HT201769: iPhoto 6 and later: Rebuilding the iPhoto library

Learn about iPhoto 6 and later: Rebuilding the iPhoto library
Burtbrush
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Q: Help! Lost images in iPhoto.

I have spent weeks organising my photos on old MacBook pro (2006) ready to move to new one with Lion and latest IPhoto. I dragged onto an external hard drive and tried to put onto new computer. No images but lots of empty frames and same albums there. I dumped it in trash and went back to old computer where same had happened. It says the photos and albums are there, but there are empty frames and no images. HELP!

MacBook Pro (15-inch Mid 2010)

Posted on Jul 6, 2012 4:46 AM

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Burtbrush

Q: Help! Lost images in iPhoto.

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  • by Burtbrush,

    Burtbrush Burtbrush Jul 6, 2012 4:54 AM in response to Burtbrush
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 6, 2012 4:54 AM in response to Burtbrush

    I forgot to mention the frames have an exclamation mark in them.

  • by LarryHN,

    LarryHN LarryHN Jul 6, 2012 6:34 AM in response to Burtbrush
    Level 10 (84,661 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jul 6, 2012 6:34 AM in response to Burtbrush

    Burtbrush wrote:

     

    I have spent weeks organising my photos on old MacBook pro (2006) ready to move to new one with Lion and latest IPhoto. I dragged onto an external hard drive and tried to put onto new computer. No images but lots of empty frames and same albums there. I dumped it in trash and went back to old computer where same had happened. It says the photos and albums are there, but there are empty frames and no images. HELP!

     

    Exactly how were you "organizaing" your photos on the old MB

     

    And exactly what did you "drag onto an external hard drive"?

     

    LN

  • by Burtbrush,

    Burtbrush Burtbrush Jul 6, 2012 7:05 PM in response to LarryHN
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 6, 2012 7:05 PM in response to LarryHN

    Hi Larry

    Thanks for responding!

    I just filed them in folders by subject and date.

    I dragged the IPhoto icon from the toolbar onto the hard drive where it showed up as album data, iphoto data, library data etc. It asked me something about thumbnails and I responded with later.

    I then put it on the new computer where the empty frames showed up, with all the new albums etc I'd created, number of photos in each correct. So I dumped that into trash and went back to the old computer to try again and found same there, no photo images.

    I clearly was a novice and should have read up on it more. Luckily I have disks with alot of the pictures on them, but I don't want to have to do organization again and some would be missing in any case. The old computer is running iphoto6.0.6.

    I am thinking maybe I need to have someone look at it, as I'm terrified of doing the wrong thing and losing it all. What do you think?

    Carol

  • by LarryHN,

    LarryHN LarryHN Jul 6, 2012 9:44 PM in response to Burtbrush
    Level 10 (84,661 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jul 6, 2012 9:44 PM in response to Burtbrush

    Exactly how were you "organizaing" your photos on the old MB

    I just filed them in folders by subject and date.

    In iPhoto folders do not hold photos - they hold albums or other folders

     

    Were you moving photos inside of the iPhoto library using the finder?  If so never do that - you must never make any changes of any sort to the stucture or content of the iPhoto library using any program except iPhoto

     

    If you did then you need to start over with a new library and never make any change to it via the finder or other programs again

     

    LN