Photo Stream photos refusing to import to iPhoto?

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Level 1

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Photo Stream photos refusing to import to iPhoto?

During a recent import from SD card to MBP I encountered an error (still don't know what kind, as it has not happened since, though I did send a report to Apple when it happened) that caused iPhoto to hang. It showed up as "not responding" in the "force quit" window, so I hit "force quit". Unfortunately I had also hit "delete photos" from the card just prior to the "hang". The photos show up in photo stream but the iPhoto event shows as corrupted. When I attempt to create an album and add those photos, the album also shows corrupted. I deeply and sincerely do not want to lose those photos, and would be immensely grateful for suggestions and/or guidance, since apparently the iCloud photos are only stored for 30 days?

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Jan 13, 2013 10:49 PM

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Answer 1

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Old Toad

Level 10

207,391 points

Jan 14, 2013 11:23 AM in response to Honore

Create a new iPhoto library, enable Photo Stream, and see if you can import the PS photos into it. If you can then you have them safely on your hard drive.

Once you have them in the other library open your current library and do the following: make a temporary, backup copy of your library if you don't already have one (Control-click on the library and select Duplicate from the contextual menu) and apply the two fixes below in order as needed:

Fix #1

Launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys held down and rebuild the library.

Since only one option can be run at a time start with Option #3, followed by #4 and then #1 as needed.

If the above doesn't fix the library so it can import the PS photosyou can to proceed with #2:

Fix #2

Using iPhoto Library Manager to Rebuild Your iPhoto Library

1 - download iPhoto Library Manager and launch.

2 - click on the Add Library button, navigate to your Home/Pictures folder and select your iPhoto Library folder.

3 - Now that the library is listed in the left hand pane of iPLM, click on your library and go to the File ➙ Rebuild Library menu option.

4 - In the next window name the new library and select the location you want it to be placed.

5 - Click on the Create button.

Note: This creates a new library based on the LIbraryData.xml file in the library and will recover Events, Albums, keywords, titles and comments. However, books, calendars, cards and slideshows will be lost. The original library will be left untouched for further attempts at fixing the problem or in case the rebuilt library is not satisfactory.

OT

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Answer 2

Honore Author

Level 1

13 points

Jan 17, 2013 3:37 PM in response to Old Toad

First of all, I apologize for the delay in acting upon this. As always, your advice is clear and concise and I'm grateful you took time to help.

I tried all of the suggestions. The only thing that got those photos from PS was creating a new library, so at least I have them on my HD (thank you, thank you, thank you!).

The suggestions pertaining to the original library gave me an event called "recovered photos" of which none but four (the ones I'd originally deleted from PS) of the "missing" 135 were visible; the others came up as a blank thumbnail enclosed by dashed lines. I did try once again to import them one at a time from PS to my library by using the "edit" function (wherein I am given the option to show the photo in the library), but no joy; neither could I flag them, nor could I create an event when selecting them.

Using Photo Library Manager, the log gave me the following message for all of those: "2013-01-17 11:21:52.348 An error occurred (1602): The photo “P106****” could not be transferred (The image file is missing from /Users/****/Pictures/iPhoto Library_2/Masters/2013/01/05/20130105-175954/P106****.JPG)". (I added the *** bits myself). I haven't finished the "Rebuild Library" function based on that log report, but will do this shortly.

So ... I have the "missing" photos in my new library, my original/old library appears to be punishably corrupt (the iPhoto Library_2 one), and I would love to merge libraries without losing that darned set of 135. I'm a bit of a photographer, so I'm starting to feel just a bit paranoid, need I say?

Once again, thank you very much, and if you have any further advice I'd be more than grateful.

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Answer 3

Old Toad

Level 10

207,391 points

Jan 17, 2013 4:57 PM in response to Honore

What is indicated is that some of the original files are missing from the library. That's what the dotted window indicates in the library and what iPLM is telling you. Not much an be done.

One thing you can do to see if you've got all of available photos visible in your library is the following:

Starting over from scratch with new library

Start over with a new library and import the Originals (iPhoto 09 and earlier) or the Masters (iPhoto 11) folder from your original library as follows:

1. Open the library package like this.

2. Launch iPhoto with the Option key held down and, when asked, select the option to create a new library.

3. Drag the Originals (iPhoto 09 and earlier) or the Masters (iPhoto 11) folder from the open iPhoto Library package into the open iPhoto window.

This will create a new library with the same Events (but not necessarily the same Event names) as the original library but will not keep the metadata, albums, books slideshows and other projects.

You can not check to see what the number of photos this library contains and if that matches your current library. If so use your current library after deleting the "problem" photos. If the new library has photos that are not in your library you can use it or not. Or merge the two libraries with iPhoto Librarhy Manager into a 3rd with the option of not importing duplicates. That will preserve the metadata, albums, events, places, keywords of your current library while adding the "new" photos from the "start from scratch" library.

Note: your current library will be left untouched for further attempts at a fix if so desired.

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Answer 4

Honore Author

Level 1

13 points

Jan 17, 2013 8:25 PM in response to Old Toad

I am still holding my breath. When I went into the rebuilt library and turned on PS (and still could not import those wretched "missing" photos), I accessed PS and, under the guise of editing the photos, imported all of them ... one by one ... into my library. They are in that library, even after quitting and reopening iPhoto several times. I've bookmarked this conversation in case the world explodes again but I cannot thank you enough.

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