Creating backups for iPhoto library

I am using an iMac with Mt. Lion as noted below along with iPhoto 11, v. 9.4.3. I wish to backup the iPhoto Library which is currently 13.72 GB. I know that whatever device I get to do it with will need to be reformatted to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and I am clear on how to do that. I am thinking about using a flash drive, such as something from the Sandisk Cruzer line, probably one of the 32 GB models. I have read that it can be slow to copy. Last night I sent a copy of the Library to a Mac Mini that lives in the same room using AirDrop - it took a bit over half an hour which was no problem. I still want, however, to have a copy in a location away from the house, one that I would need to update from time to time of course, most efficiently by having two drives that get swapped out with each other periodically.
Is this a workable plan? Are there better flash drives that should be considered? If a flash drive is not a good idea, why not and what would be better? I am trying to keep the cost down, but I also want it to work.

If you are looking to store your iPhoto library on Flash Drives (as well as saving to an external hard drive, the fastest read/write Flash drives for reasonable costs, look at Patriot Rage Flash Drives. You can get these in Red in USB 2.0 models as Rage XT USB 2.0 Flash Drives OR you can use Patriot Rage blue USB 3.0 flash drives, instead. According to some third party Flash Drive reviews USB 3.0 Flash drives will read/write a little faster when using a USB 2.0 connection.
You can find these on Amazon. I only have experience and knowledge on Patriot Rage style Flash drives as these are the most reasonably price flash drives that offer faster read/write speeds than other better known brands of USB flash drives.

Similar Messages

How do I backup my iPhoto library to the iCloud?

How do I backup my iPhoto library to the iCloud?

You can only backup the iPhoto libraries on iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPad) to iCloud, not the iPhoto Libraries on a Mac. Use Time Machine to backup your iPhoto Library or create clones of the drives with iPhoto Libraries.
This will change next year, when the new Photos.app will be released for Mac on the new MacOS X 10.10. Then you will be able to store the photo library in the cloud and access it from all your devices.

How do I backup my iPhoto Library to an external hard drive and keep my photos grouped by their events?

How can I backup my iPhoto Library to an external hard drive and keep my photos grouped by their events?

I have attempted to make sure my iPhoto library has been backed up on the external hard drive and that it is safe to delete some events from my internal hard drive
You need to think this through.
Time Machine is a back up application. It keeps a rolling back up of the data. It's called rolling because it means you can revert to the data you had on a specific date and time. But that's not eternal, and as time goes by, and your drive fills up, older backups are deleted. So if you delete Events on your Mac they will - eventually - also be deleted from the Time Machine back up.
If you wan tot archive data hendon't use Time Machine for that job. Here's how you might archive an iPhoto 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

I just created a new iPhoto library with holding the option key down and then opening iPhoto with version 7.1.5. I changed the name of the first library to iPhoto library 1 and now I all my photos are gone. My operating system is Mavericks.

I just created a new iPhoto library with holding the option key down and then opening iPhoto with version 7.1.5. I changed the name of the first library to iPhoto library 1 and now I all my photos are gone. My operating system is Mavericks.

launch iPhoto wile holding down the option key and select the original library - when you create a new library of course it is empty
And you seriously need to backup your iPhoto library and purchase and install iPhoto '11 version 9.5.x from the App store and download and run the iPhoto library upgraded \then run the new iPhoto - 7.1.5 is not fully compatible with Mavericks
LN
PS you also need to update your profile - it states that you have OS X 10.6.8

I have many photos on my computer. I have backed up the computer to an external harddrive. When I go into the external harddrive, how do I find the many albums I have stored/created in my iphoto library?

I have many photos on my computer. I have backed up the computer to an external harddrive. When I go into the external harddrive, how do I find the many albums I have stored/created in my iphoto library?

You can't view your photos in the iPhoto library in Time Machine vis the Finder. You must enter Time Machine, go back in time to the library you want to restore and restore it?
One can only restore an entire library from TM:
OT

Can't open iphoto in airbook. Asking to upgrade then says must rebuild library then warning about missing files. When click rebuild all I get is continued- waiting for iphoto library- and, never rebuilds

can't open iphoto in airbook. Asking to upgrade then says must rebuild library then warning about missing files. When click rebuild all I get is continued- waiting for iphoto library- and, never rebuilds

-1.The photo library needs to be upgraded to work with this version of iPhoto.
Your photo library will not be readable by previous versions of iPhoto after the upgrade. The upgrade process for very large libraries may take an hour or more to complete.
2. iPhoto is unable to open this library.
The library has issues that require rebuilding to correct
3. Warning
Would you like to rebuild the library "iPhoto Library"?
The library "iPhoto Library" is missing required database files and must be rebuilt before it can be opened.
4. Waiting for iPhoto library
iPhoto will open as soon as the iPhoto library is available
Time Machine might be backing it up

IMovie gets stuck while creating thumbnails for iPhoto Videos

Hello,
I've just got iLife 09. When I opened iMovie (with all the latest patches) it asked me if I want to create iPhoto thumbnaisl. I said yes and iMovie started to do something. At a certrain point the progress bar stopped moving and didn't move until I killed iMovie. If I do the same now, not even the progress bar show up and "remaining time" keeps empty.
Can anyone tell me how to convince iMovie to create those thumbnails?
My iPhoto contains about 6000 images and 42 iPhone movies.
Thanks
Bernd

Give this sequence a try, it may help you isolate your issue:
_*RUN SOFTWARE UPDATE*_
Before starting the steps below, make sure you are running the latest software update.
_*REMOVE 3RD PARTY PLUGINS*_
Some 3rd party plugins may be interfering with iMovie.
Here are the only 2 files IN MY QUICKTIME FOLDER:
. . . . . . . . . . . . / Library / QuickTime / AppleIntermediateCodec.component
. . . . . . . . . . . . / Library / QuickTime / AppleMPEG2Codec.component
If you do have more than the 2 files listed above, temporarily move the "NON APPLE" components outside of the QuickTime folder, Reboot the Mac.
_*TEMPORARILY CREATE A NEW IPHOTO LIBRARY*_
_ Quit all your Apps
_ Hold-down the [Option] key and click on the iPhoto icon
_ Click "Create New.." and enter a new iPhoto Library name -- I used "Empty_Library"
_ Click "Save"
_ Quit iPhoto
_*FRESH LAUNCH OF IMOVIE*_
_ Delete the iMovie Plist: /Users/ {your username} /Library/Preferences/com.apple.iMovie8.plist
_ Launch iMovie
Does iMovie starts-up properly without your old iPhoto Library?
If so, your old iPhoto Library may contain a video file / files that are not compatible with iMovie.
_*TRY RE-LOADING YOUR OLD IPHOTO LIBRARY*_
_ Quit all your Apps
_ Hold-down the [Option] key and click on the iPhoto icon
_ Select your old iPhoto Library from the list
_ Click "Choose"
_ Quit iPhoto
_ Launch iMovie
Does iMovie starts-up properly with your old iPhoto Library?
If not, try removing the bad video file / files from your iPhoto Library (if you know which one it is).
Just make sure to back-up those files before removing them from your iPhoto Library.
Let me know if that helps.

Waiting for iPhoto Library

When I launch iPhoto 9.1.1 I'm getting a dialog that says:
"Waiting for iPhoto Library
"iPhoto will open as soon as the iPhoto library is available
Time Machine might be backing it up."
But, I've never used Time Machine on this Mac and it is turned off in System Preferences.
What is this message trying to tell me?
How can I mark my album as ready to use?
Thank you for your time and attention.
- nello

Never mind.
I rebooted and all is well now.

I recently created a new iPhoto library, why does it now show 2 iPhoto libraries the same and 1 being my new one when I hold option and open iPhoto at the same time?

I recently created a new iphoto library. It seems now that when I hold down the option key and open iphoto I now have 2 iphoto libraries (both the same library) as well as my new library which is now my default as I intended but why would I now have 2 listed the same in this box? When I go to finder>pictures there is only the 2!! I hope I am making sense!

Try the following to see if you can get rid of the ghost:
1 - delete the iPhoto preference file, com.apple.iPhoto.plist, that resides in your
User/Home/Library/ Preferences folder.
2 - delete iPhoto's cache file, Cache.db, that is located in your
User/Home/Library/Caches/com.apple.iPhoto folder (Snow Leopard and Earlier).
or with Lion and Mt. Lion from the User/Library/Containers/com.apple.iPhoto/
Data/Library/Caches/com.apple.iPhoto folder
3 - launch iPhoto and try again.
NOTE 1: 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 down the Option key when launching iPhoto. You'll also have to reset the iPhoto's various preferences.
NOTE 2: In Lion and Mountain Lion the Library folder is now invisible. To make it permanently visible enter the following in the Terminal application window: chflags nohidden ~/Library and hit the Enter button - 10.7: Un-hide the User Library folder.

I need to create a new iPhoto library and import 'ORIGINALS' from a time machine backup on an external hard drive.

I made the mistake of installing OS 10.9 on my older MacBook Air and the machine has become horribly slow and unpredictable. I visited the Apple store and questioned a 'Genius' about getting rid of 10.9 and reinstalling the previous OS 10.6 for which I have the disks. He advised that I should reformat the Air, reinstall 10.6 and then restore from the Time Machine backup that I have.
He explained that of course, after I reinsatll 10.6, I couldn't import the iPhoto Library from the backup drive complete because it had been recreated using the OS 10.9 and wouldn't work with 10.6. I would have to create a new 10.6 iPhoto Library and move the actual ORIGINALS, from the backup into it. He actually had the path to the iPhoto library shown on my Air to the point of >Pictures >iPhoto Library > ORIGINALS.
I didn't question how he got the path to the point of > ORIGINALS and figured that it wouldn't take too much to do what he suggested. Now I can't find how to get to point of seeing the ORIGINALS in the path. When I go through the path >Pictures >iPhoto Library, the next column shows me the iPhoto Library icon and the info re size, creation date etc.
Can anyone advise how to get to the 'ORIGINALS' in order to import them and does anyone have any further suggestions that might help in completing this procedure ?
Thanks, in advance, for any assistance available.
p.s. is there any way of looking at a Time Machine backup and finding what O.S. was present when the backup was produced ?

Rather than do that, which means starting over from scratch, losing all your edits, organisation and so on, why not simply use iPhoto Library Manager to revert the Library to the older version? Easier, less destructive.
The instructions on that are here
If you really want to start over: you can access the Originals folder simply by going to your Pictures Folder and finding the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.

I connected an external HD to Time Capsule to use for iPhoto library - can I include it in backup

OK - So my Macbook Pro's 200GB hard drive is cramping my style. I have a 500GB Time Capsule that I use for backups. I have a 1TB Western Digital external HD that I have no connected to the time capsule, and moved my iPhoto library to it.
I'm continuing backup up my Macbook Pro to the Time Capsule hard drive, but I'd like to include the data on the external hard drive.
i can't seem to figure out exactly how to include it. i plan on putting all my pictures and videos on that hard drive, and i'd rather leave it plugged in to the time capsule rather than plugging it in to my macbook every time i need it.
Thoughts?
And - to add to that, can i access the iPhoto library remotely if i am travelling? I know i need to do the OS update to benefit from the cloud services, but i was hoping to figure this out first
running OS X 10.6.8

Why is leaving it connected to the time capsule not recommended?
As LaPastenague previously mentioned, Time Machine cannot backup a network drive, so you have to use yet another application if you want to automate backups.
i just thought it would be nice to have it as "networked attached storage"
It's nice, but again, you have to add more actions to backup the attached drive.
iPhoto has its own requirements as far as libraries, etc. You really should post in the iPhoto support area to let the experts over there sort things out.
iPhoto
Everything is much simpler and more reliable when a drive is connected directly to a Mac, but it's up to you to decide what you want to do.

How do I create a duplicate iPhoto library as a running backup on 2 external drives?

I have moved my iPhoto library onto an external hard drive, but I want to create a backup of iPhoto on an additional external hard drive. My library is too big to keep on my Macbook SSD.
I plan to keep a Carbon Copy Clone going to keep both of my iPhoto libraries synced. I tried to just do a simple copy and paste of the entire iPhoto, but it said that it can't be named the same thing or something.
Help!

Most Simple Back Up:
Drag the iPhoto Library from your Pictures Folder to another Disk. This will make a copy on that disk.
Slightly more complex: Use an app that will do incremental back ups. This is a very good way to work. The first time you run the back up the app will make a complete copy of the Library. Thereafter it will update the back up with the changes you have made. That makes subsequent back ups much faster. Many of these apps also have scheduling capabilities: So set it up and it will do the back up automatically.
Example of such apps: Chronosync - but there are many others. Search on MacUpdate or the App Store

What is the best way to backup my iPhoto library online?

I am new to iPhoto, and I am starting to organize my photos and videos. Once I am done, I would like to create a local backup of them as well as upload them to an online backup service. We are talking about some 80+GB worth of data.
I was thinking about getting an account with CrashPlan, but I was wondering if anyone has any experience with backing up the library online. I read that Mozy backup services doesn't handle iPhoto's library too well because it breaks it up into chunks to store it, but upon wanting to restore, it has a hard time putting it back like it was. With other data, Mozy apparently works fine. But I assume other services work in the same manner, so I thought I'd ask what experience people here have had with this.
I want an automated service, so that I don't to have to manually export the library to a folder each time, to then backup that folder. And of course, I would want that backup to be able to be restored (if needed) back into iPhoto, with all my events, keywords etc. as I have them now. I want both a local and an online backup.
I appreciate any input, ideas or suggestions.

FWIW I don't think there is a good option. There are very large amounts of data involved in an iPhoto Library - tens and even hundreds of gigabytes as your Library grows. We see complaints on here from people waiting days for their back up to download so that they can recover from a problem.
I personally think that multiple hard disks are the way to go.
FWIW my routine:
My Library lives on my iMac. It’s Backed up to two external hard disks every day. These disks are permanently attached to the iMac. These back ups run automatically. One is done by Time Machine, one is a bootable back up done by SuperDuper
It’s also backed up to a portable hard disk when ever new photos are added. This hard disk lives in my car. For security, this disk is password protected.
I have a second off-site back up at a relative’s house across town. That’s updated every 3 or 4 months.
My Photos are backed up online. There are many options: Flickr, Picasa, SmugMug etc. However, check the terms of your account carefully. While most sites have free uploading, you will often find that these uploads are limited in terms of the file size or the bandwidth you can use per month. For access that allows you to upload full size pics with no restrictions you may need to pay.
Every couple of months I test the back ups to make sure they are working correctly. It’s very easy to mis-configure a back up application, and the only way to protect against that is to do a trial restore.

Cannot restore TM backup of iPhoto Library - insufficient privileges

This seems to be a long-standing problem. I am experiencing problems caused by Apple's lousy implementation of user-defined places in iPhoto 11 and cannot afford to test whether reducing the radius of a place that overlaps one hundred or so other user-defined places will solve the problem, because, if it doesn't -- in versions prior to iPhoto 9.4 doing that caused all photos assigned to the overlapped places to be reassigned to the overlapping place, and the only way to undo the damage was to manually assign them to the correct places -- I cannot restore a previous version of iPhoto Library from a Time Machine backup. When I try to, I receive an error message about having insufficient privileges.
Has anybody received a solution to this problem? I have not been impressed with Apple Care. First-level support usually just piddles around creating a new user account in which to try to recreate the problem, and when the case finally is escalated, the agent usually ends up referring the problem to "Engineering", never to be heard from again.
Regards,
Richard

See Pondini's TM FAQs, for starters.

Can I create a second iPhoto library?

I've had a series of serious problems with my iPhoto library.
I've now reached the stage where I want to archive the corrupt library (but still be able to access it) and start a new library.
1) Is it possible to start a new library in iPhoto?
2) Is it likely that if I start a "new" library it will suffer the same corruption problems as my old one?
For info, the corrupt version frequently crashes; loses faces data; and doesn't allow new faces to be added.
I also use Aperture but iPhoto is my primary application.
Thank you

My last words.
Apple's advice may well be good - but I'm not sure that's "Apple's Advice" so much as one employee. And frankly, on here we see reports of advice from Apple Store employees that is inaccurate ("iPhoto is only good for 25k photos, you can't use Photoshop and iPhoto, and others I have seen over the years).
Don't you see that these 15k photos will be in an unsafe environment? You really want to continue with that?
See above where I said
1. Make a Back up.
That means what ever you do you can still return to the current status quo. As long as you have a back up of the current - mucked-up - library, it can't get worse.
So the worst that can happen is nothing changes. The Best that can happen is it gets fixed.
Library Manager is not a plug-in and does not complicate how iPhoto works. It simplifies working with multiple libraries for a start.
And remember what exactly it does:
Download iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. (In Library Manager it's the FIle -> Rebuild command)
This will create an entirely new library. It will then copy (or try to) your photos and all the associated metadata and versions to this new Library, and arrange it as close as it can to what you had in the damaged Library. It does this based on information it finds in the iPhoto sharing mechanism - but that means that things not shared won't be there, so no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your events, albums and keywords, faces and places back.
Because this process creates an entirely new library and leaves your old one untouched, it is non-destructive, and if you're not happy with the results you can simply return to your old one.
So, make a back up - that's one level of protection, and then Library Manager is non-destructive so that's double the protection.
Finally: search the forum. It is no exaggeration to say that Library Manager is recommended on here 50+ times every week for these kinds of problems. See how many folks find themselves worse off after using it.
After that:
The one thing you really cannot do is leave the photos in the damaged library. It is really, really unwise. If you don't want to use Library manager, then create a new Library
Recover the Masters from the damaged one
Import them to the new Library.
To create a new Library:
Hold down the option (or alt) key key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Create Library'

Creating backups for iPhoto library

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