Exported masters (RAW nefs) have been lost

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Exported masters (RAW nefs) have been lost

Hi there, hoping you might be able to help.

I use Aperture everyday to organise my photo workload as referenced files - storing the original RAW nefs in Pictures, I stress I am a basic user.

After star rating a batch of approx. 500 photos I wanted to edit I decided to make a new folder in Pictures for them by exporting the originals.

Aperture did the exporting thing and then showed up an error message that the export had failed.

So I assumed the originals would not have been moved and found when looking in the original Pictures folder that they were not there anymore. The Aperture previews are showing up the yellow triangle that the master file is missing. I have searched by date and name but think they have all been lost.

I have tried the drill disk software which found the files so I happily paid the upgrade fee to recover them.

Once recovered I could see the files in Aperture again without the yellow triangle this time, but when try exporting then they are sadly all corrupted.

I know I can try rebuilding the Aperture database but thought I should seek help first on what I should try next.

I have the original flash cards with half the images on which is good, but the other half were on a card I have since reformatted and used for other jobs.

Learning the hard way that I really should be backing up!

Thank you

iMac, iOS 6.1.4

Posted on Jul 14, 2013 1:32 AM

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Answer 1

TbyV Author

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Jul 14, 2013 1:21 PM in response to TbyV

Oh dear I guess after 38 views and no replys that my pics are definitely gone then?

I did wonder if an Aperture rebuild might be in order, but am doing a back now before anything else.

Any advise much appreciated :))

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Answer 2

Jul 15, 2013 7:32 AM in response to TbyV

Exporting the originals doesn't touch the originals themselves. Perhaps you chose "relocate originals" instead? Relocating them will definitely move them.

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Answer 3

TbyV Author

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Jul 15, 2013 9:05 AM in response to William Lloyd

Nope I definitely exported - got an error up confirming export had failed.

In an Aperture Expert discussion I understand that Apple have acknowledged this as a bug and are working on a fix. I think it will be too late to help me so I am hoping for some miraculous disk restore help!

Or anything for that matter that can remedy my restored bit corrupt files?

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Answer 4

léonie

Level 10

194,773 points

Jul 15, 2013 10:25 AM in response to TbyV

Nope I definitely exported - got an error up confirming export had failed.

I doubt that trying to export has removed the original files - it is more likely that they have been missing all along and Aperture noticed that the files were missing when trying to export.

Once recovered I could see the files in Aperture again without the yellow triangle this time, but when try exporting then they are sadly all corrupted.

You could try to reprocess the originals first. Use the command "Photos > Reprocess Original".

One other thing you could try would be to reimport the originals in question. I'd try that first with only a few of them. Can you export them again after reimporting or are the still corrupted?

If they are o.k. after reimporting, lift and stamp all adjustments and tags from the previous versions, and then delete the old versions.

Léonie

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Answer 5

TbyV Author

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Jul 15, 2013 12:42 PM in response to léonie

Just to clarify, I imported 2000 masters, I edited them a week later (this beng last Friday) getting approx. 500 ready for export.

After the export failed the other 1500 masters were still in the original location - as they still are now.

I don't see how only the 500 that I chose to edit could have been missing before I performed the export - that doesnt make any sense. The 500 images I exported are exactly the files that have been lost.

Sadly I can't re-import all the masters. They were shot on 2 x CF cards and I only have one available.

I have reimported the ones I do have and spent the afternoon relocating the referenced files. So thankfully I have some back but not all.

I suppose if I had them all I wouldn't be needing to ask for help here 😟

The 'reprocess original' command is greyed out for the files still left with a yellow triangle, so I guess as the master really has been lost this isn't an option either.

I am stumped and really quite worried about Aperture now, its bee a fantastic application for me over the past 18 months but has sadly resulted in a big disappointment.

The discussion on Aperture Expert that I have been having the last few days seems to confirm that this is a confirmed bug by Apple - gutted 😟 to say the least.

Many thanks for your input though Leonie, anything else you can suggest as I am almost all out!

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Answer 6

léonie

Level 10

194,773 points

Jul 15, 2013 2:50 PM in response to TbyV

What is your Aperture version?

You are right, that is really an unlikely coincidence, that exactly the 500 original masters are missing, that you tried to export.

I edited them a week later (this beng last Friday) getting approx. 500 ready for export.

But I am a bit concerned by your setup - your original RAW masters are stored in "Pictures"

storing the original RAW nefs in Pictures, I stress I am a basic user.

And you exported to a folder in "Pictures"

I decided to make a new folder in Pictures for them by exporting the originals.

Aperture did the exporting thing and then showed up an error message that the export had failed.

Did Aperture create this new folder or not? Can it be that Aperture has been overwriting your originals by writing to Pictures instead of to a new folder?

But unfortunately I have no suggestion how to recover from this situation. Perhaps try other recovery software - e.g. Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery software; Disk Drill is quite good, but perhaps other programs are better with raw files.

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Answer 7

TbyV Author

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Jul 15, 2013 3:17 PM in response to léonie

Aperture did make the folder but it is empty 😟

I will look up Stellar, but as it was last Friday I have had to keep on working on other jobs since then so I'm guessing I may have done to much work since then and they've been overwritten anyway? But its worth a try!

Admitedly I haven't ever exported the masters before - I'm not sure what possesed me to do tat last Friday, something made sense to me at the time to do it but now I can't make any sence of why?

I certainly won't do it again!

Thanks very much!

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