Q: iphoto photos not opening get black exclamation mark

The ! turns up when iPhoto loses the connection between the thumbnail in the iPhoto Window and the file it represents.

Remember: we cannot see your machine. There are 9 different versions of iPhoto and they run on 8 different versions of the Operating System. The tricks and tips for dealing with issues vary depending on the version of iPhoto and the version of the OS.  So to get help you need to give as much information as you can. Basic things like :

- What version of iPhoto.

- What version of the Operating System.

- Details. As full a description of the problem as you can. For instance: 'iPhoto won't export' is best explained by describing how you are trying to export, and so on.

- History: Is this going on long? Has anything been installed or deleted?

- Are there error messages?

- What steps have you tried already to solve the issue.

- Anything unusual about your set up? Or how you use iPhoto?

Anything else you can think of that might help someone understand the problem you have.

Posts that consist of "iPhoto doesn't work. Help" or "iPhoto won't print" or "Suddenly I have no photos!!!!!!!!!!" mean that any helper is simply guessing. More information means you get better assistance.

I have the same problem. I can see the thumbnails but can't open any photos. When I click on a movie clip, nothing happens. I don't even get the exclamation mark. Right clicking on a thumbnail and selecting "Show file" causes a new Finder window to open but at the top level of the hard drive. I can open the Info window for a photo or a movie and see it's file name, etc. I can then search for specific file names using Spotlight, both photos and movies, and open the photos in Preview or the movies in Quicktime.

So I know the files are there and intact. This problem cropped up recently although I'm not sure when. I can't think of anything I've done to cause it except that I've downloaded the Picasa desktop app onto my Macbook Pro. However, Picasa doesn't seem to have indexed the photos in my iPhoto library.

I twice tried the rebuild functions available when opening iPhoto while holding down the Command and Option keys. That had no effect. I've read about iPhoto Library Manager but that program appears to be provided by a third party so I'm cautious.

My system details:

Macbook Pro Core 2 Duo

OS X 10.8.2

iPhoto '09, version 8.1.2 (424)

I would certainly appreciate any advice including whether iPhoto Library Manager is a good solution. Thanks.

iPhoto Library Manager - http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/ -  is a good solution that is often recommended - it rebuilds to a totally new library so the existing is intact and you can choose either it or the rebuilt one at any time

LN

Thanks. It seems strange to me that an Apple software product has this issue and they don't have a fix for it. I suppose this situation exists elsewhere in their ecosystem but iLife seems like a core product for them so they'd want to have it fixed. Oh well. I'll give IPLM a try.

This is not a software problem but a data propblem - iPhoto does have a rebuild function - since it did not work for you then you need to move to other solutions to fixing the data problem - iPhoto Library Manager - http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/ -  is the recommended nest step

LN

I'm sorry to say that iPhoto Library Manager didn't work.

When I open the program it says that my photo library contains 2,385 items which agrees with iPhoto's count. I tried going to Library -> Rebuild Library and it did its initial analysis showing me a "Rebuild - Preview" that contained 6 photographs. Of course, that's what I got when I proceeded with the rebuild.

I don't know if this will help, but I can see all of the thumbnails in iPLM but, just like with iPhoto, I get an exclamation mark as shown in the inserted screen capture image. I'm not sure if the "missing.tiff" notation refers to corrupted metadata? When I click on the open with Preview button I also get the same exclamation mark in a triangle even though I can open any photo or movie by searching on the name of any photo or movie.

Is the next step to delete my iPhoto library and reimport it from the backed of the library? Will iPhoto import an existing iPhoto library or just photos and movies? I'm also wondering if I do that what I lose?

Thanks again!

That implyes that the cause of the missing till is that it is actually missing not just disconnected --

Have you used Picasa to more, edit or delete any photos?  You need to know that Picasa and Iphoto do not play well together and you need to use one or the other - not both - it is possible that that is the soruce of this issue

Right click on the iPhoto library and show package contents - lookd (but do NOT change anything) at the contents of the masters folder (or Originals if you do not have a Masters) adn see if your photos are there

Also I'm wondering why you have TIFFs?

And NEVER Import one iPhoto library into another iPhoto library = it does not work and causes massive problems

you can try moving this problem library to the desktop and restorin gthe backup to the pictures folder - depress teh option and command keys and launch iPhoto an dhave it rebuild the restored backup adn report

LN

Not sure what you meant by "missing till" but all of the photos and movies are there. I concluded that searching for several photos by their file name and then opening them with Preview.

I'm pretty certain that I only used the Picasa desktop app to test using the Picasa web service for some family photos. I don't think I used it to edit any photos in the iPhoto library but I suppose it's possible that I did without really thinking about it.

Why to I have tiffs?  - As far as I know I don't. They are all jpg or mov files. I can't imagine why that error dialog said I was missing a tiff.

I just noticed based upon your suggestion to review the package contents. I have folders for Modified and Originals which I've seen before. But I also have folders for Photos - Modified and Photos - Original. I haven't seen those last two before. Moreover, all but 6 of my latest photos are in those last two folders. iPhoto can show me their thumbnails but can't open them. iPhoto can open the 6 photos in the "Original" folder. I didn't notice that before because they represent a very small portion of my library and I didn't select the right photos.

iPhoto Library Manager could see only those 6 photos in the Original folder. There are none in "Modified". So iPLM obviously can't see the photos in Photos - Modified or in Photos - Original. Looking at the Info for these two folders, I see they were created on January 7, well more than a month before I downloaded Picasa. Somehow all but 6 of my photos got moved to these new folders. I must have done something to cause this but I have no clue what.

Sorry this is so long but usually details are important. Do you recommend that I use the Merge Libraries function in iPLM?

Thanks!

sorry - missing TIFF

But I also have folders for Photos - Modified and Photos - Original.

That is not normal and probably is your problem

Not sure what to do - first thing is to have a good backup of the library as it is

What is the folder structure within Photos ==> Modified and Photos ==> original? - If somehow they were moved from modified and originals to Photos modified and originals then you may be able to simply restore them to the Modified and originals folders and be OK

IPLM can only merge operating liPhoto libraries so its merge command is of no use for this  In the worst case you will have to crate a new library and import the orignnals to it starting over with your original photos

Hopefully you can just move them to the correct folders and things will work

LN

try rebuilt your library http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2638

I had the same issue until I went to File and scrolled down to Switch Library.  I found an exact copy of my Original Photo Library and I was then able to switch to a different version and was able to open those thumbnails that would only open for a second then would be blocked with the exclamation point.  There were 3 Photo Libraries listed and I just tried only one of them other than the original and it worked!

Hope this helps someone!

I am running into the problem here. "Right click on the iPhoto library and show package contents - lookd (but do NOT change anything) at the contents of the masters folder (or Originals if you do not have a Masters) adn see if your photos are there".  I am not seeing my photos there.  I have a folder that reads 'contents' then

_CodeSignature

CodeResources

Frameworks

Info.plist

MacOS

NetServices

PkgInfo

PlugIns

Resources

version.plist

Cait

You're looking at the iPhoto application in your Applications folder. You need to be looking at the iPhoto Library in your Pictures Folder.

Hi all, I am having the same problem where an ! appears when I try and inlarge thumbnails in iphoto.  It is not all photos and it is not even all photos within an event.  I haven't moved any of the source files or done anything differntly.  I know all the original files are there because I can search for them and they appear and match the thumbnails.

I have Rebuilt both sets of thumbnails, Repaired iPhotos Library and Rebilt the iPhoto library databases.  I am aware that I can create a new library but I don't want to loose all my albums. So would appreciate some help.

(It seems very simular to the problem Dave was having.  Did you ever get it sorted Dave?)

I am running OSX

iPhoto 8.1.2

If I right click aknd choose show file it is unable to show me the location of the photo.  However if I choose get info I can get the file name and search for it and photo appears.

One strange thing is that if I right click on a photo and reveal file it shows me the source file in the Originals folder.  However if I navigate manually to the iPhoto library.  There is no further file stucture.  See image below.

Thanks in advance.

James