Recover corrupted JPEG files

[quotemeas]

Hello,

First post here, so I apologize if I am going about this wrong.

Recently I had to reinstall OS X on my wife's laptop. After backing up her files (and photos) to an external disk and DVD, and then reimporting them into iPhoto; I noticed that their (the photos) file sizes were extremely small (~50-300KB instead of the usual 1-4MB that they were previously).

Is there any technique/program that can restore a JPEG image to its original size? I use Aperture 2 on my iMac, but only have really started using the program in the past couple months.

Also, is there a file format that I should be saving to/converting the JPEG in order to prevent this in the future?

My camera is a P&S Panasonic Lumix FX07.

Thanks for your help in advance!

r,
quotememas

 

[quotemeas]

To clearify...

The image itself is not corrupt. There are no lines or missing areas of the images. Color is also great. The image is just one third the size it use to be. Resolution has dropped considerably.

I have googled this but only received returns about recovering currupted (i.e. missing areas) of a JPEG image.

 

[termina3]

How did you backup? It sounds like you backed up previews, not full size images.

 

[quotemeas]

Backup...

How did you backup? It sounds like you backed up previews, not full size images.

I backed up the entire iPhoto'08 Library as a whole (single item located in the pictures folder).

On the same note, how fast does JPEG degrade? I have been reading that editing/moving the files cause JPEG photos to degrade.

 

[arogge]

You probably backed up the iPhoto thumbnails. You should always back-up the original files before importing them into anything. There is no reasonable way to enlarge the compressed and resized JPEG files. I assume that you did not save the RAW files after the JPEG conversion. Back up your data before you lose it!

 

[arogge]

I backed up the entire iPhoto'08 Library as a whole (single item located in the pictures folder).

Did you change the iPhoto preferences to read the new iPhoto Library directory, or did you Import the whole directory from within the application?

On the same note, how fast does JPEG degrade? I have been reading that editing/moving the files cause JPEG photos to degrade.

That information is generally considered to be an Urban Myth. For technical purposes, yes, some software resaves JPEGs while introducing unwanted compression schemes or other image artefacts. Always check to make sure that the editing software is configured to save the JPEGs with JPEG-10 or JPEG-12 compression.

If moving files causes data loss, you're probably not using a Mac. The only times that I have lost data while moving files were when the removable media failed to write, like when I had a defective floppy diskette drive or when a bunch of DVD-RW discs suddenly went bad. Hard drives are much more reliable, even if the cable connection to an external hard drive fails during the move operation.

 

[ChrisA]

I backed up the entire iPhoto'08 Library as a whole (single item located in the pictures folder).

On the same note, how fast does JPEG degrade? I have been reading that editing/moving the files cause JPEG photos to degrade.

Editing an image will always introduce some digital noise but moving and copying the file makes an exact copy. They don't "age"

You say you backed up the "library" but where the images actually inside the library? iPhoto allows a choise. You can keepthe file outside the library or let iPhoto manage the files for you and keep them inside the library.

Many times people feel they need to "know where my files are" and choose to keep them outside the library. The problem with managing the files yourself is the you have to know what you are doing as it as very easy to mess up. It appears that maybe you were keeping the files out side the library. In that case only the iPhoto database and the thumbnails "previews" would be in the library. So take a look around your backup copy of the disk and see where the real image files might be.

A good rule for data you want to keep is that the data should always be on three different media and at two different geographical locations.

 

[quotemeas]

Info to questions...

I backed up the entire iPhoto library. No images were stored outside the iPhoto Library. As for backing up thumbnails only, this would have required me to "Show Package Contents" of the iPhoto Library and then select the thumbnails specifically (since no files were stored outside the library). This is not the case since I backed up the entire library as a whole. When I opened iPhoto on the reformatted Mac, I pointed the application to the iPhoto Library copy that I copied from my backup DVD to the pictures folder.
I am on a Mac (x2).
I also backup to a Time Capsule, but that backup contains the bad files. The Time Capsule's backup was created after reformatting the drive. This error either occurred when copying the images to the DVD or when coping the library from the DVD to the HDD.
As for backing up, I do backup and this includes to hardcopy (i.e. the DVD).

 

[disdat]

You do not have to "import" your photos to the new location. If you backed up your whole iphoto file/package then you should just follow these instructions:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1229

Also, in Finder, using the external drive's backup, right click to show package....then navigate to the originals folder. Can you see your full sized photos there? or are they smaller?

If they are still the large full sized files, then you can copy the file over to the new location again, and start all over, using the instructions in the above link.

I have moved and copied my iPhoto library many times....it should work perfectly.

Good luck,

 

[quotemeas]

This is what I did....

You do not have to "import" your photos to the new location. If you backed up your whole iphoto file/package then you should just follow these instructions:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1229

Also, in Finder, using the external drive's backup, right click to show package....then navigate to the originals folder. Can you see your full sized photos there? or are they smaller?

If they are still the large full sized files, then you can copy the file over to the new location again, and start all over, using the instructions in the above link.

I have moved and copied my iPhoto library many times....it should work perfectly.

Good luck,

This is exactly what I did! As for larger files, no; they are the small files in every folder (Data, Originals, and Modified). I too move the photo library several times without issue, its just this time that this problem has appeared.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[disdat]

oh dear, that doesn't sound good. I am so sorry. I can't imagine what could have happened. I hope you haven't lost all your photos.

Do you have a second backup somewhere else, like on DVD or something. I hope so. Even if you lose your keywords, etc, you hopefully have the photo files somewhere.

I really wish you luck.

 

[violetdollparts]

my photos were corrupted too

excuse me for my bad english. i have the same problem with the same photo result. i need help too. i dont know what to do with my corrupted photos. how can i repair the corrupted photos? is there any free software i could use?