trouble downloading photos from card reader-OS9.1 G4 Cube

Question

trouble downloading photos from card reader-OS9.1 G4 Cube

Trying to download photos shot with Casio EXP600 onto Toshiba SD 512MB Card, inserted into Thunderbolt SD/MS card reader plugged into USB port on computer. Camera "Photo Loader" software downloaded OK onto computer. Get error message when try to download either .jpg or .tif files: AN ERROR OCCURRED IN THE PREVIEW FILE CREATION PROCESS. THE FILE WAS NOT CREATED. I can open a file on the card and see the photo on the screen OK, but not download it. If try to drag a photo from card to Photoshop Elements 2, get a .tif file with horizontal white lines every 1/4 inch or so; with .jpg files, get horizontal [possibly overlap] bands. [Also have trouble with .jpg files created with Microtek i700 scanner: get error message if try to open on desktop, though those open OK in Photoshop. Don't know if this is a related problem]. Thanks for any help. Jim Gerstley
Question is: am I missing some critical software or need to update something in order for these photos to download to the computer? The picture files meet the DCF protocol and are supposed to be compatible with MAC OS 9, 10.1, and 10.2 though not 10.0. I do have quicktime player 4.1.2.

G4 Cube, Mac OS 9.1.x

Posted on Apr 14, 2006 6:24 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Apr 15, 2006 4:36 AM in response to james gerstley

Jim,

The software supplied with the camera is probably for pulling the photos off the camera while the card is inside it. It's painfully slow and eats camera batteries.

All you really need to do is drag the pictures from your SD card (when mounted on the desktop) to a folder in your hard disk, ie. copy the pictures there.

Trying to open the pictures directly from the memory card is always a bad idea. For a start, the memory cards are usually formatted for Windows FAT32. So if your application tries to create a temporary file, or temporary preview file for the image in the same folder, or even update the picture to add a preview to the resource fork, it's not going to work.

Maybe check for a later version of QuickTime for OS9.1, I'm sure I run QT6.0.3 in OS9.2.2. QT is used extensively in decoding JPG. TIFF's are meant to be lossless encoding, so I'm not sure QT is needed for them.

Just to be daring, try opening the pictures (once copied to your hard disk) in GraphicConverter.

Reply

Answer 2

Apr 15, 2006 4:42 PM in response to Simon Teale

Simon
Many thanks. You gave me one major clue: download to folder on hard disk, which worked. I'd been trying to download to folder on desktop, which did not work.
HOWEVER, when I double click a pic in the new folder on HD, I get a corrupted file message. [just like .jpg files from my mikrotek i700 scanner]. If I open the folder with PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 2, the small scale photos look perfect. As soon as I doubleclick on a photo to work on it in photoshop, I get a warning that the file may be corrupted or incomplete, and if I proceed, the opened photo goes thru a color transformation and shifts various parts of the image around into a vague suggestion of what was in the original pic. Quicktime 4.1.2 is apparently the latest for OS9.1 [says no updates avail]. I don't have GraphicConverter to try out. Thanks again for your suggestions and quick reply.
Jim

Jim,

The software supplied with the camera is probably for
pulling the photos off the camera while the card is
inside it. It's painfully slow and eats camera
batteries.

All you really need to do is drag the pictures from
your SD card (when mounted on the desktop) to a
folder in your hard disk, ie. copy the pictures
there.

Trying to open the pictures directly from the memory
card is always a bad idea. For a start, the memory
cards are usually formatted for Windows FAT32. So if
your application tries to create a temporary file, or
temporary preview file for the image in the same
folder, or even update the picture to add a preview
to the resource fork, it's not going to work.

Maybe check for a later version of QuickTime for
OS9.1, I'm sure I run QT6.0.3 in OS9.2.2. QT is used
extensively in decoding JPG. TIFF's are meant to be
lossless encoding, so I'm not sure QT is needed for
them.

Just to be daring, try opening the pictures (once
copied to your hard disk) in GraphicConverter.

Reply

Answer 3

Apr 15, 2006 6:20 PM in response to james gerstley

When you insert your camera's memory card into the Card Reader, do you get an icon image of a HD on your Desktop? When you double click on the HD icon are your pics listed in the finder?

When I use my Reader/Card this way I make a new folder on the Desktop. Then I drag & drop the JPG pic files into the new folder. Then I open the individual pic files with one of my graphic applications. Is this the sequence you performed? The camera's download application is not used. Your Photoshop app should open the pic files.

You might try another graphic application called Goldberg. It's freeware & you download at http://mypage.bluewin.ch/opus/freeware/g2/

A word of Caution - With my Reader, the instructions say to drag the Reader HD icon to the Trash Before you remove the Memory Card from the Reader. You may corrupt the files if you don't use this procedure.

Hope this helps, Tom

G4 AGP 400, 512MB, 100 & 120GB HDs Mac OS X (10.3.9) OS 9.2.2, DSL, Zip, Canon LiDE30 Scanner, CD-RW, Canon i960 Printer

Reply

Answer 4

Apr 16, 2006 12:43 AM in response to Texas Mac Man

Thanks for the reply.
I do get an icon image of a HD for the card reader on the desktop. I can open it and all the photos are listed. I can click on the photos there and they open perfectly. I've downloaded photos now by 1] dragging to HD folder and 2] dragging a handful of individual photos from card reader folder to desktop folder, and they downloaded using both methods. I've tried dragging and dropping from desktop folder to photoExplorer 1.1 with no results [black screen]. I've dragged into Quicktime and tells me file not generated by Quicktime. Dragged and dropped into Camera Suite 1.2, and doesn't show any photos under the folder heading. [.jpg format]. I can open Photoshop Elements 2, search for folder on desktop, double click on it and watch small images of photos load. They look like the original. As soon as double click one to work on it, get message that file is possibly corrupted or incomplete, and if continue, get distorted image. Checked link for Goldberg freeware, and says valid for OS 8.6 OR 9.2, so assume not valid for 9.1. Have I corrupted the files by removing the card reader incorrectly [by not dragging to trash first]? I don't know. Would the small images on photoshop or the files on the card reader be OK if the files had become corrupted by incorrect removal? Thanks for telling me the correct removal technique for the card reader. I'm still learning.

Reply

Answer 5

eww

Level 9

53,052 points

Apr 16, 2006 6:04 AM in response to james gerstley

Hi, James. Try this simple experiment.

1. Create a new folder on your desktop, then connect your card reader. Double-click one of the photos on the camera card to confirm that it opens properly, as you've said they normally do. Drag-copy the same photo from your camera card into the folder on the desktop. Now double-click the copy. Does it behave exactly the same way as the original, or not?

2. Now drag-copy a different photo — one that you've never opened on your computer — from the camera card into the folder on the desktop. Double-click the copy to open it. Does it behave exactly the same way as the photo that you had previously opened from the camera card, and then copied into folder on the desktop?

It may be necessary, for the results of this experiment to be most informative, to reformat your card in your camera and shoot some new photos before conducting the experiment. Reformatting will erase the photos currently on the card. But since they seem to be corrupt anyway, you've already lost them. Copy them all to your computer first anyway, in case any of them are not yet corrupt.

If the results differ between Step 1 and Step 2, then I suspect that what has queered things for you is the act of opening your photos while they still reside on the camera card, before copying them to the computer. The application they're opening in has made some obscure change in the files that isn't being saved properly on the card, and is corrupting them; consequently, they're corrupt when you then copy them onto the hard drive.

It's a good rule of thumb not to do anything at all with photos while they reside on the camera card: always copy them onto your hard drive before opening, editing, emailing, deleting, or doing anything else to or with them. It's an equally good rule not to do anything to the card itself while it's connected to your computer: to format it, erase it, or delete individual photos from it, always use your camera's controls, while the card is in the camera and disconnected from the computer.

By the way, a folder on your desktop is just another folder in a particular location on your hard drive — there's no functional difference between a folder in the hard drive window and a folder on the desktop, except that the latter is more conveniently accessible. The desktop itself is actually a folder on the hard drive, albeit an invisible one with a special display mode managed by the OS.

Reply

Answer 6

Apr 16, 2006 9:26 AM in response to james gerstley

Goldberg will work with your OS 9.1. Here's the system requirements from the Read Me file included with Goldberg.

Compatibility and System Requirements

Goldberg 2.5 (Carbon version) requires to run:
- Mac OS 8.6, all Mac OS 9 releases and Classic (under Mac OS 8.6 with some minor limitations)
- CarbonLib 1.2.5 or greater (release 1.4 is recommended when QuickTime 5.0 is installed)
- QuickTime 4.x, 5.x, 6.x (QuickTime 6.0.3 is recommanded)

Goldberg 2.5 (Carbon version) recommanded versions:
- Mac OS 9.2.2 or Classic environement
- CarbonLib 1.6
- QuickTime 6.0.3

Note - There is also an OS X version at the same link.

As a test, take a few more pictures with your camera using the same memory card. Then see if you have the same problems.

If you have the same problems, erase the memory card using your camera's erase function. Then take a few more pictures & see if you have the same problem.

Cheers, Tom

Reply

Answer 7

Apr 16, 2006 9:32 AM in response to eww

Thanks for the suggestions. I've done all but reformat the card as was going to see if a friend had same experience on his PC [its actually his camera]. Still no success.

1] photo opened properly in card reader folder. Once dragged onto desktop folder, it showed up as "COULDN'T DISPLAY [PHOTO NO.] BECAUSE IT IS CORRUPTED".
2] Took a couple of fresh pics this AM. Dragged them from card reader folder to desktop folder without opening first. Got the same COULDN'T DISPLAY------" message because corrupted. Again opened desktop folder in PhotoshopElements2. Small image looks perfect, but transforms completely when double-clicked and opened in photoshop.

I've noticed in email attachments that most .jpg format pics open OK, but there are a few that won't. May not be related--just wondering if it has to do with age of .jpg utility and whether any modifications have been made to .jpg over the last 4-5 years that could be at issue with camera.[?] Or if anything peculiar about OS9.1

Reply

Answer 8

Apr 16, 2006 12:43 PM in response to james gerstley

Jim,

QuickTime 6.0.3 is for Mac OS8.6 and above, so get updated, even to QTv5. And if GraphicConverter can't open the pictures, nothing will.

Reply

Answer 9

eww

Level 9

53,052 points

Apr 16, 2006 6:40 PM in response to james gerstley

Hi, James.

2] Took a couple of fresh pics this AM. Dragged them from card reader folder to desktop folder without opening first. Got the same COULDN'T DISPLAY------" message because corrupted.

In that case, my theory was wrong. I'm out of ideas, but I agree with Simon that the ultimate test of the corrupt files' usability will be whether or not GraphicConverter can open them.

What happens if you open one of the files directly from the memory card in your application of choice, then Save As... onto your hard drive? Does the resulting new image file open correctly in that same application? In other applications?

Reply

Answer 10

Apr 16, 2006 10:42 PM in response to Texas Mac Man

Thanks for the suggestions.
I've updated quicktime to 6.0.3 [thanks for suggestion], downloaded Goldberg 2.5, downloaded GraphicConverter Classic. Reformatted camera card, took new pics, connected the card reader to USB port,and transferred pics to a new desktop folder without opening.
I still get the CORRUPTED message if I double-click on a pic in the desktop folder. If I drag and drop into PHOTOIMPRESSION, says it can't recognize the format. When drag and drop into GraphicConverter, the image it opens is a very transformed version of the original image, similar to PHOTSHOP's. But it says the file format is JPEG/JFIF, so maybe that's the problem? [don't know what JFIF is].

Reply

Answer 11

Apr 17, 2006 3:13 AM in response to james gerstley

Jim,

Thanks for doing the upgrade. You will find a lot more things works with QT6 instead of QT4.

I'm a bit miffed that GraphicConverter didn't do it. Were there any warnings put up by GC (or Photoshop) when you open the picture ? Something like it complaining about the colour space ?

ZZZAAPPPP !! Is your monitor running in anything less than Millions of colours ?
JPG only comes in B&W and Millions of colours. This would explain the wacky pictures you see.

Reply

Answer 12

Apr 17, 2006 8:47 AM in response to Simon Teale

Simon
Photoshop puts up a warnng that "document may be damaged [file incomplete or truncated. Continue?" The small images on right side look fine. Once double clicked, they get transformed, both in form and color. I did change monitor setting to Millions of colors, and set to max resolution on screen [1280x1024 at 60hz]. Can info file from camera be affecting how image gets displayed? GraphicConverter gave no warning. Neither does photoshop about color space.
Jim

Reply

Answer 13

Apr 17, 2006 2:29 PM in response to james gerstley

Do this test.

I think you said in you original post that you could open a pic file while the file is still in the memory card's folder. If so, open a pic file using Photoshop. If the pic appears OK, do a Save As (give it a different name) & save it to your Desktop. Then using Photoshop, open the Save As pic file. Does it look OK?

Cheers, Tom

Reply

Answer 14

Apr 17, 2006 2:53 PM in response to Texas Mac Man

Tom-
Thanks for the suggestion. The [small] pics appear OK in the photoshop explorer 2 window in the folder section, on the right side of the photoshop window. However as soon as I double click on one of the pics to open in photoshop, the colors and image become distorted/rearranged. So no way of opening the file in photoshop and saving it as it originally appears, as far as I know.
Jim

Reply

Answer 15

Apr 17, 2006 7:03 PM in response to james gerstley

This PM I took the card reader and card to a friend of mine's, who downloaded the images off the card reader onto his PC, and from there burned a CD for me. The digital camera generates two files: a small version [.jpe] and the 'real' photo [.jpg]. For some of the photos there are both .jpg and .jpe files of the same pic. My computer can't read the .jpe files. But it had no trouble opening the .jpg files 'real photos' on the CD. I downloaded some to a desktop folder and double clicked, and they opened up perfectly also. I opened some up in photoshop and they also opened up perfectly.
So it's still a mystery why the photos off the card reader wouldn't open correctly once downloaded onto the computer. Unless the computer got confused by the two files [same photo number, different extensions]. Or maybe the .jpe extension was the culprit? Even so, the pics without the .jpe files [.jpg file only] didn't open up correctly either when downloaded off the card reader onto the computer, though they open up fine when downloaded off the CD.
Jim

Reply