kiphoto: Rebuilding your iPhoto Library

The following procedure will create a new iPhoto Library folder from the contents of the current iPhoto Library folder. Some keyword associations or photo titles may be lost due to existing corruption in the original iPhoto Library structure, but you won't lose any images unless the image file, itself, is damaged.

The original iPhoto Library folder will remain intact and unaltered through the process -- not even its name will be changed. Since your old iPhoto Library will only be read, there is no particular need to make a superfluous backup copy at this point. In duplicating all your photos, the rebuild may take more than a few minutes for a large library (and free disk space may become a consideration, too, if your disk is nearly full when you begin).

To have iPhoto construct a new, rebuilt library folder...

• Step 1. Quit iPhoto

• Step 2. Relaunch iPhoto and immediately hold down the key combination below for your version
(IPHOTO 2) -- Option+Shift
(IPHOTO 4) -- Command OptionShift
(IPHOTO 5) -- Command+Option

• Step 3. Press "Yes" to continue

• Step 4. If your iPhoto Library has not been moved from its default location in your Home >Pictures folder, accept the dialog defaults by pressing only the "Save" button (the rebuilt iPhoto Library folder can be directed to any mounted drive at your option using this dialog)

• Step 4a. If your iPhoto Library folder has been moved to a folder that is not in the default "Pictures" folder, use the dialog (if necessary) to navigate to the parent folder that contains your current iPhoto Library before pressing the "Save" button

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Be aware that you are not trying to identify your current iPhoto Library folder in step 4 (or step 4a), because iPhoto already knows where the current iPhoto Library folder is. What you are doing is identifying the prospective parent folder location for the new, rebuilt iPhoto Library folder (your Pictures folder is the default location).

If you inadvertently select the existing iPhoto Library folder, do not press the "Save" button until you have backed out one folder level (in other words, the parent folder must be the target location). If you fail to observe this, your rebuilt iPhoto Library folder will end up inside the existing iPhoto Library folder, which will work with no apparent ill effects, but can eventually under certain circumstances lead to duplicate images in your photo library.

You may also notice that the rebuilt iPhoto Library folder will be named "iPhoto Library_1" (unless your old iPhoto Library folder has had its name previously changed from the default). This allows the old folder to be optionally left in place, or discarded when the process has concluded.