Backing Up: Full iPhoto Fill/Folder or just Original & Modified files?

If you're backing up to a server and you have unlimited storage space - would you:
a.) Copy your entire iPhoto Library file (which copies as an iPhoto Library Folder) with ALL of the Package Contents?
- OR -
b.) Just copy over the Originals & Modified Folders?
Are there any reasons why I'd absolutely want to do one over the other?
Am I right when I assume all you'd need to do to "get your photos and videos back" (if there was a crash) or move them onto a new computer - would be to click and drag the Original & Modified Folders back into iPhoto? (I have heard if you want to keep them organized instead of dragging the whole folders in - you could go into the folders and drag their contents/subfolders....True?)
Thank you in advance for everyone's help!

Examples of such apps: Chronosync or DejaVu . But are many others. Search on MacUpdate

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Blank thumbnails in iPhoto; photos (zero KB) in iphoto library folder?

Upon opening iphoto recently; 90% of my photo's (2,500) appear as blank/white thumbnails. If I select one of these photo's it gives the proper photo info (name, file size, etc..) but no photo. When I check the iLibrary folder, these same photos display zero KB. I have attempted a rebuild that was unsuccessful. I have not messed around with the iLibrary folder and am confused as why this happened. Any thoughts/ideas on how to fix??? Thank you.
iMac Mac OS X (10.4.4)

Hi Sandy,
You can follow the instructions above to create a new library and import the images from the old library to see if you get all your images back.
You can first try this tip from Old Toad:
There is a way you can recover your library. Here's what I developed and it worked for me. But make a backup copy of your iPhoto Library folder beforehand just in case:
How to recover those photos lost due to renaming in the Finder1 - do a search of just the iPhoto library folder with the following criteria:
File name contains ".jpg" (or .psd) and File size is less than 1 KB. (You can just do a search for File size less than 1 kb but do not delete the other zero sized files that are of a non image type).
That will find all of those zero sized files that were created when iPhoto couldn't fine the originals.
2 - move those zero sized image files to the trash.
3 - now delete those "bad" photos from the iPhoto library using the normal method within iPhoto (if you don't they will be recovered every time you do a library rebuild with the "recover orphaned photos" option selected).
4 - launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys depressed and when the rebuild menu comes up select the last option, "Recover orphaned photos in the iPhoto Library folder".
This will recover those renamed files and put then in a new roll. The only downside is that their titles in iPhoto will be "Roll xx-1, etc. You can do a Get Info on them, find the actual file name and change the title so they are the same.
So it can be done with a little work.
The only way to rename files that have already been imported into iPhoto is to export them to the desktop, rename them there and then reimport. Once imported you can delete the original set.
Hope this has been of some help. Good luck.
O.T.

Backing up my iPhoto library

My iPhoto library contains about 10,000 images of plants and flowers and these have carefully been arranged into folders by genus and species. I would like to back-up this Library to an external hard drive and then delete many of the images to free up some space on my hard drive. My question is "Will the folder structure be maintained in the backed-up copy of the iPHoto library, or will it disintegrate into 1000s of individuals jpegs in no order?" If I can, indeed, do this, what would be the best way to make the back-up, i.e. how best to move the images from my Powerbook to the external drive?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've invested a lot of time in setting up all of these folders, and I would hate to mess things up. I do, however, desperately need to free up some space on my hard drive. Thanks.

Hi King Jules,
If your library is small enough to fit on one DVD, then that is what you would do. I don't think your library of 10,000 image will fit on one DVD. It will fit on your iPod if your iPod has room. In your signature it says you have an extra hard disk.
To burn your library to discs you will have to take your library apart, burn the parts, then put the library back together.
To make it easier to do...
Drag the iPhoto Library to the desktop
Drag out each year folder from that library to the desktop
Put in a blank disc, follow directions to burn the 2005 folder
Put in blank disc and follow directions to burn 2004 folder
Put in blank disc and follow directions to burn 2003 folder
The last folder to burn would be the iPhoto Library folder with one of the smaller years folder inside it.
After all are burned, put the Year folders back into the iPhoto Library folder.
Drag the iPhoto Library folder back into the Pictures folder.
You should now just be able to launch iPhoto and it will open your library.

How can I access my iPhoto library folder?

My hard drive recently had to be replaced, and when they replaced it, they updated to OSx 10.9. I had not backed up my photos before my hard drive crashed, but they backed up all my files for me. I went to open my iphoto library from the backup files and as a new (to me) version of iphoto 11 opened, I got a message saying that it had to update the photos in my library in order for them to be compatible with this version of iPhoto and that after updating them, I'd no longer be able to read them on an older version of iphoto. I clicked ok. It only imported 9 photos (out of several thousand). I went to finder and tried to open the iphoto library folder (which contains the library file and the cache, etc.), but the folder will not open. Instead, when I click to open the library folder, it brings up iphoto, as though to indicate that my library is there. Did I somehow unknowingly overwrite my library or something?? Any ideas why I can't access my iphoto library? Are my photos gone?
I'm stupid so I don't have copies of the photos anywhere else. I don't have Time Machine or anything. Did I irreversibly screw up??

I didn't think to check what photos were there or what the library size was before trying to import at first. How do I restore my backup of the iphoto library? (sorry if that's a stupid question). I checked in the Masters folder and only saw a few of my photos (the same ones that were imported to iphoto).
I definitely know it was a mistake not to have a backup of the photos. It'll be the first thing I do if I can get them back. The mistake I was referring to in my initial post was clicking "ok" when it asked to update---but from what you're saying it sounds like that wouldn't have deleted anything.
I'm thinking maybe the backup is not complete (even though I asked the tech people 5 times if it was!), because I checked the imovie events folder, and it's also empty (and it definitely shouldn't be)! If this turns out to be the case, I may have to go back to the repair place to see if they can still pull files off.

Image files in iPhoto 'Originals' folder are hidden

When I click 'Show Original File' in iPhoto, it faithfully opens a finder window that points to where the photo should be, but alas is nowhere to be found. If I go to the directory with terminal, the files are all there, plain as day. I'm guessing that iPhoto/Finder has somehow set the invisible/hidden bit on the original file. This is particularly annoying when exporting images with 'Original' selected in the 'Kind' attribute, as they are hidden then also! So the questions are:
-How do I get it to stop making items invisible when I import them?
-Is there an easy way to unhide the files?
Cheers!

daphncoop
Welcome to the Apple Discussions.
I wonder do you have the same problem?
The only way I can find my "Original" file is by searching for a specific photo through the finder and then double clicking on the path file at the bottom.
Sounds to me like you've recently updated your iPhoto from a much earlier version (v6 or before).
Since iPhoto 7 (iLife 08) the old iPhoto Library Folder is now 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.
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!
(Note the above illustration is not a Finder Window. It's the dialogue you get when you go File -> Open)
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.
Regards
TD

Trying to convert R3D to mov but have the converted file placed in the same folder as the source R3D file.

Hay all :-)
Had a quick search and couldn't find an answer to this so asking the question :-)
It looks like i'm going to have to use Premier Pro to convert all my R3D files to mov because *Another Piece of Software ;-)* just doesn't recognise them :-/
I know i can import the R3D files into Premier and then export then as mov which is fine but the problem is in the export window theres no option to place the exported file into the same folder as the original R3D file, there is only the option of choosing a folder which, doesn't pre-designate itself to be the original files folder for some reason.
I have 100s of R3D files to convert to mov and having to find and choose the correct folder for each of them individually would be an incredible pain.
Thx for any help :-)

Wow ... just checked through PrPro myself and queued out to AME, and even went into Prelude to try a transcode. You're right, you have to specify a location, or have one in the preset group ... but it has to be a specific one, there's no option for "original folder".
I'd suggest a wish be placed on this, as there's times I'd want to use it also.
https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?event=processform&name=wishform
Neil

HT204655 Any issues if I want to remove Photos and just go back to using iPhoto?

Not liking Photos at all. Any issues with deleting this app and just going back to using iPhoto?

If you have iPhoto 9.6.1 in your application folder, open it and use it.
I fear that support for iPhoto has ceased, but you can use it as long as you can.

How do I put back masters folder in iPhoto library back to the iPhoto library?

I was tinkering with the iPhoto library and clicked the Show Package Contents. I inadvertently dragged the masters folder outside the iPhoto library. Now it's under Pictures alongside the iPhoto library. How do I put back the masters folder into its original location?

Thanks, Terence Devlin. Just read a discussion about this...

Putting Iphoto Originals folder back into Iphoto

I was looking for my imported photo files in iPhoto and found them using spotlight. I moved the "Originals" folder in order to access it more easily and was unable to return it to its original place in iPhoto. This is because the icon in my HD is not a folder icon, but the iPhoto Library application icon. Because the folder is moved, when I open iPhoto and go to my library or events, all of the pictures are gone. The Events are still outlined and the names are still there, but the pictures aren't. Does anyone know how to get the originals back into the right place so iPhoto can find it and put everything back in my library? Is there a "iPhoto Library" folder that is actually a folder and not an application icon? Does anyone know the file where the imported pictures are actually located? Any help is appreciated.

Scallen
Congratulations. Now you understand why we say
*It is strongly advised that you do not move, change or in anyway alter things in the iPhoto Library Folder as this can cause the application to fail and even lead to data loss*.
It sounds like you're using iPhoto 08 not v6 - I mention this as you're using the v6 forum.
Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right click on it and go 'Show Package Contents' from the resulting menu. Drop that Originals Folder in there and it might work.
There is never a need for you to access the iPhoto Library via the Finder.
There are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:
For 10.5 users: You can use any Open / Attach / Browse dialogue. On the left there's a Media heading, your pics can be accessed there. Apple-Click for selecting multiple pics.
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
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. If you're using Gmail you can use THIS
If you use Apple's Mail, Entourage, AOL or Eudora you can email from within iPhoto. With 10.5 you can access the Library from the New Message Window in Mail:
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
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.
Or, if you want to access the files with iPhoto not running, then create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use THIS
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.
Regards
TD

Backing up: iphoto library folder = 1 gb, actual library = 24 gb

i desperately need to back up my photos. when i read what apple has to say about backing up my iphoto library, they simply says to, "Copy the iPhoto Library on your hard disk to another disk." The library, it says, is located in your Pictures folder on your computer.
so, why, is the iPhoto Library only registering as 1 GB, when i know i have over 24 GB (15,000 photos) in there?
i know i must be doing something wrong, but if i simply do what apple tells me to do, i am afraid that i only have the data and not the pictures themselves. how do i get it all?
thanks so much.

assuming that your iPhoto library is in the default location in the pictures folder just drag it to the external drive - it should be larger - mine is 36.6 gb in iPhoto (24,799 items) and 45.92 gb on disk in the finder
If you go to the pictures folder to the iPhoto library and right click (control click) and choose "get info" what size does it show?
LN

My iPhoto (9.5.1) is in the Applications folder. How do I migrate it back to to the Pictures folder where it belongs?

My iPhoto (9.5.1) is in the Applications folder. How do I migrate it back to to the Pictures folder where it belongs? OSX 10.9.5 in a new MacBook.

How do I migrate it back to to the Pictures folder where it belongs? OSX 10.9.5 in a new MacBook.
Your photos are in the iPhoto Library, not in the iPhoto application, and the iPhoto Library should be in the Pictures folder. Is your iPhoto Library there? Did you migrate it to your new MacBook, or are your photos missing?
The iPhoto Library in your Pictures folder should be showing an icon like a fan of pictures:

I have an external hard drive connected to my iMac 2006; the OS on this iMac has been upgraded. I wanted to have back up copies of all our photos on iPhoto; I moved the iPhoto Library folder to the EHD. Now I want to delete a lot of the photos on the iM

I want to delete the photos on the iMac's hard drive but I want all the copies on the EHD; to free up space on the iMac. I experimented by deleting one photo in the iPhoto library on iMac but when I checked the EHD, it was deleted there, too. How can I delete photos from iMac w/out deleting from EHD?

Photo Library icon that sits on my desktop
Do a Get Info in the Finder on that, is it an Alias pointing to the external drive?
Open the iPhoto Library folder on your actual internal drive in the Finder, is that deleed pic stil there?

Horrors: How do I get all my original photo files back out of iPhoto 9.1.2?

In my heart I KNEW I should never have upgraded iPhoto when the update came in for 9.1.2. But I had no idea what it was going to do. Now, to my horror, I have found out.
It has EATEN all the original photo files in my Home/Pictures folder and hidden them inside a single iPhoto database! Yikes.
I discovered this nightmare when I tried to find the original hi-res of a certain photo, and searched my Mac for it by filename – the one assigned to it by my camera.
All the original and modified versions of the file should have appeared in the search box – but no original appeared, sending me into a total panic. I also searched my laptop and back-up drive to no avail. Then I looked in the Home/Pictures folder and there were no photo files there, when there used to be hundreds. Just one single iPhoto Library file.
I felt sick, I thought I had lost all my original photos.
So now I have two problems, and questions:
1) iPhoto only displays photos from the last 18 months, so how do you access all the photos from years back now?
2) How can I export ALL my photos back out of the iPhoto database so I can have them where I can see them on my Mac again – as individual files in my Pictures folder like they were before?
Oh, and one other question:
What can I use instead of iPhoto? Can I revert to an earlier version? Or is there an application that I can import photos to that will leave the original files where they are? Then I can make a back-up of the originals before importing them into iPhoto.
Thanks,
Sarah
PS: How do I change my Apple Discussions username?

There's no reason to use the Finder to access your photos. That's what iPhoto is for. THe following is from a post by Terence Devlin on accessing photos for use outside of iPhoto. It's the definitive treatise on the subject.
There are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:
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.
(Note the above illustration is not a Finder Window. It's the dialogue you get when you go File -> Open)
You can access the Library from the New Message Window in Mail:
There's a similar option in Outlook and many, many other apps.
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 10.5
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:
a. On iPhoto 09 and earlier: 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.
b. On iPhoto 11 and later: Select one of the affected photos in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Reveal in Finder -> Original. A Finder window will pop open with the file already selected.
OT

Burning back-up of iPhoto library

I've been filling up the iphoto-library on my new mac with old and new pictures, and now I want to burn a DVD (it's about 4500 pics) to ensure I've got the pics in case hardware failure. The only problem is I keep on getting an error-message with something about a fault "when burning with the dvd-drive" that couldn't be repared :S Does anyone know a way of backuping my entire library to dvd? Even if it means burning it from outside iphoto - as long as i don't just get the original files, but the improved photos from iphoto as well.. Anyone with a solution?

TM:
Try this: download and run BatChmod on the iPhoto Library folder with the settings shown here, putting your administartive name in the owner and group sections. You can either type in the path to the folder or just drag the folder into that field. A long shot but might help.
Otherwise...
Your original files are contained in subfolders within the iPhoto Library/Originals folder. The edited versions are in subfolders in the Modified folder. Each subfolder is titled for the roll it's in. You can burn those individually to a DVD via the Finder. They would then be identified by the roll they were in in the library. You'll have to burn the modified ones separately from the Originals due to the same folder name. Unless you copied the modified subfolders to the desktop first, added "-mod" to the folder name and then burned with the original folder.
Just don't move or rename any of the files/folders with the Finder that are in the iPhoto Library folder during this process.
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.

What can I do to get my photos back to full resolution and fix them?

I imported photos two nights ago and when it popped up "delete from ___ drive?" I clicked delete like normal. Then my mac took longer to save and such, then iPhoto quit unexpectedly. My photos were off the disk and now I couldn't find them in my mac. I found them yesterday morning but now they are in poor quality and not the exact res. that my camera is. What can I do to get them back to their full photo value?
Some that were not imported were still on my disk; I imported them, but kept them on the disk and they are perfectly fine. Just as a side note.

Make sure you have iPhoto's Advanced prefs set to copy photo into the library during import.
Click to view full size
If that check box is checked then make a temporary, duplicate copy of the library and try the three fixes below in order as needed:
Fix #1
delete the iPhoto preference file, com.apple.iPhoto.plist, that resides in your Home/Library/Preferences folder.
delete iPhoto's cache files that are located in your Home/Library/Caches/com.apple.iPhoto folder.
reboot, launch iPhoto and try again.
NOTE: If you're moved your library from its default location in your Home/Pictures folder you will have to point iPhoto to its new location when you next open iPhoto by holding the the Option key. You'll also have to reset the iPhoto's various preferences.
Fix #2
Launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys depressed and follow the instructions to rebuild the library.
Select options #1, #2 and #6.
Fix #3
Rebuild the library using iPhoto Library Manager as follows:
Using iPhoto Library Manager to Rebuild Your iPhoto Library
Download iPhoto Library Manager and launch.
Click on the Add Library button, navigate to your Home/Pictures folder and select your iPhoto Library folder.
Now that the library is listed in the left hand pane of iPLM, click on your library and go to the File ➙ Rebuild Library menu option
In the next window name the new library and select the location you want it to be placed.
Click on the Create button.
Note: This creates a new library based on the LIbraryData.xml file in the library and will recover Events, Albums, keywords, titles and comments but not books, calendars or slideshows. The original library will be left untouched for further attempts at fixing the problem or in case the rebuilt library is not satisfactory.
If that checkbox is not unchecked then you were running a "referenced" library at the time of import and the original files are gone as they were on the memory card at the time of import. You can try running MediaRECOVER to try to recover the photos from the memory card. You can run it in demo mode to see if it will do the job before having to purchase it.
OT

Backing Up: Full iPhoto Fill/Folder or just Original & Modified files?

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