Wondering if anyone can help me on this.....last night, I turned on my LaCie hard drive where I store all my photos on iPhoto. For some reason, a portion of my photo library has disappeared. The last pictures I have in iPhoto are from July 2009, even though I have scanned and loaded hundreds of pictures since then.
Any idea what might have happened and how I might recover these photos?
Thanks for your help.
Macbook Pro, Mac OS X (10.4.3), PC (business)
What version of iPhoto?
What format is the external drive?
Managed or Referenced Library?
A Managed Library, is the default setting, and iPhoto copies files into the iPhoto Library when Importing. The files are then stored in the Library package
A Referenced Library is when iPhoto is NOT copying the files into the iPhoto Library when importing because you made a change at iPhoto -> Preferences -> Advanced. (You unchecked the option to copy files into the Library on import) The files are then stored where ever you put them and not in the Library package. In this scenario you are responsible for the File Management.
Thanks very much for your reply. I am running iPhoto '09 (although I swear that I had downloaded the '11 version but can't find). Not sure what format the external drive is....how would I check? I am running the Managed Library default setting....Appreciate your help!
Option 1
Back Up and try rebuild the library: hold down the command and option (or alt) keys while launching iPhoto. Use the resulting dialogue to rebuild. Choose to Rebuild iPhoto Library Database from automatic backup.
If that fails:
Option 2
Download iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. This will create a new library based on data in the albumdata.xml file. Not everything will be brought over - no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your albums and keywords back.
Because this process creates an entirely new library and leaves your old one untouched, it is non-destructive, and if you're not happy with the results you can simply return to your old one. .
Regards
TD
TD, Thank you for the suggestions. When I now open the iPhoto on my LaCie drive, there are no pictures at all. Zero. On 11/18, I had everything up to July 09 and now there is not a single file in there. I'm not sure what is going on....
TD, I just found the pictures from up to July 09. Now still trying to figure out still what happened to the ones from July '09 to present...Won't rebuilding the library simply populate a new library with the same pictures I already have up to July '09? Or will it locate the other pictures too? Thanks for your help.
TD, Thanks for your help. Found all the pictures in another directory! Now I need to figure out the best way to backup.
Lost iPhoto Pictures
