Seems like I can't really edit any images with iphoto's built in image editing feature. Trying to rotate, remove red eye etc always distorts the image to this:
Try the easy fix first: delete the iPhoto preference file, com.apple.iPhoto.plist, that resides in your User/Library/Preferences folder. Launch iPhoto and try again.
Tried removing preferences. For a moment it seemed like it helped, but it did not. Funny enough, if I zoom in to an image and it becomes distorted, I can wiggle it around from the navigation and sooner or later it works again.
This problem is on my iMac. Can't really say when it started, I upgraded to iLife09 about two weeks ago, and to snow leopard a few days ago. This is the first time I'm trying the built in editor since I also have photoshop as an external editor. I just sometimes prefer to do quick fixes (straighten, crop) with the built in editor... So basically this combo has never worked for me, but I updated so much stuff since trying last time that it won't be easy to find anything to blame.
+Do you have a 3rd party graphic card in your iMac?+
No. The only modifications I have done to my iMac is adding ram and changing the hard drive. Also it has been fine until the latest upgrades (iPhoto09 / Snow Leopard).
Having exactly the same issues here since upgrading to Snow Leopard. The effect occurs in full screen during zoom - often the corruption is only apparent in the small zoom area navigation window, but as I zoom in and out, the effect will also occur in the same window at certain magnifications.
This is in a bog-standard iMac using a Panasonic FZ38 in fine quality jpegs.
I have exactly the same problem. It occurs with latest update of IPhoto09 (updated yesterday) and with Snow Leopard (loaded a few days before). When using enhance image editing feature I occasionally get a completely distorted image, with one dominant color and a triangular arm through it. So far, the only way I can correct by next going into image adjustment and changing auto adjustment that took place until I get a good image. This is clearly not a hardware problem, but a problem with software most likely a poor quality recent update by Apple to IPhoto-09. I can go back to earlier version, but would prefer Apple software experts to address this issue. Hope they are reading this.
Problem: Scanned numerous photographs at color 600 dpi on Canon Pixma500, then exported scans to jpeg, then imported into iPhoto
Result: Many will not edit. Here are the symptoms:
(1) Using full screen edit, the screen becomes blank.
(2) If while screen blank, "resize" slide is moved, then small preview screen shows up, with the thumbnail in it, but still major edit screen is blank.
(3) On some photos, if choose "crop" then entire photo will show up, but some will jump back to their original size, even after being cropped.
(4) Some images show up in the edit window, but will simply not edit, e.g., no sharpness, saturation or any other change will appear.
(5) For photo that is cropped, and then "jumps back" to its original size, an export file to tiff and re-import of the tiff shows a cropped file.
(6) For some photos, if the crop is a non-standard dimension (custom), then instead of cropping the image, iPhoto actually distorts it! For example if a photo was cropped into a 1 by 7 strip, the image would stretch out into that small strip.
(7) Exporting to tiff and then re-importing to edit does not work for color photos.
(8) same problem occurs for scanned (600 dpi) black and white photos.
(9) Attempts to edit older photos imported from iPhone, which previous before Snow had beed editable, failed, with the same results.
(10) Reading the discussions, there is plenty of discussion on this. The following do NOT appear to have any effect on the problem: (1) rebuilding the iPhoto library, (2) doing crazy stuff like reinstalling the system, (3) building a new Preferences file, (4) Building a new library, (5) using a back up copy of the photos.
Conclusion: Upgrade to Snow Leopard has temporarily destroyed ability if iPhoto to edit.
I'm having the same issue as well. I keep running into the problem when "enhancing" the photo. I have been able to "correct" the problem by Apple+Z'ing back to original then going to the next photo, then coming back. It works sometimes, but certainly not often.
