After updating to iPhoto'11, I seem to have lost all my photos... tried to restore to no avail...

This should work:

Make sure the box is checked and then 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.

Hi-

I read your instructions, but unfortunately I cannot "right click" with my mouse. Is there another way to show package contents and the Originals folder? I also can't get to the "damaged" iphoto library.

thanks

Right click - hold down the command key while clicking

But be VERY, VERY, VERY careful while inside the library - there are no user serviceable parts in it and any change can corrupt the library and cause data loss - and before showing package contents be positive you have a good, current backup just in case

LN

Hi-

I read your instructions, but unfortunately I cannot "right click" with my mouse. Is there another way to show package contents and the Originals folder? I also can't get to the "damaged" iphoto library.

thanks

Sorry - it is

Right click - hold down the control key while clicking

But be VERY, VERY, VERY careful while inside the library - there are no user serviceable parts in it and any change can corrupt the library and cause data loss - and before showing package contents be positive you have a good, current backup just in case

LN

Larry,

unfortunately, when I do open Iphoto with option key, it opens up with a box that says: "which photo library do you want iphoto to use?" The choices are: "iphoto library, Iphotolibrary 2, or iphoto library default. When I click on any of these, and click either "choose" or "create new", nothing happens, When I click on "create new", it brings up the file box and wants me to save "new photos" and basically nothing happens. When I tried control click, nothing happens at all. Not sure if I'm doing this at the right place. Anyway, I only had so many photos on my hard drive, but I lost a lot of other photos. Is there a way to retrieve the other photos?

thanks

Anne K

Please can you help

I have iphoto it is telling me I have to rebuild, there was an inconsistency in the database. I was transferring photos from my iphone when it stopped i removed it and it was recovering photos then suddenly it requested I rebuild

I am concerned I have lost my photos before I press rebuild I wanted to see if I could retrieve the originals

When I go into Applications and right click on IPhoto cannot find masters or originals folder, contents have resources and a library with no folders.

please can you help in a panic have 14,000 photos ... my life and only a few backed up on icloud

Thank you

gill

Are you not running constant backup software like Time Machine or other? If not you should be - with no backup you are 100% guaranteed to lose everything including you photos sooner or later - bad things happen and when they do with no backup you lose stuff

Where is your iPhoto library located? If on an external drive what format is that drive and how is it connected?

You can try holding down the option and command keys while launching into and using the first aid window to repair permissions and then to rebuild the database

However if your Masters (or originals) folder is gone then you have done something that lost you photos (an import issue could not do this) - have you cleaned up your disk or run clean up software or Malwear like MacKeeper, CleanMyMac or other bad software?

LN

Larry-

thanks for your help! I just have 1 question for you - I imported photos from my time machine and other places on my computer, but find that when I sign out of iphoto, and come back in, they're gone. Is there something I need to do to hold them there permanently?

thank you!

Anne

No - it is automatic

where is your iphoto library located? If on an external drive what format is it

LN

Larry,

I was finally able to retain photos in iphoto now, after importing quite a few from my time machine. However, there are still a lot more photos.

When I search for iphoto library, there are 3 - library 1 is in iphoto itself, library 2 is on the desktop. I don't know what happened, but when I click on iphoto library 2 (there is 2 and 3) it brings up iphoto with this message:

- connect a camera

- drag photos into iphoto

- choose file "import to library"

I did happened to view the folders with the years of photos, 2011, 2012, etc., but when I clicked on them, there was nothing in them-

thanks for any help you can give me!

Anne