HT201289: Aperture 3: Troubleshooting basics

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andersonfromdallas

Q: is there a way to stop or bypass generating previews while editing?

while editing, it takes FOREVER to process the image i'm working on - when i check activity, it shows that it's generating previews.... i don't understand the need to generate so many previews - and the previews are not always related to the image i'm editing.  is it possible to bypass this function, in order to speed up the editing process?  please help.... editing is just SLOW and majorly hindering progress.

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.4), G-RAID TB EXTDRIVE + 5 INT DRIVES

Posted on Aug 16, 2012 2:13 AM

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Q: is there a way to stop or bypass generating previews while editing?

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  • by léonie,Helpful

    léonie léonie Aug 16, 2012 2:38 AM in response to andersonfromdallas
    Level 10 (105,791 points)
    iCloud
    Aug 16, 2012 2:38 AM in response to andersonfromdallas

    You can turn off the generation of previews in the preferences.

     

    Open the Preferences panel from the Aperture menu in the main menu bar; click the "Previews" tab. Change the seting for "Share Previews" from "always" to never or to "when quitting".

     

    Regards

    Léonie

  • by andersonfromdallas,Solvedanswer

    andersonfromdallas andersonfromdallas Aug 16, 2012 7:58 AM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 16, 2012 7:58 AM in response to léonie

    thank you very much for responding.... i'm trying your suggestion now.

  • by Kirby Krieger,

    Kirby Krieger Kirby Krieger Aug 17, 2012 1:12 AM in response to andersonfromdallas
    Level 6 (12,521 points)
    Aug 17, 2012 1:12 AM in response to andersonfromdallas

    Generally (a dangerous word, but ... ) you want to let Aperture finish generating the Previews.  It sounds as though it has not.  I suggest leaving it run unmolested overnight.  Check before you go to bed that it is generating Previews, and then check again in the morning.  Unless you have well over 100,000 Images (or something slowing your computer), Aperture should finish the task overnight.

  • by andersonfromdallas,

    andersonfromdallas andersonfromdallas Aug 17, 2012 11:34 AM in response to Kirby Krieger
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 17, 2012 11:34 AM in response to Kirby Krieger

    thank you for the information.  one question: does aperture ever get all the previews generated and complete?  and once it's complete,  does it have to constantly generate and regenerate previews - like every time you restart the program?  my library is just shy of 16,000 images - 90% of the images are between 10 - 22MB.... so i have a fairly large library filled with huge images.  is this possibly a factor? coupled with heavy editing (high number of brush/re-touch strokes)?  i'm frustrated - because i spend an unGODLY amount of time waiting for the images to process as i'm editing.... i can edit fast - i have my routine down... but it's useless when it takes so long to just get a couple of images done.  fyi - i'm running a late 2008/2009 MAC PRO QUAD-CORE INTEL / 8 GB of memory / NVIDIA GeForce GT - 512 MB GRAPHICS / i have 5 hard drives installed with a TB each & a 2 TB G-RAID EXTERNAL DRIVE for back-ups.  so far it all runs pretty smooth and i've yet to run into any memory/storage issues.  i'm perplexed kirby.... one mac guy suggested storing all the images outside of aperture - i haven't done that yet and i'm not even sure if that has anything to do with the sluggish performance.  ANY INFO you can feed me to help resolve this - could literally save my life.... from wasting away while i wait on software to run!  thank you again for responding - i hope to hear from you soon.  sincerely - anderson

  • by léonie,Helpful

    léonie léonie Aug 17, 2012 12:39 PM in response to andersonfromdallas
    Level 10 (105,791 points)
    iCloud
    Aug 17, 2012 12:39 PM in response to andersonfromdallas

    Anderson,

    Just a quick answer until Kirby gets online again:

    one question: does aperture ever get all the previews generated and complete?

    Depending on the size of the library this may take a while, but it will complete.

     

    and once it's complete,  does it have to constantly generate and regenerate previews - like every time you restart the program?

     

    Aperture will need to create new previews for new images that you import and for images that you edit. But you can decide when this will happen - this is set in the "Preview" preferences. I set mine to "Share previews when quitting Aperture". This way preview generation will not interfere with editing.

     

    Regards

    Léonie

     

    Added: What did you do before the trouble started? I originally assumed you had been importing a large number of new  images or upgrading to a new version of Aperture. If that is not the case, you may have a problem with your Aperture library.

     

    Sometimes Aperture hangs on generating Previews, if you accidentally imported a corrupted image, and Aperture is trying in vain to create a preview and never finishing. Then you need to find this corrupted image - it is probaby one of the last you imported, or it may be an incompatible video.

     

    Or you library is corrupted and needs repairing. Or the Preference file is corrupted and cannot be written to.

    If Aperture is erraneously trying to create previews, then walk through the

    Aperture 3: Troubleshooting Basics: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3805, if you have not done so already.

     

    Are you running out of disk space? If you have less than 10 GB hard disk free, your machine will be slow.

  • by andersonfromdallas,

    andersonfromdallas andersonfromdallas Aug 20, 2012 6:56 AM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 20, 2012 6:56 AM in response to léonie

    hi leonie - thank you for responding in kirby's abscence... i did not get an alert with your response - i apologize for the delay.

     

    you gave me alot of info in your last response - i'll do my best to keep it all straight and give you useful info for my situation.

     

    QUESTION 1: aperture doesn't ever seem to complete generating previews. i adjusted the preview preference to your suggestion - previews when quitting - i will see how that works.  i have plenty of hard disk space. 

     

    QUESTION 2: regarding corrupted files slowing down aperture.... HOW do i locate / find a corrupted file?  will it be obvious in the Activity window - ie. a file number that the program appears to be stuck on?  OR is there another way to track down files that are corrupted?  you also mentioned: LIBRARY CORRUPTED & PREFERENCE FILE CORRUPTED...... again, how do i if those are the issues?

     

    i'm going to view the link you sent me for Troubleshooting.... i'm starting to see how all these issues are pieces to the puzzle of  getting aperture to run better! thank you

  • by andersonfromdallas,

    andersonfromdallas andersonfromdallas Aug 20, 2012 7:14 AM in response to andersonfromdallas
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 20, 2012 7:14 AM in response to andersonfromdallas

    ALSO..... would you recommend storing the  library in a seperate location??  i'm wondering if aperture might run better if it wasn't bogged down with my 16,000 + images?  let me know.  anderson

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Aug 20, 2012 9:00 AM in response to andersonfromdallas
    Level 10 (105,791 points)
    iCloud
    Aug 20, 2012 9:00 AM in response to andersonfromdallas

    QUESTION 2: regarding corrupted files slowing down aperture.... HOW do i locate / find a corrupted file?  will it be obvious in the Activity window - ie. a file number that the program appears to be stuck on?

    That is a hard question, Anderson.

     

    Only by trial and error. You can watch the Activity Viewer - I'd keep this turned on routinely, until you have your problem solved.

    OR is there another way to track down files that are corrupted?

    You can search systematically, by selecting small groups of your images, and selecting to update the previews from the Photos menu, until you hit the images that Aperture gets stuck on.

     

    LIBRARY CORRUPTED & PREFERENCE FILE CORRUPTED...... again, how do i if those are the issues?

    This is explained in the Trouble Shooting Basics; seen the paragraph on removing your User Preferences and the paragrphe on repairing you library; you could also see: Repairing and Rebuilding Your Aperture Library in the Aperture 3 User Manual.

     

    ALSO..... would you recommend storing the  library in a seperate location??  i'm wondering if aperture might run better if it wasn't bogged down with my 16,000 + images?  let me know.

    That depends.

    Your Aperture library should be on your fastest drive. The number of images does not really matter; the size of the projects and albums is more important.  Try to keep the size of your projects small.

    If you are running out of disk space (keep at least 20% of your disk empty) you can relocate the original image files for the older projects to an external drive.

  • by Frank Caggiano,

    Frank Caggiano Frank Caggiano Aug 20, 2012 9:10 AM in response to andersonfromdallas
    Level 7 (25,782 points)
    Aug 20, 2012 9:10 AM in response to andersonfromdallas

    QUESTION 1: aperture doesn't ever seem to complete generating previews. i adjusted the preview preference to your suggestion - previews when quitting - i will see how that works.  i have plenty of hard disk space.

    If Aperture never completes generating the previews for the images that are currently in your library then either you are not waiting long enough for the operation to complete or you have a problem with the library. The setting in preferences for sharing with iLife has no bearing on this.

     

    You never answered Léonie's question regarding how this problem first materialized. Do you just create a new library and import all these images into it? Is this an import from iPhoto? An upgrade from an earlier version of Aperture?

     

    The size of your library 16,000 originals is big but not al that big. Aperture should not have any problems dealing with a library of this size.

     

    Knowing what the steps were leading up to this will make trying to figure it out a lot easier.

     

    regards

  • by andersonfromdallas,

    andersonfromdallas andersonfromdallas Aug 20, 2012 2:39 PM in response to Frank Caggiano
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 20, 2012 2:39 PM in response to Frank Caggiano

    hi frank -

     

    my process with using aperture is routine and has never changed.  i shoot on a NIKON D7000 in dual RAW/JPG file formats.  from there, i import directly into a new project in aperture and begin the elimination/editing game.  i have one plug-in i use: D-fine 2.0.  my library contains 16,000 images (ave. 22MB each) divided into approx 120 projects - 20 of which contain 500 images +/-

     

    the aperture library and vaults are kept in a seperate hard drive, mounted in the MAC PRO.  i have an external drive that handles back-ups for the entire computer and i easily have more than 20% of the main drive available at all times.  in recent months i began reviewing my entire library and consolidating or deleting huge amounts of files at a time.  since doing that, the library remains consistently around 16,000 images.

     

    the only thing that i have noticed (and that takes the program TOO LONG to process) is when i'm editing and previews are silmutaneously being generated.  it APPEARS to get hung up on certain files (usually in the project i'm editing in).... when i check the activity (which has become a constant part of my editing) it will give me messages like: generating preview for file DSCN 1546 - 2 remaining (246 remaining).... or something like that.

    i have changed the PREVIEW PREFERENCE to generate previews when quitting and i adjusted the preview size from half to 1440.  i did those things as of today - from Kirby/Leonie responses..... i have not gone through and recreated new previews for the library.

     

    moments ago (4:15pm) i went to a current project and selected a fully edited image, just to see what the activity was up to.... besides taking a moment to load.... it did not appear to spin its wheels generating a preview.

     

    the other recurring thing that seems to go hand in hand with the sluggish performance - is when i have edited an image and the retouch strokes get above 400-500.... when these two things are both in high gear (editing and preview generation ****)... i could SERIOUSLY step away from the computer and walk the dogs, start dinner, stare at the wall for 15 minutes and MAYBE it would be through processing so that i could move on.  as i'm sure other users can attest to - i'm decently fast at getting through the whole process - from import to finished project.... and the MOST frustrating and time consuming thing that has happened, is simply waiting for aperture to process images so i can move through the work flow.

     

    i'm not sure what else to tell you regarding what events that have led up to this problem.  over the years i have constantly improved and adjusted the process as i have learned about the program and my editing skills have grown.  the issue in the past seemed to be corrected by finding and deleting corrupted files..... which is why i watch the activity now like i'm reading a news crawl or feed from WALLSTREET! 

     

    i hope i've answered your question.... i sincerely appreciate your response - along with the other user responses.  please let me know if you need more info.  thank you thank you thank you

  • by andersonfromdallas,

    andersonfromdallas andersonfromdallas Aug 20, 2012 2:46 PM in response to andersonfromdallas
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 20, 2012 2:46 PM in response to andersonfromdallas

    PS - i have read through the manual and troubleshooting sections regarding how aperture deals with previews.... and i ain't gonna lie: I'M AS CONFUSED AND APPREHENSIVE ABOUT WHAT TO DO FROM THIS POINT FORWARD - as i have ever been in my years of photography!

     

    1 - DO I DELETE ALL PREVIEWS AND RECREATE THEM?

     

    2 - DO I STOP APERTURE FROM GENERATING PREVIEWS AT ALL?

     

    3 - WOULD THAT MEAN THAT I COULDN'T VIEW IMAGES AT ALL?

     

    as i've said earlier - i have made adjustments according to AP USER responses (preview preferences etc)

    BUT, i feel as clueless as when i had NO IDEA what previews was up to all this time......

  • by andersonfromdallas,

    andersonfromdallas andersonfromdallas Aug 20, 2012 4:04 PM in response to andersonfromdallas
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 20, 2012 4:04 PM in response to andersonfromdallas

    HEY PROS..... i hit "ANSWERS ALL MY QUESTIONS" by accident..... STILL LOOKING FOR INPUT AND ULTIMATE RESOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM.  thank you

  • by Frank Caggiano,

    Frank Caggiano Frank Caggiano Aug 20, 2012 6:22 PM in response to andersonfromdallas
    Level 7 (25,782 points)
    Aug 20, 2012 6:22 PM in response to andersonfromdallas

    Jumping into a thread like this when so much has gone on is difficult. Reading all the prior posts  to see what has been suggested and done is difficult and I'm bound to miss something or ask a question that has been asked or suggest something that has been suggested. So bear with me....

     

    You original post seems to indicate that Aperture is constantly generating previews for all the images in your library and that seems to be the direction of the discussion. So my first question have you recently upgraded Aperture and/or the library? Have you recently imported a large number of images into Aperture all in one shot?

     

    Normally when you first install Aperture and do your initial image import or upgrade the library the program will have to go through and generate previews for all the images. On a library of 16000 images this could take a while and was why you were asked in a few places if you had waited for this process to complete.

     

    It is obvious when this initial image generation is done, if you open the library and then the activity window the activity window should be empty. If you open Aperture and the activity window shows activity then there is either a problem or the initial preview generation is not complete.

     

    So if you do this, open the library and the activity window and not touch anything else is there anything in the activity window?

     

    Assuming there is no activity at this point you need to select one image and make some trivial adjustment to it, exposure is fine. As you move the exposure slider the activity window will show a few things but finally it will show that is is generating a preview for this one image. Is that what you see?

     

     

    The generation of previews is a misunderstood aspect of Aperture. The Share previews with iLife and iWork settings in the preference pane has no effect on the generation of previews only with when outside programs will have access to the updated or newly generated previews from this session of Aperture.

     

    Turning off preview generation is a multi step process and depends on which previews you want to turn off. In the preference pane in the preview tab is a setting New project automatically generate previews this does just what it says if unchecked new projects won't generate previews of images automatically.

     

    However that setting only affects new projects. Current projects will still maintain previews.  Aperture gives you the ability to turn off previews in all projects or to have previews in some projects and not in others. And of course this all only applies to the automatic generation of previews. Even if you have previews turned off for new projects and all current projects you could still generate previews for individual images.

     

    The project preview settings are got to by going to the Library tab of the inspector and clicking on the gear in the right hand corner

     

    Screen Shot 2012-08-20 at 21.08.14.png

     

    If you select Projects then you control previews for all projects. If you select a single project you control the previews for it

     

    Screen Shot 2012-08-20 at 21.09.40.png

     

    So where does that leave you. first you need to see if there is anything going on when you open Aperture and do nothing. The you need to see if when you adjust a single image does only the preview for that image get updated.

     

    If either of those are not right there is a problem somewhere. Assuming those go OK then we'll need to try some other troubleshooting steps to try and narrow down the cause.

     

    If when you post back you could keep your answers directed at the questions that would make trying to figure this out somewhat easier, thanks.

     

    Anyway this is a lot for you to digest, hope I haven't muddied the waters even more, good luck.

     

    regards

  • by andersonfromdallas,

    andersonfromdallas andersonfromdallas Aug 20, 2012 9:22 PM in response to Frank Caggiano
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 20, 2012 9:22 PM in response to Frank Caggiano

    i think i'm FINALLY out of the woods!!  YEEE-HAWW!  thanks to advice from you, kirby and leonie - i read through troubleshooting, i made some adjustments in preferences and then tested the changes by editing a few pics.  here are the adjustments i made that straightened everything out:

     

    Screen Shot 2012-08-20 at 10.19.33 PM.png

    1 - NEW PROJECTS GENERATE PREVIEWS

     

    2 - SHARE PREVIEWS WHEN QUITTING AP

     

    3 - PHOTO PREVIEW SIZE CHANGED TO MATCH SCREEN RESOLUTION

     

    4 - QUALITY CHANGED FROM HIGH TO A MEDIUM SETTING

     

    the last thing that i did was SELECT ALL of the photos in the library and then went to UPDATE PREVIEWS in the MENU BAR.  that action got ALL of the previews caught up at one time AND it readjusted all the previews with the above changes in preferences.  i then restarted the mac and opened aperture.

    from there - directly to the ACTIVITY window - to check the status..... and there was no activity AT ALL!    the acid test was to edit an image and see if i was in the clear.... as i got into the edit, the only action showing in the activity window was the preview being generated for the image that i was working on!  HOLY S_ _T!  the editing tools worked flawlessly with NO SLUDGE ACTION......and then i wept.

     

    omg - i have been dealing with this issue for SO LONG!  i can't even tell you the number of hours that were wasted this past couple of years, just waiting on images to process so  i could move on to the next.... the time that it took me to complete a project was CRAZY.... and had me trapped in front of the computer like an abused hostage! lol  wow.  i can't believe that i was just a few adjustments away from my life getting back on a timeline!

     

    sorry to go on and on..... but this is incredible and gives me so much hope for the future of my projects - and hopefully i can start spending time with my pups and friends again! lol

     

    THANK YOU GUYS!  i owe you my life - literally.  how can i ever thank you for taking the time to read my little post - and then spend the time to respond AND keep up with the progress!  as far as i'm concerned - you guys are SAINTS!  HOLY MEN from another realm.  gods speed as you follow your passion... i hope that i am able to help someone the way that you have collectively helped me.  take care - SINCERELY, anderson

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