Library can't upgrade to iPhoto '11, can't rebuild Library either.

Didn't solve my problem, in fact my permissions were set correctly all along.

Worked like a charm with a 56 GB library. Thanks so much. Apple really dropped and continues to drop the ball on this.

I have been using Aperture for 3 years and only use iPhoto for misc. fun stuff. I bought iLife 11 today because I like some of the slideshows, and thought I might make use of them in the future. After installing and launching the new iPhoto, it seemed to convert the library without issue. I was able to play a slideshow, but when I started clicking on some of the photos in the library, it crashed, and after that, kept crashing every time I launched it. Since my iPhoto library does not contain any of my original photos I selected new library when I launched it with the option key. Once I did this I had a new empty library. I dragged in some photos and everything works fine. So, I have to conclude that there is some sort of bug in the library conversion process, and I am sure this will be addressed in a future fix. This does not help those of you who use iPhoto as your main photo application, and is certainly annoying. Good luck everybody!

iPhoto Library Manager - http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/ - has released an update to allow you to try the upgrade again - http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/blog/2010/iphoto-library-manager-and-iphoto-11-com patibility

LN

Here’s how i finally succeeded in getting iPhoto ’11 to update my iPhoto ’09 data base. Although I had tried each of these separately, or in some combination, this is the precise method I followed to get the conversion to work:

1. I duplicated my iPhoto library to the desktop to use as my working copy and copied and renamed the ’09 app to the desktop.
2. I installed ’11
3. I opened my working copy of the library in ’09 holding the option/command keys and checked all the options to rebuild the library.
4. I copied all movies out of my library to a folder outside of iPhoto and deleted all the movies in iPhoto.
5. I deleted all Keepsake items.
6. I emptied the trash in iPhoto
7. I quit iPhoto and repeated step 3 (for good luck).
8. I opened the library package and deleted the following file: (MacBook-Pro’s conflicted copy 2010-01-31).ipspot_update (Note I share this library between two computers via Dropbox)
9. I used BatChmod ( http://www.macchampion.com/arbysoft/BatchMod/Welcome.html) to change permissions as suggested here: http://iphoto11.wordpress.com/
10. I duplicated my library for good luck.
11. Rebooted in Safe Mode
12. Opened my working library with iPhoto ’11 - Attempt failed
13. Opened the library package and deleted the following file: InterruptedUpgrade
14. Reopened Library in ’11 which now opened immediately (no update) but many of the thumbnails were missing.
15. Quit iPhoto
16. Reopened ’11 holding the option/command keys and checked all the options to rebuild the library.
17. iPhoto worked for over an hour on my library (only 16 gigs/4,300 photos - I use Lightroom as my maim photo manager).
18. When complete all my events and photos were in the new library but all my faces and places and albums were gone.

So I’m not sure which of these steps is really necessary and which are just magical-thinking, but at least I have something.

I’m keeping a copy of my old ’09 library around just incase Apple comes up with an update that will allow me to properly import my photos.

I can't upgrade my library even I have installed the latest update. It just hangs in the middle of the progress. I have installed some plugins in previous iphoto version, can anyone tell me how to uninstall the plugins?

I have just installed the latest update to iPhoto 11, released in the UK at about 1130GMT on 30th October 2010, and the news I have is........that my iPhoto library is STILL buggered. It won't upgrade at all. Not happy.

Same here. Same message as last time. "iphoto is unable to open this library"

i just bot ilife 11 (Family pack) i installed it on my power mac with no problem BUT when i tried it on my macbook pro i got the message "unable to open library" after reading the forum and not getting a solution i called pple and spent hours with the tec and solved the problem...
so here is the solution (the best that i can remember...)
1) it is a permission issue...disk utilities repair permissions doesnt go deep enough into the computer and i think only changes sofetware permissions...
2) we uninstalled ilife 11 - send ilife in applications and from the dock into trash...
3)reinstall ilife
4) run software update..there is an iphoto 11 185mb update
5) shutdown
6) insert the original os10.5 disk and start up holding down the option buttion
7) choose disk option for boot
8) hit disk option...english..continue..
9) up in upper left of screen hit password reset...
10) scroll down to reset permissions and acls...
11) run the acls reset
12) close our password reset..and osx disk...boot from HD
13) mine worked great afterwords...

acls reset evidentially reset the permissions for the user not just the software(deeper than disk utilities..

good luck
5) shut down...

I was having the exact same issue and restoring my library of 100,000+ photos was unacceptable. I took my machine into my local Apple Store and connected it to one of their demo machines via firewire. I put my computer into target disk mode (press and hold the letter "t" as the machine boots) and then opened my library on the demo machine. This allowed their already upgraded iPhoto to open and upgrade my iPhoto library. After disconnecting from the demo machine, my machine opened my library perfectly with no data loss. Yay!

I understand that this may not be an option for some, but it worked very well for me and the whole process took about five minutes. I didn't even bother with an appointment. I just walked in with my MBP and a firewire cable and did it myself.

Good luck!

I also had trouble upgrading to iPhoto '11. The only plug in I had on '09 was the Kodak Gallery iPhoto Plug in. Once I removed that from iPhoto '09 the upgrade to '11 iPhoto went without a hitch.

This worked perfectly for me. The one exception is I simply found my iPhoto Library, dragged and dropped it onto the icon, voila! 🙂

One thing I realized was that I was trying to open the wrong iPhoto Library. I keep most of my photos on an external hard drive and I had to drag & drop that file for it to work! I hope this helps someone. 🙂