IPhoto, a large library, and Multiple users

I am new to the Mac platform. We have an iMac with four accounts on it. My main photo system right now is a PC. I copy the photos on multiple machines for convenience and because it makes for a great backup. I have a way in which I copy all new photos taken to the Mac and I want to do the following:
1) Have the pictures (about 20,000) available to all users of the Mac without them being duplicated for each users
2) have iPhoto auto recognize when new photos are available (I can either drop the photos to the Mac from the PC (easiest since I have sync software) or have the Mac mapped to the PC and have them copied in. I want it to know they are there like Picasa can with a watch folder
Thanks!

1) Have the pictures (about 20,000) available to all users of the Mac without them being duplicated for each users
For iPhoto 09 (version 8.0.2) and later:
What you mean by 'share'.
If you want the other user to be able to see the pics, but not add to, change or alter your library, then enable Sharing in your iPhoto (Preferences -> Sharing), leave iPhoto running and use Fast User Switching to open the other account. In that account, enable 'Look For Shared Libraries'. Your Library will appear in the other source pane.
Any user can drag a pic from the Shared Library to their own in the iPhoto Window.
Remember iPhoto must be running in both accounts for this to work.
If you want the other user to have the same access to the library as you: to be able to add, edit, organise, keyword etc.
Quit iPhoto in both accounts. Move the Library to the Users / Shared Folder
(You can also use an external HD set to ignore permissions, a Disk Image or even partition your Hard Disk.)
In each account in turn: Double click on the Library to open it. (You may be asked to repair the Library Permissions.) From that point on, this will be the default library location. Both accounts will have full access to the library, in fact, both accounts will 'own' it.
However, there is a catch with this system and it is a significant one. iPhoto is not a multi-user app., it does not have the code to negotiate two users simultaneously writing to the database, and trying will cause db corruption. So only one user at a time, and back up, back up back up.
2) have iPhoto auto recognize when new photos are available (I can either drop the photos to the Mac from the PC (easiest since I have sync software) or have the Mac mapped to the PC and have them copied in. I want it to know they are there like Picasa can with a watch folder
You can't. iPhoto doesn't work this way. But you can set foldr actions and apple scripts and/or automator actions to do it, or more easily, use a wee app like Hazel
Regards
TD

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The event library and multiple users in the classroom

Is there any way I can stop the event library loading old footage or footage from another project in imovie. Is there any way i can have 3 or 4 movies on the go in separate files.
I have ten macbooks for my class of thrity kids. We have two users on the computer Admin and Student. All students use the student side, every time imovie opens it gets old footage and events from iphoto and by the end of each term there is 8 to 10 gigs of footage on the go at any one time. imovie HD allowed save, file open and movement of movies. imovie 08/09 seems brilliant for snow boarders and you tubers but not the classroom. Really we would love an editing package that allows attachment of camera and work for a couple of weeks on a project while others do the same thing on the same mac. Please don't suggest multiple users we have over 200 macs and 600 students.

Without multiuser, the only of having an exclusive event library for each student would be either external drive, or a blank disk image to store iMovie events. I can imagine a large network drive that has 50GB size disk images for each students. You mount your image to work with your footage.
By the way you can move event library to other drive within iMovie, so you can back up and disconnect external drive to unclutter event library.

HT1198 If I share an iPhoto library between multiple users, will the Faces, Events, and Places be automatically usable by all users, or will each user have to tag all the photos (e.g. if a user tags a face, will a different user have to do it in their own

If I share an iPhoto library between multiple users, will the Faces, Events, and Places be automatically usable by all users, or will each user have to tag all the photos (e.g. if a user tags a face, will a different user have to do it in their own iPhoto application??

Have you read this Apple document regarding sharing a library with multiple users: iPhoto: Sharing libraries among multiple users?
OT

Any improvements in sharing an iPhoto Library between multiple users?

It is possible and Apple Approved to share an iPhoto Library between multiple users, but the Library must be stored on a drive or disk image that ignores permissions:
http://tech.kateva.org/2008/10/apple-supports-multi-user-iphoto.html
This doesn't work for me. Has Apple changed anything with iLife '09 to make it easier to share a Library? For example, have they changed from the prior Package format?
Message was edited by: jfaughnan

Alternatives to a trip to the Terminal:
If you want the other user to be able to see the pics, but not add to, change or alter your library, then enable Sharing in your iPhoto (Preferences -> Sharing), leave iPhoto running and use Fast User Switching to open the other account. In that account, enable 'Look For Shared Libraries'. Your Library will appear in the other source pane.
Any user can drag a pic from the Shared Library to their own in the iPhoto Window.
Remember iPhoto must be running in both accounts for this to work.
If you want the other user to have the same access to the library as you: to be able to add, edit, organise, keyword etc. The problem here is that OS X works very hard to keep your data safe and secure from the other users. You're trying to beat what's built in to the system. So, to beat the system
Quit iPhoto in both accounts
Move the iPhoto Library Folder to an external HD set to ignore permissions. You could also use a Disk Image or even partition your Hard Disk.
In each account in turn: Hold down the option (or alt) key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting dialogue, select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new library location. From that point on, this will be the default library location. Both accounts will have full access to the library, in fact, both accounts will 'own' it.
However, there is a catch with this system and it is a significant one. iPhoto is not a multi-user app., it does not have the code to negotiate two users simultaneously writing to the database, and trying will cause db corruption. So only one user at a time, and back up, back up back up.
Lastly: This method seems a little clunky at first, but works very well. Most importantly, it uses the System to do the job for you.
Create a new Account on your Mac, call it Media. Create an iPhoto Library there. (BTW: This will work for iTunes too.)
Enable Sharing on the Library:(Preferences -> Sharing), leave iPhoto running and use Fast User Switching to open the other accounts. In those accounts, enable 'Look For Shared Libraries'. The Library will appear in the other source pane.
This means that both users will be able to see the pics. If you want to use a pic then simply drag it from the shared Library to your own in the iPhoto Window. This means that each user can have their own edits.
If you want to add photos to the Library: Log into the Media account for that purpose.
To make it all seamless: Set your Mac to log into the Media Account automatically. Set iPhoto to launch on log-in. Then switch to your own account using Fast User Switching.
Net result: a Library that's permanently available to all users but also protected. Each user can have their own versions of the pics if they want.
No partitioning, no permissions issues. Uses no extra disk space. What's not to like?
Regards
TD

How do I remove an imported iPhoto library at multiple users

There seem to be different ways of sharing an iPhoto library among multiple users on a single Mac and I guess I didn't select the best one ...
My wife and I both have an account on our Mac (I am administrator).
Originally, only on my account we viewed our photos, but my wife wanted to have the same iPhoto access via her account.Makes sense!
Via 'system preferences > share' I marked the picture folder in which the iPhoto library is stored as a 'shared folder'.
Then in my wifes account, I started iPhoto and I imported the iPhoto library file in this shared folder (and 'yes', I unchecked the option in the preferences menu to avoid copying photos on import ;-)
Well, for the next hours or so, the system started to import the photos ... although my photo library contains more then 10.000 pictures (!!) the status bar during import indicated a shear amount of ±260.000 pictures to be imported (as it turns out it includes the 'faces' as pictures).
To make a long story short - how do I restore iPhoto on my wifes account by e.g. removing/undoing the imported library. I am a bit hesitant in removing the library since it is the library stored in our shared folder and I don't want to delete that library file. I 'just' want it to turn back to the original 'empty' iPhoto on my Wife's account and share our library in a different way.
By the way, although the iPhoto library/events are a mess on my wifes account, it still looks good on my account.
Thanks.
D.

Trash the Library in your wife's account.
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.
For iPhoto 09 (version 8.0.2) and later:
What you mean by 'share'.
If you want the other user to be able to see the pics, but not add to, change or alter your library, then enable Sharing in your iPhoto (Preferences -> Sharing), leave iPhoto running and use Fast User Switching to open the other account. In that account, enable 'Look For Shared Libraries'. Your Library will appear in the other source pane.
Any user can drag a pic from the Shared Library to their own in the iPhoto Window.
Remember iPhoto must be running in both accounts for this to work.
If you want the other user to have the same access to the library as you: to be able to add, edit, organise, keyword etc.
Quit iPhoto in both accounts. Move the Library to the Users / Shared Folder
(You can also use an external HD set to ignore permissions, a Disk Image or even partition your Hard Disk.)
In each account in turn: Double click on the Library to open it. (You may be asked to repair the Library Permissions.) From that point on, this will be the default library location. Both accounts will have full access to the library, in fact, both accounts will 'own' it.
However, there is a catch with this system and it is a significant one. iPhoto is not a multi-user app., it does not have the code to negotiate two users simultaneously writing to the database, and trying will cause db corruption. So only one user at a time, and back up, back up back up.

Sharing an iTunes Library across multiple user account and a network.

Sharing an iTunes Music Library across multiple user accounts.
Hello Everybody!
Firstly, this was designed to be run in Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. It will not work with earlier versions of Mac OS X! Sorry.
Here's a handy tip for keeping your hard drive neat and tidy, it also saves space, what in effect will be done is an iTunes music library will be shared amongst multiple users on the same machine. There are advantages and disadvantages to using this method.
• Firstly I think it might be worthwhile to state the advantages and disadvantages to using this approach.
The advantages include:
- Space will be saved, as no duplicate files will occur.
- The administrator will be able to have complete control over the content of the iTunes library, this may be useful for restricting the content of the Library; particularly for example if computer is being used at and education institution, business or any other sort of institution where things such as explicit content would be less favorable.
- The machine will not be slowed by the fact that every user has lots of files.
The disadvantages to this system include.
- The fact that the account storing the music will have to be logged in, and iTunes will have to be active in that account.
- If the account housing the music is not active then nobody can use the iTunes library.
- There is a certain degree of risk present when an administrator account must be continually active.
- Fast User Switching must be enabled.
Overview:
A central account controls all music on the machine/network, this is achieved by storing iTunes files in a public location as opposed to in the user's directory. In effect the system will give all users across the machine/network access to the same music/files without the possibility of files 'doubling up' because two different users like the same types of music. This approach saves valuable disk space in this regard and may therefore prove to be useful in some situations.
This is a hearty process to undertake, so only follow this tutorial if you're willing to go all the way to the end of it.
Process:
Step 1:
Firstly, we need to organize the host library, I tidied mine up, removing excess playlists, random files, things like that. this will make thing a bit easier in the later stages of this process.
Once the library is tidied up, move the entire "iTunes" folder from your Home directory to the "//localhost" directory (The Macintosh HD) and ensure that files are on the same level as the "Applications", "Users", "Library" and "System" directories; this will ensure that the files in the library are available to all users on the machine (this also works for networks)
Optionally you can set the ownership of the folder to the 'administrator' account (the user who will be hosting the library.), you may also like to set the permissions of 'you can' to "Read & Write" (assuming that you are doing this through the user who will host the library); secondly you should set the "Owner" to the administrator who will be hosting the library and set their "access" to "Read & Write" (this will ensure that the administrator has full access to the folder). The final part of this step involves setting access for the "Others" tab to "Read Only" this will ensure that the other users can view but not modify the contents on the folder.
Overview:
So far we have done the following steps:
1. Organized the host library.
2. Placed the iTunes directory into a 'public' directory so that other users may use it. (this step is essential if you plan on sharing the library across multiple accounts on the same machine. NOTE: this step is only necessary if you are wanting to share you library across multiple accounts on the same machine, if you simply want to share the music across a network, use the iTunes sharing facility.
3. set ownership and permissions for the iTunes music folder.
Step 2:
Currently the administrator is the only user who can use this library, however we will address this soon. In this step we will enable iTunes music sharing in the administrator's account, this will enable other users to access the files in the library.
If you are not logged in as the administrator, do so; secondly, open iTunes and select "Preferences" from the "iTunes" menu, now click the "Sharing" tab, if "share my library on my local network" is not checked, the radio buttons below this will now become active, you may choose to share the entire libraries contents, or share only selected content.
Sharing only selected content may be useful if their is explicit content in the library and minors use the network or machine that the library is connected to.
If you have selected "share entire library" go to Step 3, if you have selected share "share selected playlists" read on.
After clicking "share selected playlists" you must then select the playlists that you intend to share across your accounts and network. Once you have finished selecting the playlists, click "OK" to save the settings.
Overview:
In this step we:
1. Enabled iTunes sharing in the administrator's account, now, users on the local network may access the iTunes library, however, users on the same machine may not.
Step 3:
Now we will enable users on the same machine to access the library on the machine. This is achieved by logging in as each user, opening iTunes, opening iTunes preferences, and clicking "look for shared music". now all users on the machine may also access the library that the administrator controls.
This in effect will mean that the user will not need to use their user library, it will be provided to them via a pseudo network connection.
As a secondary measure, I have chosen to write a generic login script that will move any content from the user's "Music/iTunes/iTunes Music" directory to the trash and then empties the user's trash.
This is done through the use of an Automator Application: this application does the following actions.
1. Uses the "Finder" action "Get Specified Finder Items"
1a. The user's "~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music" folder
2. Uses the "Finder" action "Get Folder Contents"
3. Uses the "Finder" action "Move to Trash"
4. Uses the "Automator" action "Run AppleScript"
4a. with the following:
on run {input, parameters}
tell application "Finder"
empty trash
end tell
return input
end run
IMPORTANT: Once the script is adapted to the user account it must be set as a login item. in order to keep the script out of the way i have placed it in the user's "Library" directory, in "Application Support" under "iTunes".
Overview:
Here we:
1. Enabled iTunes sharing in the user accounts on the host machine, in effect allowing all users of the machine to view a single iTunes library.
2. (Optional) I have created a login application that will remove any content that has been added to user iTunes libraries, this in effect stops other users of the machine from adding music and files to iTunes.
Step 4:
If it is not already enabled, open system preferences and enable Fast User Switching in Accounts Options.
Summary:
We have shared a single iTunes library across multiple user account, while still allowing for network sharing. This method is designed to save space on machines, particularly those with smaller hard drives.
I hope that this hint proves to be helpful and I hope everybody will give me feedback on my process.
regards,
Pete.
iBook G4; 60GB Hard Drive, 512MB RAM, Airport Extreme Mac OS X (10.4.6) iWork & iLife '06, Adobe CS2, Final Cut Pro. Anything and Everything!!!

how to share music between different accounts on a single computer

Question/Problem Sharing iTunes Library between multiple users

Hello all,
I have a question (potential problem) regarding sharing an iTunes Library between multiple users.
In the past, I had placed the iTunes folder in /Users/Shared, and created an alias to it in the "Music" folder of each user, and it worked fine. However, with a recent upgrade to Mac OS 10.5, only the Home user account can access the library.
I read the Apple Support Document http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1203 uner Mac OS X which specifically states *not* to move the iTunes folder, just the iTunes Media folder (which I don't have, would that be iTunes Music?).
Any recommendations? Should I delete the different alias, move the iTunes folder back to the home user, and then follow the instructions in the support document?
We're also looking to sync music purchsed on our iPod touches, as well as apps (which weren't supported in our privous Mac OS X version.
Any advice is appreiciated.

David Guay wrote:
... iTunes Media folder (which I don't have, would that be iTunes Music?).
yes.
specifically states *not* to move the iTunes folder
*do* keep the entire iTunes folder in /users/shared, however, instead of creating aliases, launch iTunes while holding the option (⌥) key, click choose library when prompted, and select the iTunes folder in /users/shared.
obviously, only one iTunes at a time can access the library !

Hello, I have iMac from Oct, 2010 and have OS 10.6.7 and multiple users. Mail icon was accidently removed along with program. Mail 4.4 is on other users but when I reloaded software my user got Mail 4.3. Mail 4.3 did not work with latest OS. Ideas?Matt

Hello, I have iMac Itel i3, from Oct, 2010 and have OS 10.6.7 and multiple users.
About 3-4 days ago the Mail icon in dock had question mark and was accidently removed, along with program on my user. Oops.
1. Mail 4.4 is on other users and works fine, but for me it does not work and tells me V4.3 does not work with latest OS X.
2. I reloaded software from my user with original disks (Oct, 2010) and got Mail 4.3 again. Mail 4.3 did not work with latest OS. I am unable to load Mail. Gives Yellow error message.
" You have Mail version 4.3 (1081/1084). It can’t be used on Mac OS X Version 10.6.7 (Build 10J869). For more information, click the Help button."
3. Tried to update software and look for update for mail 4.3 on Apple site to no success.
Hate to go to MS-Entorage ( I may need to learn something new and alien) mail program since contracts are in Mail/Address Book.
Ideas?
MattDeeds

Matt,
I would download and run the 10.6.7 combo update.
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1361
Regards,
Captfred

DBMS_FGA.add_policy .. How to handle multiple tables and multiple users

Dear All,
My database is 11gR1 and Linux is the platform.
I have more then 50 very important tables and around 15 database users.
I want to implement fine grained auditing on these important tables.
This is how I am going to implement it:
SQL>BEGIN
DBMS_FGA.add_policy(
object_schema     =>     'Scott',
object_name     =>     'SAL',
policy_name     =>     'SALARY_CHK_AUDIT',
audit_condition     =>     NULL,
handler_schema     =>     'imran',
statement_types     =>     'SELECT,INSERT,UPDATE,DELETE',
audit_column     =>     NULL);
END;
what is i have to pass multiple tables in object_schema and multiple users in handler_schema.
I hope i am able to clear my question, any doubts please let me know.
Regards, Imran

Hi,
object_schema - The schema of the object to be audited. (If NULL, the current log-on user schema is assumed.)
in case if you like to audit for multiple users - then try to test by holding a null value and test access the important tables -where the relevant auditing records are generated as per your requirement or not. i have not tested.. try it
- Pavan Kumar N

Hi! I imported my photos from iPhoto to the library and now I can not find them, what I can do to to get them back?

I imported my photos from iPhoto to the library and now I can not find them, what I can do to to get them back?

HOw about providing some details so we don't have to just make wild, off the wall guesses
What versionn of iPhoto? Of the OS? what exactly did you do and how exactly did you import? what happens? are they in the Last Import list? What is the source fo the photos? What else can you tell us?
LN

Sharing one iphoto library between multiple user accounts

I hav an extensive photo library and would like to share this across multiple users on the one computer. Am I able to do this without having to move the library to an external hard drive?

What you mean by 'share'.
If you want the other user to be able to see the pics, but not add to, change or alter your library, then enable Sharing in your iPhoto (Preferences -> Sharing), leave iPhoto running and use Fast User Switching to open the other account. In that account, enable 'Look For Shared Libraries'. Your Library will appear in the other source pane.
Any user can drag a pic from the Shared Library to their own in the iPhoto Window.
Remember iPhoto must be running in both accounts for this to work.
If you want the other user to have the same access to the library as you: to be able to add, edit, organise, keyword etc. The problem here is that OS X works very hard to keep your data safe and secure from the other users. You're trying to beat what's built in to the system. So, to beat the system
Quit iPhoto in both accounts
Move the iPhoto Library Folder to an external HD set to ignore permissions. You could also use a Disk Image or even partition your Hard Disk.
In each account in turn: Hold down the option (or alt) key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting dialogue, select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new library location. From that point on, this will be the default library location. Both accounts will have full access to the library, in fact, both accounts will 'own' it.
However, there is a catch with this system and it is a significant one. iPhoto is not a multi-user app., it does not have the code to negotiate two users simultaneously writing to the database, and trying will cause db corruption. So only one user at a time, and back up, back up back up.
Lastly: This method seems a little clunky at first, but works very well. Most importantly, it uses the System to do the job for you.
Create a new Account on your Mac, call it Media. Create an iPhoto Library there. (BTW: This will work for iTunes too.)
Enable Sharing on the Library:(Preferences -> Sharing), leave iPhoto running and use Fast User Switching to open the other accounts. In those accounts, enable 'Look For Shared Libraries'. The Library will appear in the other source pane.
This means that both users will be able to see the pics. If you want to use a pic then simply drag it from the shared Library to your own in the iPhoto Window. This means that each user can have their own edits.
If you want to add photos to the Library: Log into the Media account for that purpose.
To make it all seamless: Set your Mac to log into the Media Account automatically. Set iPhoto to launch on log-in. Then switch to your own account using Fast User Switching.
Net result: a Library that's permanently available to all users but also protected. Each user can have their own versions of the pics if they want.
No partitioning, no permissions issues. Uses no extra disk space. What's not to like?
Regards
TD

Sharing IPhoto library among multiple users

I'd like to make sure that each of the user accounts on my Mac can easily access the same complete IPhoto library -- to add, edit and remove photos, and to be able to use the photos in the IWeb, GarageBand and other projects associated with those accounts. What the best way to get this to happen (and while I'm at it, I guess I'd like to do the same things with ITunes.)

webalias rex:
There are several ways that can be done. The one that has the best success rate is to put the library on an external FW HD which the ownership set to be ignored. Here's Apple's document on that method: iPhoto: Sharing libraries among multiple users.
Here are some other methods that have been discussed.
http://ad.hominem.org/log/2005/07/acl.php
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2151309&#2151309
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=579542&tstart=0
http://www.captnswing.net/2004/03/20/shareiphotolibrary.html
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20050904072808460
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.

IPhoto 08, Leopard and multiple users

I just installed Leopard. Under Tiger, I have tried unsuccesfully to share my IPhoto library with other users on my computer. In particular, I tried article 304890: "iPhoto: Sharing libraries among multiple users". Has anything changed with Leopard ?
Thank you so much.
Cesco

Many people using the Shared Folder find that they have permissions issues which mean that they 'other' user can't see some part of the Library. Therefore, if you want to share the Library in that way it's best moved to an external disk formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and set to ignore ownership and permissions.
can both users add photos from their iPhones via iPhoto on their respective accounts and have the new photos show up on the other users iPhoto app?
Yes.
would the newly added photos sharing be automaticall be set to the folder sharing settings? ie, view and edit for both users?
Yes.
if i edit the photos with say photoshop, will the changes show up in iphoto?
If you set this up corrrectly - 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.
You will need to do this in both accounts.
would timemachine back the data up automatically?
TM can be set to back up externals. There are other options too, of course.
when I upgrade to a new computer will everything work the same.
Yes. Just plug in the extenal and point iPhoto at the external from the new machine.
Regards
TD

HT1198 iPhoto Library amond multiple users

I followed the above steps. In the second user that I have created,when I open iPhoto, it still says, "iPhoto Library is on a locked volume. Reopen iPhoto when you have read/write access". I have followed each and every step as given on the Apple support page.
Please help me on how to resolve this issue.
Thank you.

I am experiencing the exact same problem. However, in my case, moving the iPhoto library to a disk image (as opposed to where it was, on my hard drive in the /Users/Shared area), was done in order to allow multiple users to access the library (not at the same time of course). So Bill's solution, of moving the library to another location, won't really solve my original problem.
Originally, I just made the library permissions r/w for everyone, and that seemed to work for a while. But then iPhoto started acting strangely and I suspected permission issues so I searched for a way to do it "properly" and found this article. However the Disk Image (where you can "ignore ownership") doesn't solve my issue because the other user still cannot access the library.
The only alternative I can see is to move the library back to the /Users/Shared folder and set the permissions as r/w for everyone... unless someone else has clarifications or suggestions?
iPhoto version 9.4.1 on Mac OS 10.7.5.
Thank you in advance,
Rami

Iphoto 7 and multiple users

Has Apple fixed the issue with multiple users on the same computer not being able to use the same iphoto library?

Doug:
I didn't know it was broken. It all depends on how you go about it. If you are just sharing libraries between multiple users with their own library that's one thing. But if you all want to use the same library then take a look at the following ways to do it. The preferred way is Apple's using an external HD connected to the computer with the ownership to the HD turned off like this.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304890
http://ad.hominem.org/log/2005/07/acl.php
http://www.captnswing.net/2004/03/20/shareiphotolibrary.html
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2151309&#2151309
There's one more way to share the same photos in multiple libraries but have only one copy of the original file on the HD. That's to use iPhoto in the alias mode and have the source photos in the shared folder. This way each user can have their own unique library with different edits, slideshows, albums, etc. However, each new addition of photos should be in their own clearly marked folder (I use something like this: 08/17-25/07-Honduras Trip) so the other users can tell which are the newly added source files. Also, when a user deletes a photo from their library it is not deleted from the HD. That has to be done via the Finder. So someone should be delegated as the keeper of the Source files. Tutorials #3 describes how it's done and applies to iPhoto 7 as well. I'm in the process of writing a tutorial on converting an iPhoto 7 library over to an alias based one. It's a little easier and can recover not only the keywords but the comments and titles.
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.

IPhoto, a large library, and Multiple users

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