Folder Structures

Question

Hello All,
I was using iView Media Pro, until I picked up Aperture. Quick question ... since Aperture stores all photos in one library file, is there a way to get access to images from Photoshop without having to export from Aperture? Also, I am aware of showing package contents of the Aperture Library file, but this does not really do any good if I am attempting to locate a file in Photoshop.
For the record, I like Aperture. I just hope there will eventually be an easier way to gain access to pictures from the Finder.

Answer 1

This is a way to keep your existing file structure in aperture and then keep a separate set of smart folders which can relate to your existing file & folder system. Its not ideal & it doesn't show up in photoshop file browser but it works reasonably well.
I run a picture library & need to keep track of approx. 70,000 images. These are in lots of file formats including .jpg .tif and raw files both camera specific eg. .NEF .CRW & also files from non-supported cameras converted into .dng files.
I will use aperture as a management system to quickly look for & sort files. I would use it for some basic editing to make images for my website for example - but until it improves will need to use photoshop for raw conversion & serious editing.
Since aperture uses its own library structure which is difficult to locate i need - as i'm sure many other people need - a simple way of quickly looking through my library to find files independent of aperture. This is a method i came up with. It does however require a fair amount of planning ahead as you have to import folders into aperture one by one and then create your smart folder. When you have done that you can move onto the next one.
1) Decide on how you want to split up your existing library & make sure its organised.
I run a library which specialises in travel images of France so its organised in this way.
Main Regions of France>Sub-areas>images etc. So in real terms this works out as:
ALPS(FOLDER)>grenoble(sub-folder)>cable-car1.jpg(image) I'll use this an example & you should be able to see how it works.
2) Firstly in aperture I set up a new project called FRANCE LIBRARY.
3) I then click on it & go to Import>Folders Into a project. In this case its a folder called ALPS.
4) All the files & folders within the main folder ALPS then copy to aperture in the same structure as i've already got them organised.
5) The next step is to find those images & set up a smart folder for all the different kinds of file types within it.
6) Go to Finder>File>New Smart Folder
7) Find your Aperture Library from the menu on the left - wherever you've stored it.
8) Right click it (or cntrl + click) and click Show Package Contents
9) There should be a project file file. In my case its called FRANCE LIBRARY.approject
10) Right click it and click Show Package Contents
11) You should then see a folder with an .apimportgroup extension.
12) Open it & there are separate folders for each of the images. Each folder
includes the actual image + the adjustment etc. files.
13) In the spotlight search box ( top right hand corner) type a search criteria.
use the extension for one of the files you've got in there. eg. jpg
14) click on the + symbol (its below the search box to the right of Save)
15) 2 boxes then appear on the left called Kind & Any
16) click on Any & select Images
17) delete whatever you entered in the search box. this is an important step
as its stops the folder only displaying jpgs.
18) The folder should then display thumbnails of all the images in that .apimportgroup folder. in my case this includes .jpg .tif .dng files.
19) then click Save to name & save folder.
20) It only lets you save in one of 3 places but you can always move it
to where you want.
21) You now have a folder of thumbnails - stored wherever you choose.
22) If you right click the image you can then go to Open With & open it in whatever programme you choose. ie. photoshop.
You can then go back to aperture and import the next batch - following all the steps again.
You can obviously set up the folders how you want. You can choose to have lots of them or a few.
I do this one at a time as its easy to spot the new .apimportgroup folder. If i imported my whole library at once i'd just have one huge folder - this way i can keep them organised as i want them & in a way i'm familiar with.
This means that i can set up the same file and folder structure in aperture & within smart folders as i have in my existing library.
Its complicated & its far from ideal but it works. Even though aperture stores files in its own library they are still visible (admittedly through a complicated procedure) even if aperture ceased to exist as a programme it would still be possible to see all the images in its library by using this method. You can then copy them - burn them to dvd - back them up on another disk - ie. do the same as files in a "normal" folder. As far as i know smart folders will update if you delete from or add to them
As a way of integrating it into photoshop for converting raw files - its possible to have a smart folder containing raw files in place of photoshop bridge & then right click on the image you want to convert - click open with photoshop & the image will appear in the photoshop camera raw converter.
Aperture has some really useful features & also some features that need to be improved asap. I've emailed apple 3 times so far so i'm not a fan of it yet.
For my particular business its very useful in lots of ways - but it needs some work to be what many of us hoped it would be.
ps. if there are any errors in this please let me know. i followed the procedure through as i was typing so i am hoping its all ok.
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