Preview files in iphoto

Hello,
I'm trying to free up space on my HD. I'm using an application called Space Gremlin and it's showing huge numbers of "preview files" in iPhoto. We have an extensive collection of pictures in the iPhoto library...are these previews needed or can they be deleted?

Robert
Sorry to hear of your problems.
Right now I would concentrate on getting the pics back, and figure out the iPhoto part later.
Select one of the pics in the Finder and try change the file suffix: if it's pic.jpg, then try pic.JPG or .jpeg and see if that helps.
Try open the pics with Graphic Converter, which seems to be less fussy about things. You can download it here: http://www.lemkesoft.com/
BackUp (if this is the Apple App we're talking about) creates a pkg file. Can you see the one you restored from? Right click on it, and choose 'Show Package Files. Inside you'll find a .dmg file. This contains the actual files. Mount the dmg and see if you can find the files inside it. Can you view them in Preview?
Regards
TD

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Missing "Modified File" in iPhoto '11

When attempting to empty the Trash (at least that is what I thought I did) it actually started to delete files from my iPhoto library. At first I thought the actual "Original" however it turns out only "Modified" which is now redirected to Previews. (And no, I don't have any backup of it anymore as Timecapsule was nice enough to decide to delete older backups on its own)
In iPhoto I just see an exclamation mark and I can look at the original photo by going to edit.
Now, is there a way to at least put the original file to where the preview file should be? Knowing that I won't recover whatever was modified in the first place however at least in the library it shows up as ok?
Or is my only way to write some code that does that? (parse library, check for target file exists, if not copy original? - not very space eficient but I don't want to see those empty images anymore)
Thanks for any pointers!

The exclamation point indicates the iPhoto has broken the file path to the original image file. Make a temporary, backup copy (if you don't already have a backup copy) of the library and apply the two fixes below in order as needed:
Fix #1
Launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys held down and rebuild the library.
Select the options identified in the screenshot.
Fix #2
Using iPhoto Library Manager to Rebuild Your iPhoto Library
Download iPhoto Library Manager and launch.
Click on the Add Library button, navigate to your Home/Pictures folder and select your iPhoto Library folder.
Now that the library is listed in the left hand pane of iPLM, click on your library and go to the File ➙ Rebuild Library menu option
In the next window name the new library and select the location you want it to be placed.
Click on the Create button.
Note: This creates a new library based on the LIbraryData.xml file in the library and will recover Events, Albums, keywords, titles and comments but not books, calendars or slideshows. The original library will be left untouched for further attempts at fixing the problem or in case the rebuilt library is not satisfactory.
OT

Cannot import PDF files into iPhoto 4.0.3

Is it possible to import PDF files into iPhoto 4.0.3? I can't drag and drop them into iphoto folders without the "Unreadable Files" error. I have tried importing them through the iPhoto menu and still get the same results. I have tried importing the PDF files from several places such as my desktop because I wondered if the location of the original made a difference, but that doesn't seem to help. I didn't find anything when I searched for this problem here in the forum so I wondered if anyone else is having the same problems.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Morgan

No because I had iPhoto 4 open and tried to run the Save PDF to iPhoto on a book in that library. I think it's just the different data structure, etc.. It's just not compatible with Automator or at least that particular workflow. I tried printing to PDF from V4 and then do the Save to iPhoto from Preview with V4 open and I still get the error message. So iPhoto 4 is just not compatible with that workflow.
A workaround is to create a PDF file of the whole book and then manually save each page as a jpg file and import those. That's what I did for my first book. You could do a screen shot of each page in the preview mode and use those but the resolution will be limited to screen resolution, 72dip. You will get resolutions on the order of 150-200 dpi thru the Save As route in Preview or the Save to iPhoto automator method.
I'm sure you could create an Automator workflow that would take the PDF file and save each page as a jpg file and name it sequentially. I'll have to take a closer look at Automator soon.

Saving a book as a PDF file in 5.04 becomes a preview file

In iphoto 4 i would create lovely books then save as a PDF file which saved as an Acrobat Reader file and opened up just like a book. when i save as a pdf i am getting a preview file
not what i want! how do i get the acrobat reader back?? anyone????

Slideshow can be saved as QT movies but they would be way to big to email. If you can get them to a Windows machine it can view them if they have Quicktime for Windows installed. It's a free download from apple.
There's two ways to backup your library. The first is to save the entire iPhoto Library folder intact. Obviously that will keep all of your data intact, meta, iPhoto organizational, etc. It has to be small enough to be saved to a CD or DVD disk.
The other way is to burn to disk from within iPhoto portions of the iPhoto library, by albums or rolls, to disk. This will preserve any keywords, comments, and other organizational information that is in iPhoto.

Help with importing .mov file from iphoto

I have a casio exilim ex-z1080 digital camera. I have imported the jpg and mov files into iphoto, but can't seem to get it to import into imovie. i read a similar post to mine but could not understand. can anyone help in lay person's terms?
how do i get imovie to recognize the file?

What do you think is the best program to do this? is it QuickTime?
You can use MPEG Streamclip (free), GarageBand (part of iLife), or QT Pro ($30). Each will allow you to convert to any of the iMovie '08 compatible compression formats. (Just avoid Apple Animation and Apple Video which import and edit but do not export properly.) For simplicity, I would normally use use MPEG and convert to DV. This work flow produces a file that can be handled by almost any video editor and, since the format is very standardized, leaves few settings for the use to enter. All you really ned do is select the "Export to DV" File menu option, select any of the compression pop-ups (default DV25 is okay), enter your standard (NTSC or PAL), and set your aspect ratio (either 4:3 or 16:9). It is also a good habit to resample the audio to 48 Khz for consistency. Other that that, you can generally ignore the other settings. (You can also make adjustments to volume, brightness, contrast, and saturation as part of the conversion, but this isn't necessary if you are going to edit in iMovie '08 anyway.) The nice thing about this application is that it sets the anamorphic flag as part of your conversion which iMovie '08 uses in conjunction with the project properties to properly preview (or pad for preview when aspect of project does not match aspect of source file) and to set proper export dimensions (padded or otherwise) for the project aspect ratio output.

Problem viewing Nikon RAW (NEF) files in iphoto 6

Hi
I just got a new MBP and tried to import images from my Nikon D80. Trouble is these images are neither recognised on import, nor do they show up in the library if I manually copy them into the directory.
Has anyone else managed to view these files in iphoto without first converting them to jpegs in another package. I wouldn't mind but I only have photoshop on my PC desktop and was hoping I could make do with iphoto on the mac for the short/medium term.
Mac Book Pro Mac OS X (10.4.8)

James
Have you installed the RAW update:
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/digitalcamerarawsupportupdate101universal .html
About this update
Mac OS X Tiger provides support for a variety of popular digital camera and image file formats. Applications such as Aperture, iPhoto and Preview utilize this support to work with digital camera RAW files. This update improves RAW file format compatibility for the following digital SLR cameras:
-Canon Digital Rebel XTi / 400D / Kiss X Digital
-Nikon D80
-Pentax *ist DS
Other issues addressed:
-Handling of large Canon RAW files (.CRW)
-DNG compatibility on Intel-based Macs
-Lines sometimes appearing in images exported from Aperture
... nor do they show up in the library if I manually copy them into the directory.
As a general rule putting files into the iPhoto Library Folder is not a good idea. iPhoto is a database, and the pics have to be imported into the app to be recognised. Further 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
Regards
TD

IPhoto: How can I import pdf files into iPhoto?

It seemed to work before but I can no longer import pdf files into iPhoto. What heppened and how can fix it? Many thanks in advance ... Abe

Have you tried opening the PDF in Preview and printing using the PDF option selecting save PDF to iPhoto?
LN

Opening RAW files with iPhoto 06- Nikon D200

Is there any way to open RAW files with iPhoto 06 ? I have a Nikon D200.

I'm puzzled - I cannot even open them in preview - it flashes and then says its unsupported. DOes it matterwhat type of RAW you choose?
I open them fine in Photoshop Elements, would rather load them up in iPhoto for storage though.

Cannot open a set of files in iPhoto

I was uploading photos from my camera and the battery went out - because I was uploading such a huge card, I had to do it three times before it was successful. No problems in iPhoto but after a couple months I noticed that in addition to my original files e.g. IMG_2070, there were IMG20701 and IMG20702 files in the Library. Stupidly concerned that I was wasting space, I deleted the _1 and _2 files. Now I can't read any of the files in iphoto although when I click on the "original" files themselves, they open just fine in Preview, I can upload/email them, etc. It also seems iPhoto has created "ghost" _1 files, not sure why, but they have zero size and won't open. Also, the orientation of all the vertical photos is now horizontal.
Is there a way to fix this? I unfortunately deleted the files from the sd card so I have to work with what's left here, if possible. I am normally not so foolish so trust that you can walk me through fixing my mistake and thank you in advance!

pointofit:
Welcome to the Apple Discussions. How did you delete those "extra" files? From the Finder or from within iPhoto? If it was from the Finder then you've committed the cardinal sin of iPhoto and may have damaged the library as far as those particular files are concerned. Evidently each attempt to import those files was successful to some point and the duplicates were added to the library.
You can start by trying to rebuild the library as follows: launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys depressed and follow the instructions to rebuild the library. Select the first three options.
What you experienced is exactly why I strongly suggest other users to use a card reader to upload from their camera to a folder on the desktop first and then into iPhoto. An extra step but avoids the pitfalls of low battery or accidental disconnection of the camera during import.
Post back with the results of the rebuild and, if unsuccessful, we can go from there.
Happy Holidays
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.

Re: thought I was importing RAW files into iPhoto 09

I've imported several hundred RAW files from my Canon T2i into iPhoto and when I went to open them in Photoshop Elements they are JPG files (new to Mac, switched from Windows). When I select an individual photo and select show extended photo info it says it is a CR2 file and 7.9MB (a RAW file). I've read many threads but my question is: Has all the data from the RAW file been lost and it's now compressed into a JPG file or can I somewho get that file back to it's original RAW format with all of it's info? And if I can, how??
Thanks in advance for any help,
Kristy

No data has been lost. Your Raw files are unchanged in any way. This is a bit long but it might help explain things.
Processing Raw in iPhoto
When you import a Raw to iPhoto it automatically makes a jpeg Preview of the shot. Currently, this is what you re sending to Photoshop - read on.
Why? Because you can't do anything with Raw - can't print it, share it online, use it in other apps etc. So to allow you to use the file immediately the Preview is available.
You can, however, also process the Raw in iPhoto simply by editing it. The Raw processing engine in iPhoto the same one used in Aperture, but with less fine control. (Think of the differences between Word and TextEdit, iMovie and Final Cut). The output from the processing then replaces the preview.
You can choose to save your output as either jpeg or tiff in the iPhoto Preferences.
When you are processing Raw in iPhoto you will see the Raw badge on the bottom of the iPhoto Window
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
Note: After you have processed a Raw, subsequent edits to the photo are carried out on the processed jpeg (or tiff) not the Raw. If you want to go back to the original then you need to use the Photos -> Reprocess Raw command.
Processing Raw in a 3rd Party Application
You can also process your Raw with a 3rd Party app like ACR or Photoshop.
But iPhoto does not handle this gracefully and it's a bit of a kludge.
First off set your preferred app as an external editor in 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.
Note that iPhoto sends a copy+ of the file to Photoshop, so when you save be sure to use the Save command, not Save As... If you use Save As then you're creating a new file and iPhoto has no way of knowing about this new file. iPhoto is preserving your original anyway
And the key bit for you...
Next: In the iPhoto Preferences -> Advanced, elect to use Raw with your External editor:
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
Now when you go to edit the Raw it will be sent to your external editor.
Now for the kludge: You cannot save a Raw. The work you do must be output to a new file, in a new format (jepg, tiff, whatever). However, as the External Editor is making this new file iPhoto has no knowledge of its existence. Therefore you must save it to the desktop and then import it back to iPhoto as a new file.
This means that you will have your Original Raw and the processed version in iPhoto but they will not be recognised as version and original. iPhoto will see them as two separate shots.
Regards
TD

In Mountain Lion, how do I find the location of an open Preview File? The file "properties" tab is no longer available.

I typically have several open Preview files at any one time and often forget where, sometimes if, I saved them. In Mountain Lion, how do I find the location of an open Preview File? Tried holding option + command in spotlight but I don't see a path name appear anywhere.

Yes, cmd-option on a file you choose in Spotlight and the path will appear at the bottom of the Preview window.
EDIT: Also, if it is bookmarked the path is in Bookmarks.

Raw Files turn into 175kb preview files.

I have download my RAW files from my Canon 1DS into Photoshop CS2 using a Lexar card reader.
They download as a full RAW file but when I go to open them in bridge the turn into a 175 kb preview file! The strange thing is I download 5 gbs from 5 different cards but not all of them did it. I found that if I download the images several times they would eventually download as full RAW files. I am using a G5 MAC with loads of memory and processing capacity. Is it the problem that the cards are corrupting, the card reader is faulty, CS2 is somehow corrupt (it is a fully registered copy) or that bridge has some weird glich in it. This problem has only just started as I have been this software for some months now.
Cheers Brent.

Leopard? You aren't doing a command/copy (move) are you? There have been reports that "moves" in Leopard is broken...
Otherwise, try another card reader or cable. This isn't something Bridge would be doing to your files...

Importing WITHOUT 'Copy Files to Iphoto Library Folder'

Hi -
All right - I completely understand the significance of this command. Love that I can use iPhoto simply as a browser to run through all my pictures; however, if I choose not to Copy the Files on to iPhoto, how do I manually put the pictures somewhere else? Right now my iPhoto automatically pops open when I plug in my Canon. I looked in Preferences and didn't notice anything there.
Ultimate goal would be to manually get the pictures into my Documents folder and then import to Iphoto.
Thanks!
Grace

Grace
If you think
I can use iPhoto simply as a browser to run through all my pictures
then you don’t
completely understand the significance of this command
iPhoto is not an image viewer. There are many image viewers for the Mac. Search on MacUpdate. The great thing about these is that they simply show you the contents of a folder of images.
That’s not iPhoto. It’s a database. Images still have to be imported to it, they will still be indexed and - more importantly - once imported you get a lot of disadvantages and few advantages of iPhoto.
If you want to move your pics from the Camera to your own folders: use Image Capture. It’s in your Applications Folder.
Some comments on running a Referenced Library:
1. Import and deleting pics are more complex procedures
2. You cannot move or rename the files on your system or iPhoto will lose track of them on systems prior to 10.5 and iPhoto 08. Even with the later versions issues can still arise if you move the referenced files to new volumes or between volumes.
3. Most importantly, migrating to a new disk or computer can be much more complex.
Always allowing for personal preference, I've yet to see a good reason to run iPhoto in referenced mode unless you're using two photo organisers.
If disk space is an issue, you can run an entire iPhoto Library from an external disk:
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library 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.
If you're concerned about accessing the files, there are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:
*For Users of 10.5 Only*
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!
You can access the Library from the New Message Window in Mail:
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
*For users of 10.4 and 10.5* ...
Many internet sites such as Flickr and SmugMug have plug-ins for accessing the iPhoto Library. If the site you want to use doesn’t then some, one or any of these will also work:
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. However, if you're using Gmail you can use iPhoto2GMail
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*:
Create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use this free utility Karelia iMedia Browser
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.
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.
Regards
TD

I have the latest downloadable version of LR5. It crashed while it was createing 1:1 previews during an import. After a Win7(64) restart, it shows a message that LR needs to quit because it can't read the preview files and it will try to fix it the next

I have the latest downloadable version of LR5. It crashed while it was createing 1:1 previews during an import. After a Win7(64) restart, it shows a message that LR needs to quit because it can't read the preview files and it will try to fix it the next time is launches. I get the same message the next and every subsequent time it launches so I can't launch LR at all now.
I get that the preview file got corrupted somehow. Is there some way to fix this problem without building a new catalog?

Use Windows Explorer to open the folder containing your catalog. You will see a folder with the extension .lrdata. You need to delete that folder and then start Lightroom again. Lightroom will generate a new previews folder.

Can multiple users share one file for iphoto

I want to be able to have all the user profiles on our iMac access the same files for iPhoto, so when one user adds photos they are there for anyone who logs on.

For iPhoto 09 (version 8.0.2) and later:
What you mean by 'share'.
If you want the other user to be able to see the pics, but not add to, change or alter your library, then enable Sharing in your iPhoto (Preferences -> Sharing), leave iPhoto running and use Fast User Switching to open the other account. In that account, enable 'Look For Shared Libraries'. Your Library will appear in the other source pane.
Any user can drag a pic from the Shared Library to their own in the iPhoto Window.
Remember iPhoto must be running in both accounts for this to work.
If you want the other user to have the same access to the library as you: to be able to add, edit, organise, keyword etc.
Quit iPhoto in both accounts. Move the Library to the Users / Shared Folder
(You can also use an external HD set to ignore permissions, a Disk Image or even partition your Hard Disk.)
In each account in turn: Double click on the Library to open it. (You may be asked to repair the Library Permissions.) From that point on, this will be the default library location. Both accounts will have full access to the library, in fact, both accounts will 'own' it.
However, there is a catch with this system and it is a significant one. iPhoto is not a multi-user app., it does not have the code to negotiate two users simultaneously writing to the database, and trying will cause db corruption. So only one user at a time, and back up, back up back up.

Preview files in iphoto

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