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Image Won’t Upload: Invalid/Corrupt File Messages?
Having problems uploading an image file despite following the instructions? Getting error messages like this?
It may be that your picture is corrupt.
There are two main reasons why pictures from digital cameras sometimes get corrupted in a manner that means they aren't recognised by every piece of software. One is removing the memory card (or switching off) before the camera has properly saved all the data for the image. That often happens on older (slower) cameras if you have just taken a very large picture. The same thing can happen when you are transferring pictures to a computer if the computer is slow and you unplug too early. The other is when the memory card is old or has seen heavy use such that it suffers from "fragmentation". It's not a bad idea to take all the data off the card every year or so and then reformat the empty card in the camera to put things to rights (more frequently if you are a heavy user).
Remember also that digital media storage cards don’t last forever. They eventually develop “bad sectors” that can result in corrupt files, exactly like the hard disc in your computer. Reformatting then won’t make much difference.
Some programs are better than others at reading damaged files so you may not realise that there is a problem. Other times, the picture may load in an image editor but with a small strip at the bottom or right hand side missing. Also, you may sometimes note that although the picture itself seems to be OK, it doesn't display a thumbnail view in Windows File Explorer. If a corrupted picture is readable in an image editor, re-saving it as a new file will often correct the problem.
Having problems uploading an image file despite following the instructions? Getting error messages like this?
It may be that your picture is corrupt.
There are two main reasons why pictures from digital cameras sometimes get corrupted in a manner that means they aren't recognised by every piece of software. One is removing the memory card (or switching off) before the camera has properly saved all the data for the image. That often happens on older (slower) cameras if you have just taken a very large picture. The same thing can happen when you are transferring pictures to a computer if the computer is slow and you unplug too early. The other is when the memory card is old or has seen heavy use such that it suffers from "fragmentation". It's not a bad idea to take all the data off the card every year or so and then reformat the empty card in the camera to put things to rights (more frequently if you are a heavy user).
Remember also that digital media storage cards don’t last forever. They eventually develop “bad sectors” that can result in corrupt files, exactly like the hard disc in your computer. Reformatting then won’t make much difference.
Some programs are better than others at reading damaged files so you may not realise that there is a problem. Other times, the picture may load in an image editor but with a small strip at the bottom or right hand side missing. Also, you may sometimes note that although the picture itself seems to be OK, it doesn't display a thumbnail view in Windows File Explorer. If a corrupted picture is readable in an image editor, re-saving it as a new file will often correct the problem.