How to merge iPhoto Libraries?

Hello!
On my iMac, I have 2 iPhoto libraries. I want to merge them. What would be the best (or easiest) way to do that without

If you have Aperture 3.3 or later and iPhoto 9.3 or later you can merge libraries with Aperture.
Otherwise the only way to merge Libraries is with the paid ($20) version of iPhoto Library Manager
You can export from one library to the finder and afterwards import to another, but this is not merging libraries.

Similar Messages

Merging iPhoto libraries on mac with 2 users

Hi, I have iphoto manager but can't figure out how to merge iphoto libraries
I have my daughters macbook as she passed away in May
I used time capsule to move the contents of my macbook to hers but it made as new user
I want all the photos in one library on my user account but I can't choose her iphoto library as
it says I don't have permission
Weird how everything is on one computer but having 2 users seems like you can only access your own stuff
I just want to have all photos on my iphoto
Any help?

This worked thank u so much
Another quick question, iTunes doesn't seem to be aware that id like to use this computer as my new home base
I think I already had it authorized as we shared songs.
I had checked that I wanted certain faces from iPhoto but it included quite a few I didn't have checked
I'm not sure how to tell it this is my "new computer"

Merging iPhoto Libraries into Aperture, How?

I want to merge 6 iPhoto Libraries in my new iMac straight into my newly bought Aperture. All have been opened in Aperture.
I am assuming that onced merged I can then dip into my large Aperture library wherever I like, quickly and easily.
Yesterday I merged 3 libraries into Aperture. Today I opened a different iPhoto library and then looked for my merged library.
I can't find it and assume I'm missing a vital step. Poring over forums has made it no clearer.
What have I done wrong or missed?

I am not sure how you have tried to merge your iPhoto Libraries. Have you seen this help text?
Aperture 3.3: How to use Aperture to merge iPhoto libraries
basically, you open an Aperture library, and then use the Aperture command "File > Import > Library" to import your iPhoto Libraries, Simply opening the iPhoto Libraries in Aperture will not consolidate them into one libraray - you have to import them.
Regards
Léonie

How do you merge iphoto libraries without duplicates and maintaining events?

I have a few iphoto libraries on my computer that I need to merge, without duplicates, and maintaining the seperate events. Does anyone know how to do this efficiently?

"Terence Devlin" does not work for Apple, for the makers of Library Manager and has no beneficial interest in whether or not you use or purchase this or any other app. If "Terence Devlin" did have such an interest the terms of use of the Forum would require that he add such information to the post. No, Aperture cannot merge iPhoto Libraries. Aperture can convert them to Aperture Libraries and merge them, but that would be of no use to an iPhoto user, as iPhoto can't open an Aperture Library.
And the fact remains that the paid version of Library Manager is the only way to merge Libraries
Regards
"TD"

Merging iPhoto Libraries- will events carry forward?

I am exploring unifying my iPhoto libraries. To keep the size of the main library down, I have removed the majority of photos from older events and placed in alternate libraries( eg a vacation library). Will I be able to combine the events back together in Aperture unified, or should I manually combine them back before switching over?

Hi,
See this document: It will tell you, which Aperture and iPhoto versions are compatible with the new, unified library format:
Aperture 3.3: Using a unified photo library with iPhoto and Aperture
The newer vesions of Aperture and iPhoto are using the same library format.
Aperture can combine iPhoto libraries into one library and keep the events and albums.
This document describes how to do this: Aperture 3.3: How to use Aperture to merge iPhoto libraries
So you could create a new library in Aperture and import your iPhoto libraies into this library, using the command "File > Import > Library". This will preserve your old events and albums, edits, tags.
Only remember to unhide all hidden photos in iPhoto; you cannot unhide them in Aperture.
And backup all libraries, before doing a major reorganisation.
Regards
Léonie

Can i merge iphoto libraries?

Can I merge iphoto libraries?

You can export from one and import into the other or use
iPhoto Library Manager - http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/ -
LN

How to synchronize iPhoto libraries over network

how to synchronize iphoto libraries on multiple macs?

What do you mean by "Sync".
The general term means when two Libraries (A and B) are compared and files in Library A are copied to Library B, while files in Library B are also copied to Library A so that both Libraries are identical.
This is bi-directional copying and you cannot do this automatically with iPhoto. No Syncing software is capable of parsing the iPhoto Library in this manner. One or both of your Libraries will be damaged if you try this.
You can have uni-directional copying - files in Library A are copied to Library B - this is essentially backing up. Obviously you can also copy from Library B to Library A.
The nearest you can get to syncing is to use iPhoto Library Manager to move files/Albums/Events plus associated metadata between Libraries. This process cannot be automated.

Really struggling with 10.10 and merging iPhoto libraries

I imported my old iPhoto Library via firewire (from Mac mini 1.6 10.6 to Mini 2.53 10.10)
My 2.53 has about 1000 images on it, as I had been downloading / using as main computer
I imported old library onto my desktop of Mini 2.53
I opened the file on desktop, iPhoto said did I want to change library (you would have thought it would have offered option to merge), I said yes and then it went through a long process of updating photos. After one failed / crashed attempts and a few hours later ! success ! ... my old photo Library 225GB ... working and still sitting on my desktop.
Now ... next thing I want to do is merge this Library / import into the one I have on my 2.53 mini (1000 or so images)
1st thing ... finder in 10.10 is so poor that you can't navigate, you can't find anything (10.6 x1000 better) so I can't move the desktop iPhoto (old) library) into the picture folder
2nd I open IPhoto and ask to switch (from old library which has now become default) to the one which was on the 2.53 , and there seems to be 2 options iPhoto Library and one option IPhoto Old Library, I select one of the iPhoto Library and then iPhoto says needs to repair but not enough disk space ...
Really unworkable (I am finding 10.10) ... Snow Leopard was so good.
Thanks for your help

Now ... next thing I want to do is merge this Library / import into the one I have on my 2.53 mini (1000 or so images)
iPhoto cannot merge libraries.
You can just switch between the libraries and view them in turn.
If you try to import one library into the other you will create a mess of duplicates - thumbnails, previews, etc. You should be glad, that iPhoto did not let you do this. It would have wrecked your iPhoto library.
To merge iPhoto libraries you can use the full, paid version of iPhoto Library Manager: Fat Cat Software – iPhoto Library Manager
It s a very useful addition to iPhoto and has rescued many libraries.
The other option is to export the photos from library 1 and import the exported photos into library 2.
I select one of the iPhoto Library and then iPhoto says needs to repair but not enough disk space ...
If you are short of storage do all merging and preparing your libraries on the external drive. It is risky to update or work with iPhoto libraries, if you are in danger of running out of storage and having iPhoto crash. That may corrupt your iPhoto library beyond repair.
If you want to use an external drive, if only temporary, make sure the drive has the correct file system. The drive needs to be formatted MacOS Extended (Journaled). See: iPhoto: Issues with FAT32-formatted drives
Format external drives to Mac OS Extended before using with Aperture
Really unworkable (I am finding 10.10) ... Snow Leopard was so good.
It is a large step from Snow to Yosemite. I loved SnowLeopard to. It is well designed and stable, but yosemite has many things to offer.
To see what changed between versions:
OSX Tips Some Changes in Lion
OSX Tips Mountain Lion Changes

How to merge iPhoto v2 libraries into one iPhoto v11 library

Hi,
I just are going through a major upgrade from my iBook dual USB (500 MHz Power PC G3, OS 10.4.11) to my brand-new MacBook Pro (2.3 GHz core I5, OS 10.6.8).
As my old iBook was running so slow, I had splitted my libraries into two using IPhoto Library Manager some years ago running with iPhoto 2. Now I need to merge these two libraries into one and then transfer it to my new computer and let iPhoto 11 upgrade the library at once.
Based on very helpful earlier threats, I intend to follow the process below:
Merge libraries using iPhoto Library Manager (registered version) to get one library (on my old computer)
Copy this library into the Pictures folder of my new computer
Open iPhoto (shift key will give me the option to select if needed) and it will automatically upgrade my library.
So far so good - but I experience one issue I did not manage to solve. I use iPhoto Library Manager version 3.5.2 on my old computer, but after starting the merging process it tells me I need iPhoto version 4 at least; but I have version 2 only. I guess I cannot use iPhoto version 11 on my new computer as I first need to merge the libraries as old versions, as the iPhoto version 11 cannot work with the not yet upgraded libraries, can it? I have the IPhoto Library Manager registered version 3.6.8 installed on my new machine.
Before I make a major mistake to my pictures (> 20 GB): is it possible to upgrade both old libraries separately in iPhoto v11 and then merge them in iPhoto v11?
Many thanks for your advice!
Best regards,
Markus

Rename the second iPhoto 2 library to something other that iPhoto Library and put it in the Pixtures folder next to the other library on your new MBP. Then open it with iPhoto11 to convert.
Once both are converted to the same version you can use iPLM to merge them into a new library.
HOWEVER if you don't care about any metadata you might have in your last iPhoto 2 library you can use SyncPhotos
to import the photos in your iPhoto 2 library into your iPhoto 11 library.
Here's how it works:
1 - it compares the databases and/or album.xml files of Libraries A and B.
2 - the files in A that are not in B are imported into B by copying the original files from A into B's Import folder.
3 - it then does the same for B.
4 - metadata is not copied.
It can be used to just copy from A to B and not sync both ways if desired. It will work with 2 libraries that are different versions, i.e. between an iPhoto 08 and iPhoto 09 library.
OT

How can I merge iPhoto libraries?

How can I merge two iPhoto libraries?

Use Aperture - or iPhoto Library Manager - http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/ -
LN

How do i merge iPhoto libraries

I have three iphoto libraries, one which just has the beach ball that continues turning...is there an easy way to merge the libraries into one and eliminate duplicate photos?

Hmmm... an easy way. Easy? That's a tall request.
(Sorry, Luckyjenn, sometimes I just can't help myself.)
It sounds like the first thing you want to do before you merge libraries is to determine why the beach ball has taken a liking to that particular iPhoto library. If the library has been damaged somehow, you don't want to merge it with other undamaged libraries.
Start by making sure your data is backed up... then take a look at this... IPhoto 6 and later: Rebuilding the Iphoto Library
If that stops the beach ball, then you might look at this thread next regarding merging libraries...
merging libraries in iphoto?
I hope this is helpful.

How do I merge iPhoto Libraries which use different versions of iPhoto?

I have three Mac computers and would like to merge the 3 iPhoto Libraries and put them in one library on an external hard drive, so that all 3 computers can access the library if possible, although it is a priority for my newest MacBook to access all the photos, including the older photos on my older Macs. Doing it in such way that I preserve metadata and edits would be deirable too--all my photos are jpegs. Right now my iMac is runnning OS 10.6.8 with iPhoto 7.1.5, my older MacBook is also running OS 10.6.8 with iPhoto 7.1.5 and my newest MacBook runs OS 10.7.5 with iPhoto 9.4.3. Is it possible to merge these 3 libraries without upgrading operating systems and iPhoto versions on the older computers? I have read that the best way to merge libraries is to use the paid version of iPhoto Library Manager which I'd like to use, but its latest version requires a newer version of iPhoto than the one on the older computers and I don't see a download for an older version of iPLM that might possibly do what I want. Any suggestions?

I am still curious if it would be a good second option to export the photos out of the older libraries into the newest one. I know this would convert them as you have said and also lose metadata and edits in the process, which is preferale to me over upgrading the older computers.
More simple.
Copy those libraries to the new machine.
Open them with the newer iPhoto - that will upgrade their libraries. (And leave the originals untouched on the other machines)
Merge them into the third library. Less work, less dataloss.
Regards
TD

HELP! 24,700 photos - can I/should I merge iPhoto libraries?

I've been using iPhoto Buddy for a couple of years now to manage 3 different iPhoto libraries. I have coming up on 25,000 photos going back to 96 with my first digital camera. This has become a real pain switching libraries. Also - it limits how I can distribute the content (i.e. AppleTV/iTunes will only look at one library) I seperated them a while back because iPhoto wasn't stable enough to handle too many pictures in a single library without being prone to crashes.
I know nobody really knows if iPhoto 8 will help in this area (as I do plan to soon get a new 24" iMac)... but in general, is there any way to merge all 3 libraries and preserve keywords, film rolls, etc?

Apple deleted (record time!) my post on the merge topic, see the text below. (I omitted a few lines that might have pushed Apple's hypervigilant complaint monitoring team over the line, the full text is on "Gordon's Tech".
I spent some time over lunch with iPhoto 7. It's a good improvement and well worth what I paid to buy a copy. There is NO SUPPORT for library merging, but the .Mac support is better. You may be able to publish albums to .Mac and then import at the album level. Obviously, this is not satisfactory.
In my post below I comment on iPhoto Library Manager, an app I greatly appreciate and admire but which does not meet my requirements completely. I think Apple's unofficial answer is "buy Aperture", but you should know Aperture does not allow you to edit date metadata (so you can't sort scans, for example).
You're traveling with your MacBook. Organizing photos, adding metadata, creating albums, slideshows, etc. You get home. You want to import your travel library to the main library, preserving ALL the versions and metadata.
You have just married the Mac Geek of your dreams. You need to merge Libraries into the shared folder (which can't be shared over a network, but let's just ignore that). How do you do that?
You created and used separate Libraries back with iPhoto bogged down at 2000 images. Now you want to combine them, preserving version relationships, album relationships, descriptions, titles, keywords, roll information, photo books, slideshows, etc, etc.
Yes, I know about iPhoto Library Manager. I license and use it. It does miracles with Apple's limited merge support, but some metadata is lost. I also had so many issues with earlier version merges that, even though I use it all the time, I'm gun-shy. Sorry, merging Libraries is very complex. It's hard to believe that anyone but Apple can do it safely.
iLife 2008 (iPhoto 7) is the fourth release in a row to disappoint those of us asking for Library management....
tags: jfaughnan, jgfaughnan, import, merge, combine, library

How to unmerge iphoto libraries?

i accidentally merged two different user's iPhoto libraries on my mac. How do i spereate them so that one users photos only stay on their iPhoto account?

Not at all sure what you are saying since there is no way to merge libraries using iphoto - by mistake or intentionally
But the most likely answer is to restore the backup from before you made this mistake, what ever it was
LN

Merging iphoto libraries (& itunes, imovie) backups

My relative had her 4 macs taken to an apple dealer and asked them to take all the 'stuff' (photos, movies were the reason) and merge them onto the largest sized mac (macpro). I believe they ended up the MacPro now has 4 internal hard drives (I don't think any are partitioned, I'll find out if need to). The main HD is 1TB and half this space is used. Then the other 3 internal hard drives have 250GB(?) and (what I think are) 'copies' of the other 3 mac computers "stuff". She got a 1TB external hard drive to backup with time machine the mac pro (not using yet). She did this because she has a ginourmous iphoto library and wanted them all merged, then backed up with ability to remove all/or some photos from library. She has burned several iphoto DVDs (not using export) as a hard copy of photo files (not completely done yet).
The "copies" of the 3 internal hard drives show these folders: Applications, Desktop, Documents, Downloads, ..., Library, Movies, Music, Pictures, etc. How can I merge the Pictures, Movies and Music "stuff" (or libraries/data) from the 3 onto the 1 (1TB) hard drive. After I learn how to do this, can I simply delete all these folders "copied" on the 3 hard drives??
The plan is to merge the 3 iphoto libraries (or data?) to the main internal 1TB macpro HD's iphoto library, then delete the backup iphoto libraries from each "backed up" internal hard drive. Then to finish backing up all photos to DVDs, then get Time Machine backing up to the external 1TB. Plus there is carbon clone application (?) that they added to her mac, will I need to make a clone of the final version when it's all done? I'm guessing this is what they used to make the "copies" of the computers.
I hope this makes sense, I knew it'd be hard to explain and I'm trying to go by memory... I know this is iphoto section, so if there is a link to the imovie/itunes issue please help with a link. I know they are each separate issues.
THANKS!

Thank you, I will look at that for merging them. I was just thinking the DVDs as an extra backup, besides also having a copy on an external hd, or one of the internal drives. Yes time consuming. But extra can't hurt. I also thought of printing index cards to have as reference, especially if we remove some of the photos from the library.
I found for imovie merging: https://discussions.apple.com/message/11710306#11710306 not sure if its the full answer.
For the itunes library merge I found: https://discussions.apple.com/message/11924952#11924952 (looks long but didn't find anything else)

How to merge iPhoto Libraries?

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