I regularly download my photos and videos from my iPhone to Aperture for storage.
In my latest download approximately 100 videos and photos did not download successfully - I get a message "unsupported image format".
They were deleted from my phone as the message stated they had downloaded successfully (which they hadn't).
I can retrieve the photos via my Photo Stream but how can I retrieve the lost videos?
Thank you
If they were on your phone when you last backed it up, the backup should include them by default unless you excluded the camera roll from the backup in settings. Restoring the backup should recover them (see iCloud: Restore your iOS device from iCloud).
Unfortunately the videos weren't on the backup - frustrating as my backup process was changed due to the extensive problems syncing music with iOS devices (as covered in a very long thread elsewhere).
I still have the imported videos on Aperture/iPhoto - they are black images with an exclamation mark and the message "Unsupported Image Format". I vaguely recall previously being able to restore photos (not necessarily videos) from this state a few years ago - can it be done with video?
I get a message "unsupported image format".
The I get a message "unsupported image format" does not necessarily mean, the videos have not been downloaded. It may be a missing video codec.
Did you import to Aperture referenced or managed? If the video referenced, use the command "File > Show in Finder ".
Can Aperture show you an original video file? Then test, if this file will play in QuickTime Player.
If you imported "Managed" and "Show inFinder" is not available, try "File > Export > Original".
I imported them via the Import function in Aperture - not sure if that means they are referenced or managed.
When search Help for "Show In Finder" in Aperture it points me at "Locate Reference Files" (so presumably that's what they are) but then unfortunately I get a message saying "No Referenced Files. The selection doesn't have any referenced files".
(Continued) When I try to Export Original, it looks like it's going to work (e.g. different sized .mov files get reserved in Finder) but then I get the message: "QuickTime Player can't open "2014-08-25 at 16-42-55.MOV". See if additional software is available..."
O.K. Then you have a "Managed" library. All media (photos, videos) are stored inside the Aperture Library and not in folders outside the library. Only with the media referenced in folders outside the library "Reveal in Finder" will work. Aperture does not show you the original files inside the library, like iPhoto does.
"QuickTime Player can't open "2014-08-25 at 16-42-55.MOV". See if additional software is available..."
So your videos did download, but are in a format, that is not supported in MacOS X. The standard videos taken with the iPhone camera should play in QuickTime. Did you use any special mode, like time-lapse?
Did you run any cleaning application to free disk space on your Mac, that would clean caches or something? Overdoing this cleaning has been known to render iPhone videos not playable, because a cache file is missing, that can only be restored by reinstalling the system.
No special modes or cleaning application. Just simple videos - have downloaded via this approach many times without issue.
When I opened iPhoto, at first I thought I could see some of the missing videos, but actually it just doesn't show the files at all, whereas in Aperture it shows the "unsupported" message.
I hope, randers4 has more ideas. You could try, if a different video application can play or at least open your videos.
Download QuickTime player 7. It can frequently open videos that the newer QuickTime Player cannot play.
(download here: QuickTime Player 7 for Mac OS X v10.6.3 or later.)
If your video opens in QuickTime 7 check the codecs and resource fork in the View > Show Movie Properties. This panel will show you, if your .mov files are empty QuickTime wrappers with a missing resource fork, or if a video is embedded and what the codec of the video is.
If the wrappers are empty, I'm afraid, your videos are lost. Is the file size large enough of the revealed "2014-08-25 at 16-42-55.MOV" o contain a video file?
Only 1 of the files plays in QuickTime Player 7 - for the others I get a message stating "The Movie could not be opened. The file is not a movie".
The files are .mov files and look like they have been downloaded successfully - for instance, the files sizes vary.
Are there any other types of media players that I could try, or is there a way I can try and recover the files? (I have removed them from Aperture and have them as .mov files in Finder).
I have been using both Aperture and iPhoto - I seem to have less issues when I'm in iPhoto. For instance, I downloaded files from another device and the issue occurred of photos and videos not downloading successfully - but less so in iPhoto. Why might I be more likely to encounter issues in Aperture than iPhoto?
Many thanks
Are your movies straight from the iPhone camera, or have you edited them with an app on the iPhone?
You could try the free applications VLC or Handbrake to see, if they will open the videos. Sorry, I don't have the links to the download pages right now.
But I am not very optimistic, given the error message "The file os not a movie".
Yes the movies were direct from my iPhone camera without any editing.
Do you think it makes any difference if I am using iPhoto or Aperture in future?
Also is there another method of downloading photos & videos - e.g. Air Drop?
I wish I read your note before this past week... just spent a weekend shooting photos and videos from my 50th birthday and well I have spent two all nighters trying to sync my phone, and finally just figured out why I could not sync, Aperture was failing to recognize the slow motion and other videos shot on the phone, and not I cannot even find them.... Yep.. there goes my turn of the century party and events!
Apple, when you put out an OS, don't just cut everyone off with your other products... I know Steve would never tolerate the fiascos between iPhone 5 and now a very painful roll out of iPhone 6.
I keep my mouth shut because its like a double edge sword, if you own a bunch of stock and made money then I have to accept that and be happy, But when you shell out 800 dollars for a phone, and have spent 3 solid weeks, doing restores on it twice a week, and finally had it stable where my own media would sync, only to discover this video unsupported format issue makes me wonder if Apple just needs a few setbacks or come to jesus events, to get everyone focused on testing all products with all software, and any plans to drop something, a clear and CLEAN migration plan be put in place.
Well until my next 50th birthday if I live to see a hundred, maybe the phone will be rock solid and I can take videos then (lol)
Russ
Sorry that you have also experienced problems.
My recent video downloads from iPhone to Aperture have been successful, so not sure what the original issue was but I never recovered the original videos.
How can I retrieve videos which didn't transfer successfully to my Mac?
