Syncing to aperture libraries

I have my MacBook Pro with about 4k photos and an iMac with another 2k photos. There are some that are the same, but many that are not. I don't have many adjustments to my photos.
I want to have the iMac as the primary Mac where I store and use Aperture. To clarify I want to get all the photos off of the laptop and on the iMac. So I am trying to find a way to sync the two libraries. I have not found any good solutions so far, even after many hours on google.
Has anyone run into this problem? Do you have any solutions or suggestions? I would like to hear.
TIA

As you have discovered, Synchronize! Pro X works very well to do just what you said. It will sync any files or folders on different computers and I have been using an old version (3.4, I've never updated it as the company's update policy is not very end user friendly) to sync my documents between desktop and laptop. My current configuration is a MacBook Pro (2.4GHz) and a G5 desktop (dual 2.7GHz) -- I put the MacBook Pro into target mode and connect to the PowerMac via a firewire 800 cable. In addition to syncing my documents I also sync my Aperture library to keep them exactly the same on both computers. It works very well and means that I can actually back up to my vaults and link to referenced files (on removable disks) from either computer. It takes a little discipline to remember what I did last so that I don't change both the libraries between syncs, but I've got used to that and it doesn't generally cause me any problems. I use the PowerMac as my main Aperture computer and take the MacBook Pro travelling. Synchronize! Pro X seems to treat the Aperture library as a folder and only syncs the changed contents rather than the whole 25GB. This means that syncing rarely means copying more than a GB or so.

Similar Messages

Will the new iCloud feature sync Aperture libraries between different computers?

If there was a Cloud section in the forums i would post this there but there isn't so here it is. Syncing my Aperture libraries between my laptop and imac is a big problem for me right now. Does anyone know if the new Cloud air synching feature coming this fall will sync photos between aperture libraries on multiple computers?

There is now an iCloud community iCloud
But I believe the answer to this question is no, iCloud is not meant to do this type of syncing.

How do I sync my iPad with multiple Aperture libraries?

I have an Ipad2 and use Aperture 3 with multiple libraries. iTunes only allows me to sync with the 'current' library (the one most recently opened in Aperture) which is a pain, as I sometime lose all my photos off the iPad if I've been using a different library. Is there a way around this?
Thanks!
Jan-Peter

There is a work around but it requires more manual effort from you.
Instead of syncing your iPad to Aperture or iPhoto, choose to sync it from a folder.
First create a new folder somewhere on your HD and then export versions from your various Aperture libraries to your folder. You'll need to manually manage this folder. For example, if you want something deleted from your iPad, you'd need to delete it from this folder. Adding new items to your Aperture library won't automatically update to your iPad until you export them to this folder and sync your iPad.

I have two Aperture Libraries and would like to sync specific folders from both of them to my iPad.

I have two Aperture libraries stored on an external hard drive. Using iTunes on my Mac Book Pro can I sync selected projects from both Libraries to the same iPad?

No you cannot. Each device can only be synced with one photo library - Aperture or iPhoto.
You could however merge the two libraries, if you need to sync with photos from both libraries.

Will referenced Aperture libraries sync to disk?

I am used to using Lightroom but am considering a switch to Aperture just so I can take advantage of the tighter integration that it provides with other Apple applications and devices. In Lightroom I am used to have a separate library file which then references the files on my disk (wherever I want to have them). I know that this type of management is possible in Aperture (and even iPhoto) by using "referenced" libraries instead of "managed" libraries. However, I'm not sure how you can get Aperture to actually sync with the disk? Is this something that Aperture can't do?
By sync with the disk what I mean is that if I am in my referenced library in Aperture, and decide that I want to move some photos from on folder to another, will it actually move them on the disk as well, or do they stay in the same place on the disk?
For instance, let's say that when I first import my directory structure into Aperture as a referenced library I have two folders that are each under a separate year folder:
<2010 Photos>
<Big Wedding>
<2011 Photos>
<Birthday Party>
While looking at my photos in Aperture I discover that some of the photos in the Birthday Party folder are really from the Big Wedding, so I move them to the Big Wedding "Project" that Aperture has created based on the folder structure during import. Do those photos now move to the actual Big Wedding directory on the disk, or do I end up in a situation where in Aperture everything looks like it's in the right place, but if I just copy the Wedding folder to a USB drive it will be missing some of the photos that are still hanging out in the Birthday Party directory?
This is my main hangup between Lightroom and Aperture right now. I want to use Aperture for the features, but I really like how Lightroom lets me keep my directory structure how I want it, but then also moves files within the structure from within Lightroom.
Also, as a sidenote, any idea why referenced libraries are so large? I just tested out iPhoto using referenced libraries and the library grew to be over 10GB while the exact same set of photos only created a 1GB library file in Lightroom.
Any ideas on this? Thanks!

Sorry about the delayed response -- I didn't see your posts.
Phierce wrote:
I guess my first thoughts when dealing with this type of system always go to a giant drawer full of random negatives with no organization other than a list that might get lost at some point. I've always felt better about image management if I can always ditch the actual program and still have some sense of order just by the file structure (like if Apple drops support for Aperture in the future or something and I have to move to a different system). I guess there is always a way to export everything out of Aperture somehow? Maybe by setting an export structure such as Year/Project or some sort?
The difference between a drawer full of negatives and a HD full of image files is that the image files contain information (metadata) that is either already indexed or easily indexed. It would take a year to index and properly file 100,000 slides stored in a heavy-weight garbage bag; a computer will index 100,000 image files in a minute.
Computers allow us to walk away from any static, arbitrary organization system. Because each record (file, image, etc.) includes metadata, and the metadata is readable by many programs, all you need is a bag. Any grouping and/or sorting that can be done, can be done on-the-fly.
As I mentioned, the actual filing of your data on your hard drives already exemplifies this. Your files are chopped into pieces and strewn every which way -- it doesn't matter. You have instant access to any file, assembled whole in memory on-the-fly from the bits all over your drive.
Of course, there is metadata specific to programs such as Aperture, and this metadata is often not going to be usable outside of the program that creates it. Using your example -- what about Projects groupings? -- I suggest coding the name of every shoot (which for me are Projects) in the file name. I do this on Import using a file naming convention stored as a File Name Preset.
Phierce wrote:
Once you have the managed library file created can you move it anywhere? In that all the references are relative rather than absolute? Like if I decide that the library file is getting too big for my MBP I can just move it to an external disk and it will work the same way when Aperture opens it? Right now in Lightroom I have two libraries, so I guess I could do the same with Aperture and keep multiple managed library "packages" across different external disks? I just wouldn't be able to view the library previews without the disk connected, correct?
You can move your Library to any locally-mounted drive. I am, for reasons not worth going into, running several Libraries right now off of USB2 drives. On a fast machine, this works well (Aperture is, afaict, beautifully engineered to make the most of current hardware).
References to Referenced Masters are absolute. You can move your Library, and the Library will find the Masters as long as they are available. You must not more your Masters except via Aperture commands to relocate or consolidate them.
The more comprehensive your Library, the more useful it is (why search multiple Libraries for all pictures of Theo? or all photos recorded with an equivalent focal distance of 16 or less?).
As of the most recent versions of iPhoto and Aperture, the file format of the Library is identical. There are no longer "iPhoto Libraries" and "Aperture Libraries". There is one Library file format, and that Library file can be opened in either iPhoto or Aperture. There are hardware limitations that must be met to run the upgraded programs, however.
HTH. Post back with more if you'd like.

Can i combine aperture libraries?

i have aperture running on three different machines and i wondered if there is a way to "combine" the three aperture libraries into a new library. how do folks use aperture with a desktop and a laptop for syncing work from the feild?
thanks,
glenn
MacPro Mac OS X (10.4.7)

i have aperture running on three different machines
and i wondered if there is a way to "combine" the
three aperture libraries into a new library. how do
folks use aperture with a desktop and a laptop for
syncing work from the feild?
Well the unit of export is a project - most people moving between laptop and desktop migrate projects between the two.
You can combine libraries. the easiest way I would say would be to go into finder and right-click on each Aperture library to say "Show Package Contents". Then copy projects out of two of the libraries into the third. Copy only folders and .approject files, but do NOT copy the folders Aperture.aplib and "Built-in Smart Albums".
Then when you restart Aperture is will see the projects copying into the main one, and import them all. Of course I think it goes without saying that you'll want to back up that library before you start copying other things inside of it... this process should be faster than exporting and importing projects though, and is OK for the larger task of combining this library. Also I would say that either all librarys should have been converted by 1.5 or none of them, don't do it if the libraries are a mix of versions.

Sync BOTH Aperture & iPhoto library

Hello!
Is there a way to sync both Aperture & iPhoto library onto an iDevice? I know that I can import the iPhoto library to Aperture but this does not solve my problem.
I update both libraries separately as I use Aperture for RAW images which were taken with a DSLR and iPhoto for other image files from point-and-shoot cameras or mobile devices.
If I import iPhoto into Aperture and then later update the iPhoto library then the new images do not show up in Aperture or my iDevice.
Thank you.

I'm using they both to get more free space.
Using two libraries in different applications to manage the same data does not get you "more free space". Precisely the opposite, in fact.
Unless you have a specific need for using iPhoto as well as Aperture, you should simply elect to use one and forget about the other. Pick one horse and ride it.
Regards
TD

Multiple Aperture Libraries onto iPad

I have several Aperture Libraries.
just got an iPad 2 last week.
I would like to bring in several Photo Albums into the iPad that are spread across multiple Aperture Libraries.
I appears that iTunes only lists the "current" Aperture library's albums when it gives me a choice of photos to bring in.
Is it possible to link albums from several Aperture Libraries to my iPad? I realize I could manually export everything I'm looking for separately, but don't want to do all that extra work.
Thx

I would also like to know this.
It seems to me that the concept of syncing with the "current" library does not even make any sense for a product which is advertised to handle multiple libraries.

Can't select projects for iPhone to sync with Aperture

I'm migrating from iPhoto to Aperture 3.3.1
I'm on a 2009 Mac Mini using Lion.
I can easily import iPhone photos into Aperture, no problem.
I've managed to get iTunes to allow selecting sync between my iphone 4S (latest OS5) and Aperture. All well and good. But...
What I don't seem to be able to do is select anything of substance to sync. For one thing, the only items available for sync are "Events"--for example "last 20 events" and macros like that. Since Aperture doesn't deal with "events" but rather "projects", I don't know how this translates.
I have a lot of projects in Aperture, but unlike when I was syncing with iPhoto--where I could select from a long list of specific items I'd created in iPhoto, I don't see any option in iTunes to sync custom named Projects, Albums, or any such thing from Aperture. Only these simple macros for recent events. And even when I select something like "the 20 most recent events" and try to sync, nothing is synced. Nothing gets transferred when I do a sync. No photos get transferred to the iPhone.
How do I get all of my projects to appear in iTunes as options to sync with my iPhone?

I see, we have been cross posting
What exactly are your settings in the "Previews" tab of the Aperture preferences? Have you enabled the sharing and the automatic creation of previews?
If you are not sure, if previews have been generated for all your projects, force the creation by selecting all images and selecting "Photos > Update Previews".
Since iPhoto and Aperture now share the same library, I don't understand why selecting Aperture as the sync source would be any different than selecting iPhoto in this regard.
Do I understand you correctly - You have only one library right now, that you alternately open in Aperture and iPhoto?
Then only one of the two Applications will show the contents: Aperture or iPhoto. The results I have show you above in my previous post do apply, when I have two libraries, one used with iPhoto and one used with Aperture. The same library openened in turns with iPhoto or Aperture will only show all contents for one of the two apps; I assume this is to keep the photo cache inside the library small - otherwise you would have to waste space for two photos caches.
When I try to sync my Aperture library with iTunes, I see all projects like shown above with the switch set to Aperture, but set to iPhoto I also see only the two events you have shown. So use the application to sync your photos that will show all albums or events/projects.
Regards
Léonie

Sucsessful sync between two libraries w ChronoSync?

I've read in various places that you can sync between two Aperture Libraries by using ChronoSync with "Dissect packages" turned on - the one major caveat is the sync can only be one way - which library has the newest information has to be written to the other - no two way syncing.
Anyone have this working? It's not one direction sync as I understand it, but which ever direction you select, those changes overwrite anything done since the last time Aperture's database was updated, right?
Thanks for any feedback.

WIthin my Aperture Library I have both professional and family related work. The way I share family stuff with family is pretty simple. I export the selected family pictures in a project as JPEG files. I import them by reference (don't generate a second copy) into iPhoto. From iPhoto, I have three paths to share: export to my Kodakgallery account, create an album and share on Mobileme and finally, once I have created an album in iPhoto I open iTunes and sync the pictures to my AppleTV. Other family members anywhere in the world can readily see my kodakgallery site as well as my mobileme account.
At home, when family is over, the AppleTV has become the absolute most favorite viewing station, live with music of my selection or theirs!
Hope this helps.
Steven

I accidentally uploaded songs from cds to the wrong itunes library. i would like to move those songs to my regular itunes library that i use to purchase and download music, since my ipod cant sync to both libraries. how can i do this? please advise. thank

i accidentally uploaded songs from cds to the wrong itunes library. i would like to move those songs to the regular itunes library that i use to purchase and download music, since my ipod cant sync to both libraries. how can i do this? please advise? thank you.

See this older post from another forum member Zevoneer covering the different methods and software available to assist you with the task of copying content from your iPod back to your PC and into iTunes.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2452022?start=0&tstart=0
B-rock

How do I consolidate multiple iPhoto libraries on multiple machines into a single Aperture libraries?

Hullo all,
I run a smallish studio at a University, and I have inherited multiple Macs (2 Powerbooks, 2 Mac Pros) running multiple OS (2 on Mavericks, 2 on 10.7) and multiple versions of iPhoto. These have been used for photo and video work over the years, and each has its own stash of content, project files, etc. In an effort to organize, I wish to consolidate all the various iPhoto and Aperture libraries into a single library. I have a 16TB Pegasis RAID available via Thunderbolt to hold the material. Can anyone tell me the best way to go about this? My background is 20 years production work in film and video and I am rather new to still photo work and as such, do not know much about maintaining archives etc.
If I read correctly from other questions, I need to update all versions of iPhoto to be the same, establish the library on the Pegasus, then export all the files to that library? Is this correct? I am not sure I can update all computers to the current version (one is a late 2009 MacPro) Is there any easier way to do it? I am happy to purchase software if that makes the process easier.
Cheers! Thanks for any info!

iPhoto does not support to merge libraries into one.
The utility iPhoto Library Manager can merge libraries -
download here: iPhoto Library Manager
If you have access to Aperture, you can also use it to merge your libraries (see: Aperture 3.3: How to use Aperture to merge iPhoto libraries), but if you need to buy a tool, iPhoto Library Manager would be the more economic solution, and it is a must-have with iPhoto anyway.

Sync multiple iTunes libraries on one ATV

Is it possible to sync the itunes libraries from my two macs onto one appleTV? The libraries are unique.
When I try to switch source to sync....ATV says I will replace the contents from the previous sync with the contents of the other mac.

I don't have an ATV yet (should be arriving any day now), so I can't test this, but at the very least you should be able to stream from two different iTunes libraries on the same computer. This article mentions doing it:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305287
Apparently when there are multiple logins with multiple instances of iTunes running on the same machine, they use additional TCP ports that would normally get blocked by the firewall, if it's turned on. Maybe you've got the firewall turned on, and it's smart enough to open a hole for the standard iTunes port (3689) but not the extra holes for additional users (49152 and above).
24" iMac Mac OS X (10.4.9)

I have three aperture libraries. But just recently two of them (old from 2011) will not open. I get the following error: There was an error opening the database for the library "~/Pictures/Family IIi.aplibrary". Please help, thanks

I have three aperture libraries. But just recently two of them (old from 2011) will not open. I get the following error: There was an error opening the database for the library “~/Pictures/Family IIi.aplibrary”. Please help, thanks

Are all three libraries under your account or are they in different accounts? Any other errros on the system?
Start by doing the permission repair and library repair steps in Aperture 3: Troubleshooting Basics

I have several iPhoto and aperture libraries... i want to get to one iPhoto library keeping only the latest photos. How can I do this?

Okay... I made the mistake of creating duplicate Aperture libraries because I decided I wanted to only use Aperture - then the news that Aperture is no longer going to be developed. I then confused myself and created duplicate iPhoto libraries (I can't even remember why anymore). At one point or another I have edited pictures in all of them and have no idea which pictures were edited. I just want to have one iPhoto library with the most recently edited photos and remove all the duplicates.
What is the best way to do this?
And... after doing all that, I need to keep backups of my photos on an external drive. What is the best way to do this?
iPhoto version 9.5.1
Thank you so much for any advice you can provide!

You can merge libraries into one with Aperture 3.3. or later.
Aperture 3.3: How to use Aperture to merge iPhoto libraries
In merge-mode it will only keep the photos from one of the libraries.
And you can use Aperture to export partial libraries containing only the selected albums, projects, etc.
If you need to keep projects (books, calendars, cards) when merging your libraries, use Aperture and not iPLM:

Syncing to aperture libraries

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