Absurdly huge iPhoto library devouring hard drive space

Is it normal for the iPhoto library file to take up 100's of GB after just half a year of moderate use? My shiny new macbook almost choked and died from having only a couple hundred MB left on the drive; in Disk Analyzer, everything else is dwarfed by the immense blue square of the iPhoto library. that plus iTunes's little habit of making multiple duplicate copies of any file it gets its hands on, and there's certainly no chance of using this machine to do anything actually productive.
Does everyone really just lug around dozens of terabyte external drives just to be able to look at pictures? what kind of horrible future have we entered?
Is there a way to find out which 'events' in iPhoto are taking up the most space, or to tidy up the originals/edits? Also, many pix are duplicates because of the "make copies when importing" default setting - is there a way to flag those, say, by showing the path that a given event or collection or whatever was imported from so I can go back and wipe that?

One important thing to keep in mind is this: What is your camera set to in terms of picture size? Set to 3MP you can print nice 5x7s or 8x10s with 8 or even 6 MP. Some cameras boast 10+MP, which is great if you're going to print something huge.
The higher the MP, the more HD space you require!
I lowered my camera res to 4MP and with 10 years of casual photos, I have around 20GB in iPhoto. For special occasions and events I'll UP the MP to 6 in case I want to possibly have a nice 8x10 later, which so far I've never done.
Consider that a 1080p HDTV is 1920x1080 is less than 3MP resolution (2048 x 1536), so if you plan to feed images to your TV, 4MP will meet your needs - as well as look great on those much-smaller digital picture frames.

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Restore saved iPhoto library after hard drive repair

My hard drive crashed and Apple were kind enough to repair it although it happened 1 week after the extended warranty expired. I was able to save the hard drive files to an external drive just before it died, but now when I try and import the iPhoto library back into the newly repaired computer one of 2 things happen: The photos begin to transfer and then the application (iPhoto) unexpectedly quits, or, the blue bar at the bottom says Working and nothing happens for as long as 10 minutes.
I would really appreciate some help as I no longer have covered support. One of the photo text files may be corrupted. How do I identify the problem file?
Thanks very much,
Colin Sieff

That's because importing from another iPhoto Library folder isn't the way to restore an iPhoto Library. I'm surprised you were able to do it without a bunch of warning dialogs.
If you still have the original iPhoto Library folder intact, the thing to do is restore it as I've described earlier. If you have sufficient disk space, quit iPhoto and drag the existing iPhoto Library folder from Pictures to the desktop. Then drag your backup iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, and the only thing left to do is to start iPhoto. If all's well, move the desktop copy of the iPhoto Library folder to the trash, then empty the trash.

How to get pics from iphone to iphoto library on hard drive

Hi there. I saved my photo library to an EHD. I pointed iphoto to open the library from EHD. Normally when I connect my iphone to my macbook pro, iphoto just pops up asking to import the pics from my phone. But now it doesn't do that and it doesn't show my phone on the left pane of i photo. How do I get my pics and videos from my iphone into the iphoto library i saved on my ehd? Thanks!

Greetings,
Make sure your external hard drive is Mac formated and has a reasonable amount of space available.
--- Side note: If you haven't already, you should tell TimeMachine to backup that external hard drive as Time Machine only backs up your internal hard drive by default.
Try:
1. Install all software updates for both your computer and your iPhone and turn both on and off and re-plug the cable between them.
2. Try importing your pictures and movies using Image Capture found in Macintosh HD > Applications.
-- If Image Capture sees your iPhone when iPhoto does not, try creating a new iPhoto library on your internal drive to see if that library can see your iPhone. This is done by launching iPhoto while holding down the option key.
If those steps do not help, follow this article: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3195
Cheers.

IPhoto library on hard drive

It used to be that iPhoto kept the photos on the hard drive neatly sorted into folders by date. Now all of a sudden my iPhoto library is one huge 9GB blob that can't be sorted through in the finder and is too big to back up to a DVD. I rather resent that Apple has decided make MY photos proprietary without even asking me first. I'm also worried that the big single blob file could eventually become corrupted and then I'd lose everything. Anybody have any thoughts about this?

The 9GB item is actually a package consisting of different files; the change was done because people were damaging the iPhoto library by modifying it outside of iPhoto. To see its contents, control-click it and choose to show them; if you split the folder between multiple DVDs, don't open iPhoto after a restore until it has been fully reassembled. The package itself isn't any more likely to become corrupt than the older format, and won't cause any greater problems if it does.
(30086)

Restoring iPhoto library after hard-drive crash

I lost my entire hard drive on my iMac and had to physically replace it. I recovered all my files from Carbonite, but didn't notice until it was too late that there were errors restoring my iPhoto library. When I open iPhoto '11, the iPhoto library doesn't show any of the 43,000 photos (that includes thumbnails, "faces" files, etc. that were on my old library).
If I search my "Macintosh HD" drive for all ".jpg" files, I can see them all. They are all in a file path that is "Pictures/iPhotoLibrary/Masters."
But when I open iPhoto and select "import to library" and then search for the photos or the Masters folder, it doesn't see it. When I try to do a work-around by selecting the files individually and telling the computer to use iPhoto to open them, it says that I can't open the files because they're already part of the library.
I can't seem to find a solution to this exact question. Any ideas out there?

You can try Download iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. This will create a new library based on data in the albumdata.xml file. Not everything will be brought over - no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your albums and keywords back.
Because this process creates an entirely new library and leaves your old one untouched, it is non-destructive, and if you're not happy with the results you can simply return to your old one.
But if this fails you'll need to accept that your back up is faulty and you'll need to make a new Library and start over from scratch.
Regards
TD

Can't open iPhoto library after hard drive crash

My daughter's MacBook hard drive crashed rather catastrophically. I managed to clone the damaged drive to an external drive before it died completely. On the clone, her iPhoto library appears intact, but when I double click on it, and click the options to update the photos and thumbnails for the current version of iPhoto (I think she was using '08, and I'm on '09) I'm left with an empty iPhoto. When I open the package contents of the iPhoto Library, I can see the original files, but can't get them to open, even in Photoshop.
Any ideas out there? I have an older version of her Library on backup, but it's the more recent photos she's desperate to get back.

The 'Originals' are all around 3 - 3.6 megs each.
Well that sounds like at least there is data there. Try download a trial of Graphic Coverter . I've seen that open some hopeless cases.
Regards
TD

How do you locate the file where iPhoto library is kept? I moved iPhoto library from hard drive to external dedicated photo drive.

I am trying to restore some elements of my iPhoto library using time machine.
Apple instructions call for locating the file where iPhoto library is kept, and tells you where it is on your hard drive. But I've recently moved my iPhoto library to a dedicated external hard drive, and copied my i photo library there. when i click on it, all the photos are there, but it's an iPhoto library, not a file.
When I go into time machine and click on the date i would like to enter, most of my apps have a circle with a line through it, unaccessible. So: a related question, how would i retrieve a photo file from time machine's previous backup? thank you.

Thank you!
I am trying to retrieve photo uploads from my Android phone. When I last updated my OS, most of these vaporized, leaving only thumbnails. I have had two lengthy sessions with Apple phone support, but still haven't solved the problem.
Apparently I can't go back to July '14 iPhoto in time machine and browse files; i have to copy the entire library.
Which I just did, taking 2 hours.
In order to open the iPhoto library from July '14, I had to first update iPhoto.
When I went into the files, the same problem existed -- photo files gone, only thumbnails there. So now I'm thinking that it's the update that was the problem. This scares me to death, because when we're asked to update, we don't get a menu of preferences to make sure something has been unchecked, like the copy option i had enabled when opening photo files from my phone, which i store in a dropbox folder.
No one at Apple could tell me why this happened, so I have no idea how to prevent it from happening in the future.
That's why I'm trying to create better backups...but i can't figure out deja vu, because it won't open and sync the iPhoto library folder -- it wants me to find the file, and i don't know where it is on the external dedicated photo drive.
I realize this is about six issues, not one. But I'm really appreciative of any help i can get!

IPhoto library on hard drive listing by roll

For some reason my iPhoto library is now organizing all of my photos by roll. I am not talking about how they are viewed from within iPhoto (I know that can be controlled under view/sort photos), but how they are saved on my hard drive. It may be associated with an upgrade to iPhoto 6, but I'm not sure of the timing.
I used to be able to find a photo on the hard drive (for example to upload) by going to the library, choosing the folder with the year, then with the month, the day, and finally the actual photo. Now, (since April) they are in folders labeled with the roll number only - it is almost impossible to figure out where anything is! Everthing before then is still organized by date. Can't seem to find anything in preferences. Any suggestions?
G4 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Even for uploading to photo printing sites (other than Apple) don't you need to upload the files from outside iP? They prompt me to find the files to upload -- don't I have to go to the files on the hard drive? >
In this case, it would be recommended to select all the pics you want in iPhoto and then use File>Export>File Export to put the photos on your desktop. Then in the other app just navigate to the desktop files, and delete them when you have finished.
But as I said before, if you want your library structure to make sense to you, organizing the Film Rolls in iPhoto will do that. iPhoto 6 keeps those files in folders named after your Film Rolls, so the neater your film rolls, the neater the structure will be. If you liked having your pictures stored by date, then you can rename your film rolls based on dates. Or name them by client, project, etc. In Finder, they will list in alpha-numeric order, rather than the chronological order they list in inside of iPhoto. So maybe name each film roll "YYYY-MM-DD-projectname" so they will be listed in a predictable order.
If you have a large library, this may be a bit of a project. The calendar button at the bottom left of the iPhoto window can help you find all of your photos by a certain year and month. Once you find the files, you can select all, then create new film roll from selection, rename the film roll (in Film Roll view), and repeat for the next month. The good news is that once you have well organized film rolls, you will not have to change them again. And that you have control over how your pictures are stored, as long as you go about this organization via the iPhoto application.
Don't hesitate to post back if I can further clarify anything for you.

Backing up iphoto library from hard drive to external

When backing up my iphoto library from my mac to an external hard drive I always seem to have to copy the enitre library. The way I go about it is I open a Finder window from my mac and then open a finder window for the external hard drive. Then I click and drag the iphoto library from my mac to the hard drive window.
Is there a way to just copy the most recent events?
Thanks for your time with advice.
fishphoto

Greetings,
The iPhoto Library is a package file so the computer treats it as one single file. It has no way to tell that "X" images are different between the library on your computer and the one on your external as they are all part of one large file.
What you are looking for is called an "incremental backup". You have a system for doing just this built into your computer, called Time Machine. Read more about Time Machine here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427
-- Note: Time Machine will (unless you tell it otherwise), backup everything on your computer, not just your iPhoto Library (which is generally a good idea anyways).
Cheers.

Reestablishing iPhoto Library after Hard-drive crash

After replacing the HD on this 1 yr old machine, restoring photos from iDisk and an external back-up drive I was able only to view my photos as thumbnails. Clicking on these or otherwise trying to access the "original" image resulted in the lovely gray box. I've tried rebuilding the data (OPTION+COMMAND), and am now not even able to view the thumbnails. Before I toss all, reinstall iPhoto and try this again does anyone have a better solution??
Thanks.
v

vonilee
Welcome to the Apple Discussions.
It's unlikely that re-installing the app will help here, the problem is with the library. Before you restored, you had to back up? What did you back up and how did you do it?
If you backed up the iPhoto Library Folder as a single unit, simply put it in the Pictures Folder and all should be well.
If not, or if you've moved any parts of the iPhoto Library Folder around, what you need to find is your Originals folder. Inside this are your roll folders with your original pics. If you have these you can rebuild your library.
So what did you back up?
Regards
TD

Backing up iPhoto pictures/creating hard drive space

I have filled all available memory in my laptop with photos stored in i-photo. I have carbonite backup for the laptop. What is the best method for saving photos from my laptop, freeing up space, and retaining iPhoto names/labels?

Online backups will not backup an iPhoto LIbrary without damaging it's structure thus preventing from recovering it as a working library. Also users have reported it has taken days to upload their library.
I would get an external HD formatted OS X Extended (journaled) with ownership set to be ignored, copy the library to it and run it from there.
You can use a smaller, traveling library on your laptop and move events and albums between the two librarys with the paid version of iPhoto Library Manager as needed. iPLM will also copy edited versions, keywords, titles, locations, etc.
OT

HT1923 hi, my mac air is really low on disk space, can i remove iTunes (which is huge) to an external hard drive to free up space and then just run it from the hard drive. instead of taking space on the mac? even if the mac no longer has enough to accommo

Hi, my mac air is really low on disk space, can I remove itunes (which is huge) to an external hard drive to free up space?...and then run it from the hard drive instead of the mac,even if the mac no longer has space to accomodate the size of the library?

Yes.
Copy your music iTunes Library folder to the external drive and change the Advanced settings in iTunes to point to this new location.
Once you're happy with these changes you can delete the same Library from your User account to free up space on the internal drive.

I have a new Windows tablet computer with limited hard drive space, and cannot transfer my itunes library to the hard drive. Can I run t media from an external hard drive? If so, how do I transfer my files?

I have a new Windows tablet computer with limited hard drive space (32 GB), and cannot transfer my itunes library to the hard drive. Can I run itunes from an external hard drive? I have tried to follow some of the directions on this site, but am having no success. Thanks.

iTunes will run fine with the media on an external drive.
However, I suggest that a tablet computer with a tiny hard drive is not ideal as the primary computer for managing an iTunes library, even a small one. If you have another machine, perhaps a big, boxy, inexpensive old desktop with a decent amount of storage, that might be a better choice.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1364

"iTunes Media" file in "Previous iTunes Library" taking up 50Gb of much-needed hard drive space. Can this be safely deleted?

Hi everyone,
My 3.5 year old 15" Macbook Pro is running out of hard drive space, so I have been trying to clean out some of the dross. I recently found that there is a file called "Previous iTunes Library" in my iTunes folder that is taking up approximately 50Gb of space. I would love to delete this folder and reclaim the space, but I am not sure what it is or where it came from, and I don't want to lose music files accidentally. Can someone tell me (1) what this folder is and (2) if I can safely delete it?
Here is a screenshot of these folders and their sizes:
Thanks for the help!

Hello facetious1212,
Take a look at this part of the article named iTunes: What are the iTunes library files? Found here http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1660.
Tip: New versions of iTunes sometimes include enhancements to the iTunes library. When you open the new version of iTunes, iTunes upgrades your existing library to the new format and places a copy of the old library in the Previous Libraries folder. If everything goes fine during your upgrade to the latest version of iTunes, you can delete the older iTunes Library files.
All the very best,
Sterling

If i download my photos into iPhoto does that use up more hard drive space?

If I download my photos into iPhoto does that use up more hard drive space on my mac?

iPhoto and Lightroom are similar apps - although LR is a far more capable app - and that the price it should be, of course. But the two apps are similar in that they both offer
Photo Management
Non-Destructive Processing
So, essentially, they both play the same part in the workflow.
The procedure would be to
Download the images from the camera into the Photo Manager (regardless of which one you choose)
Review and select in the Manager
Trash the unwanted with the Manager
Process the images - that is, in most cases edit them.
It is at this point - and only this point - that Photoshop might come into play. Both of these apps can act as a 'front-end' for Photoshop - after all, they're the Managers. But in truth, if you're using Lightroom then you very likely do not need Photoshop at all, and for anything that does require layers you can use one of the many - much less expensive - alternatives. But I think the common experience is that with Lightroom (like Aperture) the requirement for the sledgehammer that is Photoshop really fades away.
So pick one horse and ride it. Choose between LR and iPhoto. Use it like it's intended. Don't get involved in other necessary apps. Don't review before bringing the photo into the manager - that's what the manager is for.

Absurdly huge iPhoto library devouring hard drive space

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