New to mac and iphoto, questions about photo structure & organization

Question

I bought a new Macbook Pro a couple of days ago and am still figuring things out. I wasn't displeased with windows...I just decided to try a mac anyway, So far, I adore it except for one thing, the pictures.
I spent hours researching whether to download and use picasa 3 for mac or iphoto. I decided on picasa....and now I've changed my mind. (Mostly because I tried to take pictures of the moon tonight, and they looked great in camera, but Picasa could only pick up a black screen whearas iphoto actually saw and defined the moon- and with the editing software on the two, the picasa auto-edit looked like a picture that was created in microsoft paint, and iphoto came out with a beautifully contrasted photo).
Now that I decided to use iphoto, I have been researching how to switch and still seem to have a lot of questions. (I've poked around numerous forums but have found conflicting answers on different sites).
1) I organize my pictures by folders with the month and year. I know iphoto organizes events, which it seems to determine based on photo similarity. Will my photo structure still appear in finder -> pictures?
2) Is it possible to stop iphoto from organizing my pictures and just trust me on what I want?
3) All of my friends and family use PCs, and there is a chance that due to financial concerns, when I eventually replace my macbook pro (far in the future) I could switch to a pc. Does iphoto make transferring pictures more difficult? (If I understand correctly, it does not change the photo file, a jpeg is still a jpeg but I want to be sure)
4) I do not want iphoto to duplicate all of the pictures already in my library....if I import from finder-users-pictures, will it simply use those, or duplicate all 150gb worth of pictures?
5) Any other tips for someone completely new to macs and iphoto?
6) This is very silly, but how do I uninstall picasa (I know how to uninstall on a windows but want to make sure I do things correctly on my mac!)
Also, just a "bonus"- regarding events vs. files I create, will iphoto create events within the program but leave my file structure in the library it imports from alone? If I use finder to go to where I store my photos, will I still see my file structure regardless of what iphoto does?(Does that make sense? I'm having a hard time trying to describe it)
I apologize if this question is foolish or misplaced- I did read many other posts but didn't see the answers I was looking for.

Answer 1

Your questions are neither foolish nor misplaced.
The first thing I strongly suggest is that you make a trial iPhoto Library. Import 100 or 200 pics and explore. Iphoto isn't right for everybody, and if you're going to use it you will need to rethink things a little.
1) I organize my pictures by folders with the month and year. I know iphoto organizes events, which it seems to determine based on photo similarity. Will my photo structure still appear in finder -> pictures?
A: Events are based entirely on Date and Time not on 'photo similarity' You can set the interval for what makes an Event in the iPhoto Preferences: iPhoto Menu -> Preferences -> General Pane: Autosplit into Events... And select from the drop down menu.
Will my photo structure still appear in finder -> pictures?
Yes or no, depending... iPhoto can run as a Referenced or Managed Library. In the former case, yes you files will be visible in the Finder, in the latter case they won't.
Note that Referenced or Managed refers +only to file storage+ It offers no extra functionality, it does nothing at all. App like iPhoto are your go-to app for your photos. If you use it, then you never access the photos via the Finder. Ever. It's always via iPhoto or the many, many hooks into the OS that it has.
I'll detail more on Referenced v Managed below.
2) Is it possible to stop iphoto from organizing my pictures and just trust me on what I want?
I'm not sure what you mean by this. Iphoto does basic date and time organisation by default. You can change it, you can change the location of the photos in Events, merge them and then using the other tools available - Albums, Smart Albums, Faces, Places etc you can organise your photos whatever way you want.
But what do you mean by pictures. There is a distinction between Photos - the image of your child holding his dog - and files: A Jpeg is just a file. Iphoto is designed for you to +forget about the jpeg+ and get on with the interesting bit: the pics of your younger and his pet.
3) All of my friends and family use PCs, and there is a chance that due to financial concerns, when I eventually replace my macbook pro (far in the future) I could switch to a pc. Does iphoto make transferring pictures more difficult? (If I understand correctly, it does not change the photo file, a jpeg is still a jpeg but I want to be sure)
A Jpeg is a Jpeg is a Jpeg. If you migrate to another app or an entire OS you can export the photos plus any and all metadata you've added to the Finder and move it on. (Caveat: You cannot export Faces. There is no agreed standard on any system for exchanging this info.)
4) I do not want iphoto to duplicate all of the pictures already in my library....if I import from finder-users-pictures, will it simply use those, or duplicate all 150gb worth of pictures?
It can do either. And this brings me back to the Referenced v Managed discussion above. By default, iPhoto will Manage the files, that is, it will copy them into the Library. You can choose not to, but I strongly recommend that you don't:
*How to do it:*
Simply go to iPhoto Menu -> Preferences -> Advanced and uncheck 'Copy Files to the iPhoto Library on Import'.
*What Happens:*
Now iPhoto will not copy the files, but rather simply reference them on your HD. To do this it will create an alias in the Originals Folder that points to your file. It will still create a thumbnail and, if you modify the pics, a Modified version within the iPhoto Library Folder.
*Some things to consider:*
1. Importing and deleting pics are more complex procedures. You have to to put the files where they will be stored before importing them. When you delete them you'll need to remove the files from the HD yourself.
2. You cannot move or rename the files on your system or iPhoto will lose track of them on systems prior to 10.5 and iPhoto 08. Even with the later versions issues can still arise if you move the referenced files to new volumes or between volumes.
3. Most importantly, migrating to a new disk or computer can be much more complex.
4. Because iPhoto has no tools for managing Referenced Files, if, for some reason, the path to the photos changes then you could find yourself resolving aliases for +each photo in the Library+ one by one.
My own opinion:
I've yet to see a good reason to run iPhoto in referenced mode unless you're using two photo organisers
If disk space is an issue, you can run an entire iPhoto Library from an external disk:
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library as an entity from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
3. Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new location. From that point on this will be the default location of your library.
4. Test the library and when you're sure all is well, trash the one on your internal HD to free up space.
If you're concerned about accessing the files, There are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:
*For Users of 10.5 and later*
You can use any Open / Attach / Browse dialogue. On the left there's a Media heading, your pics can be accessed there. Command-Click for selecting multiple pics.
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
You can access the Library from the New Message Window in Mail:
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
*For users of 10.4 and later* ...
Many internet sites such as Flickr and SmugMug have plug-ins for accessing the iPhoto Library. If the site you want to use doesn’t then some, one or any of these will also work:
To upload to a site that does not have an iPhoto Export Plug-in the recommended way is to Select the Pic in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export and export the pic to the desktop, then upload from there. After the upload you can trash the pic on the desktop. It's only a copy and your original is safe in iPhoto.
This is also true for emailing with Web-based services. However, if you're using Gmail you can use iPhoto2GMail
If you use Apple's Mail, Entourage, AOL or Eudora you can email from within iPhoto.
If you use a Cocoa-based Browser such as Safari, you can drag the pics from the iPhoto Window to the Attach window in the browser.
*If you want to access the files with iPhoto not running*:
For users of 10.6 and later:
You can download a free Services component from MacOSXAutomation which will give you access to the iPhoto Library from your Services Menu. Using the Services Preference Pane you can even create a keyboard shortcut for it.
For Users of 10.4 and later:
Create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use this free utility Karelia iMedia Browser
Other options include:
1. *Drag and Drop*: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.
2. *File -> Export*: Select the files in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export. The dialogue will give you various options, including altering the format, naming the files and changing the size. Again, producing a copy.
3. *Show File*: Right- (or Control-) Click on a pic and in the resulting dialogue choose 'Show File'. A Finder window will pop open with the file already selected.
*If you want to edit the photo in another application:*
You can set Photoshop (or any image editor) as an external editor in iPhoto. (Preferences -> General -> Edit Photo: Choose from the Drop Down Menu.) This way, when you double click a pic to edit in iPhoto it will open automatically in Photoshop or your Image Editor, and when you save it it's sent back to iPhoto automatically. This is the only way that edits made in another application will be displayed in iPhoto.
5) Any other tips for someone completely new to macs and iphoto?
*To Push Home a point*
For someone inexperienced with Macs and inexperienced with iPhoto I cannot stress enough that Managed Library is the way to go. I understand there is comfort in seeing all those folders. But inside the Library that's all there is: all those folders, stored so that an inexperienced user can't grub things up!
The iPhoto Library Folder is a Package File. This is simply a folder that looks like a file in the Finder. The change was made to the format of the iPhoto library because many users were inadvertently corrupting their library by browsing through it with other software or making changes in it themselves. Want to see inside?
Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.
Standard Warning: Don't change anything in the iPhoto Library Folder via the Finder or any other application. iPhoto depends on the structure as well as the contents of this folder. Moving things, renaming things or otherwise making changes will prevent iPhoto from working and could even cause you to damage or lose your photos.
Now close that window and forget about it.
So, once you've imported your photos to iPhoto in a Managed Library, the surplus duplicates are +your folders+. Of course, in time, trash them to get back the wasted disk space. But don't do it today or tomorrow. There's no hurry. When you feel confident that you understand how iPhoto is working and that's it's working for you, theat's the time to reclaim the space.
I organize my pictures by folders with the month and year.
If you want to duplicate your Folder Tree in iPhoto:
Start at the bottom of the hierarchy and drag a folder of images to the Album Heading in iPhoto. The pics will be imported and an Album of the same name created.
You can then create the Enclosing Folders in the iPhoto Window (File -> New Folder) and drag the Album to it. Folders can contain other Folders (Nested Folders) and Albums.
However, is your folder system date based? Then this form of organisation is a bit pointless in iPhoto when Smart Albums or the Calendar tool (Click on the wee magnifying glass in the Search Box) mean you can find the photos taken on any day, month or year at a click. With Smart Albums it's easy to find photos from specific range - say, June 3 to August 25, 2009 etc.
If your folder system is theme based - Xmas pics, Birthday pics etc, then you'll find Keywords are much more flexible, and can be used in conjunction with other criteria for making Smart Albums and searches.
6) This is very silly, but how do I uninstall picasa (I know how to uninstall on a windows but want to make sure I do things correctly on my mac!)
Drag the app to the trash and empty it.
Regards
TD
v