Fix Photo LEAD or Capture Error

A "Lead" error or an error capturing a photo in Photo Manager typically indicates that either the photo file name, file structure or folder is bad (corrupted, non-standard, or not accessible).

  1. File Name.  Make sure the name of the photo does not contain multiple periods (such as "address.st.jpg") or invalid characters (such as parenthesis or dash). Also ensure that the extension letters following the period at the end of the file name are jpg. Usually the name can be fixed by removing invalid characters or multiple periods. If the extension was originally anything other than JPG, just changing the extension is not likely to fix the problem (because other extensions such as TIFF, BMP or PIC indicate a structure different than the jpg standard). In this case, re-take the photo with the standard file format (jpg). See note 1. 

  2. Path or Folder. Sometimes the Lead error can be caused by a problem with the path to the original photo file or a modification (by a third party program) to the structure of the folder in which the photo file is stored. Photos in folders that are indexed may be modified by the indexing and sometimes cannot be opened correctly by the Lead program. If there are too many spaces in the folder names down the path to the photo, the Lead code might not be able to follow the path.

    To test if the path or folder is the problem, create a new folder in the root directory under your main hard drive (such as C:\MLSfotos) and save a photo in this directory. Verify that the file name has no extraneous characters or multiple periods (see item 1 above). Then try to open this photo in the CTI Photo Manager. You may need to clear out your Photo Import directory (see note 1 below) if opening a photo previously failed.

  3. File Structure. File structures can be corrupted (or set to non-standard formats) when a photo is processed through an image editing program, or when copied or scanned incorrectly (without the jpg extension). Try to use the original photo (or a different "Save" setting or a different image editor if the photo really needs touching up). See note 3 for a test.

Note 1: Photo Import. Once a "bad" photo has been partially loaded into your Photo Manager, you may also need to cleanup bad files in Photo Manager by deleting the contents of your Photo Import directory (at  {see note 2}\Cti Navigator\{YourMLScode}\Users\{Your Agent Name}\Photo Import\). (For details, see the Related Article, Fix Photo Import Errors.) Until it is deleted, a bad file can cause a "file not found" error when attempting to send photos or when opening Photo Manager. 

Note 2: Paths.  The path to the " \Cti Navigator\{YourMLScode}\Users\{Your Agent Name}\Photo Import\"  folder for your MLS data depends on when you installed the CTI Navigator Desktop program, and into which version of Windows it was installed. For "YourMLSCode", see note 5 below. 

Note 3: Test: To determine if there is a problem with the "Lead" graphics management program on your computer (which is rare) or if the problem is with your photos, you can test by temporarily adding a known working photo from the MLS database (just don't send it). To try this test after clearing out your Photo Import directory (see note 1 above), open the CTI Photo Manager > enter your MLS# > click Add > File > Open > progressively change the "Look In" path to {see note 2}\Cti Navigator\{YourMLScode}\Photos\ > select any photo from one of the subfolders. (For example, the main photo for MLS#54391 in a recent installation in Windows Vista would be at  C:\Program Data\Cti Navigator\{YourMLScode}\Photos\9\1\54391a.jpg .)  See note 4 for how photos are organized in these folders.

If an existing MLS photo opens correctly (without error) in the Photo Manager then the problem is not the Lead program - there is something wrong or nonstandard with your new photo(s) as described in steps 1, 2 or 3 above. Be sure to remove the test photo from your CTI Photo Manager so you don't accidentally send it.

Note 4: Directories. MLS photos are stored on your computer according to the last two digits of the listing number. The first subdirectory under Photos is the next to the last digit (the "tens" integer position) and the subdirectory under this is the last digit (the "ones" integer position). For example, the main photo for MLS#12345 in a recent installation in Windows 7 would be in  C:\Program Data\CTI Navigator\{YourMLScode}\Photos\4\5\12345a.jpg  (in the "Photos" folder go to the 4 subfolder, then go to the 5 subfolder under this 4 folder). 

Note 5: MLS Code. Where instructions refer to {YourMLScode}, substitute CTI's 3-letter code for your local MLS. This code can be determined by opening the CTI Navigator login screen > click the Setup button > the MLS code is the first 3 letters in the Internet Server Address box.

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rev. 04.26.2012