iPhoto 7.0 Help (iLife '08)
What to do about a missing photo
When you import photos to iPhoto or edit those photos, they are saved in the iPhoto Library, located in the Pictures folder on your computer.
If a photo file is corrupted or missing, you will see the missing photo indicator instead—a gray box with a dashed outline.
Warning: To avoid permanently deleting or corrupting your iPhoto library, do not attempt to alter the contents of the iPhoto Library in your Pictures folder.
To find or replace a missing photo:
If you have the original photo file, either on a CD or on your computer, just import it again into iPhoto. For more information, see Related Topics below.
If you don’t have the original photo, or you are trying to find an edited version, try one of the following options.
Click your computer’s Trash icon (not iPhoto Trash) and see if the photo is there.
Do a search. To search all your files and folders, in the Finder, choose File > Find and enter a search term.
Important: When you find the photo file, save it to your desktop, then import it back into iPhoto from there.