Exclamation mark, photos deteted from hard drive

norville7

Welcome to the Apple Discussions.

I don't think that iPhoto is the cause here - it doesn't have the code to do this kind of work at all. I would check out back up applications as likely culprit.

Regards

TD

I have a similar problem, I have a disk of JPEGs I told i-photo to load. When trying to view any of these photos in the edit mode, I get the huge gray exclamation mark!

ken

The ! or ? turns up when iPhoto loses the connection between the thumbnail in the iPhoto Window and the file it represents.

The most common cause of this is User Activity in the iPhoto Library Folder in the Finder.

Have you altered, moved or renamed anything in the iPhoto Library Folder?

If you haven't, then try rebuilding the database. Hold down the apple and option (or alt) keys while launching iPhoto. Use the resulting dialogue to rebuild. Choose the top three options.

Are you running a Managed Library or a Referenced library?

If you're running a Managed library, then it's the default setting, and iPhoto copies files into the iPhoto Library when Importing

If you're running a Referenced Library, then you made a change at iPhoto -> Preferences -> Advanced and iPhoto is NOT copying the files into the iPhoto Library when importing.

Regards

TD

Hi Terence,

I have the same issue with iPhoto 6 in that I also see the Exclamation mark. However, from reading some of your other responses to people with the same problem, I now realise it is because I have made changes to the iPhoto Library folder in Finder without realising the implications.

I see that you have suggested creating and populating a new library by moving the iPhoto Library to the desktop and re-launching iPhoto. Before I tried this I checked the iPhoto Library folder in Finder as I expected to see all the photos that I have lost still in there but I don't, not even in the Originals folder. Some are there but many are not. Am I correct in assuming that they should be?

Based on this assumption, I am worried that I may have lost photos for good. However, I am thinking that if the photos are lost then I would be unable to see a thumbnail preview of them within iPhoto and that they must be stored in the memory somewhere. Again, is this correct?

Regards,
Carl

Carl

Welcome to the Apple Discussions.

Am I correct in assuming that they should be?

Yes they should be.

I am thinking that if the photos are lost then I would be unable to see a thumbnail preview of them within iPhoto and that they must be stored in the memory somewhere. Again, is this correct?

Sorry, but it's not. When you import a pic into iPhoto, the app creates a thumbnail for the pics and uses that to speed up display. So, it quite possible to remove the original file and stil have the thumbnail. Result: the pic appears in the iPhoto Window and it looks fine until you try to do something with it...

Regards

TD

Terence,

Thanks for the quick response. I can't give up just yet though!

You say that my photos should be in the iPhoto Library. If so, I don't understand why I can't see photos that don't have the exclamation mark in iPhoto within this folder.

In directory: Finder>iPhoto Library, I see 3 folders called Data, Modified and Originals, and in all 3 of these, there is one folder only, called 2006. Within this folder, (for all 3 of the formerly mentioned folders) there are various Rolls with the pictures I expect to see. However, there are many Rolls and pictures that are not missing from iPhoto that I cannot find anywhere. They must surely be saved elsewhere. For example, where would the pictures from 2007 be?

To add to the confusion, there are some pictures in iPhoto, within the same folder, which were taken in 2006, where some have the exclamation mark and others that don't. These must be saved elsewhere also. Any ideas?

Kind Regards,
Carl

Carl

A Note about the iPhoto Library Folder:

In this folder there are various files, which are the Library itself and some ancillary files. Then you have three folders

ℹ Originals are the photos as they were downloaded from your camera or scanner.

(ii) Modified contains edited pics, shots that you have cropped, rotated or changed in any way.

(iii) Data holds the thumbnails the the app needs to show you the photos in the iPhoto Window.

If you think the photos may be elsewhere (how? Have you ever run a library where the pics werenot copied to the iPhoto Library Folder on import?) Then select the pic in the iPhoto Window, right click on it an go Show File. A finder window will pop open, and - if the file can be found - the file will be selected.

Where is that file?

Regards

TD

Terence,

I think I understand the 3 folders principal but I don't understand where photos since 2006 are saved.

I'm not sure if I have ever run a library where pics were not copied to the iPhoto Library on import because when I import, I do the following: Open iPhoto, connect the camera via USB, turn on the camera and import images when prompted so it is all done within iPhoto itself.

Unfortunately I don't have a right click button as the MacBook Pro has one button only. Is there any other way I can go to 'Show File' as suggested? Did you mean do this within iPhoto?

Thanks,
Carl

Yes I did mean in the iPhoto Window and if you don't have a mouse, you can right click by holding the Control key and clicking.

Regards

TD

That's useful, I didn't know that.

Ok the good news is that I don't think I have lost the photos. They are saved in the following directory: Mac HD>Users>Shared>iPhoto Library>etc

Can I retrieve them by saving the above iPhoto Library to my desktop and re-launching iPhoto?

Apologies, I should have mentioned that I share the Mac.

Thanks,
Carl

Then drag that Folder to the desktop and start over:

To create and populate a new library:

Note this will give you a working library with the same Rolls and pictures as before, however, you will lose your albums, keywords, modified versions, books, calendars etc.

Move the iPhoto Library to the desktop

Launch iPhoto. It will ask if you wish to create a new Library. Say Yes.

Go into the iPhoto Library on your desktop and find the Originals folder. From the Originals folder drag the individual Roll Folders to the iPhoto Window and it will recreate them in the new library.

When you're sure all is well you can delete the iPhoto Library on your desktop.

In the future, in addition to your usual back up routine, you might like to make a copy of the library6.iPhoto file whenever you have made changes to the library as protection against database corruption.


And remember, with iPhoto you do all your work in the iPhoto Window and leave the iPhoto Library Folder alone. If you're concerned with find files:

There are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:

For 10.5 users: You can use any Open / Attach / Browse dialogue. On the left there's a Media heading, your pics can be accessed there. Apple-Click for selecting multiple pics.

To upload to a site that does not have an iPhoto Export Plug-in the recommended way is to Select the Pic in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export and export the pic to the desktop, then upload from there. After the upload you can trash the pic on the desktop. It's only a copy and your original is safe in iPhoto.

This is also true for emailing with Web-based services. If you're using Gmail you can use THIS

If you use Apple's Mail, Entourage, AOL or Eudora you can email from within iPhoto.

If you use a Cocoa-based Browser such as Safari, you can drag the pics from the iPhoto Window to the Attach window in the browser.

Or, if you want to access the files with iPhoto not running, then create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use THIS

Other options include:

1. *Drag and Drop*: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.

2. *File -> Export*: Select the files in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export. The dialogue will give you various options, including altering the format, naming the files and changing the size. Again, producing a copy.

3. *Show File*: Right- (or Control-) Click on a pic and in the resulting dialogue choose 'Show File'. A Finder window will pop open with the file already selected.

Using an external editor

You can set Photoshop (or any image editor) as an external editor in iPhoto. (Preferences -> General -> Edit Photo: Choose from the Drop Down Menu.) This way, when you double click a pic to edit in iPhoto it will open automatically in Photoshop or your Image Editor, and when you save it it's sent back to iPhoto automatically. This is the only way that edits made in another application will be displayed in iPhoto.

Regards

TD