Missing Photos

It will just go back to the situation iPhoto was in before you removed them. Give it a try and see.

And that's exactly what happened. The 1,000 photos taken since the upgrade from iPhoto 6 to iPhoto 7 are back. The 34,000 photos taken before the upgrade are once again "missing" with frames and exclamation points. I am back to exactly where I was when I started.

So the 1,000 new photos were not deleted (nothing in the file sizes suggested they were), but no amount of library rebuilding brought them back.

So is there anyone who can tell me the recovery procedures for missing photos from the upgrade from iPhoto 6 to iPhoto 7? Or should I post that as a separate thread?

Since you've tried the fixes in my first post and you still haven't recovered all of the photos the last fixe is:

Start over from scratch with new library

Start over with a new library and import the Originals (iPhoto 09 and earlier) or the Masters (iPhoto 11) folder from your original library as follows:

1. Move the existing library folder to the desktop.

2. Open the library package like this.

Click to view full size

3. Launch iPhoto and, when asked, select the option to create a new library.

4. Drag the Origianls (iPhoto 09 and earlier) or the Masters (iPhoto 11) folder from the iPhoto Library on the desktop into the open iPhoto window.

Click to view full size

This will create a new library with the same Events as the original library but will not keep the metadata, albums, books slideshows and other projects.

Your original library will still be available for further testing if desired.

I actually HAVE recovered all of the photos; all I have to do is change plist and cache files and I can see them all -- just not at the same time.

Will the above procedure return the 34,000 missing photos to not missing AND enable retention of the 1,000 new photos? Or do I have to do the above procedure twice, once with each of the two versions of the plist and cache files?

Also, I have very little metadata, but I do have 3-4 slideshows I would dearly love to keep. Any way they can be exported and then re-imported to the "new" library?

Might another option be to split the library? It appears that by switching the plist and cache files, I can make photos appear and disappear. Could I use that ability to separate the library into two parts, an old one with 34,000 photos and a new one with 1,000? If so, how would I go about that?

If you can duplicate the library and get them to that between the two you can see all of the photos normally you should be able to use iPhoto Library Manager to merge the two libraries into a new 3rd library that would show ALL of the files.

I'm probably not being clear. At this moment I have ONE iPhoto Library.

Using the plist and cache files from prior to your Fix #1, I can see the 1,000 new photos but not the 34,000 old photos.

Using the plist and cache files from after your Fix #1, I can see the 34,000 old photos but not the 1,000 new photos.

I can't duplicate the library and see them both at the same time (ie; see 1,000 photos in one and 34,000 in the other). To see all of the photos at once, I would need to run 2 instances of iPhoto simultaneously, one with one set of plist/cache files, and one with another set. The Library contains all 35,000 photos.

iPhoto Library Manager can't be used because I have only one library and it really does contain all 35,000 photos. The problem isn't with the Library. It's with iPhoto being unable to recognize either 34,000 or 1,000 photos in the Library based on the plist/cache file in use at the time.

This is starting to backlog. I'm afraid of adding new photos to iPhoto, and they are building on my camera at a rapid pace. I have actually already started to get off this flakey software and migrate to Picassa. Interestingly, the choice of plist/cache files also appears to control how many photos Picassa can identify and import.

While you're viewing the 1000 photos with the plist and cache files duplicate the library. Then with the copy library use the plist and cache files from after Fix #1.

Now you should have two libraries, one with 1000 visible and one with the orther 34,000. Now you can try using iPLM to merge the two into a 3rd. Might work.

Or use iPLM to copy the 1000 from the one library into the other library. To make that easier create an album with the 1000 photos in it and copy that album to the other library.

Otherwise you'll need to take the Originals folder from the library and import it into a new library. This should get you all the photos in the same events as the original library,

I have tried #1 and #2 and am still unable to retrieve my 1 missing event. This event, of my child's first christmas 😟, has the dotted line scenario however when i scroll I can see the original image "flash" momentarily. This is frustrating.

#1 i had to reimport a backup as i lost numerous random events.

#2 the images of christmas still do not appear

Will the rebuild describe in #3 help??

Any help appreciated.

Fix #3 creates a new library based on the data in the AlbumData.xml file for the library. If that file doesn't include those 1st Christmas photos then it won't be of much help. Since it leaves your library untouched and might pick up orphaned photos in the library it wouldn't hurt to try it. The only thing you'll lose is time.

Lastly, the Start over from scratch with new library method should create a library with all of your photos in it because you've confirmed that they are all in the library, just not all being recognized at the same time. This method also will leave your current library untouched and, again, just cost you time in trying it.

I found the following while visiting iPhoto Library Manager's site a few minutes ago:

Extracting Photos

There are some situations, such as when an iPhoto library gets corrupted, when your photos may still exist inside your iPhoto library, and you can still see them in the Finder, but they don't show up in iPhoto. iPhoto Library Manager's photo extraction feature makes it simple to copy all your photos out from such a library.

To extract photos from a library, select that library in the list and select "Extract Photos..." from the File menu. You will be prompted to create a folder into which all the extracted photos will be copied. An option in the preferences allows you to also copy originals from the iPhoto library. If this option is enabled, then any originals found in the library will be copied into a subfolder titled "Originals".

You might try that approach to find those missing photos.

ILM's "Extract Photos..." capability is as restricted as iPhoto is in seeing and extracting photos. When I use the plist and cache files that enable me to see 34,000 of the 35,000 photos, ILM can extract only 34,000 photos. When I use the plist and cache files that let me see only 1,000 of the 35,000 photos, ILM can extract only 1,000 photos (despite the fact that in the ILM library list it clearly says there's 35,000 photos in the library).

So what I did is:

1) Launch iPhoto with the plist and cache files that let me see the latest 1,000 photos, then quit iPhoto;

2) Run ILM's "Extract Photos..." to extract all 1,000 originals;

3) Swap out the plist and cache files with the ones that let me see the 34,000 photos,

4) Re-launch iPhoto (I can now see 34,000 photos);

5) Manually drag the 1,000 extracted photos into iPhoto. They showed up as 1 event.

6) Split the 1,000 photos into appropriate events. Voila, basically back where I started, only now I can see all 35,000 photos.

Then I ran Picassa and let it find all the photos. Now I'm using Picassa, and I hope to never, ever launch iPhoto again.

I spoke WAY too soon. I should know better, given the totally flaky nature of iPhoto.

After performing Step 6 above, I decided to manually clean up the 1,000 photos (again), as I copied in the originals. I deleted about 100 photos, most duplicates. Then I emptied the trash from within iPhoto. Then I deleted the two library copies I had made, one weeks ago before trying Fix #1, and the second the one that ILM created as a rebuild in part of Fix #3. Then I started to empty the trash.

And the moment the trash started emptying, ALL 35,000 PHOTOS WENT "MISSING" (dotted frame and exclamation mark).

iPhoto is total junk. I am SO desperate to get my photos back and never use the software again. It has been 8 weeks, 3 continents and I'm worse off than when I started.

Now what? I stopped the trash emptying and have recovered what I could. Truly the most entertaining is that in Events view, everything is "missing" -- but if I scroll, I can see images. Stop scrolling, black screen.

What a load of nonsense, all caused by an "upgrade".

Thanks a million! Fix #1 worked for me.