Phantom managed originals

I've got a very interesting situation with managed originals I didn't think was possible - the database seems to have lost track of them; I've got originals in my aperture library package which don't show in the library in aperture. Those particulars files are actually duplicates - the library does show those images, but points to the referenced files outside the library package. I'd like to know how to delete the "managed", duplicate, files in the library package.
Here's the background - I was trying to do some spring cleaning on photos and clean out any duplicates. To that end, I downloaded two programs from the Mac App Store: photo sweeper and Gemini. The first is smart and can use the aperture and Lightroom libraries (or catalogs) to sniff out duplicates, comparing the records there against each other and any referenced files. Gemini is a pure file comparer, which means it will open up and sniff through the aperture library package. Now, except for photo stream, I was using a purely referenced library with aperture; Lightroom's catalog pointed to the exact same files. After a few passes with photo sweeper, I thought I'd eliminated any duplicates within the library and catalog and in the referenced files. More for curiosity, I pointed Gemini at the aperture library package and the referenced originals.
To my surprise, Gemini came up with two GBs of managed originals in the library package it said were duplicates of the referenced originals. Puzzled, I opened finder and drilled into the package contents and there they were. Then I opened aperture and filtered for managed originals. None of those showed. Then I searched on the file name of some of those duplicates. They were there in the library, but aperture correctly pointed to the referenced originals outside the package. The upshot is I seem to have 2 GBs of supposedly "managed" originals in the library package which are not, in fact in the library, and which are duplicates of referenced originals. I'd like to get rid of those duplicates, but I'm hesitant about monkeying around with the library package. What should I do?
For reference, I'm running Mac OS X 10.9.2 and aperture 3.5.1 on a 2012 retina MacBook Pro. All software is up to date.

Leonie, thanks for the help, that seems to have worked.
A quick update on how it worked for those interested. First, I created a vault as a precaution. Aperture created a 6.8 MB vault ... for a 32 GB library. Cute. Then I updated the vault. Aperture hung. I had some choice words about the general quality of the app at that point. Screw it, we don't need no stinkin' backups (at this point, I couldn't have really cared).
Repaired the library and then checked for any "recovered" items in the library. Nope. So, full rebuild. Checked again and still nothing "recovered" in the library. Curious, I ran Gemini to look for duplicates. The 2 GBs of phantom managed originals were gone. I can't tell whether it was after the repair or rebuild, but Aperture correctly realized these were surplus -- and seems to have jettisoned them directly.
I did have ~300MB or so of duplicate files left but, crucially, these were also in the library. Put another way, Aperture had a managed and a referenced copy of the same file. Easily solved: delete the managed original.
Aperture had also curiously linked to the same referenced file for two separate originals in about 30 cases. No, not duplicates, not virtual copies -- two separate originals pointing to the same file. Just deleted one original for each of the 30 files and that, as they say, was that.
The whole episode did not, however, inspire confidence in the robustness of Aperture's database. And while I can understand the rationale for having both referenced and managed originals, I'm not sure about the wisdom of being able to have both in the same library. Aperture could use some stronger rules insisting on one over the other per library, and better collision and de-duplication tools.

Similar Messages

Managing Files and Duplicates

i'm new to iphoto and made the mistake of not unchecking the "make duplicate" preference when i imported my photos from folders on my hard drive. that means i now have a lot of duplicates to clean up, with photos taking up twice as much HD space as they need to.
after doing some research it seems that many people advise that you should store and manage originals yourself rather than letting iphoto do it and risk possible corruption. is this correct ?
in this case, presumably i should trash and empty trash in iphoto for all the photos i've already imported - an action that presumably will not affect the original copies stored in other files on my HD - and then re-import them into iphoto without making duplicates.
does this all make sense as a sensible way to proceed ?
thanks !

Mark
It's helpful to distinguish between the photos and the files that contain them. The Finder is a file manager, iPhoto is a photo manager.
When you use iPhoto it's your Photo Manager - that is, it's your first point of interaction with your pictures. In this it replaces the Finder so, if you use iPhoto this
if i then have all my images imported into iphoto that whenever i alter one - in photoshop for example - do i have to do this via iphoto rather than just opening the image in photoshop from the folder ?
happens whether on not iPhoto manages the files, because iPhoto manages the photos. If you prefer to manage the files, if you don't distinguish between files and the photos they contain, then, simply, don't use 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.
When you import a pic into iPhoto the app copies the pic into the Library and then makes a thumbnail of it. If you subsequently edit the pic then there is a Modified version too. So iPhoto can have up to three versions (not copies) of the photo.
It is strongly advised that you do not move, change or in anyway alter things in the iPhoto Library Folder as this can cause the application to fail and even lead to data loss
FYI There are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:
For 10.5 users: You can use any Open / Attach / Browse dialogue. On the left there's a Media heading, your pics can be accessed there. Apple-Click for selecting multiple pics.
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
To upload to a site that does not have an iPhoto Export Plug-in the recommended way is to Select the Pic in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export and export the pic to the desktop, then upload from there. After the upload you can trash the pic on the desktop. It's only a copy and your original is safe in iPhoto.
This is also true for emailing with Web-based services. If you're using Gmail you can use THIS
If you use Apple's Mail, Entourage, AOL or Eudora you can email from within iPhoto. With 10.5 you can access the Library from the New Message Window in Mail:
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
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.
Or, if you want to access the files with iPhoto not running, then create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use THIS
Other options include:
1. *Drag and Drop*: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.
2. *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.
3. *Show File*: 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.
Regards
TD

Export aperture originals with the edits,keywords etc to external hard drive?

Hi,
I have filled more than half of my hard drive with 29,000 NEF files (mostly family photos). I want to export them to a 2 TB external hard drive and then continue to import all new raw files in Aperture onto that same external hard drive. I'm not sure how to do this? I have all of the 29,000 photos back-ed up in an aperture vault on a 750 GB external drive so I feel relatively safe. In other words, the originals and versions currently exist on my iMac internal hard drive and are backed up in an aperture vault on a portable hard drive; however, I want to have all my photos (with the existing edits) migrated/exported to an external hard drive to free up space on my iMac. Do I create a new library on an external disk? If so, can I do that within Aperture using "Switch to new library" under File? Also, what is the safest way to get my originals and edits into that library. Is there a better plan than mine? thanks, Mike

Hi Mike,
I think Terence may have read your question too quickly. I know that some definition of terms will help you express your goal, and in turn help us show you how to attain it. I recommend _not_ proceeding with Terence's recommendation until it is clear what you want to do.
"Photo" has no fixed or usable meaning in Aperture. You camera records data every time you press the shutter release. The recorded data is processed and saved in a file. That file is almost always either a RAW file, or a JPEG. RAW described a family of proprietary sensor-data formats. There is no standard RAW format: every camera manufacturer uses their own formats, almost always varying them significantly from one camera to the next. JPEG is a standard image-file format. Computers can display image-format files. Computers cannot display RAW files — it's just sensor data until the data is _converted_. RAW converters (software) convert the RAW sensor data into a displayable image-format file. OS X includes a RAW converter. Aperture uses the OS X RAW converter.
Aperture can import RAW files, and image-format files (and movies). Once imported, the imported file is called an Original. Importing a file creates a record in Aperture's database, and also creates a text-format file of instructions telling Aperture how to modify the imported file in order to create the Image. Images are what you see in the Browser and in the Viewer. The initial text-format file is null — the instructions say, in essence, "don't do anything to the Original, just display it (after converting it if needed)". This text file is called a Version. (Aperture also calls, wrongly and confusingly, imho, the Image you see a Version.)
Aperture is a database. Each record in the database points to a unique Version (a text file), and an Original. There can be many Versions (and Images) for any one Original.
You can store your Originals wherever you want. Aperture makes it easy to relocate them, or store them inside your Library, any time you want. They do not have all be in the same place. The drives they are on don't even have to be on-line for you to use many functions in Aperture (if your Originals are off-line, you cannot adjust, export, or print Images).
Your Versions (the text files) must be stored in your Library. You cannot move them.
Your storage strategy thus focuses on two things:
- where to store your Aperture Library, and
- where to store each Image's Original.
Many users run out of storage space on their system drive at some point. The commonly-recommended response is to re-locate some of your Originals to an external (or non-system) drive. Alternatively, you might decide to move your Library to an external drive. Or both.
What you do depends on your needs. With the information you've given, I recommend that you relocate your Originals to your dedicated external drive, and leave your Library on your system drive. Select the Images whose Originals you with to relocate, and run the Aperture command "File ▹ Relocate Originals ... ", and select your external drive as the destination.
You might then continue to import as you've been doing, that is, storing your new Originals on your system drive. When it starts to get full again, just select the Images with managed Originals ("managed" means "stored in the Aperture Library"), and again run the relocate command. You can filter your Images by whether the Image's Original is Managed or Referenced ("referenced" means "stored outside the Aperture Library"). Use the Filter HUD Rule "File Status".
Note that Aperture's Vault _does not back up Referenced Originals_! You must back them up yourself, using software other than Aperture.
HTH,
—Kirby.

Managed image not found

I was doing a relocate originals to get the masters out of my vault and into a backed up system. After it was "done", there is one file that says "image not found". However, I can find the image file. How can I get Aperture to not see it as a managed image (that isn't in its vault) and instead to be a referenced image where I can point it to the file?
Thanks in advance,
Alan
Aperture 3.4.4

leonieDF wrote:
The message in the vault panel can be misleading. It will also count files in the Photo Stream. Are you using Photo Stream?
If Aperture relocated your images, you will be able to use the command "File > Show in Finder". Try that on some files in the project in question. If aperture still has the file indexed as "managed", the Show in Finder should be grayed out.
If your files are truely managed, you will see them in the Library package. Ctrl-click the Aperture library and use the command "Show Package Contents". Open the folder "Masters" and navigate to the subfolder of the date, when you imported the project. Managed originals should be stored there.
Regards
Léonie
Ah-ha! Yes, it's PhotoStream well, 155 of them are. The reast are in various sub-folders under Masters but they aren't the master files (those are definitely disk outside of the Library) and they are very small - <100k and the ones I've looked at are 720x540 whereas the originals were either 2048x1536 (iPhone 4S) or 3888x2592 (CanonEOS400D) so I don't know where they've come from The only clue is that the pixel size is the size of Std Def TV (UK PAL).
I take it that PhotoStream images are Managed and can't be Referenced? Any idea where the others may have come from? I take it that it wouldn't be wise to go deleting them!!

Aperture Library on Internal HDD with Managed Video Files

After spending quite a few hours reading through the discussions on how to set up Aperture Libraries and the best practices on where to import files and how to treat them (managed/referenced), i'm finally about to dive in, but there's still one unresolved question which i hope someone can shed some light on ...
From what i can gather:
1. It's best to keep the main Aperture Library on your Internal Startup Drive
2. Use a mix of Managed and Referenced files
3. Keep Highly rated Photos and Recent Ones as Managed
4. Relocate older Managed Photos to an External HD to limit the size of the main Library
5. Managed and Referenced files are not fixed, they can be changed at any time
6. If possible, it's best to keep everything on one big Library so that all files can be found in one place, instead of using multiple libraries
My Internal HD is only 212GB and there's only about 100GB free at the moment. I've got a 2TB and another 1TB (USB connected) External HDD as well.
If i am just working with photos, i could probably juggle things around with the 70+GB avail space on my Internal Drive (assuming 10-15% is left free), but even then, it will be quite a tight setup that doesn't leave much room for growth. The thing is, i've got lots of large video files which are taking up most of the space, and there doesn't appear to be much option to keep them as managed files within the main Aperture Library.
As it is, my iPhoto library (which i've just moved from the Internal HD to the External HDD) is already about 90+GB (over half must be from videos). And i've got 200+GB more photos and videos to import into Aperture too. Before starting, i really want to make sure i've got a suitable infrastructure and system, but the rather limited space i've got on my internal Drive and the large storage requirements for my video files has got me stumped on how to proceed.
For users who have quite a fair bit of videos, what's the best way to use Aperture with managed files on the Internal drive? Is it just a matter of getting as large a Startup drive as possible, getting a Firewire connected external drive (that's faster than the USB connected ones), or is there some better work around?
One option is to keep the videos as referenced files, but (i think i read) that they won't be visible in Media Browser (and iMovie?) unless they are managed. After importing and cataloguing the videos in Aperture, i would like to access and edit them in iMovie, which is why i thought it would be essential to keep them as managed files.
Thanks for any advice and thoughts shared. It's been a long journey over the last few days to do backups, upgrade to Mountain Lion, buy Aperture, upgrade iPhoto, and read through countless discussions in these amazing forums. Hopefully, that first import is only around the corner.
Message was edited by: Paddy99

Paddy99 wrote:
Thanks for your feedback Kirby.
You're welcome. Sorry more knowledgeable folks haven't chirped up.
You're right, getting a larger internal drive is the way forward. It appears that (from Apple) 750 GB seems to be one of the largest sizes
I would call OWC (or browse the site) and see what the largest drive you can install is. You might also look into replacing your system drive with an SSD, and putting a large drive in place of the Super Drive (if you have on).
750 GB should be big enough to comfortably hold your currently-being-worked-on video files. If it's not, you should probably upgrade to a Mac Pro.
You can put not-currently-being-worked-on files on external storage (in Aperture-speak, convert them from Managed Originals to Referenced Originals). Aperture makes it very easy to convert your Originals from Managed to Referenced and back.
(Just to be clear, the distinction is whether or not the files are inside the Aperture Library package. You could have Referenced Originals on your system drive.)
I've currently got a mid-2010 MBP, so i think there's a USB2.0 and a Firewire 800 port. I presume getting a External HD connected via Firewire 800 is a good temp solution.
Yes, it is. FW-800 works fine for Libraries and for Referenced Originals. I don't recommend relying on USB-2 (FW-400 is OK as a part-time compromise). Note that the performance needed for a Library is much higher than that needed for Referenced Originals (they are read into system RAM). If you need to cut corners, the first place to do it with the storage for your Referenced Originals.
There must be many other video heavy iPhone users who come across this issue with iPhoto or Aperture, but it's strange that there aren't too many discussions about this topic.
Aperture is really a photography workflow tool. The DAM is excellent -- and it can handle video. But nearly everyone who works regularly with video uses other programs for their workflow.
Message was edited by: Kirby Krieger -- corrected formatting.

Photo management application with KISS metadata backend?

what i'm looking for:
a photo management application built around the concept of tags, which aims for efficiency in usage and a simple metadata backend:
* allow non-destructive edits (keep original file easily available)
* make it easy to launch editor from UI, maybe support some common operations out of the box like cropping and rotating. and allow me to hook in my own scripts (gqview is pretty good at this)
* exif support (auto rotating etc)
* provide GUI for easily mass-tagging pictures (one or more tags per picture referring to the location, the trip name, a person in the picture, ...). preferably i can use 1 keystroke to assign a tag to a picture; and also it should be possible to select a whole range of pictures and then apply a tag with minimal work (maybe some option where i can assign keys to tags so i can hit the key to assign the tag)
* make it easy to generate albums from tags (i.e. all pictures with a certain tag), and at least exporting such album to a directory with files, possibly also to flickr/facebook. export option for things that don't support exif (i.e. strip exif and apply rotation information on the image)
but most of all:
* use simple things like symlinks; not databases. maybe integrate with git annex if that makes sense. (to manage originals vs modified versions). i should be able to do a lot by just accessing the filesystem/in the shell

Strike0 wrote:I lke the option you get with shotwell to write the tags directly to the image info (you can see them as "keyword" in nautilus even). Managing tags with the gui is relatively easy too. Plus you get plugins for flickr etc. I have not looked into exporting the tags again, but the reason I use it this way is to have the tagging portable (if needed).
sounds ok, but i prefer to not modify the images themselves, that way it's easy to sync with different devices/people

How to delete masters from within Aperture

Hi all,
I have searched the discussion forums for this one, with no luck.
What I want to do is import say 500 images from a shoot, and review them in Aperture. I will delete 200-300 of them. I'd like to look at them in Aperture, and if I don't like the image, delete it. But I want to delete the underlying image file in the filesystem as well.
I have tried File | Delete Original Image and All Versions followed by emptying the Aperture trash and then emptying the system trash. Does not work.
I am on Aperture 3.5.1 and OSX 10.9.2.
Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Brian

It's a common mistake If you set the import pane to copy the originals into the library (which is the Aperture default) then you wind up with two copies of the original and deleting it from Aperture doesn't delete the original original
As a suggestion start off with managed originals, there is less to deal with while you get use to the rest of Aperture. You can always turn the managed originals into referenced originals down the road by using the Aperture command File->Relocate Originals.
regards

If I move a picture from one project to another in aperture why doesn't the jpeg change folders if all my pictures are referenced?

I started importing all my pictures into Aperture and have been debating whether to use a managed or referenced library. I'm leaning toward referenced, but before import everything that way, I do a couple of "test drives".
In Aperture, I moved a photo from one project to another expecting that the jpeg in finder would move from the original folder to the new one, but it didn't. Anyone know why? Is there a way to make this happen? Is it bad that I want this to happen? Should I just use a managed library. I like having control of the actual files (thus wanting to go with a referenced library).
Any thoughts?
Mark

In Aperture, I moved a photo from one project to another expecting that the jpeg in finder would move from the original folder to the new one, but it didn't.
Mark, Aperture does not store the originals organized by project, but by the date of the Import Session. So moving an image to a different project will not change, were the original file is stored.
This has a big advantage for backing up the originals. If they never move or change, you do not have to backup the originals other than directly after importing, if your library is referenced. And even incremental backups of a managed library are quicker.
Is there a way to make this happen?
You can always use the command "File > Relocate" to move the original files anywhere you want.
Is it bad that I want this to happen? Should I just use a managed library. I like having control of the actual files (thus wanting to go with a referenced library).
If it is bad, will depend on why you want to have control of your originals. If you just want to know where they are, it is o.k., or if you don't have enough space on the drive with the library and need to split the library across several drives. But it would be bad to move, edit, or access the referenced originals in any way. Let Aperture do the handling, or you will be risking broken references.
Aperture has several buil-in ways to show you the original: The "M" key will switch the Browser to the original, "File > Export > Original" will give you an exact copy of the original, or you can relocate the file to another folder. I simply open the aperture Library in iPhoto, when I want to view my managed originals. iPhoto has a command "File > Reveal in Finder > Original" that will show you also the managed originals in the "Masters" folder inside the Aperture/iPhoto Library package.
You may want to have a look at Terence Devlin's User Tip: How do I access my Photos in Aperture?
Regards
Léonie

Brand new Intel iMac with hard drive failure?

I have a two week old iMac. I shut it down last night. When I started it this morning I got a folder with a question mark. I had no warnings or indications of any problems prior to this. I had just loaded some Disney pictures and have no backup of them except an iPod that was synced last night. I used the OS install disk utility to look and there is no volume and no option to verify or repair. This is a maxed out iMac with 750 gig drive. Is this a known problem. Is there anyway to get the data? Do I need to start backing up every time touch the computer? Also are the songs and pictures on the ipod the same quality as the originals? Can I get them back?
The funny thing is, I had bought this computer to replace another one that was flakey with kernal panic. This is the end of the school year and my wife (a teacher) uses this one for paper work. I thought I had done a nice thing for her. HELP!!!!

Yes HDDs can go bad, right out of the box. All manufacturers have hardware failures of new product. We have had them reported here on occasion. In fact, we are more likely to hear about the failures than the millions of folks that got good ones. People don't post, "Hey, I got my new Mac and the HDD is fine!"
The question mark at startup is an indication that the Mac can't find its boot volume and HDD failure is one scenario to explain why it can't. The good thing is that it is covered by Apple's warranty, so you need to call Apple Care and initiate a claim to get a replacement/repair in the works asap.
I know that is a pain, but it happens occasionally.
The music and photos on your iPod should be exactly what is on the HDD. The exception may be photos that you have altered in iPhoto before transferring them to the iPod. iPhoto manages originals separately from modifieds. I don't have an iPod, but in the case of a modified photo, I doubt the original was also transfered.

Major change to previews in 3.5?

Ok did I miss the memo or have I been in front of the computer for to long?
For another post here I started looking into previews and started seeing some different behavior between 3.5 and earlier versions This sound crazy but I don;t think Aperture is using the Preview folder and its contents anymore.
The first hint came with the wording in the Previews Preference for sharing. It is no longer share the preview but share the XML. Then I try dragging an image out of Aperture which always resulted in a small file size depending on the Previews setting in Preferences. With 3.5 I am seeing full sized files when I drag out regardless of the preview setting.
Then I started deleting previews which caused the preview file to be removed from the library but when I regenerate the preview no new file appears in the Previews folder. In addition even after deleting the preview when you select update preview Aperture reports the preview is up-to-date. This after it was deleted.
Finally I deleted the whole preview folder, Aperture didn't burp or regenerate the folder either.
This is with managed originals. Haven't tried it yet with referenced originals off-line. That should be interesting.
Can someone else look at this and let me know if I need a long vacation

I'm cross posting to this thread to see if others are noticing the same behavior as me.
The biggest kerfuffle is the full size images coming out of the media browser in other apps, as noted below.
Without forcing Aperture to create a new preview by slightly adjusting the image, Aperture serves up a full size master file in other applications using media browser or in Drag-and-Drop. Most unfortunate!!!
For years I've been organizing my library in Aperture, and dragging thumbnails to the desktop for quick PDFs and 1-off emails.
This worked with RAW images AND .PSD files, adjusted or un-adjusted. I would always drag out a preview .jpg version of the image to the desktop.
In ver 3.5, when I drag a managed PSD file's thumbnail to the desktop, it copies the full PSD file!
If I make any adjustment to the file, even adjusting exposure and then re-settting it to 0, then the image preview will be transferred, but for straight files, it copies the Master to the desktop.
I've tried updating previews, deleting and re-generating previews to no avail. All preferences are identical, and when I switch back to my older library, the previews drag correctly. It's just the new library, created with the newest version of Aperture, that seems to work incorrectly.
I say "incorrectly" because Apple documentation states that the preview should be copied, not the original.
UPON FURTHER EXPERIMENTATION.. I realize that the original Master PDF is being used as the share between iPhoto, Mail, etc. When I drag from the Media Browser in Mail, I get the full PDF, not a Preview.
Major pain, in my opinion, and I wonder if anyone at Apple realizes that the full file is being shared.
Mac Pro
Mountain Lion
Aperture
All up to date

Error Message (Arrow and Exclaimation Mark in Yellow Triangle) Showing on Bottom Right of Some Photos after Merging iPhoto Library into Aperture

The strange thing is that some of these said photos with an error message have a normal thumbnail and can be opened fine, but the others (most of them) just have an empty space in the thumbnail as if the image can't be found.
I tried to Locate Referenced Files as Leonie suggested in https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3686982?tstart=0 but got this message 'The Selection Doesn't Have Any Referenced Files', so i presume that's not the issue.
In the thread mentioned above, Leonie mentioned something about not emptying trash. I did empty my trash recently, and started to think these images may have been poor quality ones i previously deleted in the iPhoto library … but that still doesn't explain why the error currently appears on some images which seem to work fine (these images are ok quality ones and there is no way i would have deleted them in the past).
Also - the 'Processing' message at the bottom of the browser seems to be spinning endlessly. I just left it for over 10 hours overnight and it's still going. Could this be linked to these error images which it's having a hard time finding/loading?
Quite baffled at the moment, and would really appreciate any feedback. TIA.
EDIT:
I just looked more closely. It appears that most of my folders have duplicates of the same image with exactly the same file name. And all the images with the error message have them on both duplicates (i.e. one on an image that has an empty thumbnail, and one on an image that's fine).
When i initially tried to import the library, it proceeded half way then failed. After opening the iPhoto library in Aperture first, and then doing the import again, everything worked fine. So, i'm wondering if the images with errors that are empty/blank may be the result of the failed 1st import.
What's puzzling is why they weren't overwritten (especially since all the file names are exactly the same). When importing the library, i chose 'merge' instead of 'add' when prompted, thinking that would solve it. Obviously not.
EDIT 2:
After reflecting on this, i thought one solution may be to:
a) Find all the error'd images that are empty/blank and delete them, and then
b) Find and remove all duplicates
So i followed Leonie's suggestion to create a Smart Album and use the 'File Status is Missing' rule.
But now, i see that there are images that i imported into Aperture months ago that have the same problem. And the new thing is that there are duplicates with errors where *both* images are visible (whereas for the iPhoto library i just imported, there were dupes where one version was blank and the other was visible and seemingly ok).
I'm really hoping there is a simple solution to this, and am awaiting some feedback before i try anything else.
NB. This is a super large (over 100GB) Aperture library that i am trying to consolidate everything into. It is Work In Progress and i was only going to back it up once the import of various iPhoto libraries was done. However, I'm wondering if it's better to just back up first - but if i do it now, the backup will include all these errors and duplicates. What would you guys do?

UPDATE 2:
The users in these 2 threads seem to have a similar File Status Not Found issue:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4086569?tstart=0
https://discussions.apple.com/message/17757686#17757686
Followed Leonie's advice to look for the (missing) masters inside the Masters folder, and indeed, they were missing. So, that confirms the reason for the error message.
If this does not work, because you have managed originals, inside the Aperture Library, look for your originals in the Aperture Library Package. Select the Library in the Finder and ctrl-click, then select "Show Package Contents" from the pop-up. In the Finder window that opens, navigate to the folder "Masters". Your missing images should be inside; the folder is structured by date of import.
Of course, the question is - why the masters for these few images are missing, when the other images in the same project that were imported/merged at the same time are fine.
Trying to do the library import/merge from iPhoto into Aperture again. Fingers crossed. Will report back on the result.

Photos are not showing up in Finder

I am using Aperture 3.2.4 on an iMac purchased in July 2011.
This is a new problem...suddenly none of the photos that I have imported into Aperture and then renamed are showing up the Finder. By renamed, I mean it is a photo I gave a new version name to by using the metadata tab. (Ex: "IMG_5678" was renamed "6.1.12 John & Jane").
I imported a bunch of photos last week after returning from a vacation. In the Finder I can see most of the projects, but inside the projects only the versions still labelled IMG_XXXX are showing. Any versions that I renamed are not there. And the project I created called Photo Album - which has only renamed versions in it - doesn't show up at all. This was not the case 4 days ago, because I downloaded the photo album to Facebook. (I did so manually through FB, choosing the photos in the Finder, not through the FB button in Aperture).
Its not just an issue with these new vacation photos, but with all photos I have imported directly into Aperture...
When we bought this iMac last July, the Apple store downloaded a bunch of our PC data into it, including loading all of our photos into iPhoto. About a month later I moved all the photos from iPhoto to Aperture. The photos imported from iPhoto are all showing up in the finder just fine, and are organized into the folders just like they are in Aperture. Ex:
Main Folder: Photos 2010
     Subfolder: Thailand April 2010
          All the projects then show up, with all their versions (renamed or not), including the Photo Album project
     Subfolder: New Orleans May 2010
          All the projects then show up, with all their versions (renamed or not), including the Photo Album project
So these are still perfect in the Finder.
When I click on the Photos 2011 folder, the photos pre-August (the ones imported from our old PC and then from iPhoto) show up just fine. But from August-December, all I get are projects (not organized into their folders), and the renamed photos have disappeared, as have the Photo Album projects. (Again, the Photo Albums contain only renamed versions. But the Photo Album project doesn't show up empty, it simply doesn't show up at all).
When I click on the Photos 2012 folder, all photos imported directly into Aperture, I get the same problem: a list of projects, not organized into their folders, all of the renamed versions within the projects have disappeared, as have the Photo Album projects.
I've tried restarting the computer, hoping it would 'reload' the photos into the Finder, but no.
Can anyone help?

"Photo" has no useful meaning in Aperture.
You import files. Once imported, Aperture refers to them as "Masters" (prior to 3.3) or "Originals" (3.3). Keeping with this new change, I will refer to them as "Originals". Every Original shows in Aperture as an Image. Every Image has a Version. The Version has a name. The Version is actually a text file that contains instructions on what changes to make to the Original in order to show you the Image. The Version and the Original are not the same (one is an image-format file, the other is a text file), even though the Image of the Version and the Image of the Original may appear to be identical.
Within Aperture you work with Images. Since every Image has a unique Version, Images are often called "Versions".
Originals can have several Versions.
Aperture never alters your Originals.
Aperture either stores your Originals inside the Aperture Library (in which case they are called "Managed" Originals) or lets you put them on any locally mounted drive on your system (in which case they are called "Referenced" Masters).
When you want an image-format file to share with another program, you create one by exporting a Version or an Original. "Export" means "make me an image-format file that looks like this". You set the format and the parameters for that format in an Image Export Preset.
Aperture is an image-manager, not a file-manager. There _cannot_ be a one-to-one correspondence between Images in Aperture and their locations in the Library structure you create, and files in Finder and their locations in the Finder folders you create. Images are not files; Aperture Folders are not Finder folders.
I can't tell from your description whether you have any Referenced Originals or not.
Once you import a file into Aperture and it becomes an Original, you must never move or alter it with any program other than Aperture (or -- as of Monday -- the newest version of iPhoto).
My general suggestion for those having difficulties like you are, is to select all your Images (by, yes, clicking the misnamed "Photos" near the top of the Library tab of the Inspector) and run "File➞Consolidate Masters". This will move any Referenced Originals to inside Aperture's Library (and thus convert them to Managed Masters). Take advantage of Aperture's strong and robust organizing tools. Build a structure of Projects, Albums, and Folders that gives you the storage and retrieval capabilities you want. Use it. When you need image-format files to share with other programs, create them by exporting. Do not use Finder to organize your Originals. Do not use Finder to look for your Originals. Do not use Finder for image-management.
HTH.
Message was edited by: Kirby Krieger -- many minor.

Travel workflow problems.

I apologize in advance for the length of this question.
When I travel, I carry a MB Air with OS X 10.9.1 and Aperture 3.5.1. I create managed Libraries on a 500GB EHD (or two).
I will certainly do some deleting and minimal editing.
When I get home I transfer the travel Library to my iMac (27" 2013, same configuration) desktop. I open the Library in Aperture but rebuild it first as this sometimes helps the below problem. I then merge the travel library to my present iMac Aperture working managed Library. (I create a new Library for each year on the iMac.)
Now I carry out my real editing etc. on the home Aperture. When I go to open my Projects there will be random images that have the dreaded yellow triangle, the files can't be found. If I reload that Project, once or sometimes more from the travel library I will often get rid of the triangle.
I just went through this with ten projects, last week. Finally all files were present and accounted for. However today out of the blue the warning badge showed up on all the images in one project. Having saved the travel library, I was able to reload that project and I have access to the images again.
For me what this means is that I have to store my travel Libraries even after thay are merged with my home Library. This is obviously a PITA and takes up space. My home Libraries are stored on a Drobo 5D. I never have that problem with images downloaded from a CF card to the home Library. If I go to "Find Referenced Files" it lists the missing images but I think it says they are on the Drobo. (Same thing however used to happen with my old Mac Pro System and WD EHDs.) Sorry I did not copy the field.
Any ideas as to what is going on? If it happens again should I just rebuild the home Library to see if the missing files will be found? Can I ever trust my system so that I don't have to keep all my (redundant) travel Libraries?

SMB 2 wrote:
When you get the chance can you briefly outline your merging steps.
Thanks.
Hi. There are no steps .   In my "master" Library I run "File➞Import➞Library" and select my travel Library. If prompted, I select "Add".) I do other things for hours. When the merge is finished, I close Aperture, re-open it, and let it run unmolested overnight. Then I close it again, reopen it, and look to see if anything is amiss.
More fully, when traveling I hew to the following:
(First let's change our terms. I am now going to call my "master" Library my Home Library and the Libraries I use when traveling Travel Libraries.)
Clean up Home Library
     Empty Aperture Trash
     Repair Database
     Confirm that no Originals are missing; confirm that all Originals are where I think they are
Create new Travel Library     Select a few Images and run "File➞Export➞{items} as Library"
Move that Library to an EHD. Rename EHD to match expected contents.
Prepare second EHD as back up for EHD with Travel Library.     Rename to match, e.g.: "Travel Library BU".
Travel
Record data
Import recorded data files into Travel Library
Back-up EHD before re-formatting camera cards !! (I use SuperDuper and clone drives.)
Codify, tag, develop Images in Travel Library as time permits
Return home.      Travel Library EHD stays with me (along with cameras, etc.). Travel Library back up EHD goes in checked bag.
Clean up Travel Library     (As above for Home Library)
Import Travel Library into Home Library     "File➞Import➞Library"
Let Aperture run with Home Library loaded, unmolested, overnight. (Voodoo, but with some justification.)
Close and re-open Aperture. Give it all the time it wants when closing.
Confirm import
     All Projects and Images present?
     Project descriptions and Image metadata intact and complete?
     All Originals accounted for and where I expect them to be?
Back up Home Library using standard Home back up procedure
Relocate managed Originals to EHD dedicated to Originals of Home Library Images
Back up dedicated EHD using standard Home back up procedure
Back up Home Library again, using standard Home back up procedure
Erase EHD with Travel Library; erase EHD with Travel Library back-up     I have a working copy and two back-ups. I confirmed that the working copy is good prior to backing up. I erase the drives now, so that I won't hesitate to use them later. (Three months from now I don't want to pick up the former Chile Travel Library EHD and ask myself, "Oh -- this has my files from Chile. Is it OK to erase these?")
The principle is basic: always have two back-up copies, on separate devices, of all your files, and never have the working copy and both back-up copies in the same physical location. When traveling, this is impractical, but the above is, imho, a good compromise.
Clearly that covers a good bit more than just merging, but I thought it might prove useful.
--Kirby.

Will Aperture backup to a vault with daisy chained external hard drives

I am moving my Aperture library to a 6TB external drive. I want to back that up to a disaster drive consisting of 2 g-drives daisy chained, one 2TB and the other 4TB.
Will Aperture recognize the daisy chained drives as a single drive and backup the Aperture library to these drives as a single vault?

Caveat: answering your question requires one to make lots of assumptions, any one of which might change the answer. I do not know if Aperture would do so or not but personally I would not recommend it.
Note that daisy-chaining is simply a method of connecting drives; the drives themselves each remain fully independent. One needs to build a RAID array to combine independent volumes, and that is usually best done with fairly identical drives rather than with a 4TB and a 2TB.
I strongly believe that unless one is a true mass-storage expert very large Managed-Originals Libraries should be avoided. IMO far preferable is to instead use Refererenced-Originals Libraries.
Databases invariably perform better in numerous ways when smaller.
-Allen

Need help moving photos to external drive

Hi, all--here's hoping one or more of you Aperture veterans can help.
Here's my situation: I'm not new to photography, but I'm new to Aperture. Just bought 3.3 and still getting to know what it can do. I'm an emigre from iPhoto, and one of the reasons I upgraded within Apple is that I was tired of the non-intuitive nature of PS Elements. I like to take pictures, not spend endless time in the dim glow of a screen digging through sub-menus for stuff, and from what I read, Aperture seemed more intuitive.
But now I've got a seemingly very basic problem that hours of poring over discussion threads and searching through the hundreds of pages of the manual has done little to address with any clarity:
How do I move (not just copy) older photos in projects to external drives, but in such a way that Aperture still keeps track of them, even when the drives are not connected? (The Aperture marketing I read/viewed clearly said Aperture could do this, and I'm running out of space on my MacBook Pro (15" from about 2008, running Lion) with lots of CF cards piling up.)
Info that may help:
-I need to move not just original (imported into iPhoto directly from the camera) photos, but also those I've adjusted in Elements, then re-exported into iPhoto (I would say "and now into Aperture," but as you know, there's no longer an import process b/w iPhoto and Aperture).
-I shoot mostly RAW.
-I have no idea whether the pictures are "Referenced" or "Managed" (for space reasons, I have yet to import any files directly into Aperture; all existing photos are from iPhoto, and if I was given an option when I set up Aperture, I don't now recall it).
-I have external drives with plenty of space to move older pix to (I also have multiple backups, including Time Machine, additional external hard drives, and DVDs)
Can somebody who knows how to do this safely please explain in clear language how to move photos as projects onto external hard drives so that Aperture keeps track of them via viewable thumbnails, even when the photo files themselves live on a hard drive that is not connected at the time?
Thanks in advance!

First things first:
You can easily check if an image is managed or referenced by ctrl-clicking on an image version and selecting "Locate referenced files...". If Aperture says "No Referenced Files", your originals are managed by Aperture and stored within the library itself, otherwise it should show you the location of the original, and give you some options to verify the references and so on. I don't know which method is used when importing from iPhoto.
Now, here's something you need to ask yourself:
Does it make more sense for you to keep the library on your laptop and the originals on an external drive, or does it make more sense to move both the library and the originals to the external drives?
In the first case, you can open and look at the thumbnails, but there's not a whole lot else you can do with your images when the external drive is off line.
If you have vast amounts of originals, spread across multiple drives, it might make sense to keep the library on your laptop and connect whichever external drive you need at the time. However, it might also make more sense to split such a huge library into mutiple libraries, stored with their respective originals (which could be either managed or referenced).
In my case, it makes sense to keep multiple libraries, with managed originals, but your mileage may vary.
Here's a tip that might help you decide: A small library is quicker to navigate and work with than a huge one, although performance has improved vastly with later versions of Aperture.
Once you have decided on the appropriate organization, you can start moving things around (after you've created the appropriate backups):
If your library contains all managed originals already, and you want to move the entire library off to the external drive:Simply drag and drop the library itself (using Finder) to the new location.
If your library use referenced originals, and you want to keep it that way, or your library manages your originals, and you want to start using referenced originals:
Select all your images
Click on the File menu and select Relocate Originals...
Locate the destination for your originals, and pay special attention to the "Subfolder Format" and "Name Format". I'd suggest choosing "Project Name" and "Original File Name" for the two.
Click on Relocate Originals, and twiddle your thumbs while Aperure moves all your originals to the new location.
If your library uses referenced originals, and you wish to let your library manage the originals:
Select all your images
Click on the File menu and select Consolidate Originals...
Decide if you want to Copy or Move the originals into the library. If you're running out of space, it might be best to Move.
Click Ok, and wait for the operation to complete.
(Optional) If you wish to move your entire library to the external drive, drag and drop the library to the new location.
I hope that answers your question.
Message was edited by: KluZz (oops, premature submission)

Phantom managed originals

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