Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

iphoto imports upright photos as black

Hey,


have an issue with iphoto '11 9.2.3. since a couple of weeks.


When importing photos using the SD card from my Canon Powershot SX130IS I regularly have issues that weirdly all photos that were taken not in landscape but upright are just black when imported.


I already checked the SD card on other computers and its fine. Furthermore, I even can see the Photos uncorrupted in Finder when accessing the SD card manually. Just when I import them they are not imported correctly, the landscape photos are fine though. Already checked for newer versions but everything is up to date (2011 MBP with Mac OS X 10.7.3 Lion, iPhoto mentioned above).


Any ideas on that?


Best, david

MacBook Pro (13-inch Early 2011), Mac OS X (10.7.3)

Posted on Apr 6, 2012 7:41 AM

Reply
107 replies

Apr 6, 2012 12:32 PM in response to david_mbp

There are several possible causes for the Black Screen issue


1. Permissions in the Library: 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. Include the option to check and repair permissions.


2. Minor Database corruption: 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.


3. A Damaged Photo: Select one of the affected photos in the iPhoto Window and right click on it. From the resulting menu select 'Show File (or 'Show Original File' if that's available). (On iPhoto 11 this option is under the File -> Reveal in Finder.) Will the file open in Preview? If not then the file is damaged. Time to restore from your back up.


4. A corrupted iPhoto Cache: Trash the com.apple.iPhoto folder from HD/Users/Your Name/Library/ Caches...


5. A corrupted preference file: Trash the com.apple.iPhoto.plist file from the HD/Users/ Your Name / library / preferences folder. (Remember you'll need to reset your User options afterwards. These include minor settings like the window colour and so on. Note: If you've moved your library you'll need to point iPhoto at it again.)


If none of these help:


As a Test:


Hold down the option (or alt) key key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Create Library'


Import a few pics into this new, blank library. Is the Problem repeated there?

Apr 9, 2012 6:01 AM in response to Yer_Man

okay, what the.. ?! Created a new account and there the import works just fine. After logging back into mine I was close to deleting and reinstalling iPhoto but put my SD card in as a last test and now it works fine here as well?


I think this is not making aaaany sense since I already restarted before, deleted the cache, had a new library and did everything you proposed. But hey, seems to work for now. Hope you guys still find the proper solution for your macs? Otherwise just repeat what I did and pray for the god of randomness to fix your problems 😉


Thanks again Terence, appreciate it!

Apr 15, 2012 2:21 AM in response to david_mbp

Same problem here. I tried all five of Terence Devlin's initial suggestions. None worked.


I also tried creating a brand new Library. Same problem; portrait orientation photos import as either blank or half blank.


The photos display fine in Preview, Graphic Converter, etc.


I created a brand new user account and coopied one of the offending photos to the new user's Public Drop Box folder. Imported it into iPhoto. Same problem. Totally black.


I have to conclude that this is not a problem with:


  • Permissions on the Library
  • Minor Database Corruption
  • A Damaged Photo
  • A Corrupted iPhoto Cache
  • A Corrupted Preferences File
  • A Corrupted Library
  • Problems With One User's Account


In other words, it has to be an iPhoto problem. The photos which do not properly import into iPhoto display fine in Preview, Quick Look, Graphic Converter, GIMP, etc. iPhoto fails even with a cleared cache, new preferences, new Library, etc.


Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Apr 15, 2012 2:48 AM in response to Buadhai

I think I may be getting to the bottom of this. It turns out that the photos that will not import properly are all photos taken with an iPhone and subsequently edited on the iPhone: cropped, enhanced, etc.


In fact, although all those photos are still on the iPhone, they do not show up in iPhoto when the iPhone is connected. For example, one of the photos that will not import properly is IMG_5304.JPG. When I connect my iPhone to iPhoto it jumps from IMG_5302.JPG to IMG_5305.JPG. It completely skips the two photos that I edited on the iPhone.


Another example, I used Photosynth to take a bunch of panoramic photos. On some of them I used the simple photo editor to crop out the jagged edges. The cropped photos do not appear for import into iPhone. The ones I did not crop are available for import.


Oddly, all the unavailable photos do show up in Image Capture, which is how I copied them from the iPhone to the Mac initially.


So, it appears that something about editing photos on the iPhone (with the simple editor, not iPhoto for iOS) some how corrupts the images in a way that iPhoto cannot handle. Oddly, every other graphics program can handle these images with no problem.


It appears to be an iPhoto problem.


Question for others having this problem: Are you using an iPhone and did you edit the photos on the iPhone?

iphoto imports upright photos as black

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.