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.

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I am trying to back up my iPhoto library to a WD Passport external hard drive and wondering how to do this

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How do I know my backups have worked?
Thanks for any help I might receive.

Apple have specific instructions for moving the library.. follow it and make sure the library is working by then opening it from iphoto.
iPhoto '11: Move your iPhoto library to a new location
http://appleinsider.com/articles/15/01/25/how-to-safely-move-your-macs-iphoto-li brary-onto-an-external-drive

How can I back up the iPhoto library when iPhoto won't open and I can't simply copy the iPhoto library packet because "some of the data in the packet cannot be read from or written to"?

How can I back up the iPhoto library when iPhoto won't open and I can't simply copy the iPhoto library packet because "some of the data canny be read from or written to"?

Regarding not being able to open iPhoto. As a test launch iPhoto with the Option key held down and create a new, test library. Were you able to create a new library?
If so then your current library is damaged and needs to be repaired.
Apply the two fixes below in order as needed:
Fix #1
Launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys held down and rebuild the library.
Since only one option can be run at a time start
with Option #4 and then #1 as needed.
Fix #2
Using iPhoto Library Manager to Rebuild Your iPhoto Library
1 - download iPhoto Library Manager and launch.
2 - click on the Add Library button, navigate to your Home/Pictures folder and select your iPhoto Library folder.
3 - 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.
4 - In the next window name the new library and select the location you want it to be placed.
5 - 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. However, books, calendars, cards and slideshows will be lost. The original library will be left untouched for further attempts at fixing the problem or in case the rebuilt library is not satisfactory.
OT

How do I back up my iphoto library on one external harddrive to another?

I have successfully created one external hard drive back up from iphoto library. I am trying to back up this first hard drive with an additional hard drive, so my iphoto library is saved in two external hard drive locations. As of right now every time I go to back up the iphoto library on my first harddrive onto the second, it recopies the entire library (which takes a deeply laborious amount of time!) Is there a program that would recognize which photos have not been transferred and select accordingly? Apparently time machine does not operate between two external hard drives. Any feedback would be wonderful!

If you've set up Time Machine to back up your computer to it and haven't moved the library off the internal drive, it's already been done.
If you've set up Time Machine to back up your computer to it and have moved the library off the internal drive, ensure the drive holding it isn't excluded in the Time Machine pane of System Preferences.
If you haven't set up Time Machine, either turn it on or drag the iPhoto library from the Pictures item of your home folder to the Time Capsule manually.
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How do I get my new external hdd to back up my iPhoto library that is on another external hdd?

How do I get my new external hard drive (Apollo Expert) to back up my iPhoto library that is on another external hard drive (Apollo M100)?

What backup software are you using? Assuming TimeMachine then in the TM preferences ==> options make sure the EHD is not in the excluded list
For other software look in the manual or contact support for that software
LN

How can I import photos from iPhoto-library to edit in Photoshop CC? - and save it back to the iPhoto-library?

How can I import photos from iPhoto-library to edit in Photoshop CC? - and save it back to the iPhoto-library?

How to access iPhoto images for use in Photoshop
1. In the Finder, navigate to Users > [user name} > Pictures > iPhoto Library.
2. Control-click the iPhoto Library file and choose Show Package Contents.
3. A Finder window opens that shows the contents. The Masters folder (or called Originals folder) contains all of the photographs that are in iPhoto.
Photoshop cannot access this folder, but if you make a duplicate of the folder, the dupe will be accessible -- so:
4. Control-click the folder named Masters (or Originals) and choose Duplicate.
5, Drag the duplicate folder which is named "Masters copy" or “Originals copy” from the iPhoto Library Finder window to the Desktop.
6. Open images in Photoshop from file on desktop.
7 Rename the folder and move it elsewhere (probably to the Pictures folder), if desired.

After editing a RAW image in PE13 I can't get it back into my iPhoto library. If edited in iPhoto first and sent to PE13 for adjustments, it can be sent back to iPhoto library. Ideas?

After editing a RAW image in PE13 I can't get it back into my iPhoto library. If edited first in iPhoto, and sent to PE13 for adjustments,
I can get it back into my iPhoto library. Ideas?

Thanks for answering my question. I always have had RAW checked to an external editor which is PE13 on my Preferences panel in iPhoto.
I probably didn't make myself clear. When I send an ORIGINAL RAW untouched, unedited image to PE13 and do the editing and the
adjustments- (it looks great) and then try and SAVE it and forward it to my iPhoto library, it will not be sent. On the other hand if any editing
at all is first performed in iPhoto and then sent to PE13 for adjustments, and I SAVE it, it asks if I want to Replace this new edited image with
what already exists in my iPhoto library, I click REPLACE, the little wheel spins, I go to iPhoto and the new image is there. PE13 does
accept an original RAW image for editing because it will save it in PE13 in the RECENTLY EDITED column. Ideas? I need to keep my iPhoto
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What is the best way to back up an iPhoto Library to an external hard drive?

I have a very large photo library, and I manage all of my photos with iPhoto. I want to back some of them up to an external hard drive, but still have them accessible from iPhoto (when the hard drive is plugged in). I thought it would be as easy as dragging the photos from iPhoto to the external hard drive, but I found out the photos are actually stored in the "package contents" of the iPhoto library. There are several folders in the package contents folders, and it is very confusing.
Should I use time machine to back up my iphoto library? If not, what should I use?

That's exporting photos, not splitting a library.
Make sure the drive is formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
Now you have two full versions of the Library.
3. On the Internal library, trash the Events you don't want there
Now you have a full copy of the Library on the External and a smaller subset on the Internal
Some Notes:
As a general rule: when deleting photos do them in batches of about 100 at a time. iPhoto can baulk at trashing large numbers at one go.
You can choose which Library to open: Hold down the option (or alt) key key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library'
You can keep the Library on the external updated with new imports using iPhoto Library Manager

Can someone tell me the proper way to back up my iPhoto library

I want to back up my iPhoto library on an external hard drive. Do I have to go into Pictures and then iPhoto library to copy it over the external hard drive? Can I not just drag photos and albums directly from iPhoto? My concern is that when I go into albums via Pictures folder and then iPhoto library, you don't see all your photos in the albums. I never understood this.
Please help...

Lori,
If you go to ~/Pictures/iPhoto Library, the iPhoto Library is the iPhoto Library folder am am telling you to backup. This Library/folder contains all your images and the data files that iPhoto writes that stores all the album, slideshows, books, etc. info. To keep all this intact, you have to backup/copy the entire iPhoto Library folder.
Previous versions of iPhoto had an Albums folder with aliases to the images in the albums. This Album folder was in the iPhoto Library folder in the Finder. iPhoto 5 does not use this Album folder and therefor it is no longer updated. You will find that there are just iPhoto 4 created albums in it.
iPhoto 5 now stores the Album information in a data xml file. The Albums folder within the iPhoto Library folder is no longer used. At some point, usually after a rebuild, you will no longer have that folder in the Finder.
If you need to access photos from an album it is very difficult for a third party application to navigate the iPhoto Library in order to find the photo you need. You will have to know the date of import in order to find the photo.
There are some third party applications that can read the xml file and can navigate the iPhoto library and show you the Albums. Hopefully more applications will be revised to read this file.
Until then you will have to Share/Export the photos to the desktop. You can then navigate to the desktop to use the photos (example: web uploading from online photo site)
If your application supports drag and drop, you can drag the photo from an open iPhoto Library window into your application.
For email you can also use the email icon within iPhoto to open a message with the highlighted photo attached.
You can also use spotlight to find images in an Album...
This is what I have done using Spotlight to find my images that are in iPhoto albums without opening iPhoto..
In iPhoto, select the album, then select all, go to Photos/batch change.
Change the comments to text. In the text field I put the name of the Album.
Do this for each album.
Close iPhoto.
Open Spotlight and put in the name of the Album ( you have to remember the names of the albums or have then written down)
In the spotlight search results. click on "show all"
Under "Images" click on the "xx more" to show all the images in the album.
Make sure you have it in icon view, the icon view box is the last one on the blue images line.
Now you can control click on the image to "reveal in finder", open in iPhoto or Mail, etc.
I am not sure if this is going to make you happy and it is a little more work, but you can find images in albums and even view them in a slideshow (by clicking the play arrow at the end of the Images highlighted blue line) using Spotlight, all without opening iPhoto.
One important thing to know is you can set up a graphic program to be an external editor (when you double click an image in the library} such as PhotoShop or PS Elements. You set up that within iPhoto Preferences. Just make sure you save the image flattened and with the same name. The edits will then be relected in iPhoto when you hit "save".
Two Apple kbs for you to read
Don't tamper with files in the iPhoto library folder
About the iPhoto Library folder
Lori

How can I back up my iPhoto library to my MacBook?

How can I back up my iPhoto library to my MacBook?

backup all your data to an external hard drive. If your mac's hard drive crashes, anything not backed up to an external hard drive will most likely be lost.

HT4847 Can I back up my Iphoto library to the Icloud - if so how

Can I back up my Iphoto library to the Icloud - if so how

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Hi, how do I back up my iPhoto library to Lightroom, so its also on an external hard drive, where is the Back up utility?

Hi, somehow I imported all of my iPhoto library into Lightroom, which is saved to an external hard drive, but now I cannot remember how I did that...and I am looking to update the additional photos i've put into iPhoto to Lightroom...
Thanks for any advice...Eric

As a mich more powerful app I think you'll find that Lightroom is also quite capable of "uploading, screening, and deleting unwanted photos."
The point about using both is that you have an overly complex workflow - and that leads to situations like the one you have now, where you can't recall the workflow you used.
Put another way, it's like wrting your novel part on Word and part in TextEdit. Which bit goes where? The best advice is to pick one horse and ride it.
Do don't "import photos to the Finder" you export them from iPhoto to the Finder. File -> Export....
On your Mac you have Time Machine as a back up application. There are also many, many others. Search on
MacUpdate
Regards
TD

How do i back up my iphoto library to time capsule?

I was told I can back up my iphoto's library to my time capsule but I'm not sure how to do this. Any help is appreciated.

If you've set up Time Machine to back up your computer to it and haven't moved the library off the internal drive, it's already been done.
If you've set up Time Machine to back up your computer to it and have moved the library off the internal drive, ensure the drive holding it isn't excluded in the Time Machine pane of System Preferences.
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(77724)

How can I back up an IPhoto library from one external hard drive to another?

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I do not understand your question
The basic answer is that TM backes up everything that is not excluded - it backsup to the TM backup - it can not backup any files that are on the TM backup volume - only those on other volumes
To remove an item form the excluded list select the item and click the "-" button
See te FAQs for many more details - http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
Se the Apple article for basic set up and details - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
LN

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I have been backing up my entire iPhoto library (about 34GB) to a flash drive every month for the last couple of years.
I tried to do it last night, after upgrading to Mountain Lion, and could not complete the backup. I tried several times, and the same thing happened each time - the first 190MB or so were transferred very quickly, then the pace slowed until finally, after 225.1 MB were transferred, I got an error message: "The operation can’t be completed because an item with the name “iPhoto Library” already exists."
I tried trashing the partial file on the flash drive, renaming the partial file, using Disk Repair - same exact thing happens. Always stopping after 225.1 MB.
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Regards
TD

Backing up my iPhoto library

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