Can not delete old sideshow, iPhoto freezes

iPhoto makes enormous use of virtualisation. Your slideshow and many other things are entries in the database.

Note too: Don't change anything in the iPhoto Library Folder via the Finder or any other application. iPhoto depends on the structure as well as the contents of this folder. Moving things, renaming things, deleting them or otherwise making changes will prevent iPhoto from working and could even cause you to damage or lose your photos.

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 Repair Database. If that doesn't help, then try again, this time using Rebuild Database.

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

I had the same problem. I had two slideshows that I wanted to delete. I was just messing around with the slideshow tool about 3 years and had dumped about 6000 photos in one and 1000 in another. I wasn't able to delete either and just left them. I was recently trying again and the solution was annoyingly easy to do. All you have to do is go to View found on the right side of the Menu bar. When that drops down click on Enter Full Screen. You will be able to see slideshows at the very bottom. Right-click or control-click on it and hit Delete. No beach ball. Done.

Just to follow up. I was able to delete the slideshow to trash, but I can no longer empty my trash in iphoto. I deleted other photos from library and realized that the trash had a tab. One of the slideshows dropped down when I clicked it. I have tried to empty the trash but I keep getting the beach ball. I put all of the photos back into the library, except the slideshow, and it continues to not empty. Any help would be appreciated.

There are 9 different versions of iPhoto and they run on 9 different versions of the Operating System. The tricks and tips for dealing with issues vary depending on the version of iPhoto and the version of the OS. So to get help you need to give as much information as you can. Include things like:

- What version of iPhoto.

- What version of the Operating System.

- Details. As full a description of the problem as you can. For example, if you have a problem with exporting, then explain by describing how you are trying to export, and so on.

- History: Is this going on long? Has anything been installed or deleted? - Are there error messages?

- What steps have you tried already to solve the issue.

- Anything unusual about your set up? Or how you use iPhoto?

Anything else you can think of that might help someone understand the problem you have.

I'm using OS X 10.9.2 and iphoto 9.5.2. I believe these are the most up to date. The problem I have is that I can't delete a slideshow because iphoto freezes.

Iphoto freezes when I try and delete it from the menu bar on the left hand side but allows me to when in full screen. I had two slideshows before that wouldn't allow me to delete them. One with 1000 photos the other with 6000. I was able to empty the smaller one out of the trash, but not the one with 6000 photos. I had albums that contained the same photos so I deleted and emptied the albums. I am able to "put back" the slide show and delete it again from full screen.

Basically I can't empty my trash with the slideshow in it.

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 Repair Database. If that doesn't help, then try again, this time using Rebuild Database.

If that fails:

Option 2

Download iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. (In early versions of Library Manager it's the File -> Rebuild command. In later versions it's under the Library menu.)

This will create an entirely new library. It will then copy (or try to) your photos and all the associated metadata and versions to this new Library, and arrange it as close as it can to what you had in the damaged Library. It does this based on information it finds in the iPhoto sharing mechanism - but that means that things not shared won't be there, so no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your events, albums and keywords, faces and places 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

See if this will work for you.

1 - create a new sacrificial slideshow.

2 - hold down the Command key and first click on the sacrificial slideshow and then on the problem slideshow so both are selected.

3 - use the Delete key to delete them.

I found that I could do the above and that the second slideshow could be selected without it opening. Maybe that will get around the freeze problem.

OT

I found myself in the same situation and here is what worked. I did the step that you listed to create and delete a sacrificial slide show:

1. Add a new slide show

2. Click on the slideshow to highlight it

3. Hold down the command key and click on the bad slideshow as well

4. Delete both

Then I clicked the drop down arrow for the iPhoto trash so I could see both my hung slideshow and the sacrificial one. Repeat the above steps 2-4 for the trash items. This worked for me.

After all I have tried, which includes deleting a few thousand photos, the only solution I found is to upgrade to Aperture. I was holding off on getting Aperture until I cleaned up my library enough, but it was so tedious that I just decided to go for it and continue cleaning later. After all, organization is one of Apertures highest praised functions.

The first thing I did with Aperture was delete the slideshow. It works directly off of the iPhoto library and was so easy to do. I regret not having tried earlier. There are some photos I deleted that I'd like to get back, but for the most part it was doubles and setting experiments. I had originally dumped six months worth of photos into the slideshow, not realizing how much lag that would create.

For anyone having similar problems who doesn't mind spending the money on what is basically a more capable and funtional version of iPhoto I recommend upgrading. If you want to take your photo editing and organization to the next level, this is the only way to go. I'm still learning, but this seems to have settled it for me.

I've had the same issue for many years and just found a solution that you could try and comment.

From iPhoto, export all the events that are used in your slide show.

Select all pictures from your first (if many) event and export them, using the original file format in the export menu, to a folder on your desktop using the name of the event for the folder. make sure all the pictures are properly exported on your desktop then delete them from iPhoto.

Repeat these steps for each and every event used in your slide show. You are basically emptying your slide show.

Then try to select the slideshow and delete it (it worked for me).

Finally import your events into iPhoto, if you have properly named your folders, your events will have their correct names.

Hope that works for you!

You really need to warn people that what you're suggesting will delete tons and tons of work - all the edits, all the added metadata, ruin any books, cards and so on that use these photos too. It's just a courtesy to warn people when your suggestion annihilates data like that.

It is rather obvious that if you 1. export 2. delete 3. import a picture, any book, any card or anything else using the picture will be affected.

Are you sure "will delete tons and tons of work" is a not bit excessive... Apple books, cards etc are not that complicated you know... That's why we love Apple!

Best regards and keep making back ups...

Rather obvious to who? Certainly not to the very many inexperienced users that post on here. And if you lose all the work you've done on editing, on organising and making projects, then yes, I would think that "tons and tons" is appropriate.

But none of this is the point. It's a simple courtesy to warn people if the advice you are giving is going to destroy any data. You might also take the time to explain what recommends your method over the non-destructive one suggested further up the thread.

Thank you! Somehow I had created a library slideshow with over 2000 slides and just could not get it deleted and it kept hanging up when I tried to open it. Saw this thread today and it totally worked!!! Thank you, again!!