When PhotoCopy reads the iPhoto library information, it reads in all the iPhoto albums using an iPhoto AlbumId. This number is supplied by iPhoto. Occasionally some type of corruption happens within the iPhoto library and iPhoto returns duplicate AlbumIds. In PhotoCopy version 1.1 and earlier, this would cause problems. In the album list in PhotoCopy, you would often start to see the same album listed more than once.

PhotoCopy v1.1.1 checks for duplicate AlbumIds and will post warnings when this happens. Albums which have the duplicate AlbumIds will not be checked. The warning messages will be something like this:

Album 'Kevins Bday' cannot be scanned because its AlbumId (5) is not unique within your iPhoto library.To enable scanning for this album you must fix this problem in iPhoto. For more info see: http://www.24x7digital.com/photocopy/fix_dup_albumids

You will always see two or more of these warnings together because you need two or more albums with the same AlbumId to have a problem.

If you see this warning, fix the problem in iPhoto so that there is only one album in your iPhoto library with the given AlbumId. You do this by recreating all albums with duplicate AlbumIds except one. It is best to keep the album that is the oldest, and recreate the most recent albums with the same AlbumId. To recreate an album in iPhoto follow these steps:

• Create a new album with the same name and type (Album or Smart Album) as the one you are recreating.
• For an Album, select all of the photos in the original album and drag them into the new album.
• For a Smart Album you will have to set up the same conditions as the original Smart Album.
• Once you have recreated the album, select and delete the original.

After you remove albums with duplicate AlbumIds so that there is only one left with the original AlbumId, you should be able to run PhotoCopy again and the warnings should go away.

The first time you launch PhotoCopy, no Flickr account will be setup. The first time you start a copy, PhotoCopy will prompt you to setup your Flickr account. Typically nothing further needs to be done.

If you would like to change your current Flickr account once one has been setup, follow these steps:

• Choose PhotoCopy menu > Preferences… This will open the preferences window.
• Click on the Flickr icon in the toolbar of the Preferences window to show the Flickr preferences.
• Click on the Add… button then follow the prompts to setup another Flickr account.
• If you have already setup multiple Flickr accounts, you can use the popup menu to choose the Flickr account you wish to use.

• Close the preferences window.

Copy settings and the albums which you have selected to copy are stored for each iPhoto Library/Flickr Account pair, so be sure to double check these before starting a copy.

iPhoto tracks all of your photos using it's own database, but it also writes a file called AlbumData.xml to share the iPhoto data with other iLife programs like iTunes, iMovie, iDVD, and also for 24x7digital's PhotoCopy.  PhotoCopy must be able to read this file to gather information about your iPhoto Library.

AlbumData.xml is written out by iPhoto when you make changes to your iPhoto Library but it sometimes takes a while before the file is updated to match your library exactly.  Furthermore, there are times when iPhoto will allow some corrupt data to get written out to AlbumData.xml which can cause third-party programs some difficulties in reading and parsing the file.

PhotoCopy may generate an error such as: "Could not parse the AlbumData.xml file. Error: XML parser error: Encountered unexpected character k on line 74371. Old-style plist parser error: Malformed data byte" if it detects a problem with your AlbumData.xml file.

To fix errors in your AlbumData.xml, it is important to identify the root cause of the problem in your iPhoto Library, and to coax iPhoto into repairing it's internal representation of its data, and have iPhoto write out a corrected version of the AlbumData.xml file.  It is also important that the full path to the location of the AlbumData.xml file does not have any odd characters in the folder names such as the ampersand character or excessive slashes or backslashes.

A common problem in AlbumData.xml is the presence of invisible "null" characters.  Null characters can be inadvertently introduced into your iPhoto Library when photos with meta-data stored in their EXIF data contain null characters and are imported directly into your iPhoto database.  You may need to visit each photo in iPhoto which has problematic meta-data and get rid of the problematic keywords, and re-enter the keywords using the iPhoto user interface.

To find the root cause of a bad AlbumData.xml file, it is necessary to open the file using a text editor which can go to a particular line number, such as the free Bare Bones Software's TextWrangler.  Open your AlbumData.xml file using TextWrangler and jump to the line number mentioned in the error message.  By looking at the data near this line number, you may be able to tell which photo in your library is causing the problem.  You cannot edit the AlbumData.xml file since iPhoto will just write it out again in the future, so it is important to identify the cause of the problem, and then to fix it using iPhoto itself!

To view AlbumData.xml, find your iPhoto Library in the Finder, and click on the library bundle while holding the control key (or right-click), and choose Show Package Contents.  This should reveal the AlbumData.xml file which can then be drag-and-dropped onto your text editor.  Once you have opened the AlbumData.xml file, navigate to the problematic line number indicated in the error message.  You will see data like the following.

<dict>
<key>MediaType</key>
<string>Image</string>
<key>Caption</key>
<string>IMG_8886</string>
<key>Comment</key>
<string></string>
<key>GUID</key>
<string>C3876274-275D-439B-B7D2-1670B04E3DB9</string>
<key>Aspect Ratio</key>
<real>1.333333</real>
<key>Rating</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>Roll</key>
<integer>2563</integer>
<key>DateAsTimerInterval</key>
<real>237203949.000000</real>
<key>ModDateAsTimerInterval</key>
<real>237203949.000000</real>
<key>MetaModDateAsTimerInterval</key>
<real>0.000000</real>
<key>ImagePath</key>
<string>/Users/rei/Desktop/2008_France/Originals/2008/2008_0708_Engenthal_Ualyf/IMG_8886.JPG</string>
<key>ThumbPath</key>
<string>/Users/rei/Desktop/2008_France/Data/2008/2008_0708_Engenthal_Ualyf/IMG_8886.jpg</string>
</dict>

By viewing this data, you can figure out the name of the problematic photo file, which can then be found using iPhoto, and then you can edit the meta-data using iPhoto to hopefully fix the problem.  Make note of the problematic photo, and quit your text editor.  Launch iPhoto and search for the problematic photo, and edit its meta-data using iPhoto.  Quitting iPhoto will write out a fresh AlbumData.xml file.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .  You may send us your AlbumData.xml file if you continue having problems parsing this file with PhotoCopy.

Steps to find your AlbumData.xml file:

iPhoto 6
-In a Finder window, locate your iPhoto Library
-Open the iPhoto Library folder
-Attach the file 'AlbumData.xml' to an email and email it to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

iPhoto 7
-In a Finder window, locate your iPhoto Library
-Right click on the library (if your mouse has a right click), or hold down the Control key and click on the library
-A menu will appear, choose "Show Package Contents"
-A new finder window should appear with the contents of your iPhoto library
-Attach the file 'AlbumData.xml' to an email and email it to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

A. We have seen this issue for long-time Flickr users.  This issue has been resolved in PhotoCopy 1.0.3.  Please download the latest version of PhotoCopy.

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Q. I'm getting an error message: "iPhotoDest#createDestInfoFromMasterDict: - DateAsTimerInterval must exist in masterDict and be <> " or "iPhotoDest#updateDestInfo:withDict: - DateAsTimerInterval must exist in itemDict".

A. This issue has been resolved in PhotoCopy 1.0.3.  Please download the latest version of PhotoCopy.

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Q. I'm getting an error message: "iPhotoDest#buildKeywordStr: - keyword for key=n could not be found in keywordsDict".

A. This issue has been resolved in PhotoCopy 1.0.3.  Please download the latest version of PhotoCopy.

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Q. I'm getting "An unexpected eSellerate error has occurred" during checkout.  What's wrong?

A. We are using eSellerate.net to handle our online commerce.  Their web store sometimes has problems with bad cookies.  Try clearing cookies from your browser, then restart your browser.

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Q. I'm getting an error message: "iPhotoDest#createDestInfoFromMasterDict: - ModDateAsTimerInterval in masterDict not set".

A. This is caused by photos in your iPhoto Library with malformed modification dates (timestamp of zero).  This issue has been resolved in PhotoCopy 1.0.1.  Please download the latest version of PhotoCopy.

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Q. Does PhotoCopy synchronize in both directions?

A. The current version of PhotoCopy only mirrors your iPhoto Library *to* Flickr.  It does not currently download photos from Flickr, or synchronize any changes made in Flickr back to your iPhoto Library.  The idea of PhotoCopy is to use iPhoto to manage your albums, descriptions, and tags, and PhotoCopy automates the process of keeping your Flickr Sets updated to reflect your changes from iPhoto.

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Q. What happens to Flickr photos which have been uploaded prior to using PhotoCopy?

A. PhotoCopy connects to your Flickr account using the Flickr API in "write-mode" which means it is not allowed to delete any photos from your account.  PhotoCopy will not match against any images that were uploaded before using PhotoCopy.  It will upload all of your desired iPhoto images and organize into Sets.  Files that have been uploaded by PhotoCopy are tagged with "machine tags" which are special tags in Flickr which help PhotoCopy to match in future uploads.  So you will still have all of your previously uploaded Flickr content, and also new Sets which correspond to the iPhoto albums managed by PhotoCopy.

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Q. Does PhotoCopy work with Apple Aperture? or Adobe Lightroom?

A. PhotoCopy only works with iPhoto 6 (iLife '06) and iPhoto 7 (iLife '08).

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Q. Does PhotoCopy work with Google Picasa, WebShots, SmugMug, etc?

A. PhotoCopy only works with Flickr at this time.

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Q. Does PhotoCopy work with iPhoto Events?

A. Yes. Version 1.1 now supports iPhoto Events.

If you are receiving an error message such as "FlickrDest#processSyncItem: check source path - source file does not exist path=<path>", please download the latest release. The way PhotoCopy handles this issue has been changed in PhotoCopy 1.0.4. In versions before 1.0.4 PhotoCopy would post this error message and stop the copy. In PhotoCopy 1.0.4 and later photo copy will post a warning and then continue with the copy. The warning will look something like:

Image 'Test.jpg' was not uploaded. Could not find file at '<path to Test.jpg>'

Downloading the lastest version of PhotoCopy does not make this issue go away, it just changes the way PhotoCopy handles the issue. This issue happens when the iPhoto library says that a file is at a certain location but it is not. It is an internal iPhoto problem which should be addressed. You should still try to diagnose and fix this problem in your iPhoto library, because if PhotoCopy cannot find the file where iPhoto says it is, the file cannot be uploaded to your Flickr account.

Fixing the underlying problem with missing files in your iPhoto library is beyond the scope of this article. Here are some things which may help:

• Try viewing the item in question in iPhoto. Double click on the item in iPhoto to view the full sized image as the thumbnail file may exist but the full sized image file may not. iPhoto displays the thumbnail when viewing events and albums and the full sized item when you double click on the file in an event or album.
• Try searching apple.com/support for your specific problem.
• Read the Apple Support article on rebuilding your iPhoto Library.
  
• Contact Apple support.
  

If you are receiving an error message such as "Flickr#processSyncItem - Image 'IMG_0001' (ID=3072742062) Save Lastupdate failed meta:Changed machineTags:OK", please follow these directions to view the warning that occured just before this error message. The warning will tell you the part of the iPhoto item's meta data that PhotoCopy is having a problem with.

To find the warning, click on "View Log" in the bottom right of the main PhotoCopy window.
In the Lower list, expand the last row (Type=Sync) by clicking on the disclosure triange on the left of the row.
Scroll down to the bottom of the window. If the last entry has notes like "Image 'IMG_0001' (ID=3077664903) keywords changed from 'Aubrey Pam' to 'Aubrey Pam'"

then PhotoCopy is having problems with parsing the keywords for Image 'IMG_0001'. 

We are currently working on a fix for this problem. As a workaround, open iPhoto and examine the keywords assigned to Image 'IMG_0001'. In this case the keyword 'Pam' had a leading space ' Pam'. Removing that space in the keywords allowed PhotoCopy to continue with the copy. 

To edit keywords in iPhoto, choose the menu Window > Show Keywords. Then in the keywords window hit the 'Edit Keywords' button. Use this list to remove any leading or trailing spaces from the keywords for the Image which is having problems.

After changing the keyword, there is one more step to the workaround. You have to make a change to Image 'IMG_0001' so that PhotoCopy will pickup the changed keyword.

Open iPhoto
Find the image 'IMG_0001' and select it
Change the rating, (add or remove a star).
Quit iPhoto
Open iPhoto
Find the image 'IMG_0001' and select it
Change the rating back to what it was.
Quit iPhoto
Now run PhotoCopy and start a copy. 

If your iPhoto library has been setup correctly, you will see a list of iPhoto albums available to copy in the album list in PhotoCopy. To refresh your album list, click on the 'Update list' button below it.

When you wish to backup all the photos in your iPhoto library, select the 'All photos' items. It is the only item in the list that does not correspond to an album or folder in your iPhoto library. When this item is checked, PhotoCopy will copy all items in your iPhoto library to your Flickr account, whether or not they are in a selected album or not. The uploaded items will not be placed in a Flickr set unless that item is also in an album which is selected in the 'Albums' group (see below). Selecting 'All photos' is most useful if you have a pro Flickr account which allows an unlimited number of photos. For more on how the limitations of a free Flickr account affect PhotoCopy see 'Free Flickr accounts and PhotoCopy' .

Below 'All photos' you will see an item named 'Albums'. The 'Albums' group holds all of the folders, albums, and smart albums in your iPhoto library. When an album or smart album is selected, PhotoCopy will copy all the items in it to Flickr. After uploading all the items from the album or smart album, PhotoCopy will create a set in Flickr holding all the same items as the album or smart album, in the same order. In effect, then album or smart album will be cloned to a Flickr set. If you make changes to the album or smart album in iPhoto, the next time you do a copy, those changes will be duplicated in the Flickr set.

When a folder is selected, all the items below it are checked or unchecked. Folders can be collapsed or expanded by clicking on the disclosure triange to the left of their name, hiding or exposing the items that it contains.

PhotoCopy will work with free Flickr accounts. Some of the limitations of free Flickr accounts affect PhotoCopy as listed below:

Photostream views limited to the 200 most recent images

This limitation effectively means that PhotoCopy can only handle up to 200 images.

When you select 'All photos', PhotoCopy tries to copy all photos in you iPhoto library to Flickr. Do not select 'All photos' if you have more that 200 images in your iPhoto library

Only select albums to copy where the total number of photos in all the albums is 200 or less.

100 MB monthly upload limit (10MB per photo)

PhotoCopy will not be able to upload items past the 100 MB monthly limit. Nor will it be able to upload single photos greater than 10 MB in size.

3 set limit

Since a free account only allows 3 sets, PhotoCopy will not be able to create sets in excess of 3. You should only check up to 3 albums in the album list for PhotoCopy to copy. Also, if you have created any sets in your free Flickr account, those will affect how many sets PhotoCopy can create. For example, if you have 1 set in your free Flickr account, PhotoCopy can only create 2 additional sets. 

The current copy options are used when you click the copy button. Copy options are stored for each iPhoto Library/Flickr account pair, so if you change your current iPhoto library and/or your current Flickr account make sure to check your copy settings carefully before starting a copy. The different copy options are listed below:

Upload photo resizing:

This option controls if image files are resized before being uploaded to Flickr. Resizing is useful if you wish to speed up the uploading of images. When resizing, some image quality will be lost. How much depends on the resize setting you choose. The smaller the resize setting, the more image quality will be lost. If you are using PhotoCopy to have offsite backups of your images, remember that the resize size you choose will be the size that is backed up to Flickr. And if you lose your local copy of your images, the resized copies in Flickr will be all you have to restore your images from. The available image sizes are:

Off - the original images will be uploaded
800 pixels - images will be resized so that the longer side is 800 pixels
1280 pixels - images will be resized so that the longer side is 1280 pixels
1600 pixels - images will be resized so that the longer side is 1600 pixels
2048 pixels - images will be resized so that the longer side is 2048 pixels

Note: when using PhotoCopy in demo mode, watermarks will be added to every uploaded image. So even if this is set this to 'Off', uploaded images will be altered to include the watermark.

Do not upload movies:

This option contols whether or not movie files from your iPhoto library will be uploaded to Flickr. Movie files are typically much larger than image files, and take much longer to upload. Only pro Flickr accounts will accept movie files.

Note: when using PhotoCopy in demo mode, you will not be able to disable this option.