IPhoto 8 as a standalone picture editor

Is there an easy way to use iPhoto 8 as a standalone picture editor without having to import and export photos? Just open a picture, make changes and save it. Forget the iPhoto library. Just do a quick edit on one file.

This forum is like the emergency room at your local hospital. Only people with problems and in there and only represent a very small fraction of the population. If you base your confidence in iPhoto or other Apple apps on these forums you might as well get a PC.
People do have problems with iPhoto. Most are user specific and often due to 3rd party enhancements to the system or application. iPhoto is a very good DAM (digital asset management) application with good editing features (as you've found out). As far as trusting your photos to a proprietarily application, your photos are kept in a folder title Originals which is located in the library package. If the library is damaged it's usually the database file, Library6.iPhoto, and you're files will remain safe and sound.
With a little user forethought, i.e. backups, there's little change of losing the photos. See the tip at the end of my signature for an easy way to protect against the database file damage.
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 created 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 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.

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I would like to use iPhoto to see existing Picture folder without importing

The following is a question for Aperture, as well.
I have a huge Picture file (90G), and I do not want iPhoto to import that Picture folder thereby making a duplicate. I only want one Picture file, the existing system folder called Pictures. And I want iPhoto to "reference" those files. I have seen references to setting up iPhoto (and Aperture) to use photos in outside libraries. I have seen them called "referenced"
But I can't find a specific instruction on how to set up iPhoto to do this. And I think it is crazy to have an iPhoto library of 90G, and an aperture library of 90g (already made that mistake, want to get rid of it), because that would give me three sets pf photos, with Pictures, and iPhoto and Aperture Libraries within Pictures (that's where the Aperture library is now). And the iPhoto library is there too, but is now empty. I do not want it to be filled. The User guide says Aperture (and by inference, iPhoto) can "link" to outside photos and create "referenced" libraries.
That is what I want to do, because I do not want my files within iPhoto and Aperture, because they are too hard to handle for other purposes, like using Preview for a quick look, or using Photoshop for editing. Not to mention the waste of disk space created by 2 libraries and the Pictures folder. And the confusion over time about which Photo is the real one.
Surely there is a better way, a way to have iPhoto (and Aperture) use the existing Picture folder in OSX (Snow Leopard).
Can anyone help me here?
Just tell me there is a way to do this, please.
Hope someone can help.

Your question is based on a false premise. It makes no sense to use iPhoto, Aperture and the Finder to manage the photos. The Finder isn't a photo manager. It's a file manager. If you can't grasp that distinction then you stick with the Finder. Both iPhoto and Aperture (and Lightroom, and Picasa) are Photo Managers. The entire point of these apps is to manage the photos without recourse to the files.
If you use a Photo Manager then you don't use the Finder's Quicklook, you use the application's viewing and sharing features.
Think of it this way: would you write your novel in Word, Pages, TextEdit and Nisus Writer at the same time? And also expect to be able to read it without launching your Word Processor?
So, yes, this is crazy:
And I think it is crazy to have an iPhoto library of 90G, and an aperture library of 90g (already made that mistake, want to get rid of it), because that would give me three sets pf photos, with Pictures, and iPhoto and Aperture Libraries within Pictures (that's where the Aperture library is now).
Because you would not use all three options. iPhoto and Aperture do essentially the same job. If you've purchased Aperture then that's the one to use. It's the more powerful application.
But regardless of which you choose, when you do you give up looking at the files in the Finder, you use the Photo Manager.
, because I do not want my files within iPhoto and Aperture, because they are too hard to handle for other purposes, like using Preview for a quick look, or using Photoshop for editing.
Both apps provide integration with Photoshop. Using Photoshop via the Finder and not via the app will cause you problems.
None of these apps are like Photoshop. Photoshop is a layer based pixel editor. These other apps are Digital Asset Managers. It's not the same thing. Photoshop has no management capability at all.
And the confusion over time about which Photo is the real one.
Now you need to do some reading on Photo Managers. All of them use a Non-Destructive workflow. All of them preserve your original photos, The concept of the "real one" makes no sense when you have many possible versions based on a single master file.
You've not grasped the key distinctions in managing digital photos. You're confusing photos with files, confusing the file manager with a photo manager and have given no consideration to Digital Asset Management. I would consider these issues before going any further.
FWIW: using a referenced Library with iPhoto:
*How to do it:*
Simply go to iPhoto Menu -> Preferences -> Advanced and uncheck 'Copy Files to the iPhoto Library on Import'.
*What Happens:*
Now iPhoto will not copy the files, but rather simply reference them on your HD. To do this it will create an alias in the Originals Folder that points to your file. It will still create a thumbnail and, if you modify the pics, a Modified version within the iPhoto Library Folder.
*Some things to consider:*
1. Importing and deleting pics are more complex procedures. You have to to put the files where they will be stored before importing them. When you delete them you'll need to remove the files from the HD yourself.
2. You cannot move or rename the files on your system or iPhoto will lose track of them on systems prior to 10.5 and iPhoto 08. Even with the later versions issues can still arise if you move the referenced files to new volumes or between volumes.
3. Most importantly, migrating to a new disk or computer can be much more complex.
4. Because iPhoto has no tools for managing Referenced Files, if, for some reason, the path to the photos changes then you could find yourself resolving aliases for +each photo in the Library+ one by one.
My own opinion:
I've yet to see a good reason to run iPhoto in referenced mode unless you're using two photo organiser
If disk space is an issue, you can run an entire iPhoto Library from an external disk:
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library as an entity from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
3. Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new location. From that point on this will be the default location of your library.
4. Test the library and when you're sure all is well, trash the one on your internal HD to free up space.
If you're concerned about accessing the files, There are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:
*For Users of 10.5 and later*
You can use any Open / Attach / Browse dialogue. On the left there's a Media heading, your pics can be accessed there. Command-Click for selecting multiple pics.
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
You can access the Library from the New Message Window in Mail:
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
*For users of 10.4 and later* ...
Many internet sites such as Flickr and SmugMug have plug-ins for accessing the iPhoto Library. If the site you want to use doesn’t then some, one or any of these will also work:
To upload to a site that does not have an iPhoto Export Plug-in the recommended way is to Select the Pic in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export and export the pic to the desktop, then upload from there. After the upload you can trash the pic on the desktop. It's only a copy and your original is safe in iPhoto.
This is also true for emailing with Web-based services. However, if you're using Gmail you can use iPhoto2GMail
If you use Apple's Mail, Entourage, AOL or Eudora you can email from within iPhoto.
If you use a Cocoa-based Browser such as Safari, you can drag the pics from the iPhoto Window to the Attach window in the browser.
*If you want to access the files with iPhoto not running*:
For users of 10.6 and later:
You can download a free Services component from MacOSXAutomation which will give you access to the iPhoto Library from your Services Menu. Using the Services Preference Pane you can even create a keyboard shortcut for it.
For Users of 10.4 and later:
Create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use this free utility Karelia iMedia Browser
Other options include:
1. *Drag and Drop*: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.
2. *File -> Export*: Select the files in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export. The dialogue will give you various options, including altering the format, naming the files and changing the size. Again, producing a copy.
3. *Show File*: Right- (or Control-) Click on a pic and in the resulting dialogue choose 'Show File'. A Finder window will pop open with the file already selected.
Using iPhoto with Photoshop:
You can set Photoshop (or any image editor) as an external editor in iPhoto. (Preferences -> General -> Edit Photo: Choose from the Drop Down Menu.) This way, when you double click a pic to edit in iPhoto it will open automatically in Photoshop or your Image Editor, and when you save it it's sent back to iPhoto automatically. This is the only way that edits made in another application will be displayed in iPhoto.
Note that iPhoto sends a copy+ of the file to Photoshop, so when you save be sure to use the Save command, not Save As... If you use Save As then you're creating a new file and iPhoto has no way of knowing about this new file. iPhoto is preserving your original anyway.
Regards
TD

I have set up iPhoto 11 so that pictures will be edited in Photoshop elements 11. I selected the option to edit in another application. But when I select edit in iPhoto, elements opens but the photo does not open in elements. What is the problem?

I have set up iPhoto 11 so that pictures will be edited in Photoshop elements 11. I selected the option to edit in another application. But when I select edit in iPhoto, elements opens but the photo does not open in elements. I'm using a Macbook pro 15 inch with retina display with OS 10.8.4 What is the problem?

http://barbarabrundage.com/2011/10/05/adobe-hide-and-seek-setting-pse-10-as-exte rnal-editor/
It relates to Elements 10, but it's the same for 11.

IPhoto just destroyed my pictures.

I feel sick.
My workflow:
Import pics from camera using Image Capture. Browse. Use iPhoto with "Copy Items to the iPhoto Library" unchecked just for red-eye correction, enhancement, etc, then export back to original folder so I can archive the corrected pics.
Has always worked until now: after editing, the originals are simply gone. iPhoto erased them, and all that is left are the 60k thumbnail versions in the data folder. I cannot believe the idiocy behind this application.
Yes, I know. I should have backed up first, then worked on a copy.
But still. Who the h--- would design a program that destroys the data it imports?
I am erasing all traces of this sub-amateur piece of s--- from my computer.

Rather like yourself, I‘ll accept the diagnosis of iPhoto Error once it is definitively shown. For that you’ll need to replicate the event, and provide step-by-step instructions for others to do so. If you can then you’ll have made a very useful addition to our knowledge of the application.
From your Workflow, the problem arises here:
So I'll import the photo or photos with red eyes in them, with, as I said before, the preference to copy the photos to the iPhoto library unchecked...Then, corrections and edits complete...
The pics were available for editing, which means the Originals were in place.
I export from iPhoto back to the Finder.
Thing is, the files that are missing here are the Modified version, not the Original files. You’re not exporting the Originals, you’re exporting the edited versions.
Once you’ve opened the files for editing, iPhoto never refers to them again. And even if it did, it could only refer to those ones that were imported. It simply does not know about the other files at all.
So, while iPhoto may have lost the *Edited Versions* how could it also have lost the Originals?
As you know when you edit in iPhoto (and this is regardless of whether you’re running a Referenced or Managed Library) the app +opens a copy+ of the Original file and saves the changes to the Modified version in the Modified Folder.
So, again, iPhoto does not touch the Original, does not move it, delete it, overwrite it. It copies the contents into RAM, that’s all. Iphoto carries out the edits as saves them back to the disk +in another file+ entirely.
So, there’s the area in your Workflow to focus your research on.
If I might, a comment on your Workflow. And again, I stress, I offer these comments for those who may read this post in a month’s or year’s time as much as for yourself.
I’m profoundly committed to the KISS principle - Keep it Simple, er, Stewart, or something !
The problem with complex workflows is that over time, with tiredness or distractions, it’s too easy to make a fatal error. Folks don’t make errors the first time they use the workflow. The error will happen the 58th time, or the 123rd time, or the time the baby cries or the dog barks or the doorbell goes, it’s late... whatever.
You’re using three apps: Image Capture to move the files from your camera, The Finder (or something else) to browse them and iPhoto to edit them, and they are crossing over each other to manage the files, or you’re trying to prevent them managing the files. In essence, they are each claiming the same data, or trying to. Thing is, iPhoto can do all three jobs seamlessly.
A more simple version of the workflow might run like this:
Import the Pics into iPhoto (with ‘Copy Files...’ checked.) Iphoto copies the pics into the Library. View, sort and edit as you require. Now you’ve fixed your red-eye, made whatever crops you need, made edits using Photoshop or whatever external editor.
Then Export from iPhoto: If you want the Original files, use the File -> Export command, Kind: Original... If you want the edited versions plus the untouched Originals... then Kind: Current will get those. If you want both then you’re probably best just using iPhoto
Now you have your pics in the Finder, store them as you will.
Then, trash the iPhoto Library from your Pictures Folder. The whole thing, as a single unit. Just drag the Library to the trash and empty it. Next time you open iPhoto it’s like using it for the first time.
This way you have a single application all the way through the process until you go to store the files.
That and a dollar may buy you a cup of coffee some places.
Regards
TD

IPhoto does not update pictures

Any pictures I change in an external editor, I saved it as the orginal file would update in iPhoto, i.e. the picture would change to reflect the changes.
In 6, it does not, if you select it and go full screen the corrected image will show, but in the main window it remains as the old picture.
Is there a fix for this?

Gary:
To have iPhoto recognize edits made my a 3rd party editor like Photoshop Elements you must set iPhoto's preferences (in the General section) to open that 3rd party editor when you double click on the thumbnail. Then if you edit and save with the same file name and extension iPhoto will recognize the edit, both in the media window and in the thumbnail window. If you create a layered file or do an edit that requires a different extension you must either flatten the file and save in the original format or save to the desktop and import the new file.
If you want to have both the 3rd party editor and iPhoto's without having to go into the preferences each time just set the preferences back, to edit in the main window. Then when you want to use the 3rd party editor just Control-click on the thumbnail and select Open in external editor from the drop down menu. That way you can have the best of both worlds.

Picture editor

Picture editor that shows on autorun ad of new iPad on official site, does not exist????

Yes it exists.
It is iPhoto.

I am trying to burn DVDs from iPhoto slideshows. My pictures number in the hundreds and we know that iPhoto captures 99 and then "starts over". This plays fine from the Mac Book but glitches arise on the DVD when playing it on a DVD player. Any suggsts

I am trying to burn DVDs from iPhoto slideshows. My pictures number in the hundreds and we know that iPhoto captures 99 and then "starts over". This plays fine from the Mac Book but glitches arise on the DVD when playing it on a DVD player. Any suggestions on how to overcome the 99 "Chapter limitation" that IPhoto has? Has anyone heard or tried an app called Vilisoft? I read good things but I am not sure if it will do what I want.
Jim

Then use multipel 99 picture slideshows.
You can have up to 8 or 9 slideshows per menu. If you add a sub menu reduce that by 1 and add 8 more to the sub menu. The top menu can have links to up to 8 or so submenus (depends on the theme) and each submenu can have up to 8 or so slideshows.
However, converting a very large slideshow to a QT movie as Terence suggested does not envoke the 99 slide limit in iDVD. It just becomes a single video/movie file. So you should not have a problem with exporting at the large size, 720 x 540,
and dragging the resulting file into the iDVD menu being sure to avoid any drop zones.
OT

I just transfered my Iphoto Library of 40k pictures to an external hard drive. I want to put them on a new desktop, how do I do that?

I just transfered my iphoto library of 40k pictures to an external hard drive. I now want to put them onto a newer desktop. How do I do that?

Drag the iPhoto Library from the External to the Pictures Folder on the newer machine.

Iphoto library lacks the picture icon

Hi all-
I noticed a few weird things recently with my iphoto-- many video clips lack thumbnails (ie the only way to tell what clip it is is by actually viewing it). Some are just black/ no video. Same with some pictures- they're just black/gone. I tried to recover using time machine- didn't help. I noticed that in finder, the iphoto library lacks the 'picture' icon and is a "package" file (see attached screenshot). But- it's the right size and other than what I describe above it seems to work ok. I made a backup of entire HD with carbon copy cloner. Even when I reboot and select the external HD iphoto library it looks the same (no icon)- and in fact it won't let me select that "package file" as the library. I tried fixing with iphoto (permissions, recreating thumbnails etc) to no avail. At this point I think I should re-load iphoto and see if that helps-- but my concern is that if I delete iphoto and reload that I won't be able to use the library on my external drive since I can't use it currently.
any suggestions?
I'm using OS X and iPhoto '11, both updated.
thanks in advance,
Brad

If rebuilding the database doesn't solve the problem you might have to give this a try:
Starting over from scratch with new library
Start over with a new library and import the Originals (iPhoto 09 and earlier) or the Masters (iPhoto 11) folder from your original library as follows:
1. Open the library package like this.
2. Launch iPhoto with the Option key held down and, when asked, select the option to create a new library.
3. Drag the subfolders of the Originals (iPhoto 09 and earlier) or the Masters (iPhoto 11) folder from the open iPhoto Library package into the open iPhoto window a few at a time.
This will create a new library with the same Events (but not necessarily the same Event names) as the original library but will not keep the metadata, albums, books slideshows and other projects.
Note: your current library will be left untouched for further attempts at a fix if so desired.

I have iphoto 6 and my pictures are no longer showing. I have tried importing them but it just give me an error msg. (file format not recognized) I have tried rebuilding the iphoto library but that doesn't work either. Any suggestions?

I have iphoto 6 and my pictures are no longer showing. I have tried importing them but it just give me an error msg. (file format not recognized) I have tried rebuilding the iphoto library but that doesn't work either. Any suggestions?

How did you rebuild?
Try these in order - from best option on down...
1. Do you have an up-to-date back up? If so, try copy the library6.iphoto file from the back up to the iPhoto Library allowing it to overwrite the damaged file.
2. Download <a href="http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/"><b><u>iPhoto Library Manager</b></u></a> and use its rebuild function. This will create a new library based on data in the albumdata.xml file. Not everything will be brought over - no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your albums and keywords 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.
3. If neither of these work then you'll need to create and populate a new library.
To create and populate a new *iPhoto 6* library:
Note this will give you a working library with the same Rolls and pictures as before, however, you will lose your albums, keywords, modified versions, books, calendars etc.
Move the iPhoto Library to the desktop
Launch iPhoto. It will ask if you wish to create a new Library. Say Yes.
Go into the iPhoto Library on your desktop and find the Originals folder. From the Originals folder drag the individual Roll Folders to the iPhoto Window and it will recreate them in the new library.
When you're sure all is well you can delete the iPhoto Library on your desktop.
In the future, in addition to your usual back up routine, you might like to make a copy of the library6.iPhoto file whenever you have made changes to the library as protection against database corruption.

I have already assigned photos from iPhoto to folders in Pictures on the Mac using the instructions from Adobe. How do i now move more recent photos from iPhoto without duplication and import into Lightroom?

I have already assigned photos from iPhoto to folders in Pictures on the Mac using the instructions from Adobe. How do i now move more recent photos from iPhoto without duplication and import into Lightroom?

If the images are in the location you want them be sure to select "Add" at the top of the import dialog box.

IPhoto keeps eating my pictures

iPhoto keeps eating my pictures!!! It ate one event last week for which I had to buy a new data recovery program to get my pictures back and it's Monday afternoon, and between Saturday and today it has devoured SEVEN events. All that remains is a grey box with the event title and number of pictures..... ZERO!!!!!!!!!
Apple..... WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY IN YOUR BLESSED DEFENSE???
Is it your intention that my boss eats me alive
So...
While typing this... I was also looking for a way to recover iPhoto pictures.... and I found my photos in Masters> 2014> etc.... I'm calmer now but the filing is a bit whack... a lot whack actually because it's taking me a while to see what's what. I can see a date in the file name, but not really... cause there's a few extra numbers and I don't even know what 09, 08, 07 stand for... So I will spend the rest of the afternoon refiling iPhoto files.
A software with a really streamlined filing system is the one that came with the Canon 5D Mark 2... Its amazing. I would use it, but Apple decided to remove the CD drive so I cant sooner than time came so I'm stuck with iPhoto til further notice... Maybe Apple can take a look at it for the next iPhoto ugrade...

You have a corrupted database, Better off trying to fix it.
Option 1
Back Up and try rebuild the library: hold down the command and option (or alt) keys while launching iPhoto. Use the resulting dialogue to rebuild. Choose to Repair Database. If that doesn't help, then try again, this time using Rebuild Database.
If that fails:
Option 2
Download iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. (In early versions of Library Manager it's the File -> Rebuild command. In later versions it's under the Library menu.)
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.
Regards
TD

IPhoto remove all iCloud pictures and reload form iCloud when I opened via Aperture

Hi,
I have almost 100GB iCloud pictures & moves.
When I open a Aperture library via iPhoto, every time iPhoto remove all iCloud pictures, and let me enable iCloud photo again.
So I must still wait iPhoto finish download all iCloud pictures again.
It looks iPhoto's iCloud is different than Aperture iCloud even it is same library.
And enable iCloud picture in Aperture looks can't use iCloud information in iPhoto if you don't do re-enable in iPhoto,
Final each re-enable will remove all iCloud picture & download all again in local PC cache.
Is this I did something mistake?
Thanks
Peter

Hi,
I saw it looks be fixed via iPhoto update ver 9.6.1 today.
Thank you.
Peter

How do I get photos from my iphoto library to my "Pictures" folder?

How do I get photos from my iphoto library to my "Pictures" folder?

select them in iPhtoo and export to the desired location - see the user tip on exporting for details on the verious expoprt options
LN

A simple picture editor needed

I'm looking for a simple, possibly free, picture editor. I need it for a Mac Mini, 10.9 OS, to prepare digital camera pictures for items to be sold on flea-Bay.
So I don't need the complexity of Photoshop Elements - I just want to crop and re-size, adjust color, brightness, contrast and little else.
Any recommendations ?

Open App Store -> Categories -> Photo (it may be different, i'm looking at a different language) -> Most popular - Free.
Try every One until you find the right one for you!

IPhoto 8 as a standalone picture editor

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