Editing iPhoto library information

I see that the AlbumData.xml file in my iPhoto Library contains all kinds of very useful information that I can "mine" via other programs that read XML. Is it possible, however, to alter the iPhoto Library by editing either that or some other file? For example, I have scans of many old family photos whose names include the people in the photo. I would like to create albums (smart or otherwise) that would give me access to all photos including a certain person. Is there a way to do this programmatically, so I can avoid creating dozens of albums by hand?
MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.8)

psz:
Just duplicate that smart album and edit it to change the one family member name to the new one. I've looked at that file and the time it would take to edit it to do what you want would probably be much longer than creating a smart album or editing an existing one.
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 written 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. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

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Editing iPhoto library in Photoshop CS

When I try to open iPhoto 8 in Photoshop CS, it is greyed out. How can I see my iPhoto pics in Photoshop? Thanks.

liz143:
Welcome to the Apple Discussions. If the edit you make has PS changing the format to psd, then you'll have two options as seen in this screenshot.
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 written 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. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Edit iPhoto library from 2 computers ...

Hi,
I want to edit my iPhoto library from my 2 computers: my iMac and my MacBook Air. I have a Time Capsule that I use for backup purpose with Carbon Copy Cloner but not as Time Machine destination.
I found this link that explains how to be able to edit my iPhoto library from 2 computers. I wonder if I can use my Time Capsule to put my iPhoto library ? I am not able to change the option to «Ignore Permissions on this volume» ... of my Time Capsule.
Can I use my Time Capsule to share my iPhoto library ?
Thanks in advance.
Robert Lespérance

Is there any NAS drive that I can use with the «Ignore Permissions on this volume» selected for this purpose ?
No.
The NAS software will prevent this, and the file system will be wrong.
You need the File System Mac OS Extended (Journaled) to prevent ambiguous filenames and pathnames.
And iPhoto is not supported on network volumes. See http://support.apple.com/en-us/TS5168
iPhoto libraries should be stored on a locally mounted Mac OS X Extended drive for best performance.
You are risking data loss and poor performance on a network volume. iPhoto has not been designed as a network database.

I have an old mpg video file, taken with a very early model "smart phone", that opens and plays fine in my newly "rebuilt" iPhoto library. I cannot open, edit it or share it with any other software. How can I fix it, to be able to do anything with it?

I have an old mpg video file, taken with a very early model "smart phone", that opens and plays fine in my newly "rebuilt" iPhoto library. I cannot open, edit it or share it with any other software. How can I fix it, to be able to do anything with it?
Detail:
I've recently purchaced a 4TB Thunderbolt drive to store my "vast" music and photo libraries. iPhoto had an issue reading the moved library, so I bought and used iPhoto Library Manager to "rebuild" it. Apart from much of the original data such as date taken & camera used etc, it appears to be working well. The aforementioned mpg video was taken some 9 years ago, using an early model "iMate" smart phone, and opens and plays fine on iPhoto, but I cannot open it with anything else, (I've tried iMovie, VLC players, Wondershare and Handbrake) nor can I share it. I just want to edit it, and share it with family.
Any help would be appreciated...

No - not iMovie, VLC, Wondershare or Handbrake... Quick time starts with a "CONVERTING", then I get
I've looked at the "tell me more" links, tried downloading some of the movie players there. I'm begining to think the file is corrupt.
Thanks for getting back to me again though - appreciate it...

Multiple users access one iPhoto library and view and edit

I have 3 Macs and 5 users in our family. I'd like to have one iPhoto library that any user can access from any of the machines and view and/or edit. I don't need simultaneous access (which from reading posts I can see is not possible in iPhoto).
If I move the library to external HD will I be able to access the libary from each Mac over Wi-Fi? From what I read I'd need to hold ALT when opening iPhoto in each user account, on each Mac, and choose the library on the external drive.
If I set it up like this then once photos imported any user can see them, and edit if they want to? Presumably any Projects would be in the one central library rather tan being specific to a particular user?

Yes and no
the hard drive that the iPhoto sits on must be formatted Mac OS extended (jorunaled)
iPhoto is not a multi user program and if two different people edit atthe same time it will not wrok correctly
Most importantly WiFi is not a reliable connection and has many dropouts - if you edit over WiFi you are highly likely to lose data and corrupt yoru library - it is not a good idea - viewing is slow but will work
LN

Sharing iPhoto library in /Users/Shared doesn't allow all users to edit all photos

I share a laptop with my wife. We have two separate user accounts on the MacBook Pro. I've moved iPhoto to /Users/Shared in an effort to allow both users the option to EDIT photos in iPhoto.
How do I modify the permissions so that we can both edit photos no matter who uploads them?
The MBP is running Mavericks (10.9.1) and iPhoto is up to date (9.5.1).

Hi Larry - you seem to know what you are doing! Can I butt in with a question?
I have a large (75Gb) iPhoto library (all my family photos since 2003) on a MBA (2011) which I use for work. This Christmas I have bought a new MBA (2013) for family use and want to transfer everything over to the new MBA so that the rest of the family can (1) look at (and use (i.e. email, export, etc but not edit)) them and (2) have their own libraries in their own user directories without cluttering up 'my' shared one.
I was planning on putting the library into -users/me/public. Would this work? Or do you have a better idea?
Thanks in advance.

How do I import an old iphoto library from an external hard disk while keeping my editing and organization in tact?

I am running iPhoto '08 on a MacBook Pro 2.2 GHz Intel C2D (MacBook Pro 3,1). I backed up my hard drive contents onto an external hard drive, then formatted my computer and installed Mountain Lion. I then re-installed iPhoto '08 and ran all the updates. Now, I would like to import my old library from the external disk onto my computer without losing my editing and organization; however, when I select "import to library" from iPhoto, the old iPhoto library is not a selectable option.
I know how to "show package contents" and import directly from the Original and Modified folders, but I don't want to lose my organization. Can I simply drag the content of those folders into my new Original and Modified folders? Will iPhoto read that correctly?
I tried to open the old library from the external disk, thinking to export them all to a folder and import from there, but that just opened my new library and none of the old photos were imported or available.
I'm running out of ideas and would appreciate any help you guys can give. Thanks!!

You don't import it.
Just drag the iphoto Library from the external to the Pictures Folder.
Then open it:
Hold down the option (or alt) key key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library'
Never import one Library to another. Every version and thumbnail is imported like a distinct photo, you lose all your Albums, Keywords etc., the link between Original and Previews is destroyed, the non-destructive editing feature is ruined and so on. In summary: it's mess.

Can I use iPhoto to view and edit images not stored in the iPhoto Library

Hi folks,
I'm a newbie to Mac after 20+ years on PC...just switched 2 weeks ago....wish I'd done it years ago. Everythings so easy and fast...e.g. setup wireless broadband in 25 mins with no probs....and I have never done anything like that.
Here's my Q.
I have a load of images, downloads and scans, of old manuscripts, authors etc. which I don't really want in my iPhoto library (which I would like to keep for actual photos. Is it possible to point iPhoto to another location (say in Documents) where it will let me view and edit these images without importing them into the library.
Alternatively can I view images as thumbnails in this other locations, and not as default file type icons.
Hope this is plain,
JP_MAC
Imac G5 17" 1.9Ghz Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Hi jp-mac,
iPhoto 5 imports all images into it's own database. (this has changed with iPhoto 6 so you might want to check out iLife 6)
The other files you want to view but not have in the library...are they image files?
If so, you can view that folder as icons and then make the icons larger so you can see what they are.
To do this open the folder in question. click the first icon on top of View in the toolbar. This will make that folder contents view as icons
Now go all the way to the top of your screen and click on View>show view options.
Slide the icon size slider all the way to the right to view them larger. Also make sure you have the "show icon preview" checked.
This will work most of the time, but sometimes if you edit images in other applications they might not make icon previews, so check their preferences to make sure you have that checked.
There is also a little third party program that will do it for you.
One is called Pic2Icon
Pic2Icon
Another one is a contextual menu item called QuickImageCM.
QuickImageCM
check out that page because there are some other useful contextual menu items that I use all the time.

How to edit external iPhoto Library pictures with an external editor?

That's my question.
I have my iPhoto Library on an external HD and I want to modify my pics with PSE 11. I've set my iPhoto prefs to do this but it just doesn't work. When I click on "edit with an externale editor" PSE 11 opens but doesn't show the picture, why is that?

The file you want to select is in the Adobe Photoshop Elements 10/Suport Files folder:
It should be the same for the earlier version of PSE as I recall.
Using Photoshop or Photoshop Elements as Your Editor of Choice in iPhoto.
1 - select Photoshop or Photoshop Elememts as your editor of choice in iPhoto's General Preference Section's under the "Edit photo:" menu.
2 - double click on the thumbnail in iPhoto to open it in Photoshop. When you're finished editing click on the Save button. If you immediately get the JPEG Options window make your selection (Baseline standard seems to be the most compatible jpeg format) and click on the OK button. Your done.
3 - however, if you get the navigation window
that indicates that PS wants to save it as a PS formatted file. You'll need to either select JPEG from the menu and save (top image) or click on the desktop in the Navigation window (bottom image) and save it to the desktop for importing as a new photo.
This method will let iPhoto know that the photo has been editied and will update the thumbnail file to reflect the edit..
NOTE: With Photoshop Elements the Saving File preferences should be configured as shown:
I also suggest the Maximize PSD File Compatabilty be set to Always. In PSE’s General preference pane set the Color Picker to Apple as shown:
Note: to switch between iPhoto and PS or PSE as the editor of choice Control (right)-click on the thumbnail and select either Edit in iPhoto or Edit in External Editor from the contextual menu. If you use iPhoto to edit more than PSE re-select iPhoto in the iPhoto General preference pane. Then iPhoto will be the default editor and you can use the contextual menu to select PSE for your editor when desired.
OT

"Edited versions will be saved in the iPhoto library"

"When you edit these images in iPhoto, however, the edited versions will be saved in the iPhoto library, not your original files. Your original files remain untouched."
Is there any way for this not to happen? I love iPhoto for integration with other iLife apps, but managing folders may be a deal breaker for me. I tweak nearly every photo I have and I'm constantly running out of space on my hard drive. With iPhoto's hidden folders, makes managing photos horrendous.
I really, really wish iPhoto would adopt some of Picasa's user-friendly features.

iPhoto follows the mandate of good Digital Asset Management, always keeping a digital negative that is untouched and save for later use. All good DAM applications follow that mandate.
If you're running out of space you can get an external HD to run your full/primary library on and have a second, smaller library on the Macbook. It can contain the more recent or most needed photos. You can also use iPhoto Library Manager to easily switch between the two and copy events and/or albums between the two while keeping keywords, titles and descriptions intact.
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.≤br>
Note: There now an Automator backup application for iPhoto 5 that will work with Tiger or Leopard.

Edited Images do not appear in iPhoto Library Display

I edit my photos using Photoshop Elements 4. If I save the modifiations under the same file name the changes appear in my iPhoto library. If howerver I do a "save as" and modify the name of the file, I don't see the new version of the image in iPhoto. If I search by name I can see the modified photo (located in modified folder) and can even print it using Canon Easy Photo Print. I just can't get the image to appear in my photo library. Any help or suggestions are appreciated.
PS: Any idea when Adobe comes with a verion of Photoshop Elements integrated for MAC?

If you do a "Save as," you're defeating the interaction between PE and iPhoto. If you do a "Save," iPhoto will of course retain both the modified (saved) version and the original "out of the camera" version to which you can always revert.
It appears that you want a third version and that's your reason for a "Save as." Don't put that file inside the library - iPhoto will never know it's there (as you've discovered). Save this file on the desktop. Then, separately use iPhoto to "import" it into the library. Afterwards, you can trash the file that's on the desktop.
"PS: Any idea when Adobe comes with a verion of Photoshop Elements integrated for MAC?"
I consider the two apps to already be integrated quite well.

I can't change any information for any songs in my library, everything is just greyed out. How can I get the ability to edit my song information?

I can't change any information for any songs in my library, everything is just greyed out. How can I get the ability to edit my song information?

I found one other way to do it. I just deleted them all out of my iTunes library. Now I can re-import them from Window's My Music file with the original artists' names intact.
Thanks for your help, Matt!

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.

Using Aperture 2 to Edit Iphoto 08 Library

I imported my Iphoto 08 library into Aperture 2 as reference images so I can still view my iphoto library on my HD Samsung through my PS3 using Medialink, after I edit the images with Aperture. My question is will there be any problems if I edit / delete / change images in my iphoto using Aperture ? Are there any tricks or things to be careful about ? I don't want to corrupt my library. I am a recent convert to mac (SR Macbook) and iphoto 08 did a great job with importing and initial organizing the mess of photo from all my windows machines. Aperture 2 seems to have better editing and file management of my resultant 25000 + library. I'd like to use both iphoto and Aperture together.

I import into Iphoto first for a couple of reasons. If I have some videos on my camera, which i usually do, Iphoto will capture them for viewing or editing later. Aperture won't. Second, Time Machine works with Iphoto, not with Aperture. So backups are automatic with Iphoto. With Aperture, you can backup with vaults. I import all my images into Aperture (as referenced images) mostly so I can manage them, IE, organize using metadata, and place into folders by year / month, etc. Also, when you do edit in Aperture, no extra copies are made, like in Iphoto, because, Aperture takes the master from the iphoto library and applies your edits on the fly. You can continually edit and change the image in Aperture and it only will render and make a new image / master when you want to export.
As far as keeping track of various version of images, after organizing and editing in Aperture, you can place a rating on images, or place them in an album of good stuff (which is just a link to the real image), to then export into a new iphoto event of good stuff, etc
Alternately, you could import the images into Aperture as masters, and Aperture will make another copy, which means you'll have two of each image taking up twice as much space. Depending how many images and how much hard drive space you have will determine if this works. You could keep either or both Aperture and / or Iphoto libraries on external hard drives. You could import directly into Aperture and only export good stuff into iphoto, if you don't have any videos to manage and you're willing to backup with Aperture vault.
I setup the external editor in Aperture to use CS3 PS. When you select edit in external editor, Aperture renders a new master which you edit in PS and end up with a new master in Aperture.
Good luck. I went through several workflows with Aperture trial and almost gave up. In the end though, after I saw what Aperture can do, Iphoto along wasn't good enough and I came up with something that works for me.

Editing my iPhoto library on someone else's Mac

I have my iPhoto library on an external hard drive since it's so big. My Mac is quite a few years old and I have lots of friends who have newer, more powerful machines. If I use a friend's Mac and hold down Option when starting up iPhoto, it asks me to choose an iPhoto library. I was wondering, does doing this affect the local preference file or Application Support folder on my friend's Mac, or can I do this without it modifying the files on the Mac at all? Since the iPhoto library is on my external, I figure that loading that library will modify only files and settings within that package file itself. Since I don't want to modify the settings on a friend's computer or leave any of my own information behind on a public computer, I thought it would be smart to ask how that works. Thanks for your help!

Opening your iPhoto library will not modify your friend's computer (except iPhoto always opens the last used library so be sure to switch back before disconnecting the EHD and leaving
Also note that if you open your library with a later version of iPhoto it will be converted and then will no longer be able to be opened with the older version
LN

Editing iPhoto library information

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