Since switching to Photos for Mac, when I double click on a thumbnail to enlarge, a large percentage of my photos have a message that the original file can't be located, and offers me a chance to find the missing file.
In iPhoto, where most of my photos migrated from, I would simply store photos within the program. As far as I knew, that's where the original file was located.
What's happened to my photos?
iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10)
This is so close! I am able to create the smart album as you suggested, and it indeed contains approximately 48 photos, all of them the offending files causing problems. But when I choose the command "File > Consolidate," I get the following message:
Allow Photos to Access Your Media?
Some of your photos and videos are stored outside of the Photos library. Photos needs permission to access this media. Please choose the folder named “2012” at the path “/Users/WJB3/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Masters/”.
When I select "OK," there is no folder named iPhoto Library/Maters/" contained within the Pictures folder. A search for it produces nothing. The iPhotos library, as well as the Photos llibrary, do not appear to be folders at all...
Launch Photos again and create a smart album with the rule "Photois referenced".
The waning message suggests, that Photos is importing your photos as referenced and not managed.
If this album is not empty, select all photos in the album and use the command "File > Consolidate". That will copy the photos into your Photos Library.
Is there any chance that the preference to copy imported items to the iPhoto library was ever unchecked at any time in the past? If you still have your iPhoto library (you should keep it for a while) and you have iPhoto 9.6.1 launch iPhoto and see if everything is ok and verify the preference to copy imported items to the iPhoto library (if your software is not up to date see Can't Update iPhoto because it is not available in the App Store ) - if it is hold down the option and command keys while launching iPhoto 9.6.1 and repair permissions and then rebuild the database (for additional hints see Notes on Migrating an iPhoto Library from iPhoto to Photos for Mac ) and drag the rebuild library to the Photos icon in the Dock to migrate again
LN
What's happened to my photos?
Check the preferences: Photos > Preferences > General:
Is the option "Importing > Copy items to the Photos Library" enabled? If not, you have imported your photos as referenced and they are not stored inside the library. Then you must not move or delete the photos you imported. photos will be looking for these photos in their original location.
Look at the Info panel for the missing photo and copy the filename.
Now search with FindAnyFile for this filename.
Download Find Any File here: The trial is free:
http://apps.tempel.org/FindAnyFile/index.html
FindAnyFile let's you find files inside library packages where Spotlight will not search.
Can you find the missing files this way? Where are they?
thank you for the reply Léonie. Unfortunately my preferences are already set to save photos to library. I remember setting this to the original iPhotos, and I suppose the setting migrated into the newer Photos app.
I'll try your "FindAnyFile," but have few hopes since I've already searched using spotlight.
Any other suggestions gladly accepted.
Spotlight does not look into the Photos Library packages. FindAnyFile will find the photos, if they are still on the Mac.
You can also search for a photo that is still there, and has been imported in the same import session as a photo that is missing. Then you can check the folder, where the photo should be. Sometimes the image files are still there, but something is preventing Photos from recognizing them, a permission problem or similar.
Did you edit the photos in an external editor, or use a cleaning application to remove duplicates?
Is your Photos library on an external drive? Did you restore the library from Time Machine?
Thanks for the tips. In fact I keep a copy of iPhoto library on a backup disk, so I opened it, and all is well there. I rebuilt permissions like you suggested, then dragged the entire iPhoto library file to the Photos icon in the dock. Some additional photos now appear in Photo, but when I double click on a thumbnail, every one of them, including the older one that were already there, give me the message:
Allow Photos to Access your Media?
Some of your photos and videos are stored outside of the Photos library. Photos needs permission to access this media. Please choose the folder named “2012” at the path “/Users/WJB3/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Masters/”.
Clicking "OK" on this opens a finder window and wants me to choose a folder, and only a folder.
I can actually correct this issue by locating the original photo, one at a time, and importing it into Photos, but this way would take weeks of tedious work.
That indicates that you imported some photos as referenced - If the originals are all still at the exact same path as they were when they were imported then you can fix it using iPhoto Library Managerto rebuild the library as a managed library and then migrating - and again if the originals are still in the exact same path as they were when imported the Photos consolidate command might work - make a smart album for photo is referenced, select all and try the consolidate command although it probably will not since you are getting that error
LN
I presume you mean "right click?" That does work outside of the Photo program, but not within it. When I follow the commands within the program, iPhoto Library is greyed out and I can't select it. When I open the finder outside of the Photo program, I can indeed see the package contents.
I meant to write ctrl-click (or right-click if you have a mouse with more than one button) - but the spell checker on my iPad has its own mind 😁
And yes, my recommendation is to check the iPhoto Library package and look inside it from the Finder. Open the Masters folder - if you can locate the missing photos copy them out of the iPhoto Library and reimport them to Photos.
Sadly, I think this is what it will come to. I can find the original pictures, but getting them recognized in Photos is going to be a one-at-a-time proposition.
Not a fan of Photos.
Thank you both for your help.
SSelect your iPhoto library inPictures and Carl click it. Then select "show package contents" . You should now see the masters folder.
Photos can't find original files
