iPhoto can't find original photos, but I can!

Deleting an re-importing is not the way to go. This database is damaged - having lost these photos - and you'd be re-importing to a known-unstable entity.

Download iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. (In Library Manager it's the FIle -> Rebuild command)

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.

Here's my situation.

I downloaded pictures to my desktop and dragged them into iPhoto. It shows that they are copying. They show up on "Last Import", but nowhere else. They are not in my Events and I can't seem to find them in pictures. If I drag them into iPhoto again, the do you want to duplicate this picture appears.

What's going on?

Why can't I find them?

I am OSX 10.7.5

Help, please!

This has nothing to do with this thread. The most likely solution to your question is in iPhoto ==> view menu ==> sort events. If the photos are in last import they are in an evnt. You are just not finding them because you are looking in the wrong place

If this dies not sove it please starept a new thread thread jacking is confusing for everyone

LN

i had the same problem what i did to sort this thing out was just rebuilding the whole library by removing the master from their place and create a new library from the master, this new library had no errors..! to clean up eventual duplicates use duplicte annihilator or dupezap

First of all, thank you to Michael McWatters for this. It solved my problem too. However, I found a shorter way while working through the steps. Here it is:

1. Open Spotlight.

2. Enter file name.

3. Click 'Show All in Finder' (Finder will open and the file will appear).

4. Drag the file onto the Desktop.

5. Drag the file into iPhoto.

6. Cancel the Alert box that will pop up. The image will then be imported into an 'untitled event'.

7. Flag the photo.

Repeat.

Create a new event from the flagged photos. Don't forget to unflag them. 🙂

All the best

Angie

...re-importing is not the way to go. This database is damaged - having lost these photos - and you'd be re-importing to a known-unstable entity.

Put another way: the database is damaged. We know this because it lost the photos. Now you're adding photos to a database you know is already damaged. How does that make sense? Won't it lose more photos?

Hello Terence,

Thank you for sharing your expertise with us, very helpful.

I have the same issue going on from this thread, followed your advise, bought the iPhoto library manager, but I am not

quite there yet.

In short, my library contains many "cannot find originals". I am estimating 1500. I am pretty sure that I still have all

my important pictures. The cannot finds are originally pictures that were stored outside the library, but only 1500, so I get that.

But my iPhoto library shows 31000 photos in events and 51000 "items" in photos.When I move the mouse over an event, I get

hung up in the dialog "cannot find" cancel? and I have done that for hours, and every time when the dialog cancel stops, I can

delete a few greyed out dashed line pictures I know I don't need. But then when I scroll down, iPhoto wants to "see" or calculate the next window in range

and I get hung up again.

With library manager, I rebuilt the library. Scavenged pictures "on". It shows it finds 29000 pictures and 1500 scavenged.

But when it finishes, it only has rebuilt 6000 pictures.(only conflicts during rebuilt are"cannot built .mov and .avi)

My iPhoto library in the pictures folder shows "Masters" 180GB, "originals" 4kb and "modified" 4 kb. I thought the original pictures would be in

the "originals" folder, but that is only a side note.

Do you know where to go from here?

Thank you in advance

Bart

Your original photos are in your Masters folder. Items are renamed as the library changes from version to version.

Your Library is hopelessly corrupted, and I say hopelessly because Library Manager can't fix it.

So, unless you have a back up that also includes all these missing files originally stored outside the Library. you need to make a new Library and start over from scratch.

Basically, make a new Library and then add the contents of the masters folder to it, folder by folder (to preserve your Events). It's a start-over-from-scratch solution so you lose everything except these original photos.

Sounds good, I will do that when all else fails.

(But how do I do that in the best way?

From folder based, via library manager, or via iPhoto?)

But first and lastly this:

The only thing I can add is that when I use spotlight search in iPhoto, it finds ex. 8 possibilities of the same name ex. DSC_4215, each linking to different pictures.All these possibilities link to my external hard drive(connected during spotlight search), and I am sure I imported all these pictures the right way(10000 plus)

I have looked in the external drive folders and indeed , there are many maps with different pictures with exactly the same file name.

Could this be the conflict and not the 1500 or so pictures that where not imported correctly?

I think it is.

Is there a "batch" trick to solve this "new" issue?

Regards Bart

Terence,

Here is a screenshot I made, after the dialog cancel or find, and with the ext. drive with 10000 plus pictures connected.

Regards Bart

The filename doesn't matter.

These files are Referenced to another drive. It's not wise to run iPhoto that way:

For more on iPhoto and file management see this User Tip:

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6361

(But how do I do that in the best way?

From folder based, via library manager, or via iPhoto?)

There is only one way:

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

Now drop a folder of images from Masters folder of the damaged library to the iPhoto window and it will be imported. Repeat.

Just a caution:

Before you create the new library as Terence Devlin described, make sure, that you have the iPhoto "Importing" preferences set for a managed library and not referenced. "Copy items to the iPhoto Library" should be enabled in the Advanced panel.

Terence and Léonie,

Thank you.

I am fully aware of the way to manage iPhoto, since I read your post a while ago:)

The problems arose after I was aware, not before. I imported all those ext drive images via iPhoto with the checkmark as

Léonie described placed.

Although the files have the same name, you say it doesn't matter, so I assume iPhoto import makes them unique.

I will go ahead with the solution as offered.

My only "not understanding" from the solution is , that I feel that I will import master folders that are now the problem.

There is no way of knowing for me which masters are corrupt, missing or wrongly linked, and which are not.

But this probably comes from my not understanding how it works.

I will import these ex highlighted folders one by one, correct? Or should I go all the way to the images and "select all" out off each and every end of the road of each folder?

Regards Bart