Just bought a brand new iMac (Lion) and I downloaded recent photos from my camera and I cannot export them to a folder to burn to disc. When I try to export, I get the following message: "Unable to create Users/name/pictures/folder. Please help.
iMac, Mac OS X (10.5.8), running iLife '09
Select one of the affected photos in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Reveal in Finder -> Original. A Finder Window should open with the file selected. Does it?
Hi Terence. Yes, they show up in my iPhoto Library. Any ideas on what to do?
Can you confirm that the actual file is selected - that's the key thing.
Assuming to is, can you export to a folder on the desktop?
Yes, I exported one picture to the desktop just fine. Don't know why it wouldn't export to a folder that I use for backing up photos. Weird. I've created another new folder for backups and it exports just fine to that one. I'll just use the new folder from now on. Thanks for trying to help Terence.
I'm having this exact problem - trying to export 20,000 photos from iphoto (my library is messed up and I want to start fresh). I just bought a new imac and restored from my backup of my old imac (which died), but iphoto appears to be messing it up - really, really slow performance, so my computer guy said I most likely have a corrupt iPhoto library and advised I export all my photos from iphoto and we'll start fresh. But every time I try (i've done the whole library and portions) it always stops after exporting all photos and says "unable to create/users/tuohy/desktop/iphoto *nameoffolder*"
I've tried creating the folder during the process, and then choosing one already created, but each time i get the same msg.
After I cancel the process 6,721 items are in the folder I created - so it has actually created the folder, just not copied all the pictures into it.
Any ideas? All i want to do is get all my pictures out of iphoto and onto a backup drive and then kill iPhoto and start fresh.
Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.
Look there for a Folder called Masters. Drag it to the Desktop.
Hold down the option (or alt) key key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Create Library'
Import your photos from the Masters folder on your Desktop.
Regards
TD
I know it's been a long while, but I have the same problem as Jp2e but I do not have a folder called "Masters" in my iPhoto Library. Anythign I can do?
I can't read what the actual pathname is when I get this error, so I don't even know what file(s) it's getting stuck on.
I am trying to export around 28,000 photos.
i am at iPhoto 09, but this Library dates back to iPhoto 6 if that matters.
In iPhoto 09 that folder is called 'Originals'
OK late to the party I know but I just developed the same problem and yes, the file is selected (at least it's highlighted in yellow when I click on it). Get the same error message, yet if I close iPhoto and reopen, then it will export. I duplicated this behavior numerous times, selecting both single photos and multiple photos. But here's the kicker, it doesn't always balk. Sometimes I can't export to the Desktop, but if I try to export the file(s) to another folder they do so with no problem. What's even stranger is I just tried exporting a file to the Desktop and got the same error message, but just for grins I tried exporting that same file with four others, bam! all exported with no problem. There seems to be know rhyme or reason to this, and as I said, it just started doing this in the last week or so after no problems over the last 4 years (I am on an iMac, using iPhoto '08 Version 7.1.5 (378), OS X 10.9.1.
That is pretty odd.
As a Test:
Hold down the option (or alt) 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?
Post back with the result.
Yep, same thing happened. I created a new library like you said, and saved it on my Desktop. Opened it from there, imported five photos I had saved in a file, then tried to export one to the Desktop and got the "Can't export" message.
I quit the new library, reopened and tried again to export the same photo, did so without a hitch.
If you have any ideas, thanks, but shutting down now for Christmas. Thanks for the help.
Help, now the only Library iPhoto accesses is the one I created on my Desktop as per your instructions. Went to show my daughter the grandkids' pics with Santa and my original Library is gone (at least I can't find it).
iPhoto file menu ==> Switch library
or
Depress and hold the option key, launch iPhoto and use the resulting select library window to select the library
LN
Sorry for hitting the panic button and thanks for the response. Did not realize when I performed the diagnostic that Terence gave and saved it on my Desktop it would override my iPhoto program. Never had to search for the LIbrary before but I figured it out after a while .... Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you!
Terence, since that exercise did not work (same trouble exporting pics) any other suggestions? Not only is this odd but as I said originally, just began in the last week or so. Having saved any settings other than and auto-updates that may have occured (I'm going to start logging those for reference from now on).
Can't export photos from iPhoto
