"Photos" lost my iphoto library

I need help......I had over 4000 photos in my iphoto library My Macbook pro was upgraded to "Photos"
and now I only have 57 photos??????? Can't find my iphoto library......
Any ideas????

Thanks....yes found iphoto in launcher....all good now...

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Hi - we have 'lost' photos in the iphoto library

Hi - we have 'lost' photos in the iphoto library & relevant albums & slideshows frm 2009-2012; they are shown as empty. Older photos (pre 2009) were backed up & are all there in the library, album and slideshows although jumbled up in the library - this totals 1239 items, when there should be 10,000. We don't really know when this occurred - although photos from August 2011 were put on the computer around Xmas time - since that period this has occurred. Also when we try to open a 'empty' slideshow, the iphoto application often automatically closes.
OS is v10.4.11, iphoto v6.0.6.
Only 3.5GB of 149GB is free on HD.
Restarting didn't help.
We have a LaCie external HD which we were going to use to do a backup and to transfer the Iphoto library across to, to then delete older photos in the main Mac HD and free up space; this is when we noticed the lost photos. We have not plugged in the external HD at all yet.
Pls help. Thanks

Hi Barry
thanks for your response.
After digging around the pictures folder on the mac HD I found all the rolls located under pictures/iphotolibrary/originals - here it appears all recent photos are present in folders by year, and can be viewed in preview as jpegs.
Before trying a rebuild of the iphoto library - and viewing various related posts- I did a drag and drop of the entire pictures folder onto a external hard drive as a back up.
I have now tried to do a rebuild with the original mac HD iphoto folder but it is still the same - only early pre 2009 photos shown.
I have tried to create a new iphoto library using the external HD - When I try to create a new iphoto library from the external HD it only shows the same as the one currently on the mac HD however if go to next level down and I select the originals folder it appears that all 16000 photos are now being imported but none of the albums and slideshows are retained.
Any further thoughts on this?
Thanks

I've lost my photos (crashed hdd, iPhoto library on Time Machine corrupt too). Is there a way to create a picture from the thumbnail that remains in iPhoto? The quality is obviously poor, but better than nothing.

I've lost my photos (crashed hdd, iPhoto library on Time Machine corrupt too). Is there a way to create a picture from the thumbnail that remains in iPhoto? The quality is obviously poor, but better than nothing.

Time machine should have a good copy - how are you determining that it is corrupt
If you want the thumbnails as photos right click on the iPhoto library and make a copy of the data folder and then import it into a new iPhoto library - it contains your thumbnails
LN

Installed YOSEMITE. Lost entire iPhoto Library on my iMac. Tried Apple's UPGRADER 6 times. No LUCK. Please help.

Installed YOSEMITE. Lost entire iPhoto Library on my iMac. Tried Apple's UPGRADER 6 times. No LUCK. Please help.

Your iPhoto library is usually kept in your pictures folder. Did you look there? If it is still there then you did lose your photos. Just need to get the iPhoto app at the latest level.

I have 1000 photos in an iPhoto Library that won't import into Photos because it says the metadata can't be read. Yet those JPG files open just fine in iPhoto, GraphicConverter, et al. What gives?

I have 1000 photos in an iPhoto Library that won't import into Photos because it says the metadata can't be read. Yet those JPG files open just fine in iPhoto, GraphicConverter, et al. Any thoughts?

It’s part of the basic install of OS X. So unless you deleted it then it’s there in your apps folder. If you have deleted it, it’s on the System Restore disks that came with your Mac. You will be able to extract the installation package using Pacifist.
Alternatively, if you’re using almost any camera +apart from a Canon+ then the camera card is visible on the desktop and you can drag the movie to the desktop using the Finder and import from there.
No matter what camera you use, if you pop the card from it into a USB Card Reader then it will be accessible via the Finder. Card Readers are inexpensive and all round a better idea.
Why use a Card Reader?
Because it’s safer: Less risk of your images being lost if your camera shuts down during transfer.
Because it saves the battery on your camera
Because it saves wear and tear on your camera ports
Because it’s almost always faster.
Regards
TD

Moving photos from one iPhoto library to another

Is there a way to move photos from one iPhoto library to another? I tried to use export, and that puts the photos in the other iPhoto library (I can see the photo if I open Hard drive>user>pictures>iPhoto Library but when I open iPhoto it is not in that Library's library.
If I have not made myself clear, please ask and I'll try again.
Dave

sudkcore
Is there really no other way than via third party software??
Yes there is, detailed above: export from one, import to another.
I love using iPhoto but this is a real drawback.
Wow, really?
I have bought an external disk so i can free the space on my laptop by moving photos and now I have to buy some software in order to do that??
You don't have to buy it. What's more the free version of iPhoto Library Manager will move up to 20 pics at a time. And the paid version is only $20.
BTW: you can run an entire library from the external disk:
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library Folder as an entity from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
3. Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new location. From that point on this will be the default location of your library.
4. Test the library and when you're sure all is well, trash the one on your internal HD to free up space.
Regards
TD

How do I transfer selected photos from one iPhoto library to another?

How do I transfer selected photos from one iPhoto library to another?

iPhoto Library Manager - http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/ -
Generally it is not advised to have multiple Photo libraries - but if you do you need IPLM to manage them
LN

I'm trying to import photos from my iphoto library, but keep getting a message saying I cant import from 7.1.5, that I need to upgrade to 7.1.5 or later. But I have version 8.1.2. I don't know what to do. I've been able to import in the past.

I'm trying to import photos from my iphoto library, but keep getting a message saying I cant import from 7.1.5, that I need to upgrade to 7.1.5 or later. But I have version 8.1.2. I don't know what to do. I've been able to import in the past.

Sounds like an issue with the iPhoto Library
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 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

I am having a problem when I try to select a photo or itunes song in Imovie or other programs. I get a window with grey lettering that says: "Open Itunes to populate this list" or "Open iphoto to see photos from your iPhoto library in this list. I have t

I am having a problem when I try to select a photo or itunes song in Imovie or other programs. I get a window with grey lettering that says: "Open Itunes to populate this list" or "Open iphoto to see photos from your iPhoto library in this list. I have tried relaunching programs and nothing appears. Seemed to start happening a while back after one of my system upgrades.

After a a lengthy conversation with Apple Tech. ($20), my problem seems to be solves. The Iphoto problem solved by trashing the plist file. The Itunes was more involved. We had to create a new Itunes folder and import the files into the new folder; and then import the playlists.

IMac 20-inch on OSX 10.7.4 running iphoto 11, my photos from my iphoto library have been deleted. I have time machine but the iphoto library file is missing when I access time machine, help please.

I have an imac 20-inch Late 2006 model on OSX 10.7.4 running iphoto 11, somehow the application ccleaner has deleted my photos from my iphoto library. I have time machine but the iphoto library file is missing when I access time machine.
To restore photos I have followed the steps below
Quit iPhoto.
Connect your Time Machine drive.
In the Finder, open the folder containing your iPhoto Library. Unless you've moved your iPhoto Library, it can be found in Home/Pictures/iPhoto Library.
Enter Time Machine. (Time Machine can be found in the Dock or in the /Applications folder.)
Choose your desired backup. The timeline on the right side of the screen displays a purple tick mark for each of the backups stored on your Time Machine drive.
Select the iPhoto library you would like to restore, and click the Restore button.
I dont get the option in step 6 as I dont have an iphoto library file to choose? Does anyone know why?

Hi Barry
Thanks but as mentioned all is intact, even at step 3 I can see the current library in Home/Pictures/iPhoto Library which has no photos, but when I access time machine any point before the NOW option the iphoto library in Home/Pictures/iPhoto Library is missing from the finder window.
As you can see here it is
and now its gone. I have no explanantion.
How do I go about moving this question as you suggested.

I deleted unwanted photos from my iPhoto library, emptied iPhoto trash & Finder trash... this did not free up disk space. please help!

I deleted unwanted photos from my iPhoto library, emptied iPhoto trash & Finder trash... this did not free up disk space. please help!
I have a 15-inch MacBook Pro (Late 2011) with OS X Mavericks 10.9.5
Last week, my 500 GB Harddrive had 120 GB free space. I was feeling crumby and decided to make productive use of taking a day off to lounge around. I snuggled up with my laptop and dedicated hours to meticulously combing through my iPhoto Library. I had 13,000 pictures, and I got rid of those I didn't want. Having said "sayōnara" to about 6,500 pictures, I then emptied the iPhoto trash and the Finder trash. I took delight in the iconic paper crumpling sound of them vanishing into the digital void.
Everything seemed perfect: the photos I loved were still there, the photos I loathed were gone, both trashes were beautifully empty. Having thrown away all of those awful, boring, and unflattering images of poorly light lunches and selfies gone wrong, my iPhoto library was half the size as before! I felt renewed, a little lighter, somehow more free, and I expected my hard drive to be a bit different to.
I eagerly checked my storage stats. My heart sank to see that my 120 GB of free space, was still only 120 GB of free space. I restarted my MacBook; this did not help. I restarted it the next day; this also did not help. It's been 5 days and the hard drive still has 120 GB free space. This is not an emergency and it will probably be a good while before I clutter my laptop to the brim. Yet while I am glad I don't have to see cringeworthy pictures of my ex's unmentionables every time I'm showing off things I do want to remember, I'm still disappointed and now obsessed with solving this mystery.
What is going on? I don't see them, so where are they hiding? How do I get the free space I should have earned from throwing away 1,000's of photos?!

Thank you, Terence!
Yes, I only emptied the trash when it was really full, once I waited until the trash cans contained 2,600 photos and then I emptied them - Oooops! In the future, I'll keep in mind your suggestion of deleting less than 100 photos at a time.
I downloaded the iPhoto Library Manager and used it to rebuild my iPhoto. After a few hours of rebuilding, it generated a new copy of my iPhoto Library. This versions was nearly identical to the original (it was missing 5 photos and was therefore only 5 mb smaller). I guess my Library wasn't defective.
I checked my storage stats, and interestingly, using iPhoto Library Manager did help with the problem that developed after I re-indexed my hard drive. My hard drive is able to properly recognize data categories again, instead of listing almost everything as "Other". Understandably, my free disk space changed from 120 GB to about 60 GB, because my hard drive now contained a second copy of my iPhoto Library as well as iPhoto Library Manager. It seemed like all I needed to do was throw these away, but when I emptied the trash, my problem was not solved. My Hard drive now looked like this:
It appears to me that when I empty the trash, the things I throw away are just hanging around as backups instead of leaving! I went into System Preferences and turned of my time machine OFF. Now my hard drive looks likes this:
The back ups of the iPhoto files, and the program which I deleted, are still on my hard drive some where but now they are listed as "Other" instead of "Backups". Do you know where they might be and how I can delete them for good?

I just purchased Aperture and have 20,000 photos in my iPhoto Library. Can I import only certain events from iPhoto into Aperture or do I have to merge the whole iPhoto library?

I just purchased Aperture and have 20,000 + photos in my iPhoto Library. I see that I can create a unified library between the two. I am wondering if I can import only certain events from iPhoto (like only 2014 events) into Aperture or do I have to merge the whole iPhoto library? Are there any benefits to bringing the whole iPhoto library over to Aperture (iPhoto is SO SLOW for me, I wonder if it is because I have so many photos). Or, any detriment to only bring a few events over?
And, if I don't merge the two libraries, I assume that means I cannot do it at a later date?
Help. My local Apple store has had very few Aperture workshops, and the next one is like 2 months away.

Thank you so much for this information. Here are some responses/comments:
Disk space - it says 114.43 GB out of 499.25 GB free. I have no idea if that is enough.
iPhoto version is 9.5.1
Again, I am not sure how to know if I have 3rd party software...but I don't think I do. Is 3rd party software anything non-apple?
I will try rebuilding the library. if that doesn't help, maybe I need more memory...? That is what Apple suggested, but that, of course, means buying something else. I've already bought APERTURE, on their recommendation...
It wasn't, and they told me it was slow because I had too many photos for iPhoto to handle and that I should buy Aperture. Which I did.
What is your iPhoto version? Are you using the most recent version 9.5.1?
iPhoto can handle 20000 photos, no problem. Your computer can be slow for several reasons:
The most common problem for slowness - insufficient disk space. Don't let your free disk space drop below 20 GB of free space, better more. If the operating system does not have enough working space and the applications you are using, you will notice a very lagging behaviour.
Older or incompatible softweare can cripple your mac. Do you have any older third-party software installed, that might have installed incompatible kernel extensions?
Aperture might be slow or keep crashing, if you imported a corrupted image or incompatible video, that cannot be processed. Then Aperture will try over and over again to create previews and never succeed. You could test for this situation, by launching Aperture with the Shift-key held down. This will defer the generation of previews. If Aperture will launch and work better this way, you probably have some bad media in your photo library.
Another problem to check for is a corruption of your Aperture/iPhoto library. You have run the First Aid Tools to repair the iPhoto Library, but have you ever tried to rebuild the library? See this post by Old Toad: Rebuild iPhoto Version 11

I was trying to move my photos from the iPhoto library to an external hard drive. I now have a desktop display of thousands of cascading photos. How do I remove them from my desktop screen?

I was trying to move my photos from the iPhoto library to an external hard drive. I now have a desktop display of thousands of cascading photos. How do I remove them from my desktop screen?

Strangely enough we can not see you so it really helps if you share with use exactly what you have, exactly what you did and details about the problem
what version of iPhoto and of the OS? What exact steps did you do? where are you seeing these "thousands of cascading photos" now and using what software and what exactly did you want to accomplish
The correct way to move your iphoto library to an external drive is to verify the drive is formatted Mac OS extended (journal) and then drag the iphotl library intact as a single entity to is
The correct way to move some or all of your photos is to select them in iphoto and export 9file menu ==> export -- https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4921 ) to the external drive
LN

How do i find duplicate photos in my iPhoto library?

How do i find duplicate photos in my iPhoto library?

These applications will identify and help remove duplicate photos from an iPhoto Library:
iPhoto Library Manager - $29.95
Duplicate Annihilator - $7.95 - only app able to detect duplicate thumbnail files or faces files when an iPhoto 8 or earlier library has been imported into another.
PhotoSweeper - $9.95 - This app can search by comparing the image's bitmaps or histograms thus finding duplicates with different file names and dates.
DeCloner - $19.95 - can find duplicates in iPhoto Libraries or in folders on the HD.
DupliFinder - $7 - shows which events the photos are in.
iPhoto AppleScript to Remove Duplicates - Free
PhotoDedupo - $4.99 (App Store) - this app has a "similar" search feature which is like PhotoSweeper's bitmap comparison. It found all duplicates
Duplicate Cleaner for iPhoto - free - was able to recognize the duplicated HDR and normal files from an iPhone shooting in HDR
Some users have reported that PhotoSweeper did the best in finding all of the dups in their library: iphoto has duplicated many photos, how...: Apple Support Communities.
If you have an iPhone and have it set to keep the normal photo when shooting HDR photos the two image files that are created will be duplicates in a manner of speaking (same image) but there are only twp apps that detected the iPhone HDR and normal photos as being duplicates: PhotoSweeper and Duplicate Cleaner for iPhoto. None of the other apps detected those two files as being duplicates as they look for file name as well as other attributes and the two files from the iPhone have different file names.
iPLM, however, is the best all around iPhoto utility as it can do so much more than just find duplicates. IMO it's a must have tool if using iPhoto.

Photos scanned to iPhoto Library can't be found!

I scanned some photos from my new Canon CanoScan 8800F, using both the PhotoStudio and Photoshop Elements 4.0 programs that came with the scanner. I saved them to my iPhoto Library, but when I go to iPhoto they are nowhere to be found, in the Last Import or anywhere else. When I try to import them using File>Import feature, they show up but are grayed out, as they are if I look for them in the Finder. However, I can still open them up in both PhotoStudio and Photoshop. So, I then copied them to my desktop from those programs and tried to drag them into iPhoto - whereupon iPhoto says they are already there! I scanned them as jpegs, and the first 4 or 5 photos I scanned worked just fine. Shut down and reopened iPhoto - no dice. ARGHHHH! Please help! Thanks.

Tuco
Welcome to the Apple user to user assistance forums
I scanned some photos from my new Canon CanoScan 8800F, using both the PhotoStudio and Photoshop Elements 4.0 programs that came with the scanner. I saved them to my iPhoto Library, but when I go to iPhoto they are nowhere to be found, in the Last Import or anywhere else. When I try to import them using File>Import feature, they show up but are grayed out, as they are if I look for them in the Finder. However, I can still open them up in both PhotoStudio and Photoshop. So, I then copied them to my desktop from those programs and tried to drag them into iPhoto - whereupon iPhoto says they are already there! I scanned them as jpegs, and the first 4 or 5 photos I scanned worked just fine. Shut down and reopened iPhoto - no dice. ARGHHHH! Please help! Thanks.
Rule 1 - Never, Never, Never modify the content of the iPhoto library - doing so will not work and may corrupt your library
Since you have places photo in the iPhoto library that it does not know about you must remove them from the iphoto library - backup first and be extremely careful not to make any other changes - and then import them to iPhoto.
iPhoto is a database and for it to know about photos they must be imported into iPhoto - and you can not import photos from within the iPhoto library into the iPhoto library
LN

"Photos" lost my iphoto library

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