Pictures disappearing from my Iphoto library

My pictures I import to my Imac- to my Iphoto library keep disappearing. The folder in events are still listed but the pictures are no longer there. How can I recover my pics and why is this happening? How can I stop this from happening, I keep losing pictures and have no idea why. This doesn't happen all the time but it has happened twice this week. The folder is there but the pics are missing. Could this be because I have too many pictures in my library? If someone could help me I would appreciate it!
Thank you,
Marcella

Hi Marcella,
If 10.7.0 or later...
Bootup holding CMD+r, or the Option/alt key to boot from the Restore partition & use Disk Utility from there to Repair the Disk, then Repair Permissions.

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How can I restore a whole folder which (containing multiple albums) has disappeared - has disappeared from my iPhoto Library (using Aperture 3.5.1)?

Last time I saw the folder, it had somehow moved inside another large folder, so I remember trying to move it back to its correct place. Now it has vanished completely - along with all the albums and as far as I can see the events and photos to boot. Searching for some of the album titles brings up none of them. And they're not in the trash.However, if I open the Library in iPhoto, the search button does find some of the missing photos - where Apertues found none. Why should that be? I'm trying to restore the iPhotoLibrary from an arbitrary date a month ago in my CrashPlan database - this will take over two days. I used Time Machine to restore the Library as it was one month ago, but no dice. Does anybody have any ideas??
Many thanks in advance!
Giorni
OS X 10.9

I assume, you already checked, if the search filters in the Browser and Viewer are cleared?
Have you tried to repair or to rebuild the library?
To use the Aperture Library First Aid tools:
Press and hold the Option and Command keys as you start Aperture. The Aperture Library First Aid dialog will appear and offer the following three troubleshooting options:
Repair Permissions. Some issues in Aperture may be caused by incorrect permissions for items in the library. To correct the permissions for your library, select the option to Repair Permissions then click the Repair button. You must authenticate with a user name and password for a user account with administrative access to perform this operation.
Repair Database. Sometimes internal structures within the library may become damaged and cause unexpected behavior; you can use Repair Database to try to correct the issue. Select the option to Repair Database then click the Repair button.
Rebuild Database. For more severe issues that can't be corrected with Repair Permissions or Repair Database, you can try Rebuild Database. It is strongly recommended that you have a complete backup of your Aperture library before performing this operation, either in the form of a recently updated vault, or a Time Machine backup. Select the option to Rebuild Database then click the Rebuild button in the Aperture Library First Aid dialog.

Missing Photos from my Iphoto library, Please Help!

#1 Woke up yesterday and noticed there are many pictures missing from my Iphoto library.
#2 The folders are still there but there are NO picture in some of them EVEN though my total picture count remains the same. About 25k pics.
#3 I do a google and some forums suggest "rebuilding" the photo album THROUGH my Iphoto Photo Library.
#4 I go ahead and start the rebuilding process which seems conceivably at the rate its going, it might take maybe a full day or more!!
#5 My laptop FREEZES for some mucked up reason at about 5500 photos rebuilt so far. I am forced to force quit Iphoto and RESTART the whole process.
#6 Now during the "rebuild" process. The process stops at and ONLY recognizes up to the 5500 photos.
#7 Now my library ONLY says 5500 photos instead of the 25k
#8 All of my photo FOLDERS still remain.
#9 A little tidbit, I don't know why but my external 2tb hd is somehow connected to my Iphoto, where if my EX HD is not connected I will be missing many photos from my mac laptop Iphoto Library while disconnected.
#10 2 things, I have not backed up my library since Dec 2010, BUT i also have added very little photo since then.
PLEASE HELP ME KIND MAC PEOPLE, What can I do? Where have all my photos in my library gone? Why will it only rebuild now only to 5500 photos. Please shoot my some ideas and help if you can. Thank you very much for your kind advice and help! Humbly "Devastated" for these photos are work and family irreplacable :[

It is unlikely that your problem is a corruped preference file - the correction for that is
A good general step for strange issues is to renew the iPhoto preference file - quit iPhoto and go to "your user name" ==> library ==> preferences ==> com.apple.iPhoto.plist and trash it - launch iPhoto which creates a fresh new default preference file and reset any personal preferences you have changed and if you have moved the iPhoto library repoint to it. This may help
This does not affect your photos or any database information (keywords, faces, places, ratings, etc) in any way - they are stored in the iPhoto library - the iPhoto preference file simply controls how iPhoto works - which is why renewing it is a good first step.
It is likely that you have a corrupted library - and backups are NOT just to protect against hardware failures
Note - things fail - software - computers - people - and if you do NOT always have a current backup you will lose all of your photos and other data sooner or later
And the managed library has NOTHING to do with the library you have selected - it has to do with iPhoto preferences you have selected -
Were the "missing" photos only missing when the EHD was no tavailable as you implied?
and do you have a default "managed" library (the iPhoto preference to "copy imported items to the iPhoto library is in its checked state) or a referenced library - if htat option checked or unchecked?
LN

Batches of pictures disappearing- from iPhoto folder as well as the viewer!

I've got a real ghost in the machine... twice in the last week, i have had a whole series of images completely disappear not just from the iPhoto library/viewer, but from the folders in iPhoto's home folder (both "originals" and "modified"). They are NOT in the Trash... there are still photos in iPhoto's trash that were there before, it hasn't been emptied.
Each time, about 60 photos, all in sequence, simply vanished. The first time, i still had the images on the cam card so i just re-uploaded them. But this time, i'd deleted the images from the cam... and was in between backups, so they are just gone.
in the iPhoto home folder, there are gaps in the numbering of the "rolls".. it will go from Roll 437 to Roll 439, with no 438, for example. Is that normal?.
the iMac has been having crashes where it wakes from sleep with most of the screen black, just fragmented video across the top, and frozen/SBOD. Usually the only way out is to shut it down with the power button and reboot (sometimes, i can get away with unplugging the Intuous tablet or other periphs and waking it up again).
Could this have something to do with disappearing images (and god knows what else is missing)? when i look in the iMac's trash, it has several Recovered Files folders from crashes. In each, there is a folder called iPhoto, but it is empty.
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(This is so strange!).
the other set of lost pictures was also from a single upload i think.
Message was edited by: lisajoy

I have been having the same issue I think. My Halloween roll disappeared sometime after I had uploaded most of it to MobileMe. 3/4 of my web galleries show gray outlines and run times (for movies), but no picture of movie. Sometimes it's the whole gallery, sometimes just a series of 4-10 shots.
Tried 'show in finder' and it went to empty dated folders. This is happening on both my iMac and MBP.
I can't say exactly how many photos have vanished from my iPhoto library, but I believe it's around 50-100. I have started to save the photos on my backup drive before importing in iPhoto, but i'd rather find a solution to get these photo-stealing poltergeists out of my machines.
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All of my pictures from my iPhoto library are gone after upgrading to Mavericks

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LN

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Launch iTunes on your Mac, connect the iPad.
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Pictures from my iphoto library can't be exported to word

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iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9) i am using iphoto 4

Your subject line says you can't export to Word, and your post says you cannot import into Word -- these are diametrically opposite problems. You have apparently described the distinction between a successful import and one that fails. If you are able to import photos from the desktop, then export your iPhoto images to the desktop, before you import the images to Word from the desktop.

Pictures disappear from iphoto

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- What version of the Operating System.
- Details. As full a description of the problem as you can. For example, if you have a problem with exporting, then explain by describing how you are trying to export, and so on.
- History: Is this going on long? Has anything been installed or deleted? - Are there error messages?
- What steps have you tried already to solve the issue.
- Anything unusual about your set up? Or how you use iPhoto?
Anything else you can think of that might help someone understand the problem you have.

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

Importing from one Iphoto Library to another

Hi,
Just wondering if you can help.
I have two Iphoto libraries and would like to consolidate them into one.
However, I want to import them in their current albums rather than as individual files as there is 31,000 of them and it will take forever to put them back into albums.
Is there anyway to do this?
Thanks for your help in advance.
Audrey

Like this with iPLM as Larry suggested.
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 08 libraries and Leopard. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Transferring from one iPhoto library to another

How do I import photos from an older iPhoto library to a new one, without creating duplicates?
If I import the old iPhoto library folder, I end up with duplicates (both the modified photos and the originals). If I import just the folder for modified photos, then I can't "revert to original."

nvanderkolk:
Welcome to the Apple Discussions. Does the new library have photos in it or is it new? If new and empty, move it to the trash and copy the old library folder into the Pictures folder. Download and run BatChmod on the iPhoto Library folder with the settings shown here, putting your administrator login name, long or short, in the owner and group sections. You can either type in the path to the folder or just drag the folder into that field. Then launch iPhoto and let it convert the old library to the new version complete with keywords, comments, albums, etc.
If the new library has photos in it and you want to keep the keywords, comments, etc. from the old library intact then try the following:
1 - rename the old library and put it in the Pictures folder along with the new library.
2 - run BatChmod on the old library folder as described above.
3 - launch iPhoto with the Option key depressed and, when asked, opt to select a library and select the old one. Let iPhoto convert it.
4 - download and use the paid version of iPhoto Library Manager to merge the two libraries. This will keep all your metadata intact.
If you don't need the keywords, etc. of the old library then all you need to do is drag the Originals folder from the old library folder into the open window of the new library. That will import the originals into events (if you have the Events preferences set like this) that correspond to the rolls you had in the old library.
Do you Twango?
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've written an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 08 libraries. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Pictures disappearing from my Iphoto library

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