simon1973

Q: How to fix lost connections to original high-resolution pictures in iPhoto and how to import an iPhoto Book from one iPhoto library to another

Hi there,

 

I am using a MBP Pro with 8 GB cache and 1 TB HDD from beginning of 2011 with OS X Yosemite and iPhoto version 9.6 (910.29).

 

I created an iPhoto Book to print which contains my best pictures of 2013 and 2014. Then I got an error message when I wanted to print the book, saying (translated from German):

 

Book could not be created.

With photo p233432343.jpg there was an error. The original version of that photo with full resolution could not be found or is damaged. Please replace the photo or delete it from your book.

 

When I enquired further, I found out, that many, many pictures in my iPhoto library have that problem - only the thumbnail picture is found by iPhoto, but not the one with the high resolution. When looking at the photos in detail one sees that they are not sharp because obviously the photo book only refers to the thumbnail. When I went into the iPhoto Library using Finder, I saw that the original high res photos are still there. As there are an estimated 3000 photos with a lost connection (some still have, it but about 1/2 of my photos don´t), it does not make sense to import those photos manually. This photo book is just the tip of the iceberg, so to say.

 

Then I looked for solutions in some forums. I had two lPhoto libraries, one on my HDD (120GB) and one on an external HDD (175GB). Assuming there might be problems, I have deleted (moved) the one on my HDD, because the "right one" is the one on my external HDD and started iPHoto again using the alt key. But that did not work either.

 

I then tried to repair my iPhoto library using iPhoto Library Manager, and merged and rebuilt libraries. The library that came out was crap - all folders that had lost connections to the high resolution pictures now have zero photos in it. Also it is lacking the projects, including the photo book I created.

 

Then I went to find out if there is a way to import the iphoto book project from the old, corrupt library into the new, repaired library but could not find anything. It can only be exported as a file structure or website. As the file structure is missing the high res pictures, that does not even solve the "little" problem of the photobook.

 

I would REALLY appreciate your help on the two questions:

1- Can you advise what I need to to do to to get the connection to the high resolution photos established again  ? As it is more than 3000 photos, I use an automated way of reestablishing that connection. Probably an answer to this question would make question 2 irrelevant.

2- Do you know if there is a way to export and import a book project created in iPhoto from one library to another ?

MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10.1), null

Posted on Jan 18, 2015 12:24 PM

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  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Jan 18, 2015 12:27 PM in response to simon1973
    Level 10 (141,336 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 18, 2015 12:27 PM in response to simon1973

    1 - Select  the thumbnail of one of the problem photos and use the File ➙ Reveal in Finder ➙ Original menu option.  This will take you to the folder containing the original file with that file selected by the Finder. 

     

    You can also use Find Any File to search for that file (get the file name from the Info pane in iPhoto). You will find the thumbnail version and maybe an edited version also.  Made sure what is found is the large, original version and note were it's located.  Search all of your drives with FAF just in case.

     

    If you don't fine the full sized version then the only recourse is to use a file recovery application like   SubrosaSoft FileSalvage on your drives to see if any of your full sized photos can be recovered.   If you find enough files to make the purchase of the software worthwhile buy it and recover the files.  However, since it may have been quite a while since you discovered the missing originals it seems unlikely you'll be able to recover any due to being overwritten.

     

    2 - book projects are just entries in the library databases and can't be exported to another library. 

     

    OTsig.png

  • by léonie,Helpful

    léonie léonie Jan 18, 2015 12:41 PM in response to simon1973
    Level 10 (107,942 points)
    iCloud
    Jan 18, 2015 12:41 PM in response to simon1973
    1- Can you advise what I need to to do to to get the connection to the high resolution photos established again  ? As it is more than 3000 photos, I use an automated way of reestablishing that connection. Probably an answer to this question would make question 2 irrelevant.

    iPhoto Library Manager is the only tool that is known to be able to repair the connection between the thumbnails and the high resolution originals by rebuilding the library, if they are still in the iPhoto library. iPhoto itself has no tools to reconnect originals and thumbnails.

    I see that you already tried that, but it is not quite clear, if you tried it on your original individual libraries, or only on the merged library.

     

    But even, if you can reconnect the thumbs and originals with iPhoto Library Manager, that will not save your book, because iPhoto Library Manager cannot restore print products like books or calendars.

     

    2- Do you know if there is a way to export and import a book project created in iPhoto from one library to another ?

    Aperture is the only application, that can export partial libraries with books from iPhoto libraries or aperture libraries, and reimport them to other libraries,  but I have never tested, if that will work with books created in iPhoto. It would be a rather expensive solution, anyway.

  • by LarryHN,Helpful

    LarryHN LarryHN Jan 18, 2015 12:43 PM in response to simon1973
    Level 10 (85,113 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jan 18, 2015 12:43 PM in response to simon1973

    are you seeing a black triangle with an ! in the middle -

    This indicates a disconnect between the Thumbnail and the original

     

     

    this can be caused by two things

     

     

    1 - User action deleting items from inside the iPhoto  library - can be directly - can be from the All images list (never delete from there) - can be from running cleanup software like MacKeeer, CleanMac2  or other dangerous, defective software that improperly deletes or changes things in the iPhoto library - if you have done any of these things you must restore your backup from before you did them and damaged your iPhoto library - and I recommend getting rid of any "clean up software" ASAP (although being essentially MalWear it is not easy)

     

     

    2 - corruption of the iPhoto library - If it is not #1 then Back up your iPhoto library, Depress and hold the option (alt) and command keys and launch iPhoto - rebuild your database

     

     

    IPLM is not a solution as it does not restore your projects

     

    There is no way to Move" a project (which is why IPLM can not restore it) between libraries

     

    You only choices are a backup that is good, the First Aid rebuild command or starting over with a new library from yr. originals and redoing the book project

     

    LN

  • by notcloudy,

    notcloudy notcloudy Jan 18, 2015 12:51 PM in response to simon1973
    Level 4 (1,195 points)
    Desktops
    Jan 18, 2015 12:51 PM in response to simon1973

    At least in Ilife9  -- check the import settings -  if they are not checked to import the original photo - and you imported your photos from the desktop - only the thumbnail resides in IPHOTO - so you if move or delete the external folder - the photo may not be found.

     

    If you import from a camera or cd than the original photo is imported into IPHOTO.

     

    I tested this out with a test iphoto library - when it comes to finding the picture.    Have not shut down yet - restart does not remover any error links so I can't delete the thumb nail   - will see later what happens after shut down.

     

    (and yes I reset the flags to import the original photo after my test - as all of my main iphoto library photos were imported from the desk top after scanning.)

  • by simon1973,

    simon1973 simon1973 Jan 19, 2015 12:13 PM in response to Old Toad
    Level 1 (5 points)
    iLife
    Jan 19, 2015 12:13 PM in response to Old Toad

    Hi OT,

    thanks. I had already found the original files but restoring about 7000 of them by hand is impossible (it´s even more than I initially thought). So I am trying to find a solution to make a bulk restore of all lost connections.... any ideas on that ?

     

    THanks,

    Simon

  • by simon1973,

    simon1973 simon1973 Jan 19, 2015 12:18 PM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (5 points)
    iLife
    Jan 19, 2015 12:18 PM in response to léonie

    THANKS Leonie.

     

    So as I´ve tried to rebuild the old library with iPhoto Library Manager already (unsuccessful) this means the only thing I can do is to get all the high-res pics with finder from the packaged 175GB iPhoto Library and import them again into (a new) iPhoto Library file ? The only way I see in order to import only the high-res pics and not the thumbnails is probably to go into the folder and then search only for pics about a certain kb size, so the thumbnails aren´t reimported as well, otherwise I´d have doubles everywhere. Correct ?

     

    This would then also mean that all my albums are lost - that I´ve created since 2004 and would be a major f*up. Hmh. Thanks for your help anyway, I appreciate it, although it seems to be (almost) the worst case. It would only be worse if those pics were all gone.

  • by simon1973,

    simon1973 simon1973 Jan 19, 2015 12:25 PM in response to LarryHN
    Level 1 (5 points)
    iLife
    Jan 19, 2015 12:25 PM in response to LarryHN

    Hi Larry,

     

    I had only one program on my mac, being "memory clean". I´ve deleted it. Otherwise I only have an antivirus and firewall software which I assume is fine, because I bought it from the apple app store.

     

    So I will go for the second option. What do you mean with "depress"  there ? Sorry, I am not a native English speaker.

  • by simon1973,

    simon1973 simon1973 Jan 19, 2015 12:32 PM in response to Old Toad
    Level 1 (5 points)
    iLife
    Jan 19, 2015 12:32 PM in response to Old Toad

    I have just bought FAF and will try to get all the pics out of the iPhoto Library package.

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Jan 19, 2015 12:34 PM in response to simon1973
    Level 10 (107,942 points)
    iCloud
    Jan 19, 2015 12:34 PM in response to simon1973
    The only way I see in order to import only the high-res pics and not the thumbnails is probably to go into the folder and then search only for pics about a certain kb size, so the thumbnails aren´t reimported as well, otherwise I´d have doubles everywhere. Correct ?

    The file size is not reliable, if your photos are jpeg. The pie size would be more reliable.

     

    A duplicate Finder like Photo Sweeper would be able to find all versions of a photo in all sizes and pick the largest size to keep. But Photo sweeper is not a free app.

  • by simon1973,

    simon1973 simon1973 Jan 19, 2015 12:48 PM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (5 points)
    iLife
    Jan 19, 2015 12:48 PM in response to léonie

    thanks. that´s exactly what I´m doing at the moment. What a nightmare. Already lost 8 hours of work doing the photobook and it was only the tip of the iceberg... what a mess - but many thanks for your help !

  • by simon1973,

    simon1973 simon1973 Jan 19, 2015 12:50 PM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (5 points)
    iLife
    Jan 19, 2015 12:50 PM in response to léonie

    I am happy to buy photo sweeper. But any pic I have taken has more than 2 MP, so they should all be > 200kb, no ? Or why wouldn´t this be reliable ??

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Jan 19, 2015 12:51 PM in response to léonie
    Level 10 (107,942 points)
    iCloud
    Jan 19, 2015 12:51 PM in response to léonie
    The pie size would be more reliable.

    what a typo!

    I meant: "The pixel size would be more reliable."

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Jan 19, 2015 12:55 PM in response to simon1973
    Level 10 (107,942 points)
    iCloud
    Jan 19, 2015 12:55 PM in response to simon1973
    I am happy to buy photo sweeper. But any pic I have taken has more than 2 MP, so they should all be > 200kb, no ? Or why wouldn´t this be reliable ??

    Photo sweeper is one of the few apps, that actually compares the content of the photos by comparing histograms or scaled down versions and not just the file attributes. So it can recognize edited versions or thumbnails as duplicates of the original file, and then create priority lists of which version to keep - the one with the largest pixel size, the one with the most keywords, the newest files, etc.

  • by LarryHN,

    LarryHN LarryHN Jan 19, 2015 1:23 PM in response to simon1973
    Level 10 (85,113 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jan 19, 2015 1:23 PM in response to simon1973

    Buying from the App store does not guarantee total safety - they sell programs that are safe for some purposes but that can damage the iphoto library

     

    In general antiVirus is totally unnecessary on a Mac - Firewalls too - although neither are likely to cause your problem - both can cause difficulties in buying books and other projects

     

    Depress - to press down on the option and command keys and hold them down while launching iPhoto until the first aid window appears

     

    Léonie is a native German speaker and can provide support in German

     

    I use only English or Google Translate (marginal at best) - but here goes

     

    2 - Korruption der iPhoto-Bibliothek - Wenn es nicht # 1 dann Sichern Sie Ihre iPhoto-Bibliothek, drücken und halten Sie die Option (alt) und Befehlstasten und starten Sie iPhoto - erstellen Sie Ihre Datenbank

     

     

    IPLM ist keine Lösung, da sie nicht wieder herzustellen Ihre Projekte

     

    Es gibt keinen Weg, um zwischen Bibliotheken verschieben "ein Projekt (weshalb IPLM nicht wiederherstellen)

     

    Sie nur Entscheidungen sind ein Backup, das gut ist, die Erste-Hilfe-Befehl wieder aufzubauen oder anzufangen mit einer neuen Bibliothek von yr. Originale und nochmal die Buchprojekt

     

    LN

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