Cleaning up iphoto libraries

Hi, I've been afraid I would wipe out my iphoto library trying to free up some hard drive space. I actually did in iTunes. Fortunately I had a recent back up. How do you clean up what appears to be multiple iphoto libraries/library locations without losing access to your pictures? Can you do the same in iTunes? Can you back up to external discs. Do a AppZap or something, re-load software and then instal library from the backup on disc?
What is the best method?
Thanks,
Tammy

Hi again Tammy!
This is what I did... I COPY & PASTED my entire Pictures Folder to my external HD, 100% of everything you need for iPhoto will be located here in the Pictures folder, you are just giving your iPhoto Library a new home/location. You do not need to copy any other apps etc...
Next, while holding down the OPTION key, I open iPhoto, a dialog will appear, quit - create - choose, select choose and now navigate to the iPhoto folder on my external and open. From now on, iPhoto will always open to this location. Only after a few times of successfully using iPhoto on your external would I consider deleting the iPhoto Library folder on your Mac HD. You should also know, that you can have more than 1 iPhoto Library...
It's a relatively simple procedure, but some knowledge is required and unless you thoroughly understand I would recommend find a friend/person to help out.
Another thing to think about, is the "worthiness and dependability" of your external HD, if one day it fails, you will need to get a service that can recover your info. I have friends that back up to multiple external HD's, abating the fear of any HD failure (-:
Rick

Similar Messages

How do you combine mutable iphoto libraries and clean up duplicates

how do you combine multiple iphoto libraries and clean up duplicates

If not the only answer is the paid version of iPhoto Library Manager -http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/ - and maybe duplicate annihaliator -http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/18748/duplicate-annihilator
You must have IPLM as stated - you may also need DA depending on how thing go with the merge
LN

Can I merge multiple iPhoto libraries in the new Photo's app. This was not possible in iPhoto but is possible in Aperture.

Now that iPhoto is 'Photos' on 10.10.3 is it possible to merge multiple iPhoto libraries. It is possible to this this in Aperture but not in iPhoto (I'm using 10.10.2 and can't upgrade until other software I use is qualified for 10.10.3). Here's the deal - I changed my drive to an SSD and backed up my old hard drive (which had the original iPhoto library on it. I did a clean install with my new drive so iPhoto created a new (blank) library. This upgrade was done a few months ago so now I have 2 different iPhoto libraries. Note that the newer library is connected to iCloud and if I was to 'Switch Libraries' it will delete my current photo stream. There is a way to do this manually - I could switch to the old library and locate the root folders in the 'newer library', move them to a new folder and import. This procedure is awkward and not my preferred route. So if there's anyone using the new 'Photos' app on 10.10.3 please let me know thanks!

To merge the libraries manually use "File > Export".
To save the high quality originals, set the export panel like this, with "Kind Original":
If you have edited versions with added titles, caption, places, etc, use these export settings to save your work:

How to unify multiple iPhoto libraries from different Mac OS versions?

I am pretty good with the Mac itself and have been a long time user. I knew full well acumulating multiple iphoto libraries in older backups (intead of building up on one) was not a great idea but for several reasons I have had to live that way. Now is the time to clean it all up once and for all and I need some wisdom;
-I got my external drive as my new iphoto library now. It's being used, there are already albums in it and it's ready to accept older libraries.
-What I want is that the older libraries (about 10 of them from different Mac OS versions) to show up in the new external drive as they looked in iphot back then. As albums in other words.
-I do not want them imported in a single folder that's full of photos.
Any help is much appreciated,
Cheers.
M

If you imported a previous iphoto library into your new one, it created a folder inside the iphoto called "imported".
That was the problem. One should never import one library into another. Only iPhoto 6 libraries and earlier can be imported into a library now. With the introduction of iPhoto 7 the library was changed from a folder to a package which can't be imported by the current iPhoto version.
To use an older library with a new iPhoto version one just opens that library with iPhoto and lets iPhoto update it as necessary. No importing necessary.
Also you can use the paid verson of iPhoto Library Manager to merge those additional libraries into your current working library (be sure to have a current backup of your current library before merging). What will be included are albums, Events, keywords, titles, descriptions, places. Books, slideshows, calendars in the other libraries will be copied over as just albums.
OT

How can I search for duplicate photos in iPhoto libraries?

How can I search for duplicate photos in iPhoto 9.5.1 library. Installed on iMac 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5, Mavericks 10.9.5.

These applications will identify and help remove duplicate photos from an iPhoto Library:
iPhoto Library Manager - $29.95
Duplicate Annihilator - $7.95 - only app able to detect duplicate thumbnail files or faces files when an iPhoto 8 or earlier library has been imported into another.
PhotoSweeper - $9.95 - This app can search by comparing the image's bitmaps or histograms thus finding duplicates with different file names and dates.
DeCloner - $19.95 - can find duplicates in iPhoto Libraries or in folders on the HD.
DupliFinder - $7 - shows which events the photos are in.
iPhoto AppleScript to Remove Duplicates - Free
PhotoDedupo - $4.99 (App Store) - this app has a "similar" search feature which is like PhotoSweeper's bitmap comparison. It found all duplicates
Duplicate Cleaner for iPhoto - free - was able to recognize the duplicated HDR and normal files from an iPhone shooting in HDR
Some users have reported that PhotoSweeper did the best in finding all of the dups in their library: iphoto has duplicated many photos, how...: Apple Support Communities.
If you have an iPhone and have it set to keep the normal photo when shooting HDR photos the two image files that are created will be duplicates in a manner of speaking (same image) but there are only twp apps that detected the iPhone HDR and normal photos as being duplicates: PhotoSweeper and Duplicate Cleaner for iPhoto. None of the other apps detected those two files as being duplicates as they look for file name as well as other attributes and the two files from the iPhone have different file names.
iPLM, however, is the best all around iPhoto utility as it can do so much more than just find duplicates. IMO it's a must have tool if using iPhoto.

What is the best app for identifying and removing duplicates from iPhoto Libraries/Pictures?

I have five iPhoto Libraries (original, default merged, etc.) I've tried using iPhoto Library Manager, but I seem to be digging a deeper hole. Also, question about the 15,000 faces: Are these taking up space on my hard drive? I gather I cannot easily remove them from libraries. Taking photos at concerts, sporting events, etc. just creates more faces in iPhoto; frankly, I could do without ANY FACE DETECTION!

These applications will identify and help remove duplicate photos from an iPhoto Library:
iPhoto Library Manager - $29.95
Duplicate Annihilator - $7.95 - only app able to detect duplicate thumbnail files or faces files when an iPhoto 8 or earlier library has been imported into another.
PhotoSweeper - $9.95 - This app can search by comparing the image's bitmaps or histograms thus finding duplicates with different file names and dates.
DeCloner - $19.95 - can find duplicates in iPhoto Libraries or in folders on the HD.
DupliFinder - $7 - shows which events the photos are in.
iPhoto AppleScript to Remove Duplicates - Free
PhotoDedupo - $4.99 (App Store) - this app has a "similar" search feature which is like PhotoSweeper's bitmap comparison. It found all duplicates
Duplicate Cleaner for iPhoto - free - was able to recognize the duplicated HDR and normal files from an iPhone shooting in HDR
Some users have reported that PhotoSweeper did the best in finding all of the dups in their library: iphoto has duplicated many photos, how...: Apple Support Communities.
If you have an iPhone and have it set to keep the normal photo when shooting HDR photos the two image files that are created will be duplicates in a manner of speaking (same image) but there are only twp apps that detected the iPhone HDR and normal photos as being duplicates: PhotoSweeper and Duplicate Cleaner for iPhoto. None of the other apps detected those two files as being duplicates as they look for file name as well as other attributes and the two files from the iPhone have different file names.
iPLM, however, is the best all around iPhoto utility as it can do so much more than just find duplicates. IMO it's a must have tool if using iPhoto.

I have several iphoto libraries i would like to merge and delete duplicates

i have several iphoto libraries i would like to merge and delete duplicates

The only way to merger libraries is to use the paid version of iPhoto Library Manager . The paid version also has a duplicate finder feature that can identify duplicates.
If you have the latest versions of iPhoto AND Aperture you can merge libraries with Aperture.
These additional applications will identify and help remove duplicate photos from an iPhoto Library:
iPhoto Library Manager - $29.95 (also mergers libraries).
Duplicate Annihilator - $7.95 - only app able to detect duplicate thumbnail files or faces files when an iPhoto 8 or earlier library has been imported into another.
PhotoSweeper - $9.95 - This app can search by comparing the image's bitmaps or histograms thus finding duplicates with different file names and dates.
DeCloner - $19.95 - can find duplicates in iPhoto Libraries or in folders on the HD.
DupliFinder - $7 - shows which events the photos are in.
iPhoto AppleScript to Remove Duplicates - Free
PhotoDedupo - $4.99 (App Store) - this app has a "similar" search feature which is like PhotoSweeper's bitmap comparison. It found all duplicates
Duplicate Cleaner for iPhoto - free - was able to recognize the duplicated HDR and normal files from an iPhone shooting in HDR
Some users have reported that PhotoSweeper did the best in finding all of the dups in their library: iphoto has duplicated many photos, how...: Apple Support Communities.
If you have an iPhone and have it set to keep the normal photo when shooting HDR photos the two image files that are created will be duplicates in a manner of speaking (same image) but there are only twp apps that detected the iPhone HDR and normal photos as being duplicates: PhotoSweeper and Duplicate Cleaner for iPhoto. None of the other apps detected those two files as being duplicates as they look for file name as well as other attributes and the two files from the iPhone have different file names.
iPLM, however, is the best all around iPhoto utility as it can do so much more than just find duplicates. IMO it's a must have tool if using iPhoto.

Can I have two iPhoto libraries open simultaneously?

I have four different iPhoto libraries and one is corrupted. Parts of it are still intact so I want to clean up the corrupted library and also remove the duplicates among my four libraries. Is there a way to have two libraries open at the same time? Thank you! Noreen

Thanks Terence. Any suggestion on how I could go about cleaning out the duplicate events? Is there a way to generate a list of event names that I could then print out?
I assume that I would not be able to have one library open on the computer and one from an external HD? (That would be too easy.)
Thanks for your help! Noreen

Want to save files, documents, bookmarks, iTunes and iPhoto libraries, each in separate folders to external hard drive prior to full sweep and overwrite for the purpose of full sweep of Macbook?

Never done this before and cannot find a manual for OS X 10.7.5 Lion. Basically I want to clean my 2009 Macbook6,1 as though I were selling it and start out fresh but before I attempt it I want to stash my contents (Files, Documents, Bookmarks, iTunes and iPhoto libraries to my external Hard Drive, all in separate folders to return them to Macbook after the full sweep and big overwrite. Can anyone help me?

That may not be the best approach (see below).
Format the drive for a Mac (see #1 in Using Disk Utility if you're not sure how).
Create the folders you want on it.
Open a second Finder window and drag what you want from one to the other.
If you only copy the stuff listed, you'll lose your AddressBook, Mail, Calendars, preferences, and probably all sorts of other things.
A better option might be to back up your entire system, either with Time Machine or one of the "cloning" apps. Then you can restore selectively from TM, or copy selectively from the clone.

How reliable is Systweak Duplicate Cleaner for iPhoto?

How reliable is Systweak Duplicate Cleaner for iPhoto?

Here're the cleaning apps I've tested on a limited basis:
These applications will identify and help remove duplicate photos from an iPhoto Library:
iPhoto Library Manager - $29.95
PhotoSweeper - $9.95 - This app can search by comparing the image's bitmaps or histograms thus finding duplicates with different file names and dates.
Duplicate Annihilator - $7.95 - only app able to detect duplicate thumbnail files or faces files when an iPhoto 8 or earlier library has been imported the library.
DeCloner - $19.95 - can find duplicates in iPhoto Libraries or in folders on the HD.
DupliFinder - $7 - shows which events the photos are in.
iPhoto AppleScript to Remove Duplicates - Free
PhotoDedupo - $4.99 (App Store) - this app has a "similar" search feature which is like PhotoSweeper's bitmap comparison. It found all duplicates
Duplicate Cleaner for iPhoto - free - was able to recognize the duplicated HDR and normal files from an iPhone shooting in HDR
Some users have reported that PhotoSweeper did the best in finding all of the dups in their library: iphoto has duplicated many photos, how...: Apple Support Communities.
If you have an iPhone and have it set to keep the normal photo when shooting HDR photos the two image files that are created will be duplicates in a manner of speaking (same image) but there are only twp apps that detected the iPhone HDR and normal photos as being duplicates: PhotoSweeper and Duplicate Cleaner for iPhoto. None of the other apps detected those two files as being duplicates as they look for file name as well as other attributes and the two files from the iPhone have different file names.
iPLM, however, is the best all around iPhoto utility as it can do so much more than just find duplicates. IMO it's a must have tool if using iPhoto.

HT1229 I have several iPhoto libraries. How can I combine them to make one?e new library?

I have several iPhoto libraries. How can I combine them to make one?

iPhoto Library Manager - http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/ -
or the current version of Aperture can merge libaries from the current version of iPhoto
LN

Have THREE iPhoto Libraries...How can I combine them? Plus most ALIASES!

I have read some of the forum topics that I hope can help me. I have iPhoto 2 and when I messed up my iBook OS 10.2.8, I lost the iPhoto ( about 2K pictures :-()
Now i have the 'puter back but still missing the iPhoto. I have found Three(3) iPhoto Libraries with "Find"...all are just labeled "iPhoto Library".NONE have numbers after the iPhoto Library...each has a different amount of "items" listed as being in the folder. 156 items, 126 items, and 30 items . ALL have photos NOT in the other Library folders.
All three have different pathways:
156 items:(user name)/Desktop 2/iPhoto folder-12/07**/iPhoto Library;
127 items:(user name)/Desttop 2/iPoto folder1/26/08**all alias/ iPhoto Library;
30 items: (user name)/Pictures 2/iPhoto 2/iPhoto Library.
My question is:
1. Is there a simple way to combine these so I have ONE iPhoto Library with ALL the photos in it???
2. Most, not all, of the photos are "Aliases" but I can see the photos in "Preview"..but can't move them into an iPhoto blank folder.
I gather I need to solve the "Alias" problem FIRST? right?I need to match the "Aliases" with their originals...
Then hopefully move photos into the largest iPhoto Library with the 156 items in it. Is there a simple way to do this???

OK...so I now have the MAJOR iPhoto Lib. I thought I'd lost (thanks to all your help steerin' me in the right direction).:-)
I want to get the photos FROM the other two smaller Libraries and switch them to the BIG Lib. I now have....Is there a KB that will tell me how to do that...without having to move the BIG Library I have retrieved???
Like, can I move the smaller Lib.s to the desktop and take out the photos by dragging them into the BIG iPhoto Lib.?...as there are many duplicates in the two smaller Lib.s that I don't need to add to the BIG iPhoto Library.
The iPhoto Help " Switching between photo libraries"sez
"1. Quit iPhoto;
2. Rename your current Photo Library folder in the Finder or move it to a new location on your HD.;
3 Open iPhoto;
4 Click Find Library;
5.Choose the library you want to display.;
6. Click open.
The library appears in the iPhoto viewing area."
I DO NOT want to switch between lib.s, I want to MOVE photos FROM the smaller lib.s to the BIG iPhoto Library, so I will have only ONE iPhoto Lib. to deal with.Consolidation NOT switching....
Am I making sense here?????

Multiple iPhoto Libraries

I have over 25,000 photos and use several iPhoto libraries to manage and organize them. One library lives on my Powerbook 17" hard drive and the others are on external FW800 drives.
Because I take so many photos away from home, I usually import photos to my Powerbook library temporarily, then transfer them to one of the libraries I have on the external HDs in my studio and delete them from the PB.
One library consists only of photos I have taken for a client, another contains family photos, a third one is abstract and artistic photos, a fourth is all antique cars, a fifth all nudes, etc...
I would like to be able to include some photo albums from each library on my 60G iPod Color. Is there a way to do this without combining all of my photos into the same library?
I guess what I am asking is: is it possible to get photos from multiple libraries on the same iPod at the same time? if so, how?
If not, is there a way for me to create an iPhoto library that consists of photo aliases (I don't want to import duplicates of the photos to include on the iPod) and then use that library to sync with the iPod?
PB G4 17, G3 Pismo, Yosemite, iMacDV Mac OS X (10.4.1)

you should probably post this question in the iPhoto Forum
http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=143

I am migrating to a new iMac via TimeMachine back up. My iPhoto libraries are on external drive. I'd like to migrate only the internal hard drive data to the new internal Drive then just plug in iPhoto library drive. Is this going be a problem?

I am migrating to a new iMac via TimeMachine back up. My iPhoto libraries are on an external drive. Both drives are backed up on Time Machine. I'd like to migrate only the old internal hard drive data to the new internal Drive and then just plug in iPhoto library drive to the new iMac. This would save having to transfer several hundred GBs of data. Will this work using Set Up Assistant?

Your user account on the new Mac must have a different UID than on the old one. See the pink box in Problems after using Migration Assistant for an explanation.
You'll need to change the permissions on the iPhoto library on the external HD. Do a Get Info on it, click the padlock at the bottom of the Sharing & Permissions section of the Info window and enter your Admin password.
Then click the plus sign, select the user account you want on the next screen, and click Select. Then change Read only to Read & Write for that user via the little arrows. Finally, click the "gear" icon and select Apply to enclosed items. That may take a few mintutes on a large library.

Trying to backup one of my iPhoto libraries I keep getting a error message that basically says that the file could not be backed up because there is another file on the external drive with the same name, etc. There is no other file.

While trying to copy one of my iPhoto libraries to an external hard drive I get the following error message "You can’t copy “iPhoto Library old” because it has the same name as another item on the destination volume, and that volume doesn’t distinguish between upper- and lowercase letters in filenames." There is no other file on the external drive with this name. I have asked this question before and was told that there are some duplicate photos (files) in my library and I needed to go to "show file contents" and look at certain files to find duplicates and delete the duplicates. I did all of this and the library will still not copy and always stops copying in the exact same place on each attempt. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

You've been deleting your actual Photos.
Don't change anything in the iPhoto Library Folder via the Finder or any other application. iPhoto depends on the structure as well as the contents of this folder. Moving things, renaming things, deleting them or otherwise making changes will prevent iPhoto from working and could even cause you to damage or lose your photos.
Best way forward now is to recover the surviving Originals from this library and start over from scratch.
Regards
TD

Cleaning up iphoto libraries

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for