iPhoto faces disappeared!

Actually not backing up regularly is the ultimate in "nonsensicle" behavior Computers, software and humans all fail and when they do without a good, current backup you will lose things. If you continue to refuse to backup you will (as the current Carbonite ad says) lose everything

Since we know nothing except you updated from an unspecified version of iPhoto to an unspecified version of iPhoto and you have chosen not to back up (even though it is especially critical to backup prior to any update or upgrade) it is not possible to help much. If we knew exactly what you did and what happened maybe there is a solution. But please use this as an important lesson and start backing up immediately

LN

I have exactly the same issue. Last update several days ago removed all faces. I do have something in time machine but the backup is 1 month (or so) old during which I tagged substantial number of people. Any solution to getting it back?

Same thing happened to me. If you hold command and option as you open iPhoto it will bring up a menu allowing you to restore. I did that and got some of my faces back. Not all of them unfortunately. The cork board does have all the people that once were tagged but some of them are blank. I'm now updating the thumbnails using the same method and hopefully it'll help with some blanks.

This method didn't work for me, still no faces.

I've had the same problem. It appears to be a bug. I back up regularly but I'm not sure this will be corrected by a restore. iPhoto 9.3.2 update did it to me.

Backing up to DVD using the Share -> Burn command will preserve Faces.

Before you buy a NAS make sure Time Machine will work with it. You don't need either a NAS or Time Machine to back up an iPhoto Library. Any external disk will do.

Most Simple Back Up

Drag the iPhoto Library from your Pictures Folder to another Disk. This will make a copy on that disk.

Slightly more complex:

Use an app that will do incremental back ups. This is a very good way to work. The first time you run the back up the app will make a complete copy of the Library. Thereafter it will update the back up with the changes you have made. That makes subsequent back ups much faster. Many of these apps also have scheduling capabilities: So set it up and it will do the back up automatically. Examples of such apps: Chronosync or DejaVu . But are many others. Search on MacUpdate

OK, I ran through the command-option Repair Permissions and Repair Database. Still all of my Faces are gone.

I'm running 10.7.4. This occurred after the upgrade to iPhoto 9.3.2. I suspect it is an upgrade bug.

This is not good, to put it mildly.

I can restore from backup but it will take time to search for a backup prior to the 9.3.2 install, and I will lose some photos. I just haven't gone to Faces for awhile after installing 9.3.2 so restoring is not the most elegant solution.

Does anyone have any useful advice to provide an alternative, besides restoring from backups? Has anyone restored from a backup and solved this problem? I see no posts here since June.

Never mind, in my case I was just being stupid. Somehow iPhoto was pointed to a different library that I had created with just a subset of my photos. Once I realized that I relaunched with option down and pointed it at my main library and all of my photos, events and faces are fine.

Sorry I can't help the other folks.

That was rude.

No, it wasn't rude. Just direct and telling it like it is. Not having current backup of your data is a sure receipt for losing your data and/or organizational efforts as the OP is finding out.

It's like driving without the seatbelt connected. You sure don't need it until there's an accident.

And three years later you come to tell us that?