No. When I pop in the CD. iphoto opens up and of course there is nothing there. I don't understand why the CD would open up iphoto unless it's linked to iphoto somehow. I just don't know
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iphotos GONE - please help
- Thread starter seablue
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No. When I pop in the CD. iphoto opens up and of course there is nothing there. I don't understand why the CD would open up iphoto unless it's linked to iphoto somehow. I just don't know
There are two ways to make a CD of photos when your photos are in iPhoto.
One is to 'burn' a CD (using the handy burn button). I've never used this, but I assume it writes a mini iPhoto library, I guess, laid out in the same way as the main library, but only a single album with the photos. The photo library is still arranged in an iPhoto-like way, hence iPhoto opening. The photos SHOULD be on that disc, if that is the case. I never use this way.
The other way, and is detailed by iPhoto help if you want photos 'viewable' by windows, is to export them from iPhoto, and burn them to a disc using a standard data burning tool (such as built in mac os X click-and-drag).
There MAY be a third way which references them from the iPhoto library, but I'm not sure.
At any rate, unless you have actively deleted the photos in iPhoto, your files should still exist somewhere.
seablue: First thing to know - do you import photos into your iPhoto library? Or do you reference them to another location?
The former is default, and unless you have a VERY good reason not to do so, it is nearly always the better way to go. People, for some reason, hate to give up control of the actual files, often citing, 'I like to know where my files are', but never stop to think that it is mostly unnecessary. There is little that you really need to access your files through a file hierarchy that you couldn't do with the iPhoto interface.
You have to realise what iPhoto is, and what it isn't. It IS an interface for dealing with your image files. It is NOT just an image viewer. It is an image file manager. So many more things can go wrong when you don't let it manage the files, and instead reference them.
To check, which way you have it, open iPhoto and click 'preferences' -> 'advanced'. Is "Copy to iPhoto Library" checked or unchecked?
Thanks so much for your help. I'll answer all your questions.... Let's see...
When I burned them onto the CD, I just used the "handy" burn button on iphoto. I've done this before with no problems until this one.
I imported them into iphoto. I did not reference them. But I will from now on!!
My iphoto is really messing up lately since I re-built it. Now everytime I go into it or try to do anything, the beachball goes on forever and ever.
I have iphoto 5 BTW. When I go into preferences, there is no "advance" only preferences and I don't see any "copy to iphoto library". Is it different on 5?
I called my local Mac shop and they said that there have been several people having issues with iphoto - that iphoto has been putting pictures in lock down places and they have a program to retrieve them. So, I wouldn't have to buy one and try to do it myself. The guy said that they "should" still be someplace on my computer. I asked him if a re-build would have destroyed them and he said probably not. I sure wish I had NEVER done that!
But, let me know where this copy to iphoto is since I don't have an advanced on iphoto 5. thanks again.
I also forgot I had HP photo and I looked in there and folders are in there as well, thought I had something until I started to open them and nothing but X 's in there.
If the files are on the hard drive and have not been overwritten, they will be recovered.
Copy to iPhoto will be the same thing. Your iPhoto is two versions behind the current (they are up to 7), so yes, the preferences panes have been moved around, but that copy is the same thing. I was going to suggest that you DON'T reference photos, but have iPhoto make it's own copy during import (then you can delete the original you used to import).
When the Apple guy mentioned 'locked down', it simply means that the photos are kept in an originals folder.
Now the current version of iphoto keeps photos within /User/[your user]/pictures/iPhoto Library/Originals/ ->then arranged by year/roll/date/
At some time previous, possibly version 5, possible earlier, they had it:
/pictures/iPhoto Library/Year/month/day/Originals/
How is your iphoto library organised?
Why am I not seeing a copy to iphoto in my preferences? Mine is organized as pictures/iphoto library/ dates/thumbnails. I don't see any "original" folder
I did a bit of research, and it appears that referencing photos did not appear as an option until iPhoto6, so you won't have that option - sorry about the confusion.
I recall now. iPhoto5 was the first one I used. For your information, from iPhoto 6 onwards (they are up to 8 now), they rearranged the library as a mentioned above. In iPhoto5, the hierarchy should be year/month/day, and then a series of folders for that day that contain original, modified, thumbnails. The original files should be in the original folder for that day.
If, as you say, the folder is not there, then they are indeed gone. They should not have disappeared, unless a user has moved them (or they were deleted from within iPhoto from a 'roll'). But you seem to imply that the thumbnails were still recognised by iPhoto, but it couldn't find the originals - iPhoto would not think they are still there if they were deleted from within iPhoto.
they may still not be gone, but simply accidentally moved somewhere. For your information, from iPhoto7 onwards, they actually 'hid' everything within the iPhoto library folder so users couldn't mess things up.
I suggest a couple things:
1) if the originals folder is not there, check other days, months etc. for photos that iPhoto DO see...this will give you an idea of what iPhoto is doing. Do NOT touch anything within these folders. It will screw with iPhoto, otherwise. I remember testing it all when I first got iPhoto5 - I recall even moving files into these folders messes up iPhoto.
2) do a spotlight search for ".jpg" files, show all in a finder window, and arrange by date. Scroll down to your honeymoon date and see if the files are there. What version os are you running? This spotlight may be easier or harder depending on the version - for example, 10.5 has a 'search all images' button in the finder sidebar.
I'm using 10.4.11 Alot of the pics in the folders say they cannot be found or have been corrupted. In HP, there are X's instead of pics. My gut tells me they are gone but why would iphoto still say at the bottom that there are 79 items and have blank squares where the pictures were? Would that mean that they are still someplace?
I had done a jpg search and the same ones showed up that were on iphoto except no empty squares. One folder that just said jpg
I had done a jpg search and the same ones showed up that were on iphoto except no empty squares. One folder that just said jpg
It sounds very much like someone has deleted them from the iphoto library.
You see what happens when you import a photo into the library is that iPhoto copies an original into its own hierarchy (in the folders as described). It then records in a database where they are. It creates small thumbnails of the photos as well. When you open iphoto, it reads the data base file, and uses the small thumbnails to display in the viewer. When you actually want to open a file, or access an image (through iPhoto), you select the thumbnail, and, say, double click it. iPhoto then consults it database and retrieves the file.
So if you delete the folder (or even just move it), iPhoto's database still thinks its there, but they are actually gone. The thumbnails are probably in the same folder, so the blank squares just represent the thumbnails also missing.
I'm still unclear. When you say you did a jpg search, exactly what were your search criteria? In spotlight? In finder? What do you mean one folder that just said 'jpg'? Have you checked the other folders - do you see the originals and modified folders for those dates? What is 'HP'?
Did you do anything to the iphoto library folder structure? Does anyone else have access to your computer? Have you changed computers in the last 6 months? Ha anyone tried to copy the files, say, onto a CD OUTSIDE of iPhoto?
In future, if you continue to use iPhoto, do NOT ever touch the files themselves. Do everything through iPhoto - if you need to get a photo - open iphoto and drag it out from there, say onto the Desktop (it will make a copy that you can mess about with). This is how iPhoto is meant to be used.
I searched in spotlight and finder both. This morning when I did a "jpg" search in spotlight, I saw one blue folder than just said jpg - when I opened that, there were pictures in there that is still in iphoto but ones that I expected to be there - and only about 6 pictures. the other photos in the iphoto library folder just open up a window that says either it can't be found or could have been corrupted. HP is just another picture host like iphoto that I downloaded a long time ago. I forgot I even had it. Seems like all the pictures that were on iphoto also went there. the only thing I did with the iphoto is I did a re-build and I think something really happened when I did that. No one has access to my computer.
Sorry, I thought I replied to this post, but I guess I didn't submit.
It's not really clear what you have had happen or done.
I don't think rebuilding the library can damage the original files per se. So do you see the other files' icons (with intact file structure), but they just don't open? Do they open with another program - what program are you trying to open them with - just preview? What are the file sizes of these files? It's possible they have corrupted (ie from a bad hard drive), or HP has done something to them (for example, moved them). When you say all the files on iphoto 'went there', do you mean you imported them into that software? Referenced them from that software?
If they are proper files sizes, it may be possible to 'uncorrupt' them - they may simply have changed format within the file.
Have you actually searched for all images? The file extensions may actually be .jpeg, for example.
I'm not sure what the sizes are - not very big. I never imported them to HP, they just went there as well. I have NO idea how they did that. Because I completely forgot I even had the software. I have searched all images. I think I did find them but they are showing up as unable to open or like I said in HP, there is just a round circle with an X thru it.
I have no idea on the size of the original file as I don't know what to do with the (command+I) I did try that and it just brings up the website I'm on. If that makes any sense.
I've just tried opening them in iphoto and the HP image zone (the other picture software).
I can try opening in preview - but I'm not thinking straight right now -- how would I open them in preview?? I'll try right now but I'm not sure what I'm doing - just trial and error
EDIT: Ok I think I did it right when trying to open in preview -- and I got this message: Couldn’t open the file. It may be corrupt or a file format that Preview doesn’t recognize.
When I try opening them up in HP image zone I get this message: HP Image Edit cannot open file /Users/cindihein/Pictures/iPhoto Library/2006/02/12/Thumbs/67.jpg
Ah, I see. Those files are not the original images. They are the thumbnail files that iPhoto generates and uses for faster viewing (you see them through iPhoto, and when you click on them only THEN does it go for the originals - which don't seem to exist). The command+I is a generic get info command, but you have to highlight the file in question. I only asked, because I wasn't sure if the file you were looking at was the original, whether it was corrupted or a thumb. It looks like it's a thumb.
Do your photos that DO work exist in an originals folder within its date? (it may not - I think it only uses an original IF you have modified - I forget about iPhoto5.
Have you tried holding down Command+Option when clicking iPhoto in the Dock? A number of possible rebuild options are available there. I have seen them with the latest iPhoto and Leopard. I read that you are using iPhoto5 and 10.4 so I'm not sure if this trick works. But try looking through the options and see if some of them works. I have one that says Rebuild iPhoto Library from automatic backup.
Might be a stupid comment here but by original folder -- I'm not sure what you mean. All my photos are in blue folders with a date above it. some have viewable pics and the ones in question, don't. They don't say "orginals" They are just blue folders. They all have either viewable pictures first and then the thumbnail folder (when opened) or unviewable pics.
That's what got me into MORE trouble. I did that and pics went away completely. Before the re-build, I could see the pics on iphoto - I just couldn't do anything with them but at least they were still viewable on the laptop iphoto. After the re-build, just blank squares now.
Sorry - to be more clear:
in iPhoto 5 the folder structure is by date. I believe if you ever edited a photo using the iPhoto editor, what would happen is iPhoto would put the file into an 'originals' folder within that folder, and make edits on a copy. This way you would never lose the original file, even if you edited it. If you never edited, there would be no originals folder, and just files in there.
Later versions changed this structure around. It's difficult to find help on this matter as most users here would have moved on from iPhoto 5 and have no idea how it was organised before.
When you say viewable, you mean properly viewable, as in viewable full screen, or just viewable in the main view? Because likely, if you couldn't do anything, the files were already missing. What you were actually viewing would have been the small files in the 'thumbs' directory. What the rebuild would have done is recognised the originals as being absent, thus disconnecting the link to the thumbs (and then the thumbs not showing up).
Ah, ok. I never edited any of the photos. I just imported them off my camera into iphoto. I never updated iphoto since at the time I just didn't see any reason to since all I needed was someplace to just put the photos off my camera and then burn them onto a CD. ALL my other photos were successfully put onto a CD. These ones tho for some reason burned iphoto program and not just the pictures. After the re-build, now when I pop that CD in, it still opens iphoto but only one picture comes up - one that didn't get dumped or corrupted or whatever happened. Very strange!
Husband said, "don't worry, we'll just have to go back to Kauai and take them all over again." We got some really great ones where we rented a jeep and went way up the canyon where they filmed Jurrassic Park. Beautiful area.
I'm just wondering if it's worth taking this laptop into Mac Docs and see if they can recover them or if it's a no go.
I just got on my old desktop imac and got into iphoto (I never use that program on the imac anymore) and it's only iphoto 2. There are a few folders in there with very old pictures but I do see an originals folder and thumbnails on that one but not with iphoto 5
Sounds like they are gone. You CAN try a data recovery procedure (when you delete something, it isn't truly deleted off the hard drive - it just marks the area on the hard drive for overwriting, essentially), but it really depends on what happened to the files and when (if it was a long time ago, the area may already be overwritten).
I would say your photos were gone from a time before you even tried that CD.
I suggest that if you are not going to use the management and editing facilities of iPhoto to simply not use iPhoto at all. Just create your own folder structure and import photos into that. iPhoto uses the app "Image Capture" to import anyway. Just use that.
You can change that by opening Image Capture and choosing either a different app or none at all.
not finding much on image capture. I'm not sure I have it for photos. When I spotlight it, it says, "nothing found" When I search on HD, it brings up Epson.