Videos in iPhoto Albums

It may have already been answered but I can't find it and it's probably just a case of one-way-traffic.
But why, when I can have a video in my camera roll on my iPhone that I have taken doesn't it work the other way around?
As in, why don't videos I put in an iPhoto album show up in that folder on my iPhone when synced?
Seems a bit of a drag having to add those folders into iTunes instead and have them showing under the videos app.
xdbx

Only Apple can answer that one I'm afriad.
iPhoto menu -> Provide iPhoto Feedback

Similar Messages

9.2.1 update can't scroll my videos in iphoto with trackpad

Since my update to 9.2.1 I can no longer scroll videos (fast forward or rewind with two fingers) with trackpad. I was able to do this with all videos in iphoto albums prior to update. Is there a setting or solution to this? Very dissapointed as this was my favourite feature of my mac!
Thanks, Mike

iPhoto 9.2.3 is incompatible with MacOS 10.9.3 Mavericks. If you are running Mavericks on your system you need to update iPhoto to 9.5.1. Only, the problem is, that this version is no longer available at the App Store.
The easiest way to get a compatible iPhoto version in that case would be to upgrade to Yosemite, MacOS X 10.10, and then download the most recent iPhoto version from the AppStore, iiPhoto 9.6, like LarryHN suggested.
If you cannot download iPhoto after upgrading to iPhoto 9.6 post back.

Videos in some iPhotos Albums do not show up on Apple TV.

Videos in some iPhotos Albums do not show up on Apple TV. Videos in other folders are there. For instance, one album has 43 videos and 1600 photos. Apple TV only shows the 1600 photos. Is there an issue with albums that have both photos and videos?

You can only view that rental on the iPad. For it to show up it has to be rented directly on ATV or through a computer and streamed via home sharing

60G video iPod with +15G free can't see iPhoto albums, -50 error

Everything had been running smoothly in my 60G video iPod with photos and videos and music. With more than 15G free on my iPod, space isn't an issue. For reference, I have iPhoto 6 and iTunes 6, both completely updated (as is QuickTime). I've deleted the iPod photo cache on the hard drive. And, because of a previous iPhoto problem, I've rebuilt my system from the hard drive up recently.
Here's the problem: I don't know why iTunes "suddenly" can't see the iPhoto albums. It can see the iPhoto library, but won't let me select specific albums. I don't want all my photos on my iPod, plus it's a +30G photo library so it wouldn't all fit anyway. All I know about what happened right before this problem is, and I quote:
Q: "What happened?"
A: "That beachball thing spun for like 5 minutes so I restarted."
Q: "What application were you using at the time?"
A: "Who knows?"
(To which I'm desperately thinking "Count to 10, you're the adult...count to 10, you're the adult...")
In hunting around on my hard drive, I can also see that there are a bunch of random gifs and jpegs in the Pictures folder. It looks like the Apple website blew up, piece by piece (a gif for each tab across the top, for example) along with some widgets and something I don't recognize.
After deleting my iPod photo cache, I could get iTunes to start updating the iPod again, but now it doesn't see anything but the whole iPhoto library. I tried selecting the whole library, but I got the -50 error again (can't update, error unknown). I use the iPod extensively as a traveling photo album, and now (because I deleted the iPod photo cache I assume) I don't have ANY pictures.
Thanks in advance for your help.
G4 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Fixed!
Adding new photographs to my Library seems to have sorted the problem out. So if anyone else has this problem, a holiday to Amsterdam is the cure

Deleted videos from iphoto but they are still showing up in the finder?

I deleted all of my videos from iPhoto and moved them to an external hard drive because I wanted to free up some space on my MacBook Air. The files are no longer visible in the iPhoto application, but for some reason, when I look at the storage space on my computer, it is still showing that I have 8GB of movies on my computer. If I search in the Finder, it is showing that a lot of these videos that I deleted from iPhoto are still in a "Masters" folder in iPhoto. I am confused, though, because if I open iPhoto, the videos are not in there. I want these video files to be deleted for good - can I just go in to the "Masters" folder in the Finder and delete them there? I've read not to delete anything from iPhoto in the Finder, though. So, getting very frustrated because I'm not sure why these files aren't fully deleted off my computer. Any suggestions?

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 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.
Regards
TD

Is there any way to recover deleted video from iPhoto?

I lost all my iPhone videos because iPhoto didn't export them properly. A whole month of video memories of my newborn's life are gone. Why would a program be designed to export photos and not videos if it allowed videos to be imported from a device?? I am beyond devastated. Files should ONLY be allowed to be dragged and dropped instead of having an "export" option. How in the world was I supposed to know my video files would be exported as blank files?? I know I should have checked the backups before deleting the originals from iPhoto, but I figured when a file was exported, it was copied as is to the external HDD. My question is this: is there ANY possible way to recover old deleted videos??

What version of iPhoto and system are you using?
Why would a program be designed to export photos and not videos if it allowed videos to be imported from a device?? I am beyond devastated.
When you import a video iPhoto creates a jpeg preview version of the first frame. When you export it out of iPhoto you only get the actual video file if you select Kind = Original. Either of the other two options give you the prieview image file.
If you have access to the library they may still be in there. Create a smart album with the criteria: Keyword = movie or File Name contains .mov. That should display all movie files in the library. Try the export Kind = Original and see if you can retrieve them.
OT

Opening iphoto album images in photoshop etc

Hi - does anybody know how to open iphoto albums and import your photos into applications like Photoshop and Illustrator? When you search the iphoto library from within these applicaitons it displays your photo files by date and then separate sub folders - very infuriating! If you're using illustrator and want to import say 8 images, you have to drag them from iphoto library to the desk top so when you import them you can find them instantly. Copying everything over like this has virtually rendered my iphoto app as completely useless. Annoying because I like it very much otherwise. Any suggestions?
Thanks. M

Hi mafioso,
The way you are doing is the best way (exporting to the desktop). If an application supports drag and drop, you can drag from the iPhoto viewing window into your application.
If you just want to edit a photo in PS, you can set up PS as your external editor in iPhoto's Preferences.
From iPhoto Help menu:
"Choosing what happens when you click the Edit button
When you want to edit a photo, you can have the photo open in iPhoto's edit view, in a separate window, in full-screen view, or in another application.
To choose a preference:
Choose iPhoto > Preferences.
Click General at the top of the Preferences window.
Under Edit Photo, select one of the following options:
"In main window" opens the photo in the main viewing area.
"In separate window" opens the photo in a separate window.
"Using full screen" opens the photo in full-screen view.
"In application" opens the photo in another application you choose.
To open a photo in its own window when "Main window" is selected, press the Option key when double-clicking the photo.
To open a photo in edit view when "Separate window" is selected, press the Option key when double-clicking the photo.
Note: Any video clip you imported into iPhoto will always open in QuickTime Player when you double-click it."
To have the edits reflected in iPhoto you must "save" a flattened image with the same name.

How to transfer iPhoto album from Mac to iPhone?

Hi all,
I hadn't done this in a while and now that I have Mountain Lion (10.8.3) I can't find the solution as before.
Really simple:
I built a modest photo album in iPhoto and now I want to upload it to my iPhone. Before, you were able to select 'sync' and it would do it, but that's not an option, or at least I don't see it. How can I upload a completed album to my iPhone?
Better yet, how can you upload a video from iPhoto on the Mac to the iPhone? You can't 'share' it with PhotoStream because it won't accept video.
Thanks much,
SHM

Open iTunes with the iPhone connected. Go the Photos section for your iPhone and check the Sync Photos from checkbox and clik on Selected Albums radio button.
Then select the album you want to sync to your iPhone.
OT

Published Videos from IPhoto to Gallery have sound but no video in browser

I've published some iphoto pictures and videos to a gallery on MobileMe. The videos in the gallery will play in the browser but there is no video, just sound.
The videos in IPhoto work fine, but through the browser they have no image. Do I need a special plugin to play these videos off the site? I simply let IPhoto upload them to the gallery, so I assumed it would do whatever it needed to ensure they will play...
Any help would be appreciated...I've tried viewing the videos with Firefox and Safari, but I get the same behavior. I tried downloading the file and it is the same bahavior, however the originals in the IPhoto albums work just fine...I assume this means a conversion is happening, but to what format?? They have an AVI extension, were originally downloaded from a Canon 770is camera.
I confirmed I can play the video on a Windows computer. I also downloaded the file from the gallery and opened in Quicktime and used the inspector to see:
Format is 'MJPG' 640x480..it also downloaded with a .MOV extension rather than the AVI listed in gallery....
Message was edited by: scampa

Heya Brendt,
Is the video within iTunes or just in your movies folder?
If it is not iTunes then ignore the "itunes" portion below.
Remove the following files to the trash (do not empty until you test for function):
~/library/caches
~/library/preferences/com.apple.itunes.plist
~/library/preferences/com.apple.frontrow.plist
- Repair your permissions - > http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=DiskUtility/10.5/en/duh17.html
- Restart your computer again
- Test and see how its working
Hope that helps!

Playing video in iPhoto slideshow

hi,
I'm regularly recording video with my digital camera that is transfered to iPhoto along with all pictures. The problem is that these videos don't play when I present a slideshow of an event in my computer or in AppleTV.
I used Visual Hub to convert the .avi to .mp4 files optimized for iTunes but still these converted videos won't show up in an iPhoto slideshow. Is this a non-feature of the program or I'm doing something wrong? Can I sync videos from an iPhoto album and see them in my AppleTV?
Thank you!

You cannot play video as part of an iPhoto slideshow. PhotoPresenter is an app that allows this.
Regards
TD

Import photos from CD to iPhoto Album directly

Hi,
I am a new Mac user and happy to join the Apple community.
I have photos that are already organized into folders/subfolders and are stored in CD. Now what I would like to do is to directly import the photos to iPhoto Albums and keep the folder structures and names.
For example, say that I have 2 root folders(A and B) on the CD and folder A contains A1 and A2, folder B contains B1.
How do I make iPhoto automatically create Album named A which have A1 and A2 sub Albums when I copy/import the photo from the CD?
I have read tutorial about importing to last roll then drag drop photos to create new album. However, it will requires lots of work that way since I already have all the photos organized on disk.
Second question: Is it a good practice to go to Finder and copy the entire file structures into iPhoto library? Is there any tutorial that explains how Mac organize the file structure?
Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your help in advance
New Mac User
Mac OS X (10.4.5)
Mac OS X (10.4.5)

Hi iMac User,
For your first question of keeping your own folder structure, you might want to check out iPhoto 6.
The following information can help you with iPhoto 5 and iPhoto 6 if you choose to import photos into iPhoto's database.
Importing Images from the hard drive, CD, or DVD
To import a folder with subfolders of images maintaining the same organizational structure (or close to it):
Drag the folder into iPhotos viewing area.
A film roll will be created with each sub folders name. To view the rolls in the Library you need to first go to the menu bar and choose View>by film rolls.
To make each roll into an Album, highlight the tile of the roll
Go to File>new album from selection.
You will now have an Album in the source column with the images from that roll. Do this for each roll if you want them to be an Album. This is your choice.
Next, go to the menu bar and hit File>new folder
Name this new folder with the year or whatever the name was of the Parent folder containing the subfolders that you had dragged into iPhotos viewing area.
Next drag all the Albums into the respective new Parent folder you just made.
Albums- collection of images from one roll or many rolls. The Albums will be listed in your source column when you make them. The albums only contain placeholders for the images that are still in the library. They are not duplicates.
Rolls- rolls are created when you import folder of images. It will be given the name of the folder you are importing.
Rolls are also created from each import from your camera. You are given the option to name the roll at import.
Folder-a folder you create manually using the File>new folder command
Folders can hold Albums, slideshows, books, another folder, etc.
One other way you can import a folder of images and have an Album created for it as the same time it is imported as a roll in the Library view:
Drag each folder of images into the source column of iPhoto. When you see the plus sign, drop it in the source column.
An album will be created in the source column, and the roll that the album was created from will be in the library view window.
Hope this helps!
answer to second question:
Two Apple kbs for you to read
Don't tamper with files in the iPhoto library folder
About the iPhoto Library folder
File structure of iPhoto 5 Library in the Finder:
This is a view of how the iPhoto Library looks in the Finder.
It is organized by Year folders. Inside the Year folders are Month folders. Inside the Month folders are the days of the Month. Inside the day folders are the photos you took on that day. If you imported video clips and RAW files on that day they will be in an Originals folder. If you have edited any photo imported on that day, the original will be in that folder also.
File structure of iPhoto Library 6 folder in Finder:
iPhoto 6 Library folder in the Finder
As you can see the structure is now related to rolls. Rolls are created for each folder you import and each import session from a camera.
It is very easy to change the names of film rolls within iPhoto to make them easier to find images within. Open the info panel in iPhoto by clicking on the "i" icon. Once it is opened, click on the roll title in the viewing window.
Click on the word "title" in the info pane and type in your new title. I like to use a date and text format such as 12/25/05 Christmas at Mom's, 1/05/06 my birthday, etc. Once the roll names are changed within iPhoto, they are also changed within the Finder, making it easy to locate an image.
When importing from a camera, make sure you name the roll with a date and text before the import.
A lot more info that you might need to know:
--First thing to know and remember is this...Do not drag any images, folder of images into the iPhoto Library in the Finder. Images have to be imported into iPhoto within the application. Do not scan images and save them into the iPhoto Library folder in the Finder. Save them to another location such as the Pictures folder or even the desktop. You can then import them into iPhoto.
If you have already put files/folders in the iPhoto Library folder in the Finder then you will also find out that if you try to import them into iPhoto you will get an error message. No worry, just drag them to the desktop and import from there.
--All images that you import are shown in the library view. You can choose how you want to view, by rolls, by date, by rating, etc. When you put images in an Album, slideshow, book, etc, you are actually just putting pointers to those images in the library. You are not adding more images. If you delete an image from the Album it will still be in the library. If you delete an image from the library it is deleted from iPhoto's database and your hard drive (unless you have it backed up somewhere else)
--You have a folder of images on your hard drive and want to import them into iPhoto. Drag the folder of images into an open iPhoto Library window and the folder of photos will be copied into the library, resulting in a new roll with the name of the folder. You now have two copies of those photos, the ones in iPhoto's database and the ones on your desktop. You can keep the ones on your desktop that you just imported as backup or you can delete that folder.
-- you scan a picture/pictures and save it in a folder. You cannot scan directly into iPhoto or the iPhoto Library folder in the Finder.
You want all your photos in iPhoto so you import them into iPhoto.
Now you have two copies of that picture/pictures, so you can delete the originals that were in the scanned folder and keep the one/ones that were imported into iPhoto.
-- You download pictures from your camera into iPhoto.
There is now one copy of each of the pictures. (DO NOT HAVE IPHOTO DELETE THE IMAGES FROM YOUR CAMERA! DELETE THEM MANUALLY WITH THE CAMERA-if something goes wrong with the import and they are never imported and then they are deleted from the camera you might end up losing those images)
You want to change something about a picture you imported, such as
cropping it or changing the size, or changing the orientation.
Once you do that to a picture, you now have two copies of the picture
in iPhoto, the original and the edited one. The edited one will be in the library organize view. The original is packed away in an Original folder in your iPhoto Library folder under the date of the roll. You can always revert to the original by control clicking on the photo and choose "revert to orginal" You will not have this choice if you used iPhoto Diet to get rid of the Originals.
(a quick note on cropping within iPhoto...when you are in edit mode, you automatically will be in the crop mode with cross hairs to highlight the crop area. To finish cropping you must click the crop button and then go back to library view and your cropped picture will be there.
3.You want to use Photoshop or another graphic program to edit a picture in your iPhoto library.
You can open up prefs for iPhoto and choose "when double clicking on
photo ..do" choose "other" and select Photoshop. Now you can edit all
pictures in your iPhoto library in PhotoShop by double clicking. If you save the photo with the same name and as a flattened file it will be saved right into iPhoto and you will see the changes. If you don't want to save it into iPhoto then do a "save as" and save to the desktop. You will then have the original photo still in iPhoto and your new edited photo on the desktop.
Or, with iPhoto open, you can drag a picture from the library window
to your desktop (you see a + sign on the pic you are dragging). You now
have two of the same picture, one in the iPhoto library and one on your desktop. You can open up the one on your desktop in any graphic program and work on it. The one in iPhoto stays the same. You can also share/export the picture/pictures to your desktop or folder to work on them or do batch processing, etc. You will still have the originals in your iPhoto Library.
Or, you can open up the ~/Pictures/iPhoto Library/folders and option drag any
picture out of the folder to your desktop. Notice that you will see a plus sign while dragging the photo. This is copying the file to your desktop
I would advise anyone not to do this as they might forget to use the option key and drag the photo out. Next time you open iPhoto the photo will be missing.
Two Apple kbs for you to read
Don't tamper with files in the iPhoto library folder
About the iPhoto Library folder
Don't forget that in Library view you can Control click on any picture and get a contextual menu with many options. One is to revert to original.

Cannot export video from iphoto to other location

Hello ,
i could not move video from iphoto to external hard disk or desktop. I'm using Mac Pro with RD. The steps I did as below:
1. Select the video
2. File, export , select origin, ok
3. error message appear stated that video could not be prepared .
Any way to do it ?

The problem is that iPhoto is looking in the wrong place for the file:
/ Volumes/Sagate/Iphoto_Library_2014.photolibrary/Previews/2014....... "
It should be looking in the Originals folder.
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 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.
Regards
TD

How can open an iPhoto album from Finder?

I want to be able to double-click on something in Finder that will open up iPhoto to a specific album.
For a lengthy explanation, read on.
In Finder, I'm making a folder which will hold everything plot-related about the video game The Last of Us (for my own plot-referencing pleasure). Right now it contains a bunch of video clips. Well, you know that comic book prequel of the game; "American Dreams" it's called? I scanned the pages of it and saved the images to my computer, and I want to be able to access them from the Finder folder I'm making.
I could just stuff them in as lone JPGs that open individually in Preview...but I object to doing that, because first off, Preview is ugly, and I don't want my vibe getting ruined by all that white and grey. Second, I want be able to quickly flip through the scanned pages, rather than open the images one at a time. Trying to solve that second issue, I saved all the images into one PDF so I'd be able to easily flip through the images like I want to, but when I looked the PDF over, I realized I still didn't like the feel of that Preview format. Still too grey and white and ew.
SO, I put all the images, in order, into iPhoto (in an album that I named "TLoU: American Dreams - Scanned Pages"). They look great in iPhoto! Only thing is... Yeah, the images are nice and tidy in the iPhoto album...but to view them in iPhoto, I have to open up that application and navigate to the album. Which doesn't jibe with my original idea of packing all TLoU-related files into one Finder folder.
***With MP4 video files, you can double-click on one in Finder and it'll take you right to QuickTime Player. With JPGs, when you double-click in Finder it'll open up in Preview. I could set the preferences so that it'd open the image using iPhoto, but then I'd just be viewing a single image in iPhoto. I want to be taken to an album of pictures in iPhoto. I want to double-click on something in Finder that will open up to an album in iPhoto.***
Is this possible? How do I do it? (If it's not possible, then can you suggest for some kind of workaround?)
Thanks so much. If it seems like I'm awfully nitpicky, it's because I am.

Also, if you just want to chat about TLoU, I'm perfectly fine with that as well

IPhoto album "not found" / Communication error...

Having a really weird problem with Front Row... it likes everything but iPhoto! It pulls my iTunes across my network with no problem, it plays movies, trailer and video clips locally and across the network with no problems, but when it comes to iPhoto, it throws a snit.
Seriously, when I select the "Photos" section, it sees the shared iPhoto library across my network, so it tries to go load it. About three seconds after it starts trying to pull the shared library across, it throws up an error: "The album you selected could not be found," then it suggests that there was either a communications error or that the server went offline, although neither is true. Note that it never gets to the point where I can choose an album - it doesn't show any albums, only the error message.
Has anyone else seen this?
First, it should be noted that the Front Row computer is attached to a projector that can only display up to 800x600. iPhoto on this computer launches, but first throws up an error that the display is not optimal for that application. The machine is otherwise quite strong: Mini dual-core, 1GB RAM, 45+GB free HD.
Here's what I've done in the meantime...
1) Reinstalled iPhoto 6 from the beginning. Tested - no dice. Applied 6.0.1 and 6.0.2. No dice.
2) Repaired perms on the server. No dice.
3) Checked iPhoto on the Front Row machine - it does see the shared library and has no problem bringing the library across.
4) Changed libraries - I use three different libraries regularly - no dice. #3, above, recognized each library just fine, incidentally.
5) Created a generic user account on the iPhoto "server," ran iPhoto (which creates a new, blank library), put four pictures in it. iPhoto on the Front Row mac saw the new library with no problem. Front Row, however, gaves the same error.
6) Rebooted everything (of course). No luck.
7) I've "googled" the error messages, with no applicable results.
8) I've put aliases to the libraries in the Front Row machine's user account's "Pictures" folder. The Front Row machine's iPhoto didn't like it, nor did Front Row. Oh well... besides, this would be a workaround - not what I want.
9) The iPhoto "server" has a pretty straightforward name with no spaces or odd characters. The "share name" assigned in iPhoto has no odd characters or spaces. The Front Row machine, too, has a straightforward, short alphanumeric name.
10) Networking between the two is a reliable gigabit connection through a five-port gigabit switch. Communication is steady and very fast - as evidenced by iTunes working, video streaming, iPhoto recognizing libraries, etc.
11) Name resolution between the machines works just fine. There are no odd routing tables or other infrastructure hiccups that might bog it down.
12) I've pared down the share from "full library" to sharing only a single, tiny album. The album has a straightforward name with no spaces or odd characters and only a handful of pictures. No dice.

iPhoto on the Front Row computer does launch and, after I "OK" the warning about a suboptimal display resolution (an error I'd really like to eradicate), I do see the local iPhoto library.
I've tried several combinations to see what happens - I'll call the main "serving" computer "server," even 'tho it's not a "server," technically speaking - it's running regular ol' Tiger, same version as the Front Row machine ("FR").
1. Neither machine running iPhoto: Front Row doesn't see the server's collection, nor does it offer the local library, either.
2. Server running iPhoto, FR not: Front Row gives the error described above. When I quit Front Row, the iPhoto icon is bouncing, alerting me (again) to the fact that the display is suboptimal, so apparently Front Row is launching iPhoto in the background in order to connect (presumably) to the server's iPhoto library.
3. Server running iPhoto, FR running iPhoto: If I "OK" the suboptimal display error on the FR machine so that both FR and server are running iPhoto, I get the error described above when attempting to view the server's iPhoto collection. iPhoto on the FR machine, however, does see the server's iPhoto collection - I can browse it, view it, etc. just fine.
4. Server not running iPhoto, FR running iPhoto (again, clicking "OK" to get through that suboptimal display warning): FR iPhoto only displays local library; FR doesn't see server libraries and gives appropriate error.
Through all of this, I just noticed an oddity: at no point does Front Row attempt to let me browse the local iPhoto library... it only gives me the "shared albums" option. I need to check something but this could be an oddity: I don't believe there are any actual pictures or albums in the local library, only the server's library. Again, iPhoto does launch properly and will let me browse shared albums - I'm just not certain I populated the local library with anything. I'll check that tonight to see if it makes a whit of difference.

How do I recover missing iPhoto albums and pictures?

A week ago, all my iPhoto Albums disappeared that normally would appear in the left iPhoto column under LIBRARY and RECENT. When I opened the iPhoto app from both the Dock and the Applications folder, an iPhoto window opens and asks if I would like to set up my iPhoto Library. The first few times this happened, I ignored the request and tried again with the same results.
I tried unsuccessfully finding and restoring the iPhoto Library Database from my external 3TB Time Machine hard drive. I couldn't find any full iPhoto Library Database backup and my backups go back a year. Instead, all I found and restored are photos and videos that were saved outside of iPhoto on the Desktop and in hard drive folders. Several months ago, there was a similar occurrence, but I was able to restore the Library Database. With no luck this time, I eventually allowed iPhoto to start up as if it was being installed for the first time and I never had the option to load an earlier backup Library Database or choose an automatic restore from an earlier version or backup.
While trying to go through various recovery choices with iPhoto, I started getting iCloud login popups asking for my Apple ID and password. I kept cancelling these because I had not previously set up iCloud. When iCloud messages persisted, I finally used my ID and password and the popups stopped. I'm clueless why this was happening and I remain clueless as to what occurred after I tried many cancellations, then finally entered my ID and password. Since then (two days ago), there has been no evidence of iCloud operating or requiring my attention.
After holding the command+option keys to start the iPhoto app, I've tried all the radio button options, one at a time, to Repair, Rebuild, Recover, Examine with no luck. Instead, all that is found are the same files I already mentioned. When I start iPhoto now after allowing it to start up from scratch, the Library Database shows iPhoto Library Recovered Photos (2 photos), Resources (176 photos), a CD backup, Desktop, and lots of short collections of media, resources, thumbnails, and other graphics images I don't recognize and are probably Invisibles. The only photos that appear when Photos is clicked in the left colum of iPhoto are photos that were apparently imported from backed up desktop and hard drive folders. All the photos that were previously imported to iPhoto and stored in iPhoto albums no longer appear individually or in albums in the left column of iPhoto.
I'm using a one-year old iMac running Mac OS X Version 10.7.5 with iPhoto '11 Version 9.2 (626).
I'm reasonably confident the phtoos and albums are recoverable somewhere, but I'm at a loss to find out where. I've been running Macs since 1984 and this is the first time I have been totally unable to explain or recover from an OS, hardware, or app-level problem.
Any help/ideas would be greatly appreciated. If absolutely necessary, I could pack up all my gear and take it to an Apple office 23 miles away for help.

My problem was not so much the loss of pictures, but the loss of their virtual association into albums I created because the albums were no longer appearing when iPhoto was started. I was reluctant to do any reinstalls of the OS, Tme Machine, or iPhoto because I was confident the existing installs were as they should be. Instead, I explored earlier Time Machine backups of iPhoto-related files and folders. I tried several different files/folders to see what I could find when I restored and opened them. To my delight, I found an earlier "iPhoto Library (original)" that, once I restored it to my desktop, iPhoto automatically found the virtual album-photo associations that existed prior to the earlier loss of albums; the restored albums appea as they should in the left column of iPhoto. This "fix" was not intuitively obvious to me, but I was pleased it worked.
A simple iPhoto explanation through iPhoto Help would have been very helpful if the explanation would have said iPhoto Album and Smart Album photo associations are logical, not physical, and the associations and album names are store in the iPhoto Library folder.
At this point, I'm hesitant to move the restored "iPhoto Library (original)" from the desktop, perhaps to the Applications folder, because I don't want to run the risk of undoing what seems to be working. Should I leave this on the desktop or move it?

Videos in iPhoto Albums

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