HT201769: iPhoto 6 and later: Rebuilding the iPhoto library

Learn about iPhoto 6 and later: Rebuilding the iPhoto library
JMudj
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Q: How long does it take to "Repair the iPhoto Library Database"?

How long does it take to "Repair the iPhoto Library Database"?

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Feb 7, 2013 6:48 PM

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JMudj

Q: How long does it take to "Repair the iPhoto Library Database"?

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  • by Terence Devlin,

    Terence Devlin Terence Devlin Feb 7, 2013 10:51 PM in response to JMudj
    Level 10 (139,490 points)
    iLife
    Feb 7, 2013 10:51 PM in response to JMudj

    How long is a piece of string? How big is the database? What Mac? How Much Ram? What else is running? What repair are you using? What version of iPhoto? What version of the OS? etc.

  • by JMudj,

    JMudj JMudj Feb 8, 2013 6:05 AM in response to Terence Devlin
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 8, 2013 6:05 AM in response to Terence Devlin

    These are the instructions I was following, but I've waited more than 15/20 minutes and nothing...

              To rebuild the iPhoto library:

    1. Quit iPhoto if it is open.
    2. Hold down the Command and Option keys on the keyboard.
    3. Open iPhoto.
    4. Keep the keys held down until you are prompted to rebuild the library.
    5. A dialog will appear with rebuild options. Select the options you want to use.
    6. Click Rebuild to begin the rebuild process. This may take a few minutes to complete.

    I thought the pictures were deleted off my computer, but turns out it's just the iPhoto since I can still see my pictures under Front Row. If there's another way of getting to the pictures without going through iPhoto, please let me know.

     

    Database: my pictures? I'm not sure, about 5,500 pictures were in my iPhoto.

    Mac: Macbook OS X, Version 10.6.8.

    Processor: 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

    Memory: 2 GB

     

    I have tried the "Repair the iPhoto Library Database" and "Recover orphaned photos in the iPhoto Library Folder".

  • by Terence Devlin,

    Terence Devlin Terence Devlin Feb 8, 2013 7:55 AM in response to JMudj
    Level 10 (139,490 points)
    iLife
    Feb 8, 2013 7:55 AM in response to JMudj

    You need to give us a full description of the problem.

     

    Front Row, like it Screensaver, has its own cache of images. You would need to rebuild that cache.

  • by JMudj,

    JMudj JMudj Feb 8, 2013 10:19 AM in response to Terence Devlin
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 8, 2013 10:19 AM in response to Terence Devlin

    I'm not sure what you mean by "full description". When I try to open iPhoto, it would keep searching, but would never actually open and show the pictures, edit tools, etc.

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Feb 8, 2013 11:30 AM in response to JMudj
    Level 10 (140,928 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Feb 8, 2013 11:30 AM in response to JMudj

    Try the following:

     

    Using iPhoto Library Manager  to Rebuild Your iPhoto Library

     

      1. Download iPhoto Library Manager and launch.
      2. Click on the Add Library button,

        iPhoto Library Manager002.jpg 

        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 Library ➙ Rebuild Library menu option

        iPhoto Library Manager001.jpg

      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

  • by JMudj,

    JMudj JMudj Feb 8, 2013 12:01 PM in response to Old Toad
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 8, 2013 12:01 PM in response to Old Toad

    It's not allowing me to select the my iPhoto Library file.

     

    already exist.png

     

    diffent name.png

    And when I tried to create a different name, once I "rebuild", it comes up empty.

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Feb 8, 2013 3:56 PM in response to JMudj
    Level 10 (140,928 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Feb 8, 2013 3:56 PM in response to JMudj

    Explain exactly what you did in iPLM to get that message.

  • by JMudj,

    JMudj JMudj Feb 8, 2013 8:39 PM in response to Old Toad
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 8, 2013 8:39 PM in response to Old Toad

    - I opened iPhoto Library Manager

    - I see one "iPhoto Library" under "iPhoto Libraries" with 363 pictures (I should have over 5,500 pictures)

    - I clicked on "Create Library" and chose my only "iPhoto Library" under my Pictures folder.

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Feb 9, 2013 8:57 AM in response to JMudj
    Level 10 (140,928 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Feb 9, 2013 8:57 AM in response to JMudj

    You want to rebuild the library, not create a new one.

     

    In iPLM select your library

    iPhoto Library Manager004.jpg

    Go to the Library menu and select Rebuild Library.

    iPhoto Library Manager003.jpg

    From there on it's self explanatory.

  • by JMudj,

    JMudj JMudj Mar 30, 2013 7:18 PM in response to Old Toad
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 30, 2013 7:18 PM in response to Old Toad

    Although my old pictures did not reappear in the library, My iPhoto is up and running now! THANK YOU!!!

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Mar 31, 2013 9:16 AM in response to JMudj
    Level 10 (140,928 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Mar 31, 2013 9:16 AM in response to JMudj

    If you still have your original library give this a try to see if your "missing" photos can be recovered:

     

    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.

     

    open.PNG

     

     

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

     

    3. Drag the subfolders of the Originals (iPhoto 09 and earlier) or the Masters (iPhoto 11) folder from the open iPhoto Library package into the open iPhoto window a few at a time.

     

    iPhotolibcontents.PNG

     

     

    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.

     

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