Thumbnail pictures cannot be opened, black exclamation mark appears

Numerous photos cannot be opened any more, when I click on the little previews I see only a black surface with an exclamation mark. How can I fix this problem ?

The ! turns up when iPhoto loses the connection between the thumbnail in the iPhoto Window and the file it represents.
What version of iPhoto? Assuming 09 or later...
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 Repair Database. If that doesn't help, then try again, this time using Rebuild Database.
If that fails:
Option 2
Download iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. (In Library Manager it's the FIle -> Rebuild command)
This will create an entirely new library. It will then copy (or try to) your photos and all the associated metadata and versions to this new Library, and arrange it as close as it can to what you had in the damaged Library. It does this based on information it finds in the iPhoto sharing mechanism - but that means that things not shared won't be there, so no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your events, albums and keywords, faces and places back.
Because this process creates an entirely new library and leaves your old one untouched, it is non-destructive, and if you're not happy with the results you can simply return to your old one.
Regards
TD

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Iphoto photos not opening get black exclamation mark

iphoto photos not opening get black exclamation mark when open thumbnails

Not sure what you meant by "missing till" but all of the photos and movies are there. I concluded that searching for several photos by their file name and then opening them with Preview.
I'm pretty certain that I only used the Picasa desktop app to test using the Picasa web service for some family photos. I don't think I used it to edit any photos in the iPhoto library but I suppose it's possible that I did without really thinking about it.
Why to I have tiffs? - As far as I know I don't. They are all jpg or mov files. I can't imagine why that error dialog said I was missing a tiff.
I just noticed based upon your suggestion to review the package contents. I have folders for Modified and Originals which I've seen before. But I also have folders for Photos - Modified and Photos - Original. I haven't seen those last two before. Moreover, all but 6 of my latest photos are in those last two folders. iPhoto can show me their thumbnails but can't open them. iPhoto can open the 6 photos in the "Original" folder. I didn't notice that before because they represent a very small portion of my library and I didn't select the right photos.
iPhoto Library Manager could see only those 6 photos in the Original folder. There are none in "Modified". So iPLM obviously can't see the photos in Photos - Modified or in Photos - Original. Looking at the Info for these two folders, I see they were created on January 7, well more than a month before I downloaded Picasa. Somehow all but 6 of my photos got moved to these new folders. I must have done something to cause this but I have no clue what.
Sorry this is so long but usually details are important. Do you recommend that I use the Merge Libraries function in iPLM?
Thanks!

Why do I get a black exclamation mark blocking a photo when I click on a thumbnail in iPhoto?

Why am I getting a triangle with a black exclamation mark when I click on theumbnails in iPhoto?

That's an indication that the file path/link between the thumbnail and master/original file has been broken. Try the following to fix the links:
1 - launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys held down to open the First Aid window. Be sure to follow the circled recommendation in the screenshot.
2 - run Option #4, Rebuild Database.
What system and iPhoto versions are you using?

How can I open photos I keep getting a black exclamation mark, how can I open photos I keep getting a black exclamation mark

Everytime I try to open some photos it opens with a black exclamation mark. Ive tried the options and command thing and did all but nothing will restore my photos

Then try the next one:
Download iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. (In early versions of Library Manager it's the File -> Rebuild command. In later versions it's under the Library menu.)
This will create an entirely new library. It will then copy (or try to) your photos and all the associated metadata and versions to this new Library, and arrange it as close as it can to what you had in the damaged Library. It does this based on information it finds in the iPhoto sharing mechanism - but that means that things not shared won't be there, so no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your events, albums and keywords, faces and places back.
Because this process creates an entirely new library and leaves your old one untouched, it is non-destructive, and if you're not happy with the results you can simply return to your old one.

Black exclamation mark

I am being driven to distraction. I am running iPhoto 08. While I can see all my older photos as thumbnails, when I try to open them, or when I try to do anything with them, the photo disappears and is replaced by a blurry, white circle on a black background with a large black exclamation mark in the middle.
I also run Photoshop CS3 and Bridge CS3, but this happens whether or not I am running these Adobe products.
What the )(&^&& is going on?

Nikapika:
That "!" means that iPhoto has lost the path to the original files and the library's dB file, Library6.iPhoto, has been damaged. If rebuilding the library as suggested in the link that Larry supplied doesn't work, you'll have to start over with a new library and import the Originals folder from the old library as follows;
Creating a new library while preserving the Events from the original library.
Move the existing library folder to the desktop.
Open the library package like this.
Launch iPhoto and, when asked, select the option to create a new library.
Drag the Originals folder from the iPhoto Library on the desktop into the open iPhoto window.
This will create a new library with the same Events as the original library if you have the Finder checkbox unchecked in the Events preference pane.
If you decide to start over as described you might try following Tutorial #1 first in an attempt to keep the keywords, comments and titles of those photos still visible in the library.
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.

All my photos are Black Exclamation Marks - iphoto on ExtHD

My iphoto library is stored on an ext HD. i had a power outage now when i reopen iphoto all photos are black exclamation marks. how can i restore or fix this? i tried rebuild function but it didnt work. thanks

Since the rebuild fix didn't solve the problem give this a go:
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 Library ➙ 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. However, books, calendars, cards and slideshows will be lost.
Note: your current library will be left untouched for further attempts at a fix if so desired.
Note: if the latest version, V4, of iPhoto Library Manager doesn't run download the earlier version, V3. It's available at the same website.
OT

I do not see the small thumbnail pictures anymore when opening elements.

I am using Photoshop elements for quite some time on a Dell PC and another windows PC. SInce recently I do not see the small thumbnail pictures anymore when openning elements. I only see the grey boxes with the sandglasses. When I then click on a grey box to see the picture in a fitting screen size. I have tried to wait for a long time, but it does not change I keep the grey boxes when I want to see more than one picture on the screen. This is the case in both PS'c. What has happened and how can I restore to the normal set up where I can see the pictures again in smaller size?

Hi,
Please follow the instructions mentioned in the blog and see if your issue is resolved.
Thanks!!

Exclamation mark appears instead of photo. Recently upgraded from i mac to Macbook air and all was transferred over. I have run all the repair and rebuild functions in iphoto. Any other solution?

Exclamation mark appears instead of photo. Recently upgraded from i mac to Macbook air and all was transferred over. I have run all the repair and rebuild functions in iphoto. Any other solution?

Since iPLM failed to help try the following:
Starting over from scratch with new library
Start over with a new library and import the Originals (iPhoto 09 and earlier) or the Masters (iPhoto 11) folder from your original library as follows:
1. Open the library package like this.
2. Launch iPhoto with the Option key held down and, when asked, select the option to create a new library.
3. Drag the subfolders of the Originals (iPhoto 09 and earlier) or the Masters (iPhoto 11) folder from the open iPhoto Library package into the open iPhoto window a few at a time.
This will create a new library with the same Events (but not necessarily the same Event names) as the original library but will not keep the metadata, albums, books slideshows and other projects.
Note: your current library will be left untouched for further attempts at a fix if so desired.
OT

Some songs are not longer available and an ! exclamation mark appears before the song. What should I do?

Some songs are not longer available and an ! exclamation mark appears before the song in iTunes. What should I do?

When you open iTunes it opens a database file that contains the locations of the media files you use to play the music. If something has happened to invalidate where iTunes thinks that file is stored you get a ! There are many possible reasons. Sometimes a computer can start to lose files. In other situations it is something you did such as renaming a folder or drive iTunes uses, or moving the files manually. If you can give us hints we can start working our way down the long list.

Every time I click on a photo in Iphoto a big exclamation mark appears

So I recently went on vacation and took tons of photos/videos from my Iphone. When I got back home I uploaded them all to Iphoto and when it asked if I want to keep my photos or delete them I accidentally clicked delete. The problem though is that now when I try to sync that specific album it won't go, and when I click on one of the photos from Iphoto a big exclamation mark appears. It also won't let me email or move anything from that album. PLEASE HELP ME!!! I really want some of those photos on my phone!!

That symbol turns up when iPhoto can't find the original photo.
Are you running a Managed or a Referenced Library?
A Managed Library, is the default setting, and iPhoto copies files into the iPhoto Library when Importing. The files are then stored in the Library package
A Referenced Library is when iPhoto is NOT copying the files into the iPhoto Library when importing because you made a change at iPhoto -> Preferences -> Advanced. (You unchecked the option to copy files into the Library on import) The files are then stored where ever you put them and not in the Library package. In this scenario you are responsible for the File Management.

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I have two e-mail addresses and on the left hand side in mail if i expand the sent box one account has an exclamation mark appeared and some mail has deleted it's self??

I have two e-mail addresses and on the left hand side in mail if i expand the sent box one account has an exclamation mark appeared and some mail has deleted it's self??

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You can use your iCloud address, but it won't be an alias, it's a full email address.

IPhoto '09 - Thumbnails visible but no photos! (exclamation mark)

Hi everyone,
I'm in a bit of pickle here and I hope someone can help me. I take photos pretty regularly. Nothing mind-blowing, but I use my iPhone to take pics of my dogs, my girlfriend, etc. I sync my phone pretty much everyday and I just realised today that I'm missing a bunch of photos that span over 4-5 months. The thumbnail for the album itself is BLANK, but when I go into the album all the thumbnails for the photos are still there. However, when I try to maximise the photo I get nothing but a big grey exclamation mark.
I have tried different things like 'Open in Finder' and expanding the iPhoto app to show the folders inside and then try to find the photos myself, but nothing seems to work. I have also tried rebuilding my library with no success. I checked my recent Time Machine save, but somehow the iPhoto backup shows the same events in my iPhoto having issues. I don't understand how this could have happened, because I upload and sync my iPhone so often that I should've noticed at one point over the last month that my photos were missing - I have trouble believing I could've missed these missing events over the last month every single time I synced. But my last save shows the same thing and I don't understand how this is possible. I'm stupid for not having backed up my photo collection another way, but I thought I was being pretty careful.
Is there a bug that can cause this? What else can I do to get my photos back? or am I simply S.O.L.? I have read about many horror stories about iPhoto 09 but nothing that covers my situation closely enough to help me.
Any help would be appreciated. I apologise if I wasn't clear or if I didn't give you enough details.
Thanks in advance for any help!

I have what I thought was a similar problem, only now I'm not so sure. It seems instead to be linked to the faces feature.
I recently migrated from a macbook to a macbook pro. However my 30K pictures are contained not on the computer but on a separate external HD. I plugged the HD into the new iphoto '09 and get all the thumbnails. However when I click on one the screen goes dark: no photo. I read this thread but before rebuilding anything, since the photos wouldn't have really been affected by migration assistant, I don't think, I decided to just quit iphoto and see if things fixed themselves this way. When I reopened iphoto indeed the pictures do load at first, but then after faces starts scanning it stops bringing up any photos.
So.... it takes a very long time to scan 30K faces but when it finally does, I get instructions to click on a photo, then on faces and start identifying photos. I can't get that far because, again, when I click on a photo the faces feature does highlight, only I can't see the photo.
¿ Does it really make sense to rebuild the library under these circumstances? I don't see how it can have been affected by the migration.
¿ Any ideas how to get faces to stop disabling access to the full photos, if that's what's happening?
Many, many thanks for your thoughts....
p.s. The old library was set up for iphoto '07 (or whatever came before iphoto '09) and upon trying to open up in iphoto '09 I was prompted to tweak the library for the new software ... I wonder if that could have resulted in a need to rebuild?
TIA!!

I cant email photos from iphoto, i just get an error picture of a camera with exclamation mark

i cannot share photos from iphoto on my macbook pro anymore, since i upgraded to mountain lion.
i just get an icon of a camera with an exclamation mark next to it regardless of whether i select one or several pictures

The ! turns up when iPhoto loses the connection between the thumbnail in the iPhoto Window and the file it represents.
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. .
When you upgraded to 11 you were warned and you agreed that the Library would be unusable by earlier versions. You explicitly gave your permissions. It wasn't something Apple set up, it's a necessary part of the upgrade process.
You can easily revert to iPhoto 09, all you need is to use the back up you made before upgrading. After all you wouldn't do something like upgrade without backing up first, right?
Regards
TD

Why do I get an black exclamation mark in a black triangle on some of my photos in iPhoto?

Hi
I go to my events - get up a section of photos and they all look fine in the 'event'. But if I want to edit them the exclamation mark comes up. And if I want to use them to illustrate my blog etc. they will not allow me to select these specific photos - when I click on them they will not highlight.
Any ideas, guys?

The exclamation mark is an indication that the file path/link to the original file has been broken. Make a temporary, backup copy (select the library and type Command+D) 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

Thumbnail pictures cannot be opened, black exclamation mark appears

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