Unsupported Image Format Error- Damaged files???

Maybe I answer my own question. After doing the Browser & Viewer, Quick Preview, and Project Inspector the unsupported image format returned when I turned off Quick Preview. However, if I then restart Aperture, the pictures stop giving errors.

This whole this is pretty strange. It seems to be a pretty long-lived bug in Aperture.

I also extracted a master directly (via Finder) from the library and it appeared undamaged.

Still no resolution on my system.

I am afraid that I am now testing Light Room.

<Edited by Moderator>

You went through the following four steps?

1) Select View > Browser & Viewer,

2) Turn on Quick Preview,

3) Select Projects in the Inspector, and

4) Restart Aperture.

I had more new unsupported image errors this weekend, and, as before, the above procedure fixed the problem. In spite of the fact that this always seems to work, I have started making .dmg files of my CF cards before I even open Aperture, just to be safe.

I have tried your fix with the quick look and it works to be able to view the photos but as soon as quick view is turned off, the photo goes back to the unsupported format red screen. Have you been able to get the full resolution photo to view?

I have had a ton of photos all of a sudden have this error too. This is a disgrace for Aperture to not correct this!!

If I turn off quick preview and quit Aperture, the unsupported format always goes away when I restart Aperture. If that doesn't work for you, you have my sympathy. I suppose you could try grabbing the master from inside the Aperture library, or exporting the master and reimporting, but I have not had much success with that.

Thanks for your attempt to help and quick response. I tried turning it off and quitting aperture and then restarting but the unsupported image comes right on as soon as I try to look at any JPG files. The RAW are all fine but this is a disaster. I have about 3000 jpg photos spread over about 20 projects! The masters are all fine (can see them in preview viewer etc) but that is hours of work to try and recover not even knowing if the next time I open aperture, they will all be "unsupported format" again.

This is the second major but I have had with aperture. I lost about half of a 30,000 photo library to the grey square glitch(you open a project and there is a grey square instead of the photo but all the meta data is visible and is pointed to the correct master image which is seen in preview just fine) and had to restore all those photos from disc. I am simply blown away by the major bugs that aperture never seems to resolve.

Thanks for trying to help and letting me vent.

You have tried rebuilding the library, too? If that doesn't work, try calling Apple - try the consumer relations department if AppleCare is useless.

I was getting the Unsupported image format after doing a lot of work in Aperture. As noted above, quitting and restarting Aperture usually fixed the problem. But, just recently, I couldn't restart Aperture. I rebuilt the Library (I think it is option-shift key on start of Aperture). And now it all works fine.

Aperture does not modify files on cards when it imports. I have imported thousands of images from SD cards, and Aperture does not in any way write back to the card. I have inserted write-protected cards for importing files, and it works fine.

There is no need to first copy to the computer, and then import.

I have noticed some pretty erratic card readers. I have about four, and one in particular is inconsistent in its quality.

There might be other reasons one would want to copy to the hard drive before importing, but I don't think Aperture does anything to your card unless, of course, you choose the erase and eject option.

The reason quick-preview works okay is that you are not looking at the RAW image anyhow, but the preview.

The problem seems actually to be that the camera model data in the EXIF file is not being read correctly by OSX. In Graphic Converter, these PEFs open just fine.

The problem is with the OSX RAW support not detecting the camera model. Pentax users will recall that when Hoya bought Pentax, there was a change made in the manufacturer tag of the EXIF files, and Aperture could not read PEFs. We all had to use a utility to modify that tag before those PEFs would work in Aperture. Likewise, for a long time Aperture could not get the Lens model data from EXIF correct, but now it does (thought it still does NOT read this data from DNG or JPEG).

This will probably require a short-term utility until Apple updates the RAW support to include the K2000/KM.

Still doesn't explain why it's intermittent, but on the PentaxForums discussion, someone examined the EXIF data and this was what they found.

The "unsupported image format" problem is an annoying bug.
Here's what works for me:

Select the image, Click Lift Metadata, Click Paste Metadata,
click on image again. The image reappears.

This beats having to relaunch Aperture.

maljo

I'm starting to see this error as well with my 450D images as well a little PowerShot.

Usually removing all adjustments brings them back.

Annoying...

There is no need to first copy to the computer, and then import.

Actually there is. Importing directly into any app other than the Finder is simply more risky. Folks who choose to do so intentionally choose to risk original digital image files.

Even though it of course works most of the time, adding unnecessary risk to originals is IMO unwise.

An exception would be users of highest end cameras like Nikon's D3 who maintain a workflow with backup originals on redundant CF cards.

-Allen Wicks