Aperture versus Photoshop Elements versus iPhoto

Please forgive my ignorance, I'm a lifelong PC user that has finally seen the light and converted to a MAC. I'm a bit confused on how I would use these three apps together. If I primarily take pictures, connect the camera to the MAC, edit/tag/organize photos, how do these apps work together and where are the files actually stored? Should I import into Iphoto first and then into Aperature, or straight into Aperture. Is there any purpose for using Photoshop Elements if I own Aperature?
thanks in advance,

Just to throw in my two cents, I am also a recent convert from the iPhoto/PSE combination to Aperture. Of course I still have PSE, but haven't needed to use it since I started using Aperture, as the editing tools are so powerful compared to those in iPhoto. Some key points I would make regarding aperture:
1. iPhoto is non-destructive, as was pointed out above. You can always revert to your original, and can even find the original in the finder if you open the iPhoto library package and navigate to it. But Aperture is much more flexible and space efficient because it seldom creates additional files unless you ask it to. It just previews what your edits look like - it doesn't save an edited version of your photo. This means the library takes up less space, and you can back out/turn on individual edits and see the effects. Very cool.
2. The iPhoto/PSE combination does not deal with editing of RAW format photos as well as Aperture. If you need to edit a RAW in PSE, editing is done in 8-bit color, and I believe saved as an 8-bit TIFF back to iPhoto. Aperture works in the full bit-depth and maintains the RAW file until you tell it to create something else. While I still have the "problem" (not to start a whole debate as to whether it is really a problem) of PSE only supporting 8-bit color for editing functions, I almost never need PSE. If I do I guess I can just put it at the end of my workflow and save my final jpeg or whatever.
3. Aperture supports editing plug-ins, so that it's editing capability can be expanded. Granted, many if not most of these plug-ins cost money, but you could purchase several and have capabilities in some areas that exceed that of PSE, but still invest less money that you would for full Photoshop and have the benefit of not having to leave Aperture to do these edits.
4. Aperture supports tethered shooting and remote control of your camera, if your camera supports these functions. It may be that only a minority of photographers are interested in these capabilities, but still, if you are one of them, it is important.
Steve
Message was edited by: StevenJD

Similar Messages

Aperture or Photoshop Elements?

I am an amateur photographer and photography is a keen hobby of mine. I have recently been pondering the idea of purchasing a photo-editing package from the app store and have come across both Aperture and Photoshop elements. I enjoyed using iPhoto but it felt a little limited. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Aperture and Photoshop target different needs - if you are a serious photographer you should get them both, see Re: how to combine breketed photos in one like in photoshop
Aperture serves two purposes:
It is an excellent tool to manage and organize huge photo libraries for fast retrieval, tagging, geocoding, and efficient storage of different versions of the same photo.
And it has excellent image processing tools to develope high resolution photos (raw, tiff, jpeg) into a rendered version and to adjust the photo (noise reduction, contrast, retouche, white balance and color color correction, sharpening, ...).
But Aperture deals only with image files taken with a digital camera, not with graphics. It does not support transparency for example. For this the program offers an interface to use plug-ins or external editors, like Photoshop or the free Gimp.
Photoshop is a graphics compositing program; it offers basic image processing tools, but you can use it to add graphics annotations to your image or two combine parts of different images - it is great to work with transparency, layers, arbitrary shaped selections.
I use Aperture do organize my photos - my Aperture library now includes all images I own, reaching back to 1910, the including the first photos my greatgrandparents have taken. Developing the raw images or adjusting jpegs Aperture is very intuitive and easy to do. And if I need to do compositing I use a plug-in or Photoshop.
You may want to have a look at Gimp. It can do similar things as Photoshop, but is free. Also, have a look at the Aperture tutorials on the Aperture Support page: Aperture Support
Regards
Léonie

Moving photos from Aperture to Photoshop Elements

How do I move all my photo projects from Aperture to Photoshop Elements 12

What happens if you select both images in Aperture, and then click to Edit in External Editor?
Ernie

Photoshop CS5, Photoshop CS5 ex, Photoshop Elements 9, iPhoto, Aperture????

Okay.... so I am a bit overwhelmed with trying to decide if I should be upgrading from iPhoto or not.
iPhoto has been great for making my photobooks. But, on occasion, it has been a bit frustrating trying to get the right number of vertical vs. horizontal photos on a page. Sometimes when adding, if you add in the right order, configurations can change, usually in size (not necessarily orientation unless it is the fewer photos per page layouts 2-3 or 4). But, it makes it go really quickly to do albums as there isn't much engineering going on as you go from page to page (on occasion, I make a separate dummy album that has a different theme that I think manages my horizontal v. vertical issue or perhaps the number of photos allowed on a page (as some themes only have up to 4 or 6 photos per page and on occasion, I like to have more 9, for example)).
Primarily, I have used iPhoto to do personal albums. I intend on possibly starting to offer my services to get albums done for people and/or do slideshow videos for them. With that, I do end up, even with my own, photos from years past or current that have coloring issues or rips/tears/fading.
As it is right now, I have used iPhoto to work on the highlights, shadows, etc, which for me right now, is by trial and error.... I don't really know what I am doing and iPhoto doesn't seem to care. Fortunately, whatever I do, I can go back to the original, which I think is true in Aperture as well... However, I think I might have heard differently with Photoshop (CS5 or Elements)?
I have not installed any plug-ins for the other printer services in iPhoto (eg. Leather Craftsmen), but, I know it is possible a client may want a 12x12 album or some of those other shapes, sizes, cover options out there.... e.g. Shutterfly, even.
One other bit of information is that I am not just a candid completely amateur photographer either. I do take quite a bit of photos with my Canon Rebel Xsi. Not top of the line.... but, although I can should in raw, have chose to always just go with jpeg as this is a hobby of mine and I really don't have loads of time to just adjust all my photos... nor necessarily the space on my computer to put everything at raw. But, I could be persuaded otherwise, if I really knew how to use and really know what the benefits of it are (again, I know I should take classes or something, just don't know where to focus my attention).
So, what am I asking? Well, a few things:
1. If my primary goal is to make Photobooks, which program(s) should I have?
2. I understand you could have iPhoto or Aperture and then edit photos in PhotoShop.... Does that save the file back to Aperture/iPhoto or does it make a separate file in Photoshop?
3. Which books, classes, etc would you suggest to learn the uses of such program(s)?
4. Does the program you mention in #1 strong enough to handle typical adjustments on jpegs-aging, color casts, lack of proper lighting, red-eye (iPhoto seems to do okay on this even in the auto function, but on occasion, it sometimes replaces with too dark of a correction, or not fully complete.)
5. Does Shutterfly have a print plug-in so I could make photobooks on either Aperture or iPhoto and have Shutterfly print? Or is that just available on Photoshop (unless I print to jpegs and then upload to Shutterfly using the Shutterfly uploader)?
6. Is it really beneficial to shoot in raw over jpeg?
7. If Photoshop is even part of your answer in #1, is it worth it to have CS5 or CS5 Extended with the 3D option?

1. If my primary goal is to make Photobooks, which program(s) should I have?
iPhoto is entirely template driven, Aperture's books are very customisable and there are losts of online options too. Google a bit and see what's out there.
2. I understand you could have iPhoto or Aperture and then edit photos in PhotoShop.... Does that save the file back to Aperture/iPhoto or does it make a separate file in Photoshop?
Yes and Yes. In iPhoto: 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.
Note that iPhoto sends a copy+ of the file to Photoshop, so when you save be sure to use the Save command, not Save As... If you use Save As then you're creating a new file and iPhoto has no way of knowing about this new file. iPhoto is preserving your original anyway.
In Aperture, Preferences _. Export and set your external editor there. WHen you send a pic to PS with Aperture it makes a tiif or psd and sends it over. Saving in Photoshop brings it back.
4. Does the program you mention in #1 strong enough to handle typical adjustments on jpegs-aging, color casts, lack of proper lighting, red-eye (iPhoto seems to do okay on this even in the auto function, but on occasion, it sometimes replaces with too dark of a correction, or not fully complete.)
Photoshop Elements is a good compromise between the cost of full photoshop and the features you'll need.
5. Does Shutterfly have a print plug-in so I could make photobooks on either Aperture or iPhoto and have Shutterfly print? Or is that just available on Photoshop (unless I print to jpegs and then upload to Shutterfly using the Shutterfly uploader)?
You could look that one up at Shutterfly yourself, no?
6. Is it really beneficial to shoot in raw over jpeg?
Depends on what you want to do... Really that's a massively basic question. I would check out some o the online Photo forums and see what advice you can find there tom get you started. You could do worse than look here
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/
7. If Photoshop is even part of your answer in #1, is it worth it to have CS5 or CS5 Extended with the 3D option?
Given the amount of your experience, rather than diving in and spending a whole lot of money, start with iPhoto and Photoshop Elements. Explore. IF you want to upgrade, when you're ready, migrate to Aperture and Elements. I think you're a good way from facing CS5 yet.
Regards
TD

Recommendation: Aperture or Photoshop Elements 8?

I've been using iPhoto '08 for the past year and find that it does 90% of what I need. For a few photos though, I want to be able to apply adjustments to certain areas of the photo, not to the whole photo like iPhoto does.
I shoot in RAW and would want to keep iPhoto for keeping my photos organized if possible.
I've downloaded the demo for Aperture and I'm thinking this is what I'm looking for, but is there any reason why I should consider PSE? From the demo it looks like PSE makes it's adjustments against JPEGs (from what I can see) and as a result if I applied a brighten or darken layer with a mask to a photo and set the adjustment too high it resulted in some awful pixelation in the images.
Anyway, given what I'm trying to do, what do you recommend?
Thanks!

Aperture is like iPhoto -- in that it manages your entire photo library and allows you to apply adjustments to the photos. Photoshop Elements doesn't manage photo libraries and is intended not only for 'adjustments' but for wholesale manipulation of a photo (e.g. major effects, adding objects or people to photos who weren't really in them, removing major items from a photo (not just minor things like blemishes, etc.)
iPhoto applies adjustments to the whole photo (and, generally speaking, so does Aperture), whereas in Photoshop you have to select an area in a photo in order to adjust it (and adjustments will only be applied to the selection.)
If you get Photoshop Elements, you can configure iPhoto to use it as an 'external editor'. By default all the quick adjustments you want to make are handled by iPhoto, but you can right click any photo and select "edit in external editor" and it would invoke whatever utility you want... such as Photoshop.

Aperture vs Photoshop Elements

Hi everyone,
I am considering switching from Photoshop Elements to Aperature. How happy will I be?
Thanks for all your input!

Apps like Aperture and Lightroom are primarily images-management apps with limited editing capability; iPhoto is a free beginner version.
For significant editing but poor images-management one can use very expensive Adobe Photoshop, less expensive Adobe Photoshop Elements, Pixelmator or (free) GIMP.
IMO DSLR photogs should own/learn/use one app from each of the two categories above.
Specific to only removing distracting background elements are apps/plug-ins like KnockOut2.
You are using Elements, so editing is covered. For images management use iPhoto for free until it seems limiting. Only then embark on the one-time 30 day Aperture trial, realizing it it hardware-intensive (your MBP is adequate if RAM is maxxed).
HTH
-Allen Wicks

Exporting Photos From Aperture to Photoshop Elements for Layer-Editing

Back when I paired iPhoto with PSE to do layer editing, it was easy to export the first layer-picture from iPhoto, then click-and-drag the second photo directly on top of the first in PSE, then 'stretch to fit'.
I've since moved to Aperture 3, and although I can 'edit in Photoshop Elements' the first picture, I can't drag or export so that it superimposes ready for opacity adjustment and effects...

What happens if you select both images in Aperture, and then click to Edit in External Editor?
Ernie

Using Photoshop Elements and iPhoto together | Learn Photoshop Elements 8 for Mac OS | Adobe TV

Learn how to use iPhoto to manage the photos you work on in Photoshop Elements. Set Elements up as an external editor for iPhoto so that you can open images in Elements to edit them. Revert to an original image if you don't want to keep your edits, or have the edits reflected in iPhoto.
http://adobe.ly/zGSxyd

Is there an equivalent tutorial for Elements 9 ? I thought I had all my problems solved when I found this tutorial - but it doesn't allow me to save the edited file back into iPhoto. Can anyone help please
Crawford29

2 questions on Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 & IPhoto

Hello - I recently purchased PE 4 and am having a hard time finding books on working with it on a Mac. There are loads of books on Photoshop using a PC but not Mac. Does anyone have a suggestion? Is seems different in that the PE 4 requires the Bridge program to work on a Mac. Also, I copied and exported a photo album from IPhoto to the Bridge. It showed up in Bridge but disappeared from IPhoto. I have all my photos backed up so it was found but is it easier to manage photos in IPhoto as opposed to the Bridge? It seems rather cumbersome to keep them both going. Thank you. Tami

Tami:
To add to Terence's recommendations:
Using Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements) as Your Editor of Choice in iPhoto.
1 - select Photoshop as your editor of choice in iPhoto's General Preference Section's under the "Edit photo:" menu.
2 - double click on the thumbnail in iPhoto to open it in Photoshop. When you're finished editing click on the Save button. If you immediately get the JPEG Options window make your selection (Baseline standard seems to be the most compatible jpeg format) and click on the OK button. Your done.
3 - however, if you get the navigation window that indicates that PS wants to save it as a PS formatted file. You'll need to either select JPEG from the menu and save (top image) or click on the desktop in the Navigation window (bottom image) and save it to the desktop for importing as a new photo.
This method will let iPhoto know that the photo has been editied and will update the thumbnail file to reflect the edit..
If you want to use both iPhoto's editing mode and PS without having to go back and forth to the Preference pane, once you've selected PS as your editor of choice, reset the Preferences back to "Open in main window". That will let you either edit in iPhoto (double click on the thumbnail) or in PS (Control-click on the thumbnail and seledt "Edit in external editor" in the Contextual menu). This way you get the best of both worlds
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 08 libraries and Leopard. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Importing from PhotoShop Elements to iPhoto

I moved a photo from iPhoto 8 to Adobe PhotoShop elements 6 to make some editing changes. I saved this edited copy as a JPEG item. Now iPhoto will not import this edited copy. The error dialog box states:Unreadable Files: 1. It further states: "The following file could not be imported. (The file is in an unrecognized form.)" How can I import this edited copy into iPhoto?
R.S.

I moved a photo from iPhoto 8 to Adobe PhotoShop elements 6 to make some editing changes. I saved this edited copy as a JPEG item.
Where did you save the edited photo?
The proper way to use PSE with iPhoto is to set it as the external editor in the iPhoto preferences - then you edit in iPhoto and save (not save as) back to iPhoto
Otherwise you must save to the desktop and then import to iPhoto
LN

Migrating from Windows Photoshop Elements to iPhoto '08

I recently got a Mac and I'm looking into migrating from Windows Photoshop Elements 6.0 to iPhoto 7 ('08).
I've seached this forum, but I didn't find any detailed tips, tricks and recommendations on how to do the migration. I know about the PE (Photoshop Elements) command to write keyword information into the files (something like File->write tags to file). Someone (IIRC Barbara B.) also mentioned something about scripts to make the transition smoother, although I haven't seen any detailed information on what and where these scripts are. Basically, I'd like to hear from users who have migrated from Windows Photoshop Elements. I have thousands of pictures and prior planning can save me lots of time.
Some questions:
1. Photoshop Elements has a tagging feature, which is similar to iPhoto's keyword feature. Not sure how iPhoto will process the keywords. Do I just import the pictures into iPhoto and iPhoto will recognize the keywords? Should I create the keywords in iPhoto ahead of time prior to import (using names that exactly match Photoshop tag names) ?
2. In PE, I've assigned captions to pictures. Can iPhoto read the captions and treat them as titles or descriptions?
3. In PE, I've assigned ratings to pictures. Can iPhoto read them, or do I need to manually redo the ratings in iPhoto?
4. One PE feature that I will really miss is hierarchical tags (e.g. Family->Kid's name). (Aside: everyone, please put in a request to Apple to support this feature!!) While I would prefer a native iPhoto feature to support hierarchical tags, I saw that there are 3rd party plugins available. What's the best one in terms of features and long term support/viability? Is it Keyword Manager?
5. Any easy way to translate my PE Album definitions when migrating to iPhoto? I assume I would need to recreate them from scratch based on keywords and optionally ratings?
6. I'm afraid to ask this next question (and I'm sure this is worthy of many separate threads). I'm still grappling with the concept of Events. In my mind, an event is something "monumental", and I've used Albums in PE for these "monumenal" events. A large percentage of my pictures don't really fit into a "monumental event" categary. Instead, they are pictures that were taken in a random/candid manner. Or, I might have pictures that are truly events, but maybe only 1 or 2 pictures would fit into an event. If I started using iPhoto from the very beginning, it may be easier to deal with the concept of events. However, I already have thousands of pictures. I'm wary of importing all my pictures in one shot (rather than on a per "event" basis), since it may result in hundreds of events, which, IMO, wouldn't provide much organizational value. Anyone have any tips/philosophical opinions on how to deal with events when thousands of pictures need to be imported? Someone (T.D.?) mentioned they organize by year for older pictures. Any suggestions?
Thanks!

randman
Can't answer all your questions, but I'll have a go at a couple.
1. Photoshop Elements has a tagging feature, which is similar to iPhoto's keyword feature. Not sure how iPhoto will process the keywords. Do I just import the pictures into iPhoto and iPhoto will recognize the keywords? Should I create the keywords in iPhoto ahead of time prior to import (using names that exactly match Photoshop tag names) ?
If you write the tags to the file then iPhoto will recognise them as part of the IPTC data. There is no way to create tags in advance.
2. In PE, I've assigned captions to pictures. Can iPhoto read the captions and treat them as titles or descriptions?
Can Elements write these to the IPTC data? If so, iPhoto should read them. A little trial will confirm.
3. In PE, I've assigned ratings to pictures. Can iPhoto read them, or do I need to manually redo the ratings in iPhoto?
No, the IPTC data does not recognise ratings.
4. One PE feature that I will really miss is hierarchical tags (e.g. Family->Kid's name). (Aside: everyone, please put in a request to Apple to support this feature!!) While I would prefer a native iPhoto feature to support hierarchical tags, I saw that there are 3rd party plugins available. What's the best one in terms of features and long term support/viability? Is it Keyword Manager?
Keyword Manager is the way to do this.
5. Any easy way to translate my PE Album definitions when migrating to iPhoto? I assume I would need to recreate them from scratch based on keywords and optionally ratings?
What do you mean by "album definitions"?
About Events:
Don't get hung up on a word. They could have as easily called them 'trousers' and it would make almost as much sense
An 'Event' is an import that is automatically divided into folders depending on the criteria you set in the iPhoto Preferences.
Events in the iPhoto Window correspond exactly with the Folders in the Originals Folder in the iPhoto Library package file (Right click on it in the Pictures Folder -> Show Package Contents).
You can move photos between Events, you can rename Events, edit them, create them, as long as you do it via the iPhoto Window. Check out the Info Pane (wee 'i', lower left) the name and date fields are editable. Edit a Event Name using the Info Pane, the Event Folder in iPhoto Library/Originals will also have the new name.
So, really an Event is a Folder.
For my money, Events are a very limited way of organising photos. They are strictly date and time based. As time goes by I consolidate them - Spring 06, Summer 07, America 08 (I do this as we have three cameras feeding the Library).
I organise using Albums, Smart Albums and Keywords.
Albums (Smart or otherwise) are virtual entities. Unlike Events, they reference files on the HD, so a pic can be in 1,10 or 100 Albums with no extra disk space used. (To have a pic in two events requires two copies of the files.) They are infinitely flexible and offer a much richer set of possibilities.
How have you your photos organised currently? In folders? On what basis? If you can explain how that works we may be able to help you recreate this system in iPhoto.
Regards
TD

Export photo from photoshop elements into iPhoto

how to export pic from photoshop elements into iPhoto

Are you using the Adobe Elements Organizer to manage the photos? You'll need to export/save a full sized copy to the Desktop, import the file from there to iPhoto and then delete the copy on the Desktop.

Photoshop Elements Organizer Iphoto

I've used Photoshop Elements (3.0) Organizer for about a year, and I have inserted Notes on a lot of my pictures, which I assume is similar to the Comments section of iphoto. Is there any way (besides retyping/copying/pasting) to get those Notes into my iPhoto "comments" section? Also, is there any way to transfer over the Collections that I created in PSE Organizer? Thanks in advance for helping me keep my sanity!

Collections will not transfer, since those exist only in the organizer dbase. What you can do for those is to make a tag with the same name and assign it to every photo in the collection before using Write Tags to Files to put it into the metadata (this won't work on RAW files).

Automatic link to photoshop element with iPhoto 7

I just bought an iMacG5 to replace a iMacG4 and I have a question about iPhoto 7.
With iPhoto 5, I was able, by a double click on a photo to open Photoshop elements. This was an option in rhe preferences of iPhoto.
With iPhoto7, I have not the same option. I tried many questions in the iPhoto help, without any positive result.
Is it possible to get an automatic link to an external software, photoshop for instance,with iPhoto 7. If yes, how?
Thanks in advance for your help
Claud

Using Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements) as Your Editor of Choice in iPhoto.
1 - select Photoshop as your editor of choice in iPhoto's General Preference Section's under the "Edit photo:" menu.
2 - double click on the thumbnail in iPhoto to open it in Photoshop. When you're finished editing click on the Save button. If you immediately get the JPEG Options window make your selection (Baseline standard seems to be the most compatible jpeg format) and click on the OK button. Your done.
3 - however, if you get the navigation window that indicates that PS wants to save it as a PS formatted file. You'll need to either select JPEG from the menu and save (top image) or click on the desktop in the Navigation window (bottom image) and save it to the desktop for importing as a new photo.
This method will let iPhoto know that the photo has been editied and will update the thumbnail file to reflect the edit..
NOTE: With Photoshop Elements 6 the Saving File preferences should be configured: "On First Save: Save Over Current File". Also I suggest the Maximize PSD File Compatabilty be set to Always.
If you want to use both iPhoto's editing mode and PS without having to go back and forth to the Preference pane, once you've selected PS as your editor of choice, reset the Preferences back to "Open in main window". That will let you either edit in iPhoto (double click on the thumbnail) or in PS (Control-click on the thumbnail and seledt "Edit in external editor" in the Contextual menu). This way you get the best of both worlds
2 - double click on the thumbnail in iPhoto to open it in Photoshop. When you're finished editing click on the Save button. If you immediately get the JPEG Options window make your selection (Baseline standard seems to be the most compatible jpeg format) and click on the OK button. Your done.
3 - however, if you get the navigation window that indicates that PS wants to save it as a PS formatted file. You'll need to either select JPEG from the menu and save (top image) or click on the desktop in the Navigation window (bottom image) and save it to the desktop for importing as a new photo.
This method will let iPhoto know that the photo has been editied and will update the thumbnail file to reflect the edit..
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto (iPhoto.Library for iPhoto 5 and earlier) database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger or later), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 6 and 7 libraries and Tiger and Leopard. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.
Note: There now an Automator backup application for iPhoto 5 that will work with Tiger or Leopard.

My switching headaches, PC Photoshop Elements to iPhoto

Hi all
I've recently bought a mac mini to hook in to my TV for viewing pictures and listening to music through Front Row (FR). Of course being that its my first mac, I will be doing a whole lot of playing too, but thats not relevant here!
I intend to keep managing & editing my pix in PSE3 on my laptop and just transferring pictures over to the mini for FR. In future however I expect that I will fully convert to Macs so I want to get this initial transfer of my 16k images right cos I dont want to have to do it again!
Heres my plan...
1. Write tags to files in PSE3
2. Go through my directories and rotate portrait pix, through windows image viewer, so that all my auto rotated images dont cause the bloat in iPhoto with all the "modified" copies it will create of these (I know this will take time!!)
3. Copy files over to the mini
4. Import files directory by directory, so that the imported rolls are the same structure as the directories where they are saved (I will not be letting iPhoto manage my pix as it will get too confusing going between the two computers)
5. Run some script I keep reading about that imports my PSE3 tags as keywords
6. Enjoy...
How does this plan sound to those who are knowledgeable!?
Going forward I will import to my PC laptop, edit delete etc and then when happy, transfer over to mini the final images. The ideal siuation would be to eventually go all mac, and get the mini to just access the library of the desktop mac where the editing is done, but finances dont permit this yet!
Also, can an iPhoto database be converted to Aperture easily as I may eventually get this in the future?
I know this is long, but I am having trouble getting my head around all of this and more...I will be very grateful for any insight.
Thanks

nzeaglei:
For external FW hard drives I've had excellent results with the OWC Mercury Elite Pro Classic. I've got an older LaCie Porsche design drive that makes a lot of noise and gets quite warm when backing up to it. It's the only LaCie I've had experience with so can't comment on the newer models.
Just remember to check the formatting of the drive before putting it into service. Some supplier will send PC formatted drives which Macs can use but will give problems later one. If you get one of those, reformat it to Mac OSX Extended (journaled).
Do you Twango?
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've written an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

The Basics on Integrating Photoshop Elements and iPhoto

I've been using iPhoto and PSE 4 for several months, and love what I can do with my pictures, but I haven't mastered exactly how to integrate the two. I'd really like to continue using iPhoto to organize my pictures, but I'm just not sure I "get" how to deal with pictures I've worked on in PSE and then want to bring back (with changes) into iPhoto. I guess I'm asking for ideas on a simple, effective workflow for a hobby user with a fair number of pictures to manage. It would be helpful to me to understand some of the "behind the scenes" stuff...why things should be done a certain way; this makes it easier to really "get" what's happening, and not have to keep re-reading what to do. Thanks.

When you import RAW files into iPhoto, the RAW is tucked safely away in your Originals folder, and iPhoto immediately places a jpeg version into the Modified folder. So if you open what you think is a RAW for editing, you are really just getting a JPEG. iPhoto can't edit RAW files at all. So, if you are importing a RAW and a jpeg version of every shot, then you are in fact doubling your library.
I agree that it is easiest to set up Elements as your external editor in iPhoto. I do this (and only use jpegs, too). Select photos in iPhoto, double-click to open in Elements, edit, save. This save creates a modified version in iPhoto and is reflected in the iPhoto library immediately. However, if the file name or extension changes and requires a Save As, this will not link to the original in iPhoto. So do any Save As-ing to a folder outside of the iPhoto library, then import to iPhoto as a new original. In iPhoto I have a keyword to identify photos that I've edited in Elements. It used to bother me that I spent all that time editing a photo, only to have it get mixed in with all the others. With my "edited in PE 4" keyword I can find all my best edits quickly. This is my workflow for editing jpeg files.
My suggestion for your workflow with RAW files is to use Image Capture to upload from the camera to a folder - anywhere NOT inside the iPhoto library folder. Elements has a great RAW editing workspace, so with your RAW files in a non-library folder you could access them directly from Elements if you like to tweak your RAW files.
Then you have a choice. You could import the edited RAW files into iPhoto. Any subsequent editing would be done on the jpeg created in the Modified folder. You would not need to import your camera-created jpegs at all. (Unless you want to compare how your photo looked before and after you tweaked the RAW in Elements.) (Perhaps you had already imported the jpegs so you could view in iPhoto before you finished editing the RAW versions.) OR, leave the RAW files outside of iPhoto and only import the jpegs. But then, tweaking the RAW files wouldn't be that helpful, since you wouldn't see the outcome in iPhoto. Not a good choice, I guess. The bottom line is that if you want to edit your RAW files as RAW files, you should do so before importing into iPhoto.
iPhoto automatically adds a RAW keyword to RAW files, so they're easy to find. An organizational suggestion is to create separate film rolls in iPhoto for RAW and jpeg. So if you import some photos today you could name one roll 20070123...RAW and the other 20070123...jpg. There may be a good reason to keep the jpeg versions independently from the RAWs, but I can't think of one specifically. Is it easier to print from jpeg? Does it make exporting faster, since you don't have to convert the files as you export? I honestly don't know, because I've never used RAW.
I don't have a simple answer, but maybe this information will help you decide what works for you.

Aperture versus Photoshop Elements versus iPhoto

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