Help any way to recover these files.

[bingee]

Is there any way to recover deleted jpg files that are no longer in the recycle bin. I have been scanning in slides going back to 1978 and after correcting them in Photoshop imported them into iphoto. I then deleted the originals believing them to be safe in iphoto. I have now found that these are mearly aliases and I would desparately like to recover the jpgs. Am I stuffed?

 

[mkrishnan]

First of all... are you sure that you deleted the copy of the files that are in the iPhoto library?

It's the originals that you want, correct? You still have a version of them in iPhoto? Try going into iPhoto and right clicking a file and using "revert to original." Or else search around in the iPhoto library... it should keep originals of all imported photos in addition to modified versions. I think only the most recent version of iPhoto even offers the option to work with photos that are stored outside of iPhoto, and all versions of iPhoto default to making a copy of the file and putting it in the iPhoto library within the Pictures directory...

 

[bingee]

Thanks mkrishnan but..

I'll give it a try but shouldn't spotlight find these. I don't mind if I don't find the originals, just any copies of the originals and not just the smaller aliases...

 

[mkrishnan]

I'll give it a try but shouldn't spotlight find these. I don't mind if I don't find the originals, just any copies of the originals and not just the smaller aliases...

I think so, although iPhoto may rename them. I want to say it doesn't, but... mmm... how exactly did you delete them? There is also data recovery software available that will try to undelete files, but it is not free....

 

[bingee]

I think I would have highlighted them,

, hit delete and later emptied the trash

 

[mkrishnan]

, hit delete and later emptied the trash

LOL I suppose I deserved that.

I mean, did you actually hunt through the iPhoto library and delete the originals in the dated directories' originals subdirectories? I'm sorry, when I get home to my Mac I'll be more specific, but I don't think this is something you could have easily done by accident....

 

[bingee]

No I didn't delete anything in iphoto. Only the originals in the folder in which the originals where scanned. Before importing.

 

[mkrishnan]

No I didn't delete anything in iphoto. Only the originals in the folder in which the originals where scanned. Before importing.

Okay, so wait, I think I'm with you now.

Did you do (A):

1) Import into the scan folder you discuss above
2) Open in PS and edit there and then save under a different (?) filename
3) Import the edited files into iPhoto
4) Trash the stuff in the "scan" folder

Or (B):

1) Import into the scan folder
2) Import from there to iPhoto
3) Select edit in external viewer in iPhoto or drag from iPhoto to PS
4) Trash the stuff in the scan folder (either before or after (3)).

 

[bingee]

Definately A. these were scanned slides which I titled on scanning.

 

[mkrishnan]

Definately A. these were scanned slides which I titled on scanning.

Okay, then you're probably out of luck. Or you can pursue one of those commercial undelete apps. If you want to do that, you want to do as LITTLE as humanly possible on that computer between now and the time you run the undelete, as everything you do has a probability of causing the deleted files to be overwritten.

If you do option B instead of A in the future, iPhoto will file original copies of all images on your behalf, and you can always get them back from iPhoto. Doesn't help for the images you already deleted, but in general, it's a better way to go.

 

[bingee]

File salvage

I used File Salvage in the end and recovered 90% of these deleted files. Thanks for all your suggestions.