iPhoto Slideshow Freezes

I wonder if you could resolve this problem, because I have the same problem. I created a slideshow with about 500 slides and it always crashes.
I tried to rebuild new librarys and even reinstalled IPhoto and installed it again, but the problem remains.
I have a totally new MacBook with all updates but it does not work.

Have you tried using different slides or a different number? Delete the iPhoto preference file, com.apple.iPhoto.plist, that resides in your User/Library/Preferences folder.

NOTE: If you're moved your library from its default location in your Home/Pictures folder you will have to point iPhoto to its new location when you next open iPhoto by holding the the Option key.

Reboot and try the slideshow again.

I already did this, I also tried to build a new library. I reinstalled IPhoto and installed it again. I did all the things I read here in this forum, but it does not work. I tried with up to 300 slides, then it is o.k. Is the problem the hardware which can not handle with such a lot of slides? (Every slide is 5MB)

I tried with up to 300 slides, then it is o.k. Is the problem the hardware which can not handle with such a lot of slides?

It might well be. 500 x 5mb slides is 2.5 gigs. How much Ram do you have?

Regards

TD

I have exactly the same problem on a brand new iMac with 4Go Ram with updates all done (MacOs 10.6.4).
I did a lot of investigations, perhaps some of them could help.

I already tried: to rebuild the iPhoto library, to make other accounts, to deinstall/reinstall iphoto (following instructions of someone at applecare), to reboot with cmd alt+rp pressed. Nothing works. I wonder if that could came from the iPhoto Library itself (I mean from the re-reading of the file). Indeed I observed what follows.

1) I import photos directly from the camera with iPhoto (710 photos for a global size of 3.4 Go). The slideshows crashes after ~130 photos. Even it freezes, or iPhoto quits (with an error message "unpredictable crash" which I send to apple each time). The number of photos after which it crashes is almost the same whatever the "speed" of the slideshow.

2) I have also installed Picasa 3.6 for MacOs. This application apparently reads directly the iPhoto library. When I do the slideshow with Picasa, it also freezes after a while.

3) I have deleted the iPhoto library, then imported the same photos from the camera with Picasa. Picasa does not build any archive, but simply puts the 710 JPEG files in the directory I chose. In this case, the slideshow of Picasa works perfectly well till the end for the 710 photos.

Of course, one solution would be to use Picasa... but I prefer iPhoto.
Then, I wonder if the problem could come from the iPhoto Library itself.

Last thing, same procedure as 1) leads to almost same result on a MacBookPro 8Go Ram under 10.6.4 (it freezes after 600 photos, but computer was completely crashed. I had to reboot pressing the main on/off button).

Does someone have any idea ? Does it help ??

Thanks by advance.

Hello, I just would like to add something to my last post.

I tried this morning again the same procedure (import the same 710 photos directly from the camera with iPhoto on a *new account*) but now on my MacBookPro 15" 2.4 GHz Intel C2D, 4 Go DDR3, running under 10.5.8. On this machine I am able to do the slideshow with the 710 pictures without any difficulty (duration of each slide 1.5 second, size of the library: 3.4 Go). It works perfectly well. But, it is iPhoto 8.1.1 under 10.5.8.

So, if I summarize, the same procedure leads to a crash of iPhoto on

-- MacBookPro 15" 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7, 8 Go DDR3, MacOs 10.6.4, iPhoto 8.1.2
-- iMac 27" Intel Core i3 3.2 GHz, 4 Go DDR3, MacOs 10.6.4, iPhoto 8.1.2

But works on MacBookPro 15" 2.4 GHz Intel C2D, 4 Go DDR3, MacOs 10.5.8, iPhoto 8.1.1

So, could it be a problem of the last version of iPhoto under snow leopard ?

Thank you very much for any help or new idea.

So, could it be a problem of the last version of iPhoto under snow leopard ?

I don't have the problem with my early 2009 24" iMac but do on my early 2007 15" MacBook Pro.

I just ran a text on the MBP with 900 slides in an album exporting to the medium sized slideshow

Click to view full size

and it crashed. This is one of several nearly identical messages I got in the console:

08/25/10 10:00:41 AM iPhoto[173] * Failed creating texture on <QCOpenGLContext = 0x163E8A60 | 1 rendering patches> from image <QCImage = 0x14EC08D0 | provider = <QCImageBufferProvider = 0x1A2A1F40 | DOD = <QCRegion = 0x1A2959B0 | rectangle = {{0, 0}, {880, 92}}> | colorspace = GenericRGB | alpha = 0 | native pixel format = Internal_XRGB8 | native target = (null) | capabilities = 100 > | DOD = <QCRegion = 0x15E6D620 | empty> | transform = [[0.000000,0.000000][0.000000,0.000000][0.000000,0.000000]] | properties = {
MRKenBurns = {
centerX = nan;
centerY = nan;
rotationAngle = -0;
scale = nan;
};
}>

I reduced the number of slides to 192 and it went thru OK. I did send the crash report to Apple in hopes they can find a common thread among these crashes. The first slideshow crashed very early on in the process. The photos I removed from the album before the second test were from the end so that would discount a file problem.

When the first test crashed the screen had darkened but the screensaver hadn't activated. The second test I tried to keep the screen active all the time. This one's a long shot but...

I have had the same problem with iPhoto Slideshows. I exported a slideshow with about 300+ (roughly 5MB per) images as a Large (960x540 px) sized Quicktime movie to use in an iDVD slideshow - no problem. When I tried to export 500+ images iPhoto froze about 3/4 of the way through the rendering process.

Has anyone tried to size down their images before creating the slideshow and exporting? Say perhaps 1500px by 1000px at 72 dpi per image? Would this affect image quality of the slideshow after rendering?

I am just about ready to give up on iPhoto slideshows and shell out the $200 for Final Cut Express. I do love the ease and simplicity of the workflow and the themes in iPhoto, but for the kind of work I need it to do, it just doesn't cut the mustard.

I am just about ready to give up on iPhoto slideshows and shell out the $200 for Final Cut Express.

There is simply no comparison between iPhoto and FCE. iPhoto is fine for a handy slideshow. However it has none of FCE's powerful abilities: multiple video tracks, multiple audio tracks, cutting down to the fraction of a second. Bit of a learning curve, but if your serious about Slideshows it's well worth the money.

Regards

TD

Hello, that's just to add that I have the same annoying problem, running 800 photos in a slideshow. I can confirm that it always happens about after the same time from start of the slideshow or eventually after the same number of pictures seen. I have 4GB of ram on my iMac...

The bad things when it happens are that:
a) you take 1-2 minutes waiting for iMac to respond, for iPhoto to restart, for selecting the photo in the slideshow where it stopped and start again to watch your pictures;
b) whichever photo you start a slideshow from, iPhoto will always play the music † from the first song in the playlist! So, we have been seeing 800 pictures with almost the same song along! Crazy.

There is a new update just released yesterday that you might try: Snow Leopard Graphics Update.

Have you ever been able to run a large slideshow before? If so when did this issue begin? After any specific updates?

OT

I have a brand new one with 4GB RAM! Could it be the graphic card?

No, this does not work. The problem still remains the same. I will now create slideshows with our old Windows PC and quit Apple. Too much money for nothing..

It really seams to have to do with the IPhoto software, because I can run a very large Slideshow with Front Row but not with IPhoto.