Iphoto - do I have two versions? Where are my photos! Help thanks

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Apr 9, 2007
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Hi there- many thanks in advance for any help. I've had a mac for years but this is a stumper. Recently I opened Iphoto and, foolishly, didn't really pay attention when it offered a prompt. I assumed it was a regular update, clicked Yes and let it do its thing. Later, when i clicked on the iphoto icon in my toolbar, it only contained photos from 2006-2008. In a panic I hunted around, and found another route to what seems to be a newer version of iphoto.

My photo files from 2006-2008 can be found in the finder this way:

Myname > Pictures > Pictures > iphotolibrary> (files from 2006-2008)

But If I go into

Applications > iphoto

It shows the icon for a version of iphoto from 2008, when you click it, it opens with the missing albums/photos from 2008 onwards. There seems to be no way to view those pictures/files other than to open that version of iphoto. There's no pathway to those pics (or if there is I can't find it)

If I do a spotlight search for a photo (ie PIC0001) from 2008+, it shows the route

Myname> Pictures > Iphotolibrary> Originals > 2009 etc. (note, different to above where you go into a file in pictures called, annoyingly 'pictures') but if you follow that route in the finder, ie Pictures, iphotolibrary and click on iphotolibrary, it just opens iphoto, it doesn't allow you to go into the files.

I suspect that I've got two versions of iphoto (my laptop was 2nd hand but I thought it had been cleared of old apps) and when it asked me for that prompt way back when I somehow made the old version my primary/automatic one. Though I'm baffled how to change it back and why I can't find the files for more recent photos in the finder!

So is there any way to get all my photos and photo albums into one place again, revert to the newer iphoto - and where are my pics hiding? I hope this all makes some kind of sense and I've used the right tech terms (I'm trying!) and thanks sincerely again for any help.
 
C

chas_m

Guest
Another case of a user mucking about with the iPhoto library, and the resulting crisis.

Rule #1 about iPhoto: don't muck about with the actual contents of the iPhoto Library. If you do, the database gets corrupted and data gets lost. Everything you could possibly need to do with photos in iPhoto can be done and (if you want to keep things running smoothly) must be done within iPhoto.

That said, at this point it sounds like you've managed to create two different iPhoto libraries. My guess is that you were accidentally holding down the option key when launching iPhoto one day and "didn't pay attention" to the prompt asking if you wanted to create a new library.

You can use the $20 shareware tool iPhoto Library Manager to merge the two libraries together. Next time, don't even THINK about moving files around inside the iPhoto Library.
 

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