How do I create an External Hard Drive iPhoto Library

Question

How do I create an external Hard Drive iPhoto Library? Will it remember faces and places, and the camera settings?  I have over 20k photos. Most pictures are already stored in files on my external hd, but everytime I need to edit, I need to import the pics back into iPhoto. Is there an option for "editing software" outside of iPhoto? I do not want to store pictures on my computer, but I do like the "faces" feature! Please help!

Answer 1

Sure it can be UnDone in the same way it was done. By Copying the iPhoto library back to the original location or any other location on your internal drive and then Repointing iPhoto to use that Library as you did when you moved it to the external.
Have no idea about the thumbnails being blurry as I only use iPhoto for testing and helping others. I find iPhoto lacking in many ways and I already own Adobe Lightroom so I use that on my Mac.
I wouldn't think the thumbnails wouldn't be any different. They are the same files and even if the external is slower the Thumbnails should display the same way not differently.
I also do not allow any of the "i" programs, Photo & Tunes, to Copy my image or music files into their folder structure. I have them set to Leave the Files where they are, as I copy them to my hard drive where I want them Not where Photo and Tunes want to put them, and then just create a Library Database of them. So if I wanted to I could have just the actual image files on an External drive and then have iPhoto just create a Library database reference to them.
One Note though.
If you move the Library, including the actual image files, to an external and then start iPhoto without that external connected iPhoto will then Create another Library in the normal Default location that is blank and then you will need to point it to your original that is on the external once you reconnect that external.
That is one reason I don't care for iPhoto. Apple has made it fairly easy for novice users, placing everything in their User folder but IMHO that is not always the best way to do things.
Also at any point in time, even with the external connected, iPhoto will lose that association to the external Library and create another in the original Default location. Which will look like all your images are missing.
colleen747 wrote:
Thank you for responding. I understand. After reading quite a bit about this procedure, can it be undone? So many out there have stated that everything slows way down and the thumbnails are blurry. What is your opinion?
Do I first create a New File on the EHD and name it "iPhoto Library"? Then paste?
Most pictures are in folders on my EHD, how do I move them to the new library?
Thanks!