Burning iPhoto Library to DVD

I had a lot of new photos and wanted to back up my iPhoto Library. I burned the library it to a DVD in iPhoto. Over 2600 photos. All seems to have gone fine, but it took over 1/2 hour. Is that about right? I didn't expect it would take nearly so long (although I really don't know why I think that).
In the future, am I okay not burning the whole library---just the newly added photos not on the DVD I burned today? I did lose the whole library a few months ago and gratefully had backed it up.
Thanks.

It mostly depends on the speed of your DVD burner and the media it is using, but does not sound unreasonable to me!
I agree with the first response that an external HD is a good idea. I have and older "mobile disk" external hd case which has firewire 400. It works great with a 120 gb WD HD, and runs cool.
Periodically, I use "Super Duper" to clone the HD every month, and every week copy the iPhoto library over to it as an additional file. If my iMac hd fails, the HD could be used as a external boot drive and I would only be a week out in updates. If the iMac needs a new HD I could either install the one from the external case or duplicate it to a new HD in the iMac.
I have just started using RAW images and keep them in a separate folder from iPhoto. Once, I have gone through these RAW images and exported the "keepers" to iphoto as JPEG's the original RAW files are periodically transferred to a DVD for archiving. I always have the original image to work with, like keeping the "negatives" from a film camera.
Well...that's my strategy anwyay...and I am sticking with it!!!
Ed

Similar Messages

Problems with burning iPhoto library to DVD

When I try to burn my iPhoto library to a DVD, iPhoto eventually always crashes.
iPhoto will prepare to burn and the window to select output drive, spee, etc. will com up. After clicking on "burn", iPhoto is always end.
What could be wrong?
Is my iPhoto library maybe corrupted?
If yes, can I do something about it?
Infos:
iBook G4, 640 RAM, HD 30GB (3.72 available), OSX Tiger, external LACIE d2 DUAL DVD+-RW DRIVE, iPhoto library: 3.53 GB
Thanks for any help!

Hi iRose,
Thanks for giving all your info. Your free space on your hard drive is not enough to do a successful burn of the entire iPhoto Library. Do you have an external drive? Is your drive supported for iPhoto burning? usually on the internal that comes with the computer is supported.
Try instead to burn the entire iPhoto Library folder in the Finder using your external burner.
Close iPhoto
I can't burn a Cd or DVD
The next info is from iPhoto FAQ on the Apple site
Question 5: Can I burn a CD or DVD to back up my iPhoto library?
Answer: Yes, you can easily back up your iPhoto library by using the CD burning capabilities of Mac OS X. Simply insert a blank CD into your internal or external CD-RW drive and copy the iPhoto library to the CD icon on your desktop. When you drag the CD icon to the Trash/Eject button in the Dock, you are given the option to burn the CD. Click Burn and the CD is created. To burn a DVD backup of your digital images, use iDVD and a SuperDrive-equipped Mac.
Lori

Backing up iPhoto Library to DVDs

Hello,
I'm planning to back up all my files and reinstall Leopard. However, I'm a little worried about backing up my iPhoto library (~22 GB). I don't have an external hard drive so burning to disc is the only way.
I want to retain _all my events and both original and modified photos_. Which method is right for me: using iPhoto's built-in Burn feature or manually copying sections of the iPhoto Library to DVD?
Thanks!

Chris:
Welcome to the Apple Discussions. Be sure you don't select much more than 4GB of photos as reported by iPhoto in the Information pane at the bottom of the left window in iPhoto to burn because iPhoto adds a lot of overhead, i.e. the modified and thumbnail files, and various database files that can bloat each burn. You don't want to get into the burn and get the not enough space message. You can see this
Since all of the disks that get created have the same disk name, keep a written record of the contents of each disk and number the disks with a pen so it will be easier to locate what you need.
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 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.

Backing up iPhoto Library to DVD: too big

I want to back up my iPhoto library to DVD so I can have an "off-site" copy. However it is 17GB, and won't fit on one DVD. What's the best way to back up to multiple DVD's? I do have Toast 8, if that's the best way.
Thanks!

Use the Disk Utility in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder to create a 20GB disk image, copy the entire library to it, compress it, and then use this tool to segment the image. You need all the segments to recover anything.
(40485)

How do you burn iphoto slideshow to DVD?

How do you burn iPhoto slideshow to DVD? I exported to Quick Time & burned as movie but won't play on DVD player.

If you want it to play on a domestic DVD player then the disk must be created in iDVD. The format of such a disk is quite specific and iDVD is the app the makes these formats.
So, Share -> Send to iDVD
Regards
TD

Transfering iPhoto Library via DVD

Hello! I searched long and hard before posting this, but I couldn't find a good answer.
I bought a new macbook and I want to put the iPhoto '08 library from my iMac on it. I burned the events to a couple DVDs and imported them on the macbook, but there were several problems. All of the originals came up as new photos in each event (not just stored behind their modified) and it did not transfer the hidden photos. Moreover, all of the modified pics were placed in new events with the same title as the event on their originals! What a mess. I deleted the whole lot of them and created a new, unpopulated library.
It seems as if I need to transfer over the entire iPhoto library, not just the pics. It is 16GB. Should I buy a firewire cable, borrow and external HD or what? Will this even work? I want to copy the EXACT library over.
Thanks in advance! I love my new black macbook, can't wait to get some pics on it!

Where are you copying it to? Try to the desktop first. If that doesn't work try to the root level of your destination Mac, the same directory as the Applications folder. You may have to be logged in as an administrator to do that.
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. Just put the application in the Dock and click on it whenever you want to backup the dB file. 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.

Burn iphoto album to dvd

I successfully burned an album of photos that could be read by Windows (export to folder, burn folder). I'm not having any luck burning the same album directly from iPhoto.
The DVD appears on my desktop as "Untitled DVD." I select the album name in iPhoto and use the "Burn" function in "Share" ... and nothing happens. (I was expecting a window to open up asking about the target.)

Repair permissions with Disk Utility. If that doesn't help:
Try trash the com.apple.iPhoto.plist file from the HD/Users/ Your Name / library / preferences folder.
(On 10.7+: Hold the option (or alt) key while clicking on the Go menu in Finder to access the User Library)
(Remember you'll need to reset your User options afterwards. These include minor settings like the window colour and so on. Note: If you've moved your library you'll need to point iPhoto at it again.)
What's the plist file?
For new users: Every application on your Mac has an accompanying plist file. It records certain User choices. For instance, in your favourite Word Processor it remembers your choice of Default Font, on your Web Browser is remembers things like your choice of Home Page. It even recalls what windows you had open last if your app allows you to pick up from where you left off last. The iPhoto plist file remembers things like the location of the Library, your choice of background colour, whether you are running a Referenced or Managed Library, what preferences you have for autosplitting events and so on. Trashing the plist file forces the app to generate a new one on the next launch, and this restores things to the Factory Defaults. Hence, if you've changed any of these things you'll need to reset them. If you haven't, then no bother. Trashing the plist file is Mac troubleshooting 101.

Restoring iPhoto Library from DVD

I having been backing up my iPhoto 5.0.4 library to DVD peridodcially using the Share command. The library is on 2 DVD's, is in the iPhoto Library format with other data files as well. If I want to restore the library to one of my Macs, how is this done so that I don't wind up with an entire library of grayed-out photos?
Thanks -

On the Mac you want to restore the library to open iPhoto and create a new library (or use the existing one if that's what you want to do) and insert the DVD. The DVD will show up as a disc icon directly under the main library icon in the Source window. You then expand the disc icon and drag the roll icons onto the library icon. This will copy the rolls into the library on the Mac. If you burned by album you can select them and drag to the Source window (I believe that will copy them as an album - not sure because I haven't backup via albums). In either case you'll be able to copy your photos into the "new" library and maintain the organizational information. However, you may not retain the keyword correlation as that's been a reported bug in burning to disc with V5.
Hope this has been of some help. Good luck.
OT

Backing up iphoto library to dvd when size is enormous

this community has helped me every time and once again i am stuck and have searched for the answer with no luck yet.
i have a 20GB library and have already copied it to an external HD and switched my default library position to free up space internally. i manage the two different locations with iphoto library manager.
i would like a hard copy of the library in case (knock on wood) my external HD would crash. too many memories lost. but i have yet to discover a way to do this and am assuming i am overlooking something. how can i burn that massive library to dvds???
thanks for listening.

so i was entirely unaware of backup. i figured it was something extra and had not yet explored it. i have now downloaded backup and have a few more questions about this process.
my iphoto and itunes folders are on my external hd, yet they are both set as the default library for both programs. i have not yet seen a quickpick or pre-installed plan that will back those up (only available for home folder). so i looked through the custom settings as well and was unable to determine how to back up my external hd. it seems everything is for my mac hd. my external hd never appeared appeared on the desktop as an option to backup.
any thoughts because i would love to back up the folders and files to dvds and then schedule regular backups as well. thanks again for the back up info, and any further help.

Unable to Burn (Backup) Library to DVD

Hello,
Recently I have been receiving the following message when I attempt to backup my library using iPhoto," The burn to the PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-K04L drive failed. The device failed to respond properly, unable to recover or retry."
I have performed this operation in the past. I recently even tried formatting my drive and reinstalling all software.
Any suggestions?
Many thanks,
Chris
iMac G5 2.0GHz Mac OS X (10.4.3)

i thought id provide you with results of my effots this may or may not help you.
firstly what i have noticed is that when you select to burn the dvd, ie share > burn > you will then get the burn disc options, if the speed is set to 1x and is greyed out, then this will fail.
i was attempting to burn a whole dvd, with under 100mb free on the final dvd. my work around was to choose a small folder / album you wish to burn, folow the above step, ensuring the speed of the dvd burner is not greyed out, do not burn at this stage, cancel the burn, select some more folders, go back to the option, just making sure it is not greyed out, continue this until you have selected all the album you want to backup and the option is still selectable. i did this in three steps selecting 1.5gig each step. it has worked for me, on this occassion, but i now have another 2 problems, not related to this issue, i hope.
ill keep you posted with developments, although i dont expect many on this issue now, due to the other issues.

Trying to burn a library to DVD

Hello,
I have clicked on the "Library" Icon in iPhoto and it shows that I have 3.9GB of photos within my library. When I place a 4.7GB DVD disc to burn this library for backup I get the following message:
"There is not enough space on the disc to burn all the photos you selected. Select fewer photos and try again."
Why is my library info showing 3.9 GB and iPhoto is unable to burn this to DVD? Is that 3.9GB figure incorrect? and if so why? How can I determine the correct size if iPhoto is not giving me the correct size?
Thanks

Lori,
When I highlighted the iPhoto "Library" in the left panel I got a reading of 3.9GB but apparently that reading doesnt include the thumbnails, originals and all that. So I went to the actual iPhoto folder to find the correct size. which turned out to be 4.9GB Thats what I get I guess for thinking an application could just tell me what I really needed to know. Its beginning to seem to me that iPhoto is really nothing more than a basic "Light Box" for quick viewing.

Burning a library to DVD, should be room to spare

Hello,
I have clicked on the "Library" Icon in iPhoto and it shows that I have 3.9GB of photos within my library. When I place a 4.7GB DVD disc to burn this library for backup I get the following message:
"There is not enough space on the disc to burn all the photos you selected. Select fewer photos and try again."
Why is my library info showing 3.9 GB and iPhoto is unable to burn this to DVD? Is that 3.9GB figure incorrect? and if so why? How can I determine the correct size if iPhoto is not giving me the correct size?
Thanks

WarriorAnt :
iPhoto is reporting the total size of just the image files selected. When you go to burn those images with the Share->Burn Disk menu option you are also including the thumbnail files, data files, original files, etc. that constitute an iPhoto formatted disk. If you want to know what size the library is in those terms check the size of the iPhoto Library folder via the Finder. That issue has bitten a lot of people who were trying to burn disks. It's an issue that should be reported to Apple (http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphoto.html) in order to get them to have iPhoto give the full size also.

Saving iphoto library in DVD, how to?

Please give me a list of simple steps in order to do that.
I want to save the photos and be able to see them in iPhoto and I want to save them for backup and eventual viewing in non Mac computers.

I want to save the photos and be able to see them in iPhoto and I want to save them for backup and eventual viewing in non Mac computers.<<<</div>
You can't have it both ways and you really should burn two separate DVDs. For backup purposes, stay out of iPhoto. Insert a blank disk and drag the iPhoto library AS AN ENTITY onto the disk image and burn the DVD.
For the non-Mac computers, open iPhoto and select all the photos that you want on DVD. Export to a temporary folder on the desktop and exit iPhoto. Then, insert a blank disk and drag the temporary folder onto the disk image and burn the DVD. After the burn, trash the temp folder.

Error in burning iTunes library to DVD as back up

I'm keen to make a back up of my iTunes library onto DVD.
When I try to do this, having followed the instructions to the letter, the system chugs through, checks the playlist, tells me it is initiating the burning, then I get a message canceling the operation reading 'unknown error 4251'.
Now, I can't find anything relating to this error on the Apple website, however, there are other users with the same problem using other forums. The problem is though, there don't seem to be any answers resolving the problem.
Any help would be great, thanks.
Evesham Windows XP
Evesham Windows XP Pro

Well....You do not absolutely need to Use iTunes for Backing up your Music. Any program that burns DVDs can burn music files as data disks.
iTunes can work fine for music files BUT: I prefer more control and completeness over my backup process. It is also very important to note that a large limitation of using iTunes to manage the backup is that the iTunes method does not maintain the two meta-data files (iTunes Library.itl & iTunes Music Library.xml) where your Playlists, Ratings, Play Counts, etc. are stored. See: What are the iTunes Library files?
If you are heavily invested in your Library data (Playlists, Play Counts, Ratings, Last Played, Date Added, etc.), it is critical that you also make and archive multiple backups of your ‘iTunes Library.itl’ file.
If your music is located under one common Folder (e.g.-‘iTunes’), then it is easiest to physically copy that folder and all its sub-folders in one simple process. It can be done quickly, and incrementally – several times a day, when necessary. In the case of any data loss, just re-copy your entire (or partial) music library back to wherever it was, placing it in the main Folder that the previous iTunes expected. Along with the .ITL meta-data file, this completes a full ‘restore’ of your music to the time of your last backup.
Use of a backup software program will greatly help. It will allow you to easily perform incremental backups of only the files that have changed. WinXP has such a facility built-in. I use a free program called FileSync ( http://www.fileware.com ). There are many out there. Some use Zipped files or proprietary formats, others use standard file formats. I like FileSync as it uses normal file formats that can be viewed/managed via any Windows program or utility.
Here's a list of possible ways to copy your music files from your main iTunes computer to another storage medium for backup purposes.
1) Use an External Hard Drive to store the complete iTunes meta-data files and underlying Music Folder structure and songs from your main computer. They are quite cheap now, for their storage volume. This is my preferred main medium.
2) If you have two computers:
2a) Connect them through a router
2b) Connect them using a Direct (w/Mac) or Crossover (PC/PC) Ethernet cable (See: http://www.ifelix.co.uk/tech/3001.html)
2c) Connect them via a USB-to-USB Network Bridge. See: here as an example.
Copy the files and folders from one computer to the other. Use the second PC as your backup repository.
3) Burn several DVDs (at 4.7+ GBs each) with the music data files and store them safely. Re-writable ones are good for backup purposes (if your DVD drive can manage these).
4) Burn 6x more on CDs (at 700MB each) than in #3 above and store them safely in more space Re-writable ones are good for backup purposes (if your CD drive can manage these).
5) Use a larger USB Flash drive (1GB – 4+GBs) to store the files only if you have a small amount ripped music or have multiple and/or jumbo USB drives at your disposal that will fit your music library.
6) Use the second internal hard drive (if available) of your PC -- not optimum, as you really want to physically separate the storage of backups from the originals, but good as a tertiary storage device.
By keeping only one copy of your music (other than on the iPod), you are not truly 'backed-up' and are running a high risk of losing your music. Music files on just the iPod and the computer is not considered having any backup. If you cannot store your complete music files on the computer, then create and maintain two external sets.
You need at least three sets of your music:
-- One full set on the PC within iTunes (on internal HD or ExHD)
-- One full set on an separate external backup medium (CD/DVD/ExHD/other)
-- One (full or partial) set on the iPod
It is a good policy to backup all your important data. It is a very smart policy to back it up on more than one medium.
External hard drives now run less than $100 for 200-250GBs of storage. Very cheap backup insurance, indeed. See This Link

Burned iPhoto Library to CD, said 'Successful' but CD empty??

Just burned my iPhoto Library to a CD-RW (finally)...burn showed as successful, however, the new Library does not show in the list as a disk? moved the disk icon from the desktop to the library list & shows as 'empty'...did I miss a step? wanted to move the library to a disk to just keep 'active' photos (things I'm working with) in iPhoto instead of 'everything'...maybe there's a better way to do this? didn't want to waste space storing on the HD...;) thanks!

Hi,
Did you do this from within iPhoto? And with the internal disk?

Burning iPhoto Library to DVD

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for