Weird iPhoto Import Problem

[Angel2112]

OK - this one is weird. I am running MAC OS X (10.5.3) and using iPhoto 08 (V7.1.3).

I have a collection of old images - scanned photos from the 1920's (black and white) and 1960's (color) all saved on CD as jpg files. I copied the entire cd to my local drive in a folder called "pictures" with 3 sub folders under this. I have about 200 images in each of the folders (total of about 600 ish).

I can view all images perfectly in preview when I click them open in finder. However, when I try to import the images into iPhoto I end up with a pile of black boxes i nthe event window. Actually the first image imports fine, then all the B&W ones show up as black squares. If I click on them to veiw them they show up as a sort of mosaic transparent image showing the original image overlaid against the iPhoto event display????? The color ones (images 175 - 190) are fine. If I create a slide show of the B&W images they display perfectly. They are only screwed up in the event pane!

Any ideas? This is very strange. I do not see any error logs other than the fact there is one image that is corrupt and does not import (number 141 -should not effect first 140 imports).

Yes - I also tried importing again directly from the original cd (which also displays perfectly in finder window).

 

[Angel2112]

Additional

So - if the pics are imported into Aperture first and then imported into iPhoto, they work. Must be something with information in the jpg format? Still, what is iPhoto doing that causes this?

Here are two of the files.... (first one works, second one fails). Tried on two different iMACs with same results.

 

[Angel2112]

Sort of Solution

If you edit the file in iPhoto and hit "Done" it then mysteriously shows up as a proper thumbnail.

Now - I guess I must learn apple script to fake edit 3 folders each with about 250 photos!!!!

 

[chocodup]

I had the same issue when importing black and white scanned pictures into iPhoto '07

After some internet searches, I learnt this was a known bug of iPhoto. I hoped it would be corrected when I switched to Leopard and iPhoto '08... disillusionment...

At each iPhoto update, I say a little prayer... up to now, still the same :
iPhoto cannot display correctly black and white pictures as long as they are tagged as coming from a scanner.

I think the different solutions you gave modify this tag and then iPhoto miraculously display them correctly.

 

[romulus25]

Iphoto black squares issue

Hello,

I have the same problem with pics coming from a NikonCoolscan. Black squares..

Did you find any solution to avoid fixing each of your 250 pictures manually ??!!

Thanks in advance for precious piece of advice !

Romain

 

[mikefly]

maybe try automator? (never have myself, but thought about it last time i had an iphoto problem)

 

[xUKHCx]

Have you tried rebuilding the iPhoto thimbnails/database. To do this hold down cmd+opt when opening iPhoto and following the instructions that pop up. It may work, it has solved similar problems for me in the past.


edit: I added those two pictures to my iPhoto library and they exhibited the exact same problem you described. i then rebuilt the iPhoto Library and the problem was solved.

 

[sickmacdoc]

Have you tried rebuilding the iPhoto thimbnails/database. To do this hold down cmd+opt when opening iPhoto and following the instructions that pop up. It may work, it has solved similar problems for me in the past.


edit: I added those two pictures to my iPhoto library and they exhibited the exact same problem you described. i then rebuilt the iPhoto Library and the problem was solved.

Not that this helps but since you tried that I then did too. When I imported them they showed up immediately with no rebuild necessary!!!

 

[Jofro]

What is cmd+opt?

I have the same problem with black and whites on iPhoto, although if you press crop in the edit column they are returned to normal......ish. Looks funny. cmd+opt? What is it?
jf

 

[xUKHCx]

I have the same problem with black and whites on iPhoto, although if you press crop in the edit column they are returned to normal......ish. Looks funny. cmd+opt? What is it?
jf

Symbols may not work depending on your browser:

cmd = command = ⌘
opt= option = alt (on UK keyboards at least) = ⌥

Command is the key the is closet to the spacebar and option is the next one out from there.

In the attached picture below command is on the left and option is on the right.

 

[Jofro]

Symbols may not work depending on your browser:

cmd = command = ⌘
opt= option = alt (on UK keyboards at least) = ⌥

Command is the key the is closet to the spacebar and option is the next one out from there.

In the attached picture below command is on the left and option is on the right.

thankyou!

 

[sreedy]

Excellent, I had three of the images from my Wedding that had this problem, all three were B&W. I didn't get very far with sorting it last time as I forgot to post back with my pictures, this thread just reminded me.

I tried editing, cropping and hitting done but it didn't help, so I followed the instructions to rebuild both the iPhoto database and thumbnails and now they are all working!

Thanks for the info guys, appreciated as always.

EDIT: scrap that! The thumbnails are now no longer just black squares but the image is still ghosting when double-clicked and almost negative looking when edited. I'll attache some screenshot and the original image in a second.

EDIT: Screenshot attached, image is 2.3MB so need somewhere to host it....

EDIT: Hosted here

 

[Wozza77]

Have you tried rebuilding the iPhoto thimbnails/database. To do this hold down cmd+opt when opening iPhoto and following the instructions that pop up. It may work, it has solved similar problems for me in the past.


edit: I added those two pictures to my iPhoto library and they exhibited the exact same problem you described. i then rebuilt the iPhoto Library and the problem was solved.

I have a similar problem but with nearly all of the photos that I migrated across from my old mac, when they are thumbnails i can see them but when i double click to zoom in i get the grey block with an exclamation mark. I tried the above and rebuild my library but I still have the same problem. Has anyone had any luck with solving their problems.

 

[Jofro]

No go

I reconstituted everything but remained with the silhouettes and blackness. It doesn't happen on all black and white scans but it only happens on b and w scans
JF

 

[Macmonter]

Wow! This iPhoto problem with b/w images is is bigger than I thought! I started a thread on this (forums.macrumors.com/threads/544318/) thinking maybe one or 2 others may have experienced it. The suggested solutions listed here and the few on my thread don't seem to be very successful. OneSimpleGeek (his Forum name) suggested opening the image with ColorSync Utility and applying a generic color profile. I did that and it appeared to work in that iPhoto displayed the image perfectly. However, I have a bad habit of always wanting to tweak an image so I edited it in PS Element only to have it reappear in iPhoto grossly overexposed. I even had a few b/w show fine in iPhoto only to revert later to a black box.

The only solution that I've found to work is to open the b/w image(s) in Photoshop Elements and "save for web" using the maximum setting. This seems to create an image agreeable to iPhoto. Not a great solution but it works!

Yes, I agree with Chocodup that iPhoto has a bug!

 

[gamac]

This problem appears to be fixed for me with the iPhoto 7.1.5 update.

 

[trixho2]

Even wieirder problems with iPhoto

Recently I imported into my lare (2000 +) iPhoto Library (family) which I keep on an external hard drive. The imports seemed to be fine at first, but now a very strange problem happens. I have taken my computer and hard drive to a local Apple Store for discussion one on one, and they too seemed baffled.

Here is what happens. Since I number all my pictures in sequence (year + item) I immediately discovered that in the libray thumbnails, some pictures were simply wrong -- a series of summer vacation shots of 2007 were labeled in the library as Wedding shots from 1998. The latter were the scanned pictures I recently imported.

When I double clicked on the "false picture" the correct picture came up, but when I the clicked done, the thumbnail continued to show the wrong picture. Going back and forth between the two sets, I discovered that if I trashed the one in the wrong place, it also trashed the picture in the right sequence!

I discovered the only way to solve the problem was to drag the "wrong picture" onto the desktop -- where it appeared as the correct picture for the title. I then trashed the picture in the library, and dragged the correct picture from the desktop into the library where it now appears in its proper place.

I have spent hours going through the 2,051 pictures and repeated the above process. But I worry about this happening in the future when I import new scans and have them "replace" older pictures already in the library.

Has anyone a suggestion as to what is going on here.

Thanks

 

[skybolt]

I know this doesn't help the current situations, but I found that when I was scanning old B&W's that if I scanned them as color images I had no problems. So, for future use, just scan them as color and all should be well.

 

[wjmclaughlin]

maybe try automator? (never have myself, but thought about it last time i had an iphoto problem)

I know this is an old thread, but the issue was new to me until yesterday and the discussion was very helpful to me.

I scanned 148 images with Image Capture, using the B&W option, and when i discovered the iPhoto issue (iPhoto '08 v7.1.5), i was rather disappointed, to say the least.

However, the fix was quick.

I opened Automator, selected the image files (which had been saved together in a single folder), used the "Apply ColorSync Profile to Images" action, and selected the Display/Generic RGB Profile, and ran the workflow.

The action took about 3 seconds. I imported the image files into iPhoto and everything looks great.

Thanks to you all for the discussion, and i hope that my success will help others.

EDIT: And, of course, in the future, i won't bother using the B&W scanning option!

 

[Macmonter]

How Not To Get Weird B/W iPhoto Images

It appears that iPhoto will display correctly only images having a color profile and that includes b/w images. A b/w with a grayscale profile doesn't work. As "skybolt" correctly posted, b/w images scanned as color (color profile gets embedded) will display properly in iPhoto. "wjmclaughlin" accomplished it with Automator and I did it by using "save for web" in PSE because I knew of no other way back then. I now scan b/w using a color setting (as does "skybolt") but occasionally get a tinted image which I correct in PSE.

The task of importing b/w images to iPhoto would be much easier if iPhoto accepted grayscale.