iphoto library upgrader disaster

Question

iphoto library upgrader disaster

About to upgrade to Yosemite from system 10.9.5 but first ran into iPhoto problem. A few days ago, I restarted my computer and went to open iPhoto (v9.5.1). Rather than open, I got a window that said that I had to upgrade my iphoto library in order for iPhoto to open. Seemed odd since I hadn't updated software so I restarted my computer and the same thing happened. I did it again and got the same results.

I followed the prompts to download and run iPhoto Library Upgrader. When it finished, I had a disaster. My libraries are totally destroyed. They open and show events but there are no thumbnails and no photos in the events or in the photo menu. There are blank boxes where thumbnails used to be and the individual images are black boxes that when clicked, bring up the caution triangle with an exclamation point in the center that indicates that iPhoto can't find the image.

I went into time machine, back a few days before the message to upgrade appeared and tried to open iPhoto but that did nothing.

Now, I don't know what to do. I have a backup but do I reinstall iPhoto from the backup or do I reinstall the libraries from the backup or????

Mac OS X (10.7.2), iCal

Posted on May 2, 2015 8:46 AM

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Answer 1

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,396 points

May 2, 2015 8:51 AM in response to nanfromencinitas

It was a bogus error message caused by a corrupted library.

You need to restore the iPhoto Library from your back up, not the app.

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Answer 2

May 2, 2015 8:55 AM in response to Yer_Man

If it were bogus, why does Apple send me to download a utility from its website and run the utility?

Either way, can you point me to the directions for restoring the iphoto library?

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Answer 3

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,396 points

May 2, 2015 9:01 AM in response to nanfromencinitas

If it were bogus, why does Apple send me to download a utility from its website and run the utility?

Apple didn't send you a message. The Library was corrupt and posted an incorrect error message.

iPhoto '11: Restoring from Time Machine with iPhoto '11 (9.2 or later) and OS X Lion 10.7.2 (or later) - Apple Support

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Answer 4

Aug 5, 2015 9:53 PM in response to nanfromencinitas

I spent hours and hours on the phone with an iPhoto technician and in the end, nothing worked. The guy was incredibly patient and helpful but it just didn't make a difference. I went ahead and upgraded to Yosemite and lo and behold, it can see the library. I am guessing that the "upgrade" was preparing the photo library for Photos and once that happened, iPhoto could no longer access it.

That said, Phtos is a real challenge. It won't download images from my phone correctly. I can't figure out how to get it to display the names of images. Searching for images is terrible. The editing functions are too dumbed down. I'm so disappointed.

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Answer 5

LarryHN

Level 10

106,110 points

Aug 5, 2015 10:02 PM in response to nanfromencinitas

You seem to jump to conclusions without bothering to investigate or consider what you are doing

Photos has considerable expanded editing features compared to iPhoto

Images do not have names - if you are talking about titles they are displayed in the info window and under each thumbnail if you have enabled them in the view window ==> metadata

Photos is a new program and you need to learn how to use it

LN

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Answer 6

Aug 5, 2015 11:48 PM in response to LarryHN

Actually, I have spent considerable time working on this. I don't find the editing features to be expanded, I find them to be dumbed down. I am aware that titles are in the metadata but I want to see them when I am working with the tens of images at a time, some with only slight differences. By the same token, being able to flag images was critical to my work flow. Now, I have no way to do that. Flags have been omitted and only favorites are available which is fine for long term but not for short term work.

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Answer 7

léonie

Level 10

195,013 points

Aug 6, 2015 12:03 AM in response to nanfromencinitas

Flags have been omitted and only favorites are available which is fine for long term but not for short term work.

I simply use the favourite badge as a substitute flag, since it is the only badge that will display on the thumbnails.

I don't find the editing features to be expanded, I find them to be dumbed down.

Just to be sure, have you disclosed the advanced adjustment tools? They are initially hidden.

If you have not done so already, click the "Add" button in the Adjustment panel to all adjustments to the default set, and in each adjustment brick click the disclosure triangle to make the advanced options stay. Hover the pointer to the right of the title of the adjustment to reveal the disclosure triangle and Auto button. And the panel is scrollable, what you might miss, if you did not set the scrollbars to show always. So some adjustments may be hidden at the bottom of the panel.

I am aware that titles are in the metadata but I want to see them when I am working with the tens of images at a time, some with only slight differences.

The titles will show below the thumbnails, if you enable them in the "View > Metadata > Titles" menu. But the titles have to be added as a title. This will not show the filenames.

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