Photo images "scrambled" - unviewable (on 2011 MBA)

Did another test today. If I export the RAW image from Photos to JPG, I get the corruption. If I export the same image to PNG, it looks fine. So I think it is definitely something in the JPG coding. And since it seems linked to one specific hardware model (2011 MacBook Air), I suspect macOS might be using the GPU to do hardware accelerated JPG encoding/decoding, and there is some bug in the GPU driver, or incompatibility between Sierra code and the GPU driver somewhere.

Oh well, probably about time to buy a new machine anyway. This 2011 MBA has been a champion, I use it 4-12 hours a day, 7 days a week, for the last nearly 6 years and the only thing I've needed to do is replace the battery when the original wore down. It is starting to get a bit sluggish though, I think partly because 4 GB is no longer quite enough (it was plenty 6 years ago). Problem is the new Airs are already basically obsolete and non-retina, while the new 12" MacBooks are still underpowered and the single USB port is problematic. And I will really miss that SD card slot.

I have the same, or similar problem. Also on a 2011 MacBook Air (13", 1.8 GHz Core i7, Intel HD 3000 graphics, 256 GM SSD). In my case, the photos are only partially corrupted. I can see about 1/2 the photo with the artifacts in various locations (see example below). These are photos shot on a Fuji X-100 in RAW + JPG mode. The photos that are using the JPG as the original look fine. The ones that are using RAW as original appear corrupted; however, if I go into edit mode on any of them in Photos, after a few seconds of wheel-spinning, I see the full photo show up. This suggests the data in the RAW file itself is not corrupted, but is being incorrectly interpreted and displayed when doing a JPG conversion. Exporting one of these from Photos burns the corrupted display into the resulting JPG.

I tried the SMC reset and it did not work for me.

Hello lynnelovestorun,

Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.

From your description and screenshots you provided, I see you're seeing some pixelated artifacts on your screen after scrolling through photos within a Finder window. To help isolate this issue and determine if it is a software or hardware issue, please start off by trying to reproduce this issue in safe mode:

1. Choose Apple menu > Shut Down.

2. After your Mac shuts down, wait 10 seconds, then press the power button.

3. Immediately after you hear the startup tone, hold down the Shift key.

   You should press the Shift key as soon as possible after you hear the startup tone, but not before.

4. Release the Shift key when you see the gray Apple logo and progress indicator.

To leave safe mode, restart your Mac again, but don’t hold down any keys during startup.

OS X El Capitan: Start up in safe mode

If the issue persists in safe mode, then create a new user on your Mac, and again try to reproduce the issue.

How to test with another user account

You can figure out if unexpected behavior is related to user file or setting by trying to reproduce the issue from another user account. This process includes creating a new user account, logging in to it, and testing for the issue.

Create a test user account

1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
2. Click the Users & Groups icon in the System Preferences window.
3. Click the lock icon, then enter an administrator name and password.
4. Click the Add button (+) below the list of users.
5. Choose a type of user from the New Account pop-up menu.
6. Give the user a full name, account name, and password.
7. Click OK.
8. Close the System Preferences window.

If there are documents from your original user account that you want to test with, place a copy of these items in the Shared folder in the Users folder. Press the Option key while dragging a file to this folder to create a copy.

Log in to the test user account

Log out of your current user account by choosing Log Out from the Apple menu, then log in to the new account you created. If you're prompted to sign in with your iCloud account or Apple ID when you log in, skip this step.

Try reproducing the issue

Try the same steps that caused the unexpected behavior to appear before. For example, if you were unable to print, try printing from this user account. If you were unable to connect to the Internet, try browsing a website from this user account.

If you were using any specific settings that testing depends on (such as using a specific email account or iCloud account) set up the same account in the test user. For email and most other settings you can use the Internet Accounts pane in System Preferences to set up these kinds of accounts. If files from your home folder are needed for testing, copy them to Shared folder in the Users folder (/Users/Shared). After logging in as the test user, copy these items to the same location in the test user's home folder to test with.

If an issue happens in only one user account

If performing the same steps in a test user account doesn't result in the same unexpected behavior, you most likely don't need to reinstall any apps or OS X.

• If an issue only happens in one app, check the app's documentation or support website for instructions on troubleshooting specific preference or setting files.
• If you need help with a specific alert message or issue, search the Apple Support website for the text of the alert message you're seeing.

If an issue happens in more than one user account

If the same unexpected behavior happens in more than one user account on your Mac, try checking for software or hardware issues.

How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac

Take care.

I have this exact same problem with the exact same model and year of computer. I would just add that the problem is unpredictable and does not seem to be due to the type of image or file type. I sure hope my MacBook Air is not on it's death bed.

Problem SOLVED for me. At least so far : )

I hope this helps you too. You need to reset the System Management Controller:

Note: Portable computers that have a battery you should not remove on your own include MacBook Pro (Early 2009) and later, all models of MacBook Air, and MacBook (Late 2009).

1. Shut down the computer.
2. Plug in the MagSafe power adapter to a power source, connecting it to the Mac if its not already connected.
3. On the built-in keyboard, press the (left side) Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.
4. Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.
5. Press the power button to turn on the computer.
   Note: The LED on the MagSafe power adapter may change states or temporarily turn off when you reset the SMC.

Let me know if this is successful for you, my fingers are crossed LOL

Wow. Every single symptom you describe was repeated on my MacBook Air prior to the SMC reset. And something you didn't mention, mine was getting progressively worse as time went on. t am now on three days without a single problem or scrambled photo, in other words the problem for me is solved. Maybe you should try the reset a few more times just to be sure.

I also had reset my parameter ram prior to the SMC reset, so it wouldn't hurt for you to do that too. Just hold down the P and R keys after you hear the start up chime when you boot up and then let them go when the start up chime sounds again.

Sorry to hear it didn't work, I was so looking forward to some good news on your end!

This exact problem started yesterday on my early 2011 MacBook Pro running El Capitan 10.11.4. I think it may have had something to do with a Thunderbolt update installed on 4/21--there was some problem with the installation and it took a couple of tries to complete. There was some sort of auto-update of RAW camera compatibility that occurred automatically on 4/20, also. I will try to perform the indicated resets, but am not confident...

So sorry to hear that didn't work for you. I am now on 4 or 5 days without a single reoccurrence of the problem. Given how exact a match my issues were with yours I was confident it would fix your problem too. Good luck with the Genius Bar!