iPhoto corrupted, now what?

[Nancy]

I have a new digital camera (a Canon SLR) and the software that came with it won't install, which isn't the main problem.

I'm happy to use software other than the camera's own, and although iPhoto is not my fave, would use it... if it was working.

I installed Leopard a few weeks ago, and I'm not actually sure if iPhoto was OK after that, I just know that when it boots itself when I plug in the new Canon, it comes up corrupted (pictures display funny and buttons don't work).  It comes up corrupted now when I plug in the other camera too (a Toshiba).

So, how do I reinstall iPhoto?  It doesn't seem to be it's own tickable option if doing a custom install.

Or, do you know of any freeware I can use to get the photos off my camera?  I have photoshop so I don't need anything to play with, just something that will play nicely with the camera and remove the photos.  Speed would be nice (main reason why I'm not iPhoto's best friend) but really, anything will do if it gets the job done.

[MacMoore]

I am running OSX 10.4.11 and I found (in the Applications folder) Apple software called "Image Capture".
Open "Image Capture" and under the Image Capture menu, select Preferences to set "When camera is connected, open: to Image Capture"
and ensure box under "Scanner" is checked.
Click on OK, then Quit Image Capture.

When you attach your camera, Image Capture will open and allow you to copy your pictures wherever you select.

[Dan Millar]

MacMoore's advice is excellent for users of ANY camera. AND Image Capture works with multimedia card readers as well. Open Image Capture->Preferences to the General panel and under Camera you can select from the pop-up menu any of the default apps to open when you connect your cam or card - iPhoto, Image Capture (Aperture or Lightroom if you have them!) or None. You can also choose any other application you have access to by selecting "Other.." from the same pop-up menu - to allow you to select the any special software your camera came with.

If you choose Image Capture, a file picker window opens showing you a preview of what's on your device. You can choose which pictures to download, a location to download them to, and whether to erase the device when your finished or not.

Now to your problem...

• First, what model of camera is it?
  Did you install camera software before you upgraded to Leopard or after?
  What version is your iPhoto?
  Did you upgrade all your software after you installed Leopard?
  Do you have the iLife or System disk your iPhoto came from?

Apple just added the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III in the 10.5.2 Leopard update, newer cameras (?) are not yet supported. I've listed the other supported Canons at the end of this email. Check Canon's support area for your camera's software to see if it is Leopard compatible - if it is - make sure you have the latest version - the discs that come with most cameras and printers are almost always out-of-date. iPhoto should be version 7.1.2, if not - update via Apple Software Update - along with any other updates it suggests.

After determining if your camera should work, and that your iPhoto is up to date, just delete the "iPhoto Library" folder that is in your Pictures folder (BootDrive/Users/YourName/Pictures) and start over.
If you need to reinstall iPhoto - you'll have to go back to your iLife '06 or System disk and re-install/upgrade/upgrade from scratch.

The new version of iPhoto is very capable and not as slow as it used to be - you'll probably love the Events view, and the picture editing features are quite good. Aperture just got a nice price reduction ($199), and maybe a better match for your SLR if your computer is up to the minimum requirements - Lightroom is also very good but a little pricey($329).

Get back to us...

Dan

Canon Cameras supported under 10.5
Canon EOS-1DS
Canon EOS 30D
Canon EOS 20D
Canon EOS-1D
Canon EOS-1D Mark II
Canon EOS-1D Mark III
Canon EOS 40D
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II
Canon EOS 10D
Canon EOS Kiss Digital
Canon EOS 300D DIGITAL
Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Canon EOS D60
Canon PowerShot G6
Canon PowerShot Pro1
Canon EOS-1D Mark II N
Canon EOS 5D
Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL
Canon EOS Kiss Digital X
Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTi
Canon EOS Kiss Digital N
Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL
Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
Canon EOS D30
Canon PowerShot G5
Canon PowerShot S60
Canon PowerShot S70

[Nancy]

Great advice guys, thanks!  Sorry to be so slow to respond, the camera thing is driving me crazy so I tend to avoid it and just turn to it again once a week or so...

I have one question about the iphoto, does a newer version of it get installed from the Leopard disk?  It's after the Leopard install that it went funny, so something corrupted in it around that time, unless the camera itself could have corrupted it?

Anyway, yes, I'd have the system disk, but I don't see it as it's own option on the Leopard disk, does that mean I'd have to go back to my old 10.2 (or whatever) disk and reinstall from there?  And if so, will it be it's own option?  'Cause it's not on the Leopard disk, so otherwise, how would I install without installing the old system again?

My camera is a Canon EOS Rebel XT.  It's not the newest camera on the block, I bought it in January but there is a newer more expensive model that doesn't do that much more, so the sales guy recommended this one.  But, true, the utilities are for versions 10.3-10.4 or something, so they're not compatible with either system that I had (and I upgraded just so that I could install this stuff!  Arrgh!).  I'll check the Canon site again but I think I already did, I'm losing track as I've done so many things but it's stretching over a few weeks now.

I'll go try the image caputer trick now and report back... very exciting, I hope that works!  As long as I can get the images off the camera I can do almost everything else with my existing software.

[Nancy]

added:  forgot to mention that my problem with my canon disk is that it just doesn't install at all!  It seems to be the installer thingy itself.  Frustrating...

[Nancy]

update:  The image caputer utility worked!  I'm so happy, thanks MacMoore and Dan!  Now I'll go check the Canon site and see if they have something I can download for the official software, but now that I can get the photos off the camera if it doesn't work for some reason, oh well.

Let me know though about how to do the Iphoto reinstall (i.e. do I have to totally reinstall Leopard, or is it even there on the Leopard disk?) and I'll try that too.

[Dan Millar]

Hooray! Glad to hear of your progress. Your camera is on the list, which is why it works in Image Capture - so theoretically iPhoto should also work. Thats the theory - which hardly ever reflects reality - so if iPhoto still doesn't work at all - delete the iPhoto folder as suggested previously. Also delete the file com.apple.iphoto.plist from your Users/~/Library/Preferences folder - where ~ is your user short name, aka your Home folder. Then, run Apple Software Update to see if anything needs updating. After that, try your photos again. Still no go? Re-install iPhoto - the procedure will vary depending whether you have your original gray Install or Restore discs that came with your Mac. Let us know and we'll tell you which method to use.

iPhoto is part of the iLife suite, not OS X. However, iLife is included with most new Macs. iLife cost $79/99 for single-user/family(5) licences.

Dan

[Nancy]

Well, I got the Canon stuff from their site (I had to contact their technical support folks first, as they have warnings that their software is only good for 10.3-10.4) and the installer actually worked, so I have all the Canon utilities now, so I don't think I need the iPhoto after all, but thanks for the help!  I really do appreciate it, it was so frustrating to have this spiffy new camera and no way to get the images off it!