Can an iPhoto Library be too big?

Mine holds 24,000 images . . . organized into over 100 albums. Should I start a new Library? I also have a lot of photos stored on the web, in Picasa and Shutterfly (took over my KodakGallery). I would dearly love to have all my photos in one place, backed up on the internet. An advice?

24,000 is no problem - I have nearly 50,000 - one posted claimed over 300,000 - Main things are free disk space, memory and processor speed
LN

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My iPhoto Library is too big for my iMac

My iPhoto Library is now 272gb so is taking all the space on my iMac, so I need to move it off the Mac. I believe I can copy it to an external drive and then just "point" iPhoto at it by holding down the Alt key on launch?
But I am very nervous about losing any or all of my photos if I do this as I don't have a back-up (due to the library size). I don't even have space to run Time Machine. So I would like to check that I would be doing the right thing above please?
Also, I would appreciate any tips on organising photos in my own folders outside iPhoto, please.
I think it is best to import to my own folders from the camera because I tend to open photos in different applications, depending on what I want to do – Preview, Adobe Bridge, Photoshop and now possibly Aperture or Lightroom, because I need to upgrade to either Aperture or Lightroom.
If I import photos to iPhoto I end up exporting hi-res versions to edit in Photoshop etc before publishing them or sending them to anyone. Thus I am actually storing the photos twice, so it is small wonder I have run out of space.
I also have an iPhoto Library on my laptop, and many of these are duplicates of the other iPhoto Library. But I do not have enough space to merge them and get iPhoto Manager to remove the duplicates.
Help!
Thanks,
Sarah

Thank you Larry,
I was wondering how professional photographers organised their work as they would quickly outgrow the space on a Mac hard drive the same as I have now I have been doing a lot more photography for publication.
Because of this I use different programmes for different requirements (either displaying, editing or adding to the photos' inbuilt file information), but keeping the original photos in the iPhoto Library and Hi-Res JPG copies to work on in my own folder before submitting to a client just means I am using double the amount of space to store the photos. And I have set Photoshop as the edit programme, I know about that, and yes they pretty much all need tweaking in Photoshop. It improves them greatly, plus many need cropping.
I am aware of the importance of back-up and even though money is tight I will be getting a new LaCIe external drive to ensure I have enough space for Time Machine to back-up both iPhoto Libraries from both my Macs. But in the meantime I only have space to back them up manually on one LaCie external drive, formatted as Mac OS extended (Journaled) as you say. I hope I can eke out the couple of GBs space left on my Macs until I can get the new drive.
I am not happy about running the iPhoto Libraries from an external drive but due to the space problems I have no alternative.
Going forward I seem to have three alternatives. Either transfer them to Aperture or Lightroom or avoid duplication and storage problems by keeping the originals filed in my own folders for opening in one of these management programmes as required. I currently have folders for both hi-res and low-res edited versions of each photo in a project, as well as the originals in iPhoto. So the best filing system and the best way to reduce storage space is what I was wanting advice on.
ADDITIONAL ADVICE NEEDED ON REMOVING DUPLICATES
Additionally, many of the photos in my laptop iPhoto Library are duplicates of the ones in my main iMac iPhoto Library. Will iPhoto Library Manager work on libraries that are on an external drive? And do you know if it is possible to use iPhoto Library Manger to merge them on my external drive and remove duplicates please?
WILL IPHOTO LIBRARY MANAGER WORK ON LIBRARIES ON AN EXTERNAL DRIVE?
Final question: If I have two iPhoto Libraries on my external drive, is it safe to change their filenames to distinguish between them? Will iPhoto recognise libraries where the names have changed?
Many thanks,
Sarah

Iphoto Library Size Too Big

I am getting increasingly nervous over the size of my Iphoto library as it exceeds 60gb. In prior versions of Iphoto you could open and find photos through the finder. In Iphoto8 you can't, so if something happens to that file, or even the backup you are screwed. Is it possible to break this down into more libraries of more manageable size without duplicating everything? Alternatively if I were to use Aperture, would it make a duplicate database or reference Iphoto; I think smaller libraries might be possible there.

cybermooks:
If you're looking for a method to find a photo for use outside of iPhoto then read Terence Devlin's treatise on file access. There's no need to go into the iPhoto Library package to get to an image file.
If you maintain a recent backup of your library, either with Time Machine or a 3rd party backup application like Synk Standard you'll be able to recover a single file or entire library.
Also, in order to be able to recover from what many users are experiencing, corruption of the library's database file, Library6.iPhoto, you should backup that one file frequently. The tip at the end of my signature below describes one way you can do that very easy, like using the Save feature in many applications.
There is a way to create multiple, smaller libraries and that's by using iPhoto Library Manager. However, if you don't have a backup strategy for them you won't be any better off than having one large library.
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.

IPhoto library way too big

iPhone 4S
Using iOS 8.02
Hoping to upgrade to 8.1
The iPhone tells me I have not enough space. Looking at Manage Storage, I'm told my Photo Library is 5.7 GB in size. I have exactly 14 photos in there -- no videos. I did delete a lot of videos just recently and also restarted the iPhone. Is there a temporary trash directory that I have to empty or something?
Any suggestions? Thanks.

When you're thinking of updating the system, the system is saying how much space you need generally in your phone. Meaning you need 4.6GB or whatever the amount in total of free space throughout your phone. This could include photos, videos, messages, the amount of apps you have and their separate data, web data, and etc. almost anything counts, so just keep deleting until you achieve the acquired amount of free space for the update. Hope this helps!

Can a library be too big to share?

I just upgraded to Windows 7 (32 bit) and had to reinstall iTunes (don't know if that is the real issue). My home networked sharing library shows up up however when I select the library to share iTunes thinks for a bit then goes back to the apple icon (like it times out or something). I used to be able to share a library from one computer to another on my home network. I have gone to the computer that has my entire library on it and again I can see my laptop library (which is empty) and seam to be able to access it. Can a library be too big to share?

Hi
Not really understanding - but anyway
.swf - have no idea what that is
.mov - Is NO Video-Codec - but a Container (sort of folder) and can hold Video-Codecs that iMovie can use or not.
Open the .mov - with QuickTime-player (as it can open so many more)
open Inspector [cmd+I] and read
Video Format (Codec) : nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
Frames per second : YY.yy
WHAT does they read ?
iMovie has one very bad thing going - It tries to open Video-Codecs that it really can not use - so all kind of strange behaviors can occur. No Sound / Only Sound no picture etc.
So knowing the true Video-Codec IS VERY IMPORTANT.
Yours Bengt W

Why is the iPhoto Library file so big?

Why is the iPhoto Library File so big?
I cancelled the option in settings that it copies the files to the Library but the LIbrary file grows and grows when I import new photos?
Can someone help me?

You have disabled "Copy items to the iPhoto Library"?
Then the original image files should not be imported; you can check this by selecting one of the recently imported photos and using the command "File > Reveal in Finder > Original File". Does it show you a file outside the library?
Your library will grow in size, when you import and edit photos, even if the originals are not included. iPhoto will store thumbnails of your photos, previews of the edited versions, of the faces, and if you sync your library with iTunes, there will also be an iPod Photo cache, that can be quite large:
iTunes: Understanding the iPod Photo Cache folder
You know, that disabling "Copy items to the iPhoto Library" is quite risky, don't you? Just in case you are not aware of the risks - iPhoto does provide no tools at all, if the connection between your referenced original files and your thumbnails in iPhoto gets broken. Or if you need to move your photos to a different drive, when the drive fails, as will happen one day. You will not be able to migrate the library to a new computer or restoring from your backup will be difficult. You will need third party apps like iPhoto Library Manager to recover from such a situation.
If you need to free space on your mac it is much safer to move the whole library to an external drive, or to split it and relocate the partial library with the older photos to an external drive.
-- Léonie

I have 1250 songs, a few videos in my ITunes library. I tried to synch with my IPhone 3g last night but it said my library is too big. Is that true?

I have about 1250 songs and a few music videos in my ITunes library. Last night I tried to synch with my IPhone 3G but I got a message that my library is too big to synch it all. Is that true? How many songs can fit on an IPhone 3G. Thanks for any help.

Look down at the bottom of your Itunes player and check the total size of your library. If the gigs are more than what your iphone will hold that error message will pop up. My suspicion is it that you have some very large video files and those take up a lot of space. To get more room, delete some of those video files and covert your music files to 128, if larger. Then resync your iphone. Also if you are using .wav files, covert those to mp3 @ 128

Can an iPhoto library that does not exist be recreated from the AlbumData.xml file?

Our iMac hard drive recently got corrupted and we hadn't backed up. (I know, I know, stupid, stupid, stupid. Won't make that mistake again!) The comptuer folk we took it too were able to recover most of the data on the drive, but my iPhoto library was not one of them. I don't have the library - the file is gone. But I do have the AlbumData.xml file. Is there any way to recreate the library from that file alone? I've tried it with iPhoto Library Manager and it wants me to have a default library for which this file is associated. I don't have that. Is there any way to get this data back? Some friends had trusted us with their wedding pictures. (I know, I know, stupid, stupid, and again, stupid. They won't make that mistake again!) I'd really, really, love to get them back if it's at all possible from this one file I do have.
Thanks in advance for any help!

No
iPhoto is a SQL database and you can only create the database (the iPhoto library) using a SQL editor - using iPhoto is the best
The database has many components and all of them must be there with exact names and in an exact structure to work
The only way you could rereate the library is from the photos (depending on the version of iPhoto you had they would have been in the originals or masters folder)
And yes - it is unfortuante but you have learned the most simple and basic lesson of computers - If you do not have a good current backup (I have multiple daily backups plus occasional offsite backups) you will eventually lose all of your data including your photos
LN

Can the iPhoto Library package file be recreated?

I recently moved my iPhoto library to a new LaCie solid state external hard drive, because it had reached 130GB in size and was taking up too much space on my hard drive. My iPhoto library has 30,000 photos with lots of events, smart albums and metadata (faces, keywords, etc.). Unfortunately the external hard drive failed and I had to pay for data recovery services. When I got the external hard drive back, the Masters folders were all there with my photos, but the iPhoto Library package file seems to be missing. Is there anyway to recreate the iPhoto Library package to include all the files AND the associated metadata?
I found instructions on how to start from scratch by importing the Masters...but this method does not retain metadata. Any ideas would be really appreciated. Worst case scenario, I can go back to a Time Machine back-up from June 2014 and use that as a starting point, but I'd much rather not have to take that route.

but the iPhoto Library package file seems to be missing.
You cannot recreate the iphoto library package from your Masters folder. It is an intricate web of linked files. Use your most recent backup as a starting point, and then add the newer files from your recovered Masters folder.

IPhoto library is tooooo big and klunky - help!

My iPhoto library package is 99.18 gb, for about 42,000 images. It's just too slow to load or work with, and it slows everything else down. Plugging in my iPhone means waiting 5 or more minutes for iPhoto to get going and read the photos on the phone before I can do anything else. Same for offloading photos from my camera.
I use Blurb to make photobooks which requires the iPhoto library to live on the internal HD so I can't move this off to an external drive.
I am concerned about how to get this under control, speed things back up to normal and keep everything working well. I am very worried about any corruption of the metadata. I used to have an automator db backup written by someone on this forum (Old Toad? Apologies for forgetting who made the script)... originally that worked but it no longer performs the db backup.
Any suggestions from you iPhoto powerusers? I'm at a loss.
Thanks for any advice.

I've got a 320gb hd with 35gb free, and I think it's 2gb of RAM (at work now and
can't remember exactly...)
Well that's plenty of disk space.
For metadata backups in iPhoto '09, where does that get stored?
Same as in every version of iPhoto - in the main Database file. Added metadata only gets written to the file on export.
As for Blurb, I used to have my iPhoto library on an external drive but Blurb has a functionality that opens the library from within their bookmaking software, which is great, but if the library is on an external drive it can't find it. No option to 'point' to it either. That may have changed in more recent iterations of their software, but I am not aware of that so far.
I would certainly check for an update. If they are doing this they are not using an approved API for integrating with iPhoto, and they should. The location of the Library makes not a whit of difference to any other app and shouldn't to these guys either.
Regards
TD

Can an iPhoto library be used/shared on multiple macs?

I have a MacBook Pro and a MacMini and I want both to have the same iPhoto library so I do not have to identify faces and geo-tag the same pictures again. Is this possible?

There is a way. If the two Macs are on a wired LAN the library can be placed on an external HD connected to one of the Mac so both can access the same library, but not a the same time. The EHD should be formatted as follows:
It is not advisable to access the library wirelessly as dropouts do occur and if one does while editing a photo or writhing to the library's database file the library can be damaged. The likelihood of that is high.
OT

The hard drive on our laptop crashed was able to transfer all for 2 users files etc to another mac. got it fixed 80,000 photos were transferred back but iphoto library for 1 user is empty now. can this iphoto library be recovered?

The hard drive on our laptop crashed and we took it to the apple store and they said we can transfer all files photos and videos over to another mac laptop via a special cable. We did that and everything for the two users transferred over to the other laptop fine including 80,000 photos. We got the laptop fixed and my husband transferred everything back to our laptop. In his profile (he’s the administrator) his iPhoto library has all 7900 of his photos in it as well as all his events and albums that he created prior to it crashing. It’s organized exactly how he had it; however, in my profile, my iPhoto library is empty. I had over 9,000 photos in it and like 65 events and a couple of albums and it’s completely empty yet when he transferred everything back to our mac, he it showed that 80,000 photos were transferred as well. Do you know where all those photos could possibly be stored?

Yes you can move the book but not by exporting
The book is just entries in the iPhoto database so the only way to transfer it is ot transfer the entire library it is in - you can make a "mini" library containing only one book to make the transfer easier - see Old Toad's tutorial #9 - http://oldtoadstutorials.net/No._9.html
You also can save a PDF of the book and transfer that but you can not edit pr process it
LN

Can an iPhoto Library be copied from Retina back to Non-Retina?

Does anyone know if I would be able to copy an iPhoto library from a Retina Macbook Pro to a non-Retina Mac?
I remember when upgrading to the Retna MacBook Pro, iPhoto upgraded all of my Thimbnails...
Has anyone tried this?

Sure -- connect the systems and drag the iPhoto library intact as a single entity to the pictures foolder of the other system and launch iPhoto (it must be the same or newer as the iPhoto on the original system)
LN

Can 1 iPhoto library (on an external drive) be used on 2 different Macs?

I want to keep my iPhoto library only on my Time Capsule. But I would like all the Macs in my house to be able to use the same library. *I'm not talking about sharing.* I would like it if I could add photo's from my Mac mini and photos from my iMac to the same single library. Is this possible?

Yes it is possible, but - and this is a rather large one - using iPhoto with a wireless connection to the Library is very risky. Wireless connections have a lot of small drop outs - it’s just part and parcel of wireless networking. If one such dropout occurs while the app is writing to the DB, then the database file will be corrupted. I simply would not recommend using the app in that configuration.
Regards
TD

Can't backup: Photo Library size too big

Hey gang,
I've got about 20 pictures on my phone but it keeps saying that I've got 1.4GB of data in iPhoto when I go in to manage my backups. How can I get it to display the accurate photo information. My phone will NOT Back up and I don't have anywhere near 1.4GB. It's like it's trying to FORCE me to upgrade my iCloud storage and it's unfair.
Any input appreciated, thanks,
Dan P.

What version of iPhoto?

Can an iPhoto Library be too big?

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