IPhoto loosing library into the abyss

[Figory]

My whole library vanished ... is there a limit to the amount you can keep in there? When I do a search on spotlight the photos can be found in stangely numbered folders, so they have not been deleted altogether, but are not viewed in iphoto. Is this common..... is there a reason and can it be fixed????? I guess it is wise to always back up photos to an external hard drive, to do this do I just drag the whole iphoto app. into the haed drive.
Thanks !!!!!

 

[mad jew]

What were you doing before you lost it? By default, there should be a folder in your Pictures folder called iPhoto Library, within which is your collection of photos, named with strange numbers. Has this been moved?

 

[Applespider]

I think the limit is 25,000 images at the moment although that would probably be pretty slow!

Have you been making changes to /moving image files that are in your iPhoto library through the Finder rather than through iPhoto? If so, in future, never do anything with iPhoto files outside of iPhoto; aside from copying them to another directory. No resizing, no Photoshop changes, no moving them around. If that's what you've been doing, you've probaby corrupted your iPhoto library which can be a nightmare to try to fix. There are a few rescue remedies listed on the iPhoto discussion board.

The 'strange numbers' are the dates that the image was created. Year, Month, Date - it's how iPhoto organises the images since a creation date is a URN that all images have.

To back up your iPhoto library, copy (make sure you don't move) your iPhoto Library (from your Pictures folder) to an external drive, not the iPhoto application. If you need to replace/restore your Library from this, make sure you drag the entire thing back again; not just selected files.

 

[fayans]

....By default, there should be a folder in your Pictures folder called iPhoto Library, within which is your collection of photos, named with strange numbers....

If I am backing up my photo library, am I taking the whole iPhoto libary folder or which of the sub-folders? Some are named with numbers and which one is which?

 

[mad jew]

If I am backing up my photo library, am I taking the whole iPhoto libary folder or which of the sub-folders? Some are named with numbers and which one is which?

Back up the entire iPhoto Library folder as Applespider says.

It's very important to keep it all together.

 

[fayans]

.....The 'strange numbers' are the dates that the image was created. Year, Month, Date - it's how iPhoto organises the images since a creation date is a URN that all images have.

Thats what I initially thought so but I have folders named 2006, 2017 and I don't remember they were created in year 2006 or 2017 for that matter.

To back up your iPhoto library, copy (make sure you don't move) your iPhoto Library (from your Pictures folder) to an external drive, not the iPhoto application. If you need to replace/restore your Library from this, make sure you drag the entire thing back again; not just selected files.

Library.iPhoto?? How about iPhoto.db, Dir.data or others?

 

[fayans]

OK I got the entire iPhoto Library mixed up initially. I am just confused if I have an album 'abc', which one of the folder inside the library that store my album 'abc' or which one is the 'last roll'?

 

[Figory]

OH o.k yes so I must have resized stuff etc straight from library didnt realize
I could not do that, so can I mess around with photos once I have created a new folder for them below the library? Sorry for being thick, I never followed any instructions on this app. when I started using it.
Can I get photos from picture file back into iphoto?

 

[Applespider]

Thats what I initially thought so but I have folders named 2006, 2017 and I don't remember they were created in year 2006 or 2017 for that matter.

You must have some weird settings on one of your cameras since somewhere in your image library there are pictures that think they were taken then! When iPhoto is working, you should be able to browse by calendar and see what they are.

Library.iPhoto?? How about iPhoto.db, Dir.data or others?

No, the entire iPhoto Library folder with all the subfolders etc that are inside in it. When you go into your Pictures folder from the Finder sidebar, you should see it there.

Things like 'last roll' and album 'abc' aren't held in duplicate folders in the Finder. The iPhoto.db and iPhoto.library files reference each image and tell iPhoto which were the last ones created, which ones are in which albums, which metadata goes with each, whether you're working from the original or an edited image etc. That's the reason that working outside iPhoto doesn't work - you change something from the Finder, and the iPhoto database can't update itself.

If you want to edit from iPhoto, then set Preferences to edit in your chosen external image editor, then instead of opening the image up in the Edit window in iPhoto, it will allow you to edit in Photoshop, Elements or whatever you've chosen and when you save it there, it will automatically save back to iPhoto too and update the database accordingly.

There are apparently ways to try to trick iPhoto into fixing your library when you've screwed it up. Sometimes a simple rebuild can help, sometimes it can make things worse. Go and have a read on Apple's discussion boards (under Support on apple.com) about iPhoto. There are several threads where people have done what you have and some very knowledgeable people who can talk you through the process of trying to recover it.

If the worst comes to the worst, you may have to rename the current iPhoto library and move it somewhere, restart iPhoto with a new library and re-import all the images from the old folders.

 

[fayans]

Thanks Applespider for the details and help. Will re-look at my weird camera settings.