Browser looks fine when emailing, with everything where it should be, but iPhoto (version 8.1.2) presents the first 200-odd thumbnails as photos and movies I thought I'd gotten rid of and, when clicked upon, the photos I kept are 'underneath'.
It's time for me to clear this machine out and reload what I need, but I'm a little wary of starting this and maybe losing the vital photos.
Could anyone offer me a reason? A solution? (In really easy-to-follow steps?)
Thanks,
Louise

Back Up and try rebuild the library: hold down the command and option (or alt) keys while launching iPhoto. Use the resulting dialogue to rebuild. Include the option to rebuild the thumbnails
Regards
TD

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IPhoto thumbnails disappear - missing photos

iPhoto crashed a few days ago, and I had to rebuild the library. After this was done, my events were all out of order but the photos were still in tact. However, there were about 100 photos in one event that were missing. They were represented by black squares. The thumbnails would show for an instant while I was scrolling through the event, but then the thumbnails would disappear and turn black. When I selected a photo, it showed a black exclamation warning sign.
I back up to Time Machine, so I tried to restore my iPhoto library from an older backup. Those same 100 photos seem to be corrupt in every single backup since the photos were taken. To make it even harder for me to understand, I actually viewed these 100 photos in iPhoto last week and they were fine, so I know they haven't been corrupt since they were imported to iPhoto.
Are these photos recoverable?

The exclamation mark is an indication that the link/file path between the thumbnail and the master photo has been broken. Try the following:
1 - launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys held down to open the First Aid window. Be sure to follow the circled recommendation in the screenshot.
2 - apply Option #4, Rebuild Database.

IPhoto thumbnails are blank, but maximized photo shows up.

I had to power of my iMac while iPhoto was uploading some photographs. When I turned it back on, iPhoto prompted me to restore the library. I said yes. Now the thumbnails aren't appearing, and when you double click a photo to maximize it, it briefly shows up with the grey yeild "!" icon and then the photo shows up, but the thumbnails are still grey. Is there a fix for this?

Try the following:
1 - launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys held down to open the First Aid window.
2 - Run Option #2, Rebuild Thumbnails. It could take more than one pass to get the job done.
OT

IPhoto thumbnails are missing

A few hours ago I imported a new movie into iMovie. Something went wrong and now all of my iMovie thumbnails are missing from iPhoto in the event area. The only movies I see are ones I imported, nothing from iPhoto is showing anymore. When I click on the camera icon and go to the folder where my movies are in iPhoto nothing shows up. And for some reason my movie is stalling now when I play it where as before it was playing smoothly, well the movie I have so far.
I have tried to delete the iMovie cache file, it took 3 hours to rebuild my thumbnails and they were still not there. I deleted the new files I imported into iPhoto and emptied the trash. Any idea how to fix it? I don't really need all the old thumbnails back as long as I can reinsert them and it doesn't look like iMovie can see them anymore. I wouldn't even care about that if my current movie wasn't stalling, I can hear the sound but the picture pauses. Anyone?
Message was edited by: Jesca4u

Hi
Just thinking - Have You tested to turn off Your Mac and re-boot from zero ?
In many cases this helps - might do so now too.
Yours Bengt W

Thumbnails are visible, photo's show black screen

I use iPhoto now for about 4 weeks. In the beginning everything went perfect. After loading the photo's I could see the thumbnails. Clicking on the thumbnail lifted the photo ready to be modified.
Since today, the new added photo's are still visible as thumbnail but after clicking the screen shows no photo but a black screen.
The pictures show a "!" Is there a solution ?
Message was edited by: vanhoeckepeter

Option 1
Back Up and try rebuild the library: hold down the command and option (or alt) keys while launching iPhoto. Use the resulting dialogue to rebuild. Choose to Rebuild iPhoto Library Database from automatic backup.
If that fails:
Option 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 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.
Regards
TD

Iphoto thumbnails are disappearing....

Some of my thumbnails have disappeared. When I click on the photo all I get is a circle with a question mark in it. Are the photos gone for good? I recently moved from a PC to a Mac and have imported most of the photos from an external hard drive. thanks for your help

Well, tried that (took over 4 hours)... about 20 pictures are missing--- from the same event. I no longer have these pictures on a photo card (and as yet have not hooked up Time Capsule as my permanent back-up). Any other thoughts as to where the missing pictures disappeared?? They are not life or death but they were there last week.

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Just back from a trip and uploaded all our photos, and thought they were all out of order when looking at the thumbnails, but when I click on a thumbnail, it’s actually a different photo completely. HELP! Don’t want to lose all our photos, what’s going on? anyone else have this issue? How do I correct?

Do the following:
1 - launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys held down to open the First Aid window. Be sure to follow the circled recommendation in the screenshot.
2 - run Option #2, Rebuild Thumbnails. It can take more than one attempt to get the job done.

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Aweek or so ago my thumbnails in iphoto became very small to hard to ID there are 15 per line

In the lower left hand corner (iPhoto '11) slide the zoom slider to show the size you want
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Iphoto - Where are my photos

Today, my iPhoto crashed, and tried to open it again. Doing so, I detected that there are two files with my photos. One is called "iPhoto Library" and Finder tells it is an "iPhoto Library". The other one is an "iPhoto Library", but it is called "iPhoto-Mediathek". What is what?

One is called "iPhoto Library" and Finder tells it is an "iPhoto Library". The other one is an "iPhoto Library", but it is called "iPhoto-Mediathek". What is what?
Probably both will be holding your photos. Look at the dates for "created" and "last changed" in the Finder, to see, when iPhoto created them or changed them. Also, look at the sizes in the Finder. The largest one will be holding the bulk of your photos.
It depends on your System Preferences for "Language & Region" how your iPhoto Library will be called by default, when it is created. If your primary System Language is "German", the iPhoto Library will be called iPhoto-Mediathek.photolibrary, and if it is English, it will be called "iPhoto Library.photolibrary".
Double-click the largest library in the Finder to open it in iPhoto. Does iPhoto open? If it prompts you, that the library needs repairing, then let it repair the library. It may take a while, but is recommended after a crash.

If I update my iphoto library are my photos in danger?

I updated my macbook with a maverick and iPhoto was no longer working so I updated to the latest iPhoto as well. Now when I try to open iPhoto it gives me this message: "Your photo library will not be readable by previous versions of iPhoto after the upgrade" and then just something about how large libraries may take up to an hour to upgrade. It sounds alright but I just wanted to make sure, will my photos and videos be safe if I proceed with the upgrade?

Not unless something goes wrong - which is why you always backup prior to updating/upgrading - simply backup your iPhoto library and upgrade - unless you have other computers with old versions (previous versions) of iPhoto then you have no problem - as long as you are only accessing your library from one system then you do not have a previous version and there is no problem
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Iphoto - how are the photo files managed and stored ?

I am one of those who migrated from the PC to this wonderfull world of the Mac. So please excuse my PC based way of thinking.
I have many thosands of photos, (aprx. 8,000 +++ )
I used to organized my photos on an external hard disk and and I would create folder that would hold a group of photos; for example (A folder labeled "Vacation on New York" will hold all the photos for that event)
Now on my iMac, I could import all the photos on that folder and create an event on iphoto called "Vacation on NY"
The only question I have is where do those file phisically go to? Where are those files with their names and extensions? What folder or directory do they go to once I import them into iphoto?
I need to know this so that I could get a back up and know how to manage the files.
Also...
I would like to know how can I close all events at once.
Thank you in advance for all the explanations......

The files are copied into the iPhoto Library which is in your Pictures Folder.
Most Simple Back Up
Drag the iPhoto Library from your Pictures Folder to another Disk. This will make a copy on that disk.
Slightly more complex:
Use an app that will do incremental back ups. This is a very good way to work. The first time you run the back up the app will make a complete copy of the Library. Thereafter it will update the back up with the changes you have made. That makes subsequent back ups much faster. Many of these apps also have scheduling capabilities: So set it up and it will do the back up automatically. Examples of such apps: Chronosync or DejaVu . But are many others. Search on MacUpdate
By way of explanation:
The iPhoto Library is a Package File. This is simply a folder that looks like a file in the Finder. This is to protect the iPhoto library because many users were inadvertently corrupting their library by browsing through it with other software or making changes in it themselves.
Want to look inside?
Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.
Standard Warning: Don't change anything in the iPhoto Library Folder via the Finder or any other application. iPhoto depends on the structure as well as the contents of this folder. Moving things, renaming things,, deleting them or otherwise making changes will prevent iPhoto from working and could even cause you to damage or lose your photos.
To use an editor with iPhoto: You can set Photoshop (or any image editor) as an external editor in iPhoto. (Preferences -> General -> Edit Photo: Choose from the Drop Down Menu.) This way, when you double click a pic to edit in iPhoto it will open automatically in Photoshop or your Image Editor, and when you save it it's sent back to iPhoto automatically. This is the only way that edits made in another application will be displayed in iPhoto.
To use the files in other apps, upload them etc
There are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto: You can use any Open / Attach / Browse dialogue. On the left there's a Media heading, your pics can be accessed there. Command-Click for selecting multiple pics.
(Note the above illustration is not a Finder Window. It's the dialogue you get when you go File -> Open)
You can access the Library from the New Message Window in Mail:
There's a similar option in Outlook and many, many other apps. 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.
If you want to access the files with iPhoto not running:
For users of 10.6 and later: You can download a free Services component from MacOSXAutomation which will give you access to the iPhoto Library from your Services Menu.
Using the Services Preference Pane you can even create a keyboard shortcut for it.
For Users of 10.4 and 10.5 Create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use this free utility Karelia iMedia Browser
Other options include:
Drag and Drop: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.
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.
Show File: a. On iPhoto 09 and earlier: 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. 3.b.
b: On iPhoto 11 and later: Select one of the affected photos in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Reveal in Finder -> Original. A Finder window will pop open with the file already selected.

IPhoto can't find photo even though the thumbnail is present. Any help, there are dozens of photos in my library that won't open as iPhoto can't find them.

iPhoto can't find photo even though the thumbnail is present. Any help, there are dozens of photos in my library that won't open as iPhoto can't find them. This is probably a very common question!

With the amount of information you've provided it's impossible to offer a potential solution. We need to know the details of your problem and situation, i.e.:
what version of iPhoto are you using?
what system version are you running?
what do you see when you launch iPhoto to open your library?
what fixes have you tried before coming here?
where is you library located?
how long has this been occuring?
did you apple any updates or upgrades just prior?
are you running a "managed" or "referenced" library?
what type of Mac?
how much free space on your boot drive?
What do you see when you click on a thumbnail?
OT

Could someone help me restore my photos? I was trying to "restore my database" in iPhoto when it shut down - now my thumbnails are distorted, logged under a new name, and when you click on a thumbnail it opens as another photo. I was following another "

Could someone help me restore my photos? I was trying to "restore my database" in iPhoto when it shut down - now my thumbnails are distorted, logged under a new name, and when you click on a thumbnail it opens as another photo. I was following another "helpful hint" hold down the option and command key and restart iPhoto - select the top three and you should be able to get rid of the dreaded exclamation point. My MAC ran through the first two options dealing with thumbnails, but crashed during the "restore database" step and now I have a mess. Help, please. Thank you.

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 and keywords 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.

Was trying to restore my database in iPhoto when it shut down - now my thumbnails are distored, logged under a new name and when you click on a thumbnail it opens as another photo. Help, please

Could someone help me restore my photos? I was trying to "restore my database" in iPhoto when it shut down - now my thumbnails are distorted, logged under a new name, and when you click on a thumbnail it opens as another photo. I was following another "helpful hint" hold down the option and command key and restart iPhoto - select the top three and you should be able to get rid of the dreaded exclamation point. My MAC ran through the first two options dealing with thumbnails, but crashed during the "restore database" step and now I have a mess. Help, please. Thank you.

Repost in the iPhoto forum, where the real iPhoto wizards live:
https://discussions.apple.com/community/ilife/iphoto

I want to remove all of my photos out of iPhoto there are approximately 35000 some imported from an old hard drive and a SD Card from my Nikon D500 how do I do this

I want to remove all of my photos out of iPhoto there are approximately 35000 some imported from an old hard drive and a SD Card from my Nikon D500 how do I do this?
I have iPhoto version 9.1.5 (615)
Mac OS X version 10.6.8
I want to do this because when I imported from my old hard drive there was an error message stating that 12 photos were not imported as the programm did not recognise the format even though they were jpegs like the other photos in that particular album. The dates of the photo folders are wrong I have multiple copies of photos and every time I start iPhoto I get the following message 12 photos have been found in the iPhoto library that were not imported would you like to import them No or Yes
if you press Yes the same message comes back again and if you press Yes again the program flicks to last import for 2 seconds and then opens events.
if you press No the message The photos have been placed in the folder/user/judith/pictures/iphoto Library recovered photos then if you press OK the original message 12 photos have been found.............
if you press No at this point the message The photos have been placed in the folder/user /judith/pictures/iphoto Library recovered photos_11 the end number goes up by 1 every time you go through this process
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Did you import an iPhoto Library from the old Hard Drive? Do you still have that old Library?
The way to clear out a Library is to Export the photos - Apps like iPhoto2Disk or PhotoShare will help you export to a Folder tree matching your Events.
For the annoying start-up message:
Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.
Look there for a Folder called 'Import' or 'Importing'.
Drag it to the Desktop. *Make no other changes*.
Start iPhoto. Does that help?
If it does then look inside that folder on your desktop. Does it contain anything you want? If not you can trash the folder.

My iPhoto thumbnails are trashed photos...

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