Raw images all blank

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Level 1

8 points

Raw images all blank

I have managed masters in Aperture. Last night went to print an image and received message that "Versions with unavailable originals cannot be printed". Then all Raw images started to blank out - the image and thumbnail are black. Some are marked as Image Format unavailable.

The metadata is still there and the image count is the same.

It is only RAW images that seem to be "lost".

This has only happened in the last day or so. I have not attempted to move images or library.

I have tried to File>Locate Referenced Files - message back is that selection has no referenced files.

Tried File>Relocate Original - didnt seem to do anything.

Tried Photos> Reprocess Originals - message back none need reprocessing

I am using a mid-2010 iMac, Aperture ver 3.4.1, OS X 10.8.2...and am not particularly familiar with Mac as have only been using for the last couple of years and use mainly for photos.

Appreciate any help...do I just need to reinstate from vault or time machine...or is there some issue with RAW processing?

Aperture 3, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Oct 3, 2012 11:16 AM

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Answer 1

léonie

Level 10

200,645 points

Oct 4, 2012 11:10 AM in response to Muzzr1

Both methods to restore should work. Is your vault newer or your TM backup? It looks like your TM backup from Sept. 29 is the newest, not corrupted, so I'd try to restore the library from that backup.

Make a copy of your current library to an external disk, before you restore.

To restore from Time Machine open your pictures folder (or where you keep your Aperture Library) and then enter Time Machine. Select the aperture Library and press "restore".

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Answer 2

léonie

Level 10

200,645 points

Oct 3, 2012 11:48 AM in response to Muzzr1

It looks like you are having the rare problem, that Aperture has lost the connection to its original image files, that are managed, and only for the raw images.

There is no built-in option to reconnect managed originals. If you are lucky, this is only a problem of wrong permissions or some glitch in the library, that can be fixed by the library first aid. Try the first aid tools:

Aperture 3 User Manual: Repairing and Rebuilding Your Aperture Library

and start with "Repair permissions", then "Repair Database", finally "Rebuild Database".

or is there some issue with RAW processing?

What camera do you have? Some posters have reported, that their Nikon D800 images are no longer recognized, see this thread.

After repairing your library, try to import new rwa images, and see, if the problem is only with the previous imports.

Regards

Léonie

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Answer 3

léonie

Level 10

200,645 points

Oct 4, 2012 2:22 AM in response to Muzzr1

So it looks like all your original master image files are still there in the "Masters" folder in your Aperture library. If all fails, you should be able to reimport them from there.

But since Aperture does not seem to be able to process your raws, try to remove the raw decode presets from your User Library after quitting Aperture:

~/Library/Application Support/Aperture/RawDecodePresets.plist

Regards

Léonie

P.S:

In the recent MacOS versions Lion/Mt. Lion the user Library is hidden.

You can reveal it from the Finder's "Go" menu in the main menu bar:

Finder > Go
Then hold down to options-key ⌥, until Library appears in the drop-down menu. Select it and open the Library.
Open the folder "Application Support", then "Aperture" to view your presets and move "RawDecodePresets.plist" to the Desktop.

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Answer 4

Muzzr1 Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 3, 2012 11:54 AM in response to léonie

Thanks leonieDF. Will try this as soon as I get home tonight.

I have a Nikon D200, and a Leica DLux3. The RAW images off the Leica have been tagged with the yellow triangle/exclamation mark/arrow symbol and can't print...but have not (yet?) blanked out.

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Answer 5

léonie

Level 10

200,645 points

Oct 3, 2012 12:09 PM in response to Muzzr1

The RAW images off the Leica have been tagged with the yellow triangle/exclamation mark/arrow symbol and can't print...but have not (yet?) blanked out.

You mean this badge?

this means: "The referenced image’s master has not been found".

Are the Nikon images o.k.?

What did you do, before this happened? Did you move your Aperture library? Import new images? Did this happen directly after upgrading to 3.4.1 or before?

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Answer 6

Muzzr1 Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 3, 2012 8:59 PM in response to léonie

Yes that is the badge. The Nikon images are all inaccessible and blank black image.

I haven't moved library or anything. I ran the latest upgrade in the last few days. used the library ok a couple of days ago. Went into it last night to print an image and had this problem.

I do recall seeing a message (I think between the upgrade and the problem) about Aperture updating (or something) the library - I assumed as part of the upgrade and was away from the computer so didn't pay enough attention.

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Answer 7

Muzzr1 Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 4, 2012 1:39 AM in response to léonie

I have tried repair permissions, database and rebuild database. The first 2 did nothing. The rebuild replaced the blank images, but Aperture immediately starting "processing" and turned them blank again as I open projects. Repeated the rebuild to confirm - and same outcome images definitely replaced, and immediately processed back to black.

I don't know if this means anything (co-incides with past updates?) but the images have two cutoffs. Images NEF or JPG are fine prior to early to mid-June 2012. After that the images are visible but flagged with the Referenced Master not found tag. From Early August 2012 the images don't have that tag but are all plain black (and I notice size is 1022 KB for all those images).

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Answer 8

Muzzr1 Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 4, 2012 4:07 AM in response to léonie

No RawDecodePreset.plist.

I also looked into the Masters folder in the Aperture library using right click on Aperture Library/Show Package Contents>Masters then chose a recent folder and all the .NEF images (viewed using >Quicklook ) are the same image from a different folder (taken several months ago). All the JPG are fine where I shot and imported dual RAW/JPEG

This is true of all RAW images since August - same image that has "appeared" over the top. The ones between June and August only have JPG in Masters folders the RAW format files are not there.

I have just re-imported a small number of the photos from my CF Card. RAW files are fine and appear in the Library folders as expected. So the RAW decoding seems to be ok on new files.

Starting to look like I need to restore from Vault?

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Answer 9

léonie

Level 10

200,645 points

Oct 4, 2012 4:31 AM in response to Muzzr1

The ones between June and August only have JPG in Masters folders the RAW format files are not there.

Do you have a Time Machine backup going back to June? it would really be great to know, at what point in time the raw images vanished.

Starting to look like I need to restore from Vault?

Yes, if you have a current vault, restoring from the vault should do it.

But I would check the hard disk where your images are, if the disk is o.k. with Disk Utility.

Is your Aperture library on the System drive or on an external drive?

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Answer 10

Muzzr1 Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 4, 2012 9:40 AM in response to léonie

I do have a time machine back up. The issue with images happened all at once a couple of days ago. I have been using images from the various projects regularly for editing and not had any issues before most recent upgrade to Aperture / OS - I have done updates for both recently but may be coincidental.

Library is on system drive. Time machine on external. Vault on another external.

Verified hard disk - ok.

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Answer 11

léonie

Level 10

200,645 points

Oct 4, 2012 9:57 AM in response to Muzzr1

Have looked at the Time Machine update, if the missing masters have still been there in the "Masters" folder, before you did the update?

It can be, that the update only exposed a library corruption, when the Aperture library was upgraded to version 3.4. and not caused it. Missing original master image files can remain unnotices for a long time, if you have created previews for your images.

That is, why I recommend to check the Masters folder on your backup.

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Answer 12

Muzzr1 Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 4, 2012 10:47 AM in response to léonie

Thanks for all your help with this...

I have checked time machine. All files that have gone "strange" are fine on Sat 29 September 2012, and not ok in the next frame on Monday 1 October 2012.

I imported a batch of photos on (I thought Sunday 30 Sept...which are in the 29/9 ...). I have edited some of these and printed so they imported ok. But these seem to be the only photos that I do not have a time machine backup of.

Does this mean I should retore the Vault or simply restore the Time Machine library file as at 29/9 - I still have the 29/9 photos on CF Card that can be reimported.

I have never needed to rely on backup and not been using Mac long to understand the better approach.

Thanks for your advice!!

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