Can i replace missing masters w/ preview/browser images?

Question

Level 1

0 points

Can i replace missing masters w/ preview/browser images?

I have an aperture library with some pictures where the master is missing. I see them just fine in the browser. I cannot find them anywhere on my computer and disks (i.e. I have read and explored every method discussed here and at other support websites to locate them). We believe they were originally 'referenced' and then some time later the masters were deleted from the directory where they had been located. Now that i am certain that no master is to be found anywhere on my computer, can the 'previews' be exported or somehow used to replace these masters?

They look good enough and appear to have the quality and resolution to make it worth the effort, but i have not figured out how to do this. Suggestions?

John

Aperture 3, Mac OS X (10.7.3)

Posted on Jan 3, 2014 12:25 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

Frank Caggiano

Level 7

25,969 points

Jan 3, 2014 12:52 PM in response to Jpgeremia

The previews can;t be exported via the normal procedure, the export pane, but you can simply drag them out of Aperture. If you click on one of the images and start dragging you will see the pointer turn to a green plus indicating you are copying the image.

I would make a folder or folders on the desktop and drag the images from Aperture into it. Create a smart folder in Aperture to select all the images with missing originals, select all those and drag them out.

Then you can import those images back into Aperture. Note that these images will be treated as new imports by Aperture, there will be no connection to their previews or metadata currently in the library.

regards

Reply

Answer 2

Jpgeremia Author

Level 1

0 points

Jan 3, 2014 3:21 PM in response to Jpgeremia

Thanks Frank!

This is much easier than what I had come up with in the meantime.... I'd discovered that i can see the preview jpg files when in Unix. So i used find and cp to move them into a tmp folder and imported them.

Anyway, your's is better and in the process you taught me that the previews within Aperture are not reduced in quality from used to be there. Excellent! This solved my question.

John

Reply