IPhoto library, split or move?

My iPhoto library is on my old system disk which is now full, >1.5Gb. I'll buy a new 1gb drive but should I move the whole library or can I split it between two hard drives?

1 - you need a minimum of 10GB of free disk just to operate safely so you need to act quickly to free up disk space on your boot drive
I'll buy a new 1gb drive
2 - I assume you mean a 1TB drive since they do not make 1GB drives. Will this be an internal or external drive? If external how will it be connected?
3 - I would move the iPhoto library to one of the other internal drives if any of the three have space - or make space on one of them by moving less active data to an external drive - the faster the drive and the faster the drive connection the better iPhoto is going to work
LN

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IPhoto library size and movie imports - getting HUGE!

In iPhoto 08- (in my primary library) I have 23,000 photos, and about 300 movies (some MPEG) from an older Sony digicam, and now I have a Canon Powershot TX1 which is a flash based still digicam/720P HD camcorder that captures very large AVI's (depending on shot length, they range from 30MB to 400-500MB). I know I can choose on import to not bring them into iPhoto, and just bring in the still shots. However, it does make it easy to bring them into iPhoto along with the still pics, but I am concerned about the growing size of my 45GB library (1 of 3 libraries - I have not been splitting them up in the last couple of years, relying on the fact that iPhoto is stable with very large libraries- and going to enable a Time Capsule w/ Time Machine very soon). Time Capsule would save me here, right? Am I playing with fire here on the library size, and setting myself up for a crash?? There are so many downsides to multiple libraries when it comes to projects, searches, imports, etc. I'd love to know that I can safely stick with one.
Wondering also if I should NOT import the movies into iPhoto, and keep them seperate? The benefit to doing this, is that we can post MULTIPLE movies to the .Mac gallery at the same time, and have them appear as seperate movies...whereas in iMovie 08, if I put a bunch of clips into a project to post to .Mac gallery, it compiles them as a single movie - which is, many times, not what we want.
Any advice here is greatly appreciated!!!

GaryFL1:
You might consider creating a separate library for the movies and see if that will speed up your primary library. If you needed a movie in an album to create a web gallery you could put it in an album in the Movie Library and copy that album to your working library.
A lot of iPhoto's quickness depends on both CPU power, RAM and free space on your boot drive. I would imagine your iMac would be your primary iPhoto machine and it should meet the CPU and memory criteria. How about your free space?
Time Machine is a very good backup device in my experience. Depending on how big your backup drive is and how much you're backing up, you can go back in time a fair amount. I've got a 750 GB TM drive backing up my boot drive and one external. It now goes back 5 1/2 weeks for me.
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.

How do I add photos from one iphoto library to another library

I own 2 macs and want to take the photos from one library and add them to a different library on a different Mac. How do I do it? I've copied the iphoto library from computer 1 to computer 2 but haven't yet done anything with the file.

Best solution is to use the paid version of iPhoto Library Manager to move photos between libraries
You can move one version of the image with selected metadata by exporting from one library and importing it to the other library - Exporting From iPhoto
LN

How can i sync my iPhoto Library to 2 macs using the same Apple ID?

Hi,
I have 2 mac book pros (1 in the office and 1 at home) and I have all my photos saved on my office mac iPhoto Library. Is there a way I can sync both iPhoto Libraries? I will be using 1 Apple ID or account for both macs.
Thanks

What do you mean by "Sync".
The general term means when two Libraries (A and B) are compared and files in Library A are copied to Library B, while files in Library B are also copied to Library A so that both Libraries are identical.
This is bi-directional copying and you cannot do this automatically with iPhoto. No Syncing software is capable of parsing the iPhoto Library in this manner. One or both of your Libraries will be damaged if you try this.
You can have uni-directional copying - files in Library A are copied to Library B - this is essentially backing up. Obviously you can also copy from Library B to Library A. So, if all your Photos are on Machine A then just back it up to machine B.
The nearest you can get to syncing is to use iPhoto Library Manager to move files/Albums/Events plus associated metadata between Libraries. This process cannot be automated.

How do I copy & transfer iPhoto library from one mac to another?

I have a Power mac G5 and want to transfer a complete copy of my iPhoto 6 library (with all the specific albums) from my Power mac G5 to a new mac mini. I have an external drive. Is there a way to do this operation direct, between computers, or do I go through the external drive? Which do you recommend and how do I do this?
After the copy transfer is completed, in the future, when I add new photos to my iPhoto library on my G5 and I want to transfer a copy of the new photos to the mac mini, do I follow the same process you outline above? Will the future copy transfer require I delete the library on the mac mini, and make a new complete copy transfer, or will a future transfer only pick-up the new photos?
Thanks,
HDP

1 - connect the two machines together (a network or firewire target mode) quit iPhoto and drag the iuPhoto library from the old to th enew machine
2 - alternatively you can connect the EHD to the old machine, drag the iPhoto library to it, move it to the new machine and drag the iPhoto library to the picturews folde on it
3 - there is no way to sync the libraries - if the two are on a network you could use iPhoto library manager (only if both use the same version of iPhoto ) or use image capture to move the photo to the desktop from the camera and tehn impor tthem into both - but you can not automatically sync them you have to load the photos twice or use IPLM to do it
ln
Message was edited by: LarryHN

Moving photos from one iPhoto library to another

Is there a way to move photos from one iPhoto library to another? I tried to use export, and that puts the photos in the other iPhoto library (I can see the photo if I open Hard drive>user>pictures>iPhoto Library but when I open iPhoto it is not in that Library's library.
If I have not made myself clear, please ask and I'll try again.
Dave

sudkcore
Is there really no other way than via third party software??
Yes there is, detailed above: export from one, import to another.
I love using iPhoto but this is a real drawback.
Wow, really?
I have bought an external disk so i can free the space on my laptop by moving photos and now I have to buy some software in order to do that??
You don't have to buy it. What's more the free version of iPhoto Library Manager will move up to 20 pics at a time. And the paid version is only $20.
BTW: you can run an entire library from the external disk:
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library Folder 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.
Regards
TD

Recovering an iPhoto Library from damaged HD and moving it to new HD

Dear Experts,
I am seeking directions on a procedure that might be straight forward but I must be do this correctly. I lost my iMac internal HD when it stopped booting. The System was 10.4.8 and iPhoto6. Booting from Norten showed 68 damaged blocks. Set up a PowerBook and connected via fire wire to iMac and ran in target mode. I Finder copied the entire contents of the dead HD to an external FW drive. Lost about 3 GB's of data from dead HD but don't know what is missing. The iPhoto Library from the dead HD has, among many files, a "Library.iPhoto" file as well as a "Library6.iPhoto" file. It also contains Original, Modified, and Recovered Photos folders.
I replaced the damaged internal HD drive with a new drive. Installed a clean version of Tiger on the new internal HD and did all software updates to get me current to 10.4.8. When I opened iPhoto6 from the new internal HD there were, naturally, no photos. When I opened iPhoto with "option-iPhoto open", I was instructed to select a Library. I directed iPhoto to the "iPhoto Library" from the external FW drive. Every thing appears to be normal, with the original organizational structure intact.
I now want to move the original AND modified photos from the external FW drive to my new internal HD, preserving roll names, ratings, keywords, i.e. the complete database. Afterwards, I want to erase the external FW drive, so I must be sure that I have the complete folder on the internal HD. I don't want iPhoto to be linked to the Library Folder on the FW.
1) Should I trash the contents of the iPhoto Folder on the internal drive (which has no photos) and replace it with the contents of the iPhoto Folder on the external FW drive (the one from my original disk)?
2) Should I simply replace the "Library6.iPhoto" on the internal HD with the "Library6.iPhoto" file on the FW?
3) Must I use iPhoto Library Manager to move my old data?
4) Would I have to use iPhoto dB Backup from Toad's Celler?
5) When I commissioned the new internal HD, I used the option of transferring all my settings, preferences, etc. from the old computer (the contents of the damaged internal HD which I had copied to the external). Could this have corrupted anything in the iPhoto Library? Why do I have a "Library.iPhoto" file in the old iPhoto Library Folder and not in the new iPhoto Library Folder on the new internal HD?
6) When I opened the original iPhoto Library from iPhoto application, my picture count was 2037. In that same folder, the total pictures were as follows:
"Originals" Folder: 2149
"Modified" Folder: 487
"Recovered Photos" Folder: 37
Why the discrepancy?
Many thanks.
iMac G4, 800 MHz Mac OS X (10.4.8)

I recommend you do number 1 from your list. Then open iPhoto with the option key so you can reselect the correct library folder on your new internal HD.
You shouldn't need to do any of the other things you mentioned.
As far as the numbers question 6, have you deleted photos without emptying the iPhoto trash? Try emptying the iPhoto trash and see if the numbers now match.

How do I sync iPhoto Library between 2 computers?

Forgive me if this has been asked and answered already. I have an iMac and a MacBook Air and want to sync the iPhoto library between the two. I have upgraded both the desktop and laptop to OSX 10.9 and iPhoto '11 (9.5).
I always had an iPhoto Library file (in Pictures under Finder) on EACH computer. The two did not sync, so if I added photos to one instance of the Library in a particular computer. I had to copy the Library and then paste it into the the other computer. I'm pretty sure I'm missing a fairly easy means of overcoming this, but I don't know what it is.
I had hoped the new version of iPhoto, with its closer link to iCloud would obviate this, but it only synchronises items in Photo Stream, not the entire iPhoto library. Any ideas on how I can improve this process. I do use Dropbox for all other files, and of course the iMac and MacBook Air are on the same home network.
Would I be better off putting the iPhoto Library on an external drive and then "point" both computers to that single instance of the library? If so I don't begin to know how to do it.
Thank you so much

What do you mean by "Sync".
The general term means when two Libraries (A and B) are compared and files in Library A are copied to Library B, while files in Library B are also copied to Library A so that both Libraries are identical.
This is bi-directional copying and you cannot do this automatically with iPhoto. No Syncing software is capable of parsing the iPhoto Library in this manner. One or both of your Libraries will be damaged if you try this.
You can have uni-directional copying - files in Library A are copied to Library B - this is essentially backing up. Obviously you can also copy from Library B to Library A.
The nearest you can get to syncing is to use iPhoto Library Manager to move files/Albums/Events plus associated metadata between Libraries. This process cannot be automated.
Putting the Library on an external is easy:
Make sure the drive is formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library 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.
Regards
TD

Copying iPhoto Library to new MacBook Pro

I have recently bought a new MacBook Pro primarily to use when travelling. I also have a iMac which will continue to be my main mac. I naively thought that by using Migration Assistant I'd be able to copy/transfer all the stuff I have on my iMac (iTunes Library, iPhoto Library etc....) to the MacBook Pro but it's clearly not as simple as that.
Can someone please help me to get the content on my iMac to the Pro and is there a way to update any new photos etc automatically from my iMac to the Pro? It's worth adding that I also have a Time Capsule which is used for backing up from the iMac.
All help gratefully appreciated!!

I naively thought that by using Migration Assistant I'd be able to copy/transfer all the stuff I have on my iMac (iTunes Library, iPhoto Library etc....) to the MacBook Pro but it's clearly not as simple as that.
I don't know what problems you've had, but I was able to do that with Migration Assistant.
To move your Library:
1. Connect the two Macs together
2. Copy the iPhoto Library from your Pictures Folder on the iMac to the same location on the new one.
3. Launch iPhoto.
That's all there is to it..
is there a way to update any new photos etc automatically from my iMac to the Pro?
Yes, simply use the Pro as a back up location and back the library up using an app like DejaVu.
However, this will work only as long as you use the Pro as a back up for the iMac. If you add photos to the Pro and then try and sync the two you may damage either Library.
Alternatively, you can use iPhoto Library Manager to move Photos, Events and Albums, plus associated metadata between Libraries.
Regards
TD

Copying of iPhoto library going very slowly

Hello, all,
Yesterday I purchased a brand new 1TB firewire 800 external drive. It's correctly formatted for my Mac. I had wanted to put my iPhoto library on this drive, OR use it as a backup location for the library. Either way, I needed to copy it over from my iMac's internal drive.
I tried twice to copy the library (using the Finder), which lists itself as 89GB. Each time the Finder progress bar indicated the copy would take two to three days. That sounded like way too short a time over Firewire 800. To test things out, I did a different backup copy of my *iTunes* library, which is also over 80GB. That library lives on a different external drive, using Firewire 400. THAT copy took less than an hour, and it had to go downstream from one external and then upstream to the new external. A second copy of other files from that external drive also went swimmingly: 22GB in about 12 minutes.
Does anyone have any insight into what might be happening? Is there something unusual about iPhoto libraries that makes them copy more slowly than other kinds of files?
Thanks for your help!

I found a fast soution 45 Gb Library copied in ~30 min. over USB 2.0
I did a semi-manual copy, by opening the iPhoto Library - "Show package contents" (in right click menu) then copying the contents to a new iPhoto libaray "Package"
Instead of copying all at once copy the small files/folders in one batch, wati to complete, then copy the larger files folders. You can copy the package contents one folder at a time or a few at a time. I found that copying the Library files in one batch, then copying the Masters, Previews, & Thumbnails in a second batch seemed to work well without choking up.
Here's the steps
Connect your hard drive or Mac in Target disk mode
navigate to the folder containing the iPhoto Library you wish to copy
'Right click' Show Package Contents
You'll see apx 19 files - select all but exclude 3 folders: Masters, Previews, & Thumbnails you'll come back for theses later
Copy these files to an empty folder on your destination drive/Mac (Later you'll use iPhoto to make a new libary "Package" then you'll put these files inside it) The copy should take a few minutes, high volume + tiny files
When the first copy is finished, go back and copy the remaining 3 folders Masters, Previews, & Thumbnails. This is the opposite as previous step, lower volume + larger files. Copy speeds should be normal ie 30 min. for 45 Gb over USB 2.0.
Once all these files and folders are copied you need to put them into an empty iPhoto Library container. An easy way to do this is
Launch iPhoto holding the Option key
Choose 'New Library' (choose an apprpriate name)
Quit iPhoto
in Finder go to the new Library you just created (User/Pictures/) - be sure its the one you just made
Right Click (Control + Click) the iPhoto Libraray
Choose - Show Package Contents (now you're looking at the contents that makup an iPhoto library)
Select all these files and folders and delete them to the trash Open the folder that has your freshly copied files and put them in this empty iPhoto Library package.
Close finder windows (disconnect your hard drive or Mac)
Launch iPhoto (you can hold the Option Key while launching iPhoto to choose the correct Library if you have more than one).
Viola. You should have a functional copy from your old Mac/External hard drive.
REMEMBER!
The easiest way to mess up your iPhoto Library is to move things around inside the "Package contents" of your iPhoto Library. Its hidden in there for a reason, so don't go mucking about under the hood. Best practice is to touch nothing inside the "Show Package Contetns" of your iPhoto library. As described above, we're merely just speeding up a file transfer and copying files so they mirror their source in a new destination. Good luck.

Can't open iPhoto Library / Reorganize WITHOUT iPhoto

I have about 6000 photos, (now backed up onto my 160Gb HD)--about 3500 in iPhoto (which makes it run so slow I cannot use it) and the balance in labelled folders in my Pictures folder.
I am finding it increasingly difficult to keep track of my pics using iPhoto, I recently tried to start a new iPhoto library to break it into two smaller libraries and now I cannot access the original photos except manually on the desktop even after reading Help. So now I do not trust iPhoto and do not want to buy the new version.
I want to move all of the iPhoto images to new “holding tank” folders so I can then manually review and move them to appropriately labelled folders.
Can I use Automator to find all the image files in the iPhoto library folder and move them to one or more new folders? (I need the exact workflow. I have tried using Automator to resize images, with limited success. The items never seem to end up in the place I want them to be). Any other ideas would be welcome.
ibook G4 1GHz, 640 MB RAM, 40Gb HD Mac OS X (10.4.6) 160 GB external HD

Shoot! I found part of the answer in the Automator forum (sorry) where they said NOT to use Automator with iPhoto. But I still want to know if anyone else has had this problem.
I did already move and delete some iPhoto library files (today) in my iPhoto Library in an attempt to combine the two libraries. When I realized the length of time it was going to take, I stopped. But the library not opening problem occurred over a month ago when I originally tried to start a new iPhoto Library and BEFORE I moved any files.
Any other ideas?

I have Two mac, should I have two iphoto library?

I have two mac, mbp13" and imac white 24"
I am facing a big problem with TWO MACs.
I went to travel with my mbp13" one week before. I copy the whole iphoto library into mbp in order to sync it with my ipod. Also, I import all the photo into mbp iphoto library during the vacation. All the photo are well manage with event, tab, rating, faces, etc.
What should I do in order to put 'this event' with all managed data from mbp13" into the imac24" iphoto library? Is there any other ways to reach such goal?
I have never used two macs before, please give me some advise for the best use of them. thanks!
Message was edited by: future20447

What do you mean by "Sync".
The general term means when two Libraries (A and B) are compared and files in Library A are copied to Library B, while files in Library B are also copied to Library A so that both Libraries are identical.
This is bi-directional copying and *you cannot do this with automatically with iPhoto*. No Syncing software is capable of parsing the iPhoto Library in this manner. One or both of your Libraries will be damaged if you try this.
You can have uni-directional copying - files in Library A are copied to Library B - this is essentially backing up. Obviously you can also copy from Library B to Library A.
The nearest you can get to syncing is to use iPhoto Library Manager to move files/Albums/Events plus assoicated metadata between Libraries. This process cannot be automated.
Regards
TD

Can I import photos from an old iPhoto library?

Can I import photos from an old iPhoto library on an external hard drive to my current iPhoto library? The icon on the hard drive appears greyed out when I try via Import.

Open the older library and export the Photos from it to the Finder (File -> Export) and switch to the new Library and import those.
Or, use iPhoto Library Manager to move the photos, plus all the versions and associated metadata to the new Library.
Regards
TD

How do I populate a new iPhoto library from my default library?

How do I efficiently move large numbers of photos between 2 iPhoto libraries? I want one for personal use and one for business. Right now everything is in one iPhoto library. I was able to create a second, business related library, but couldn't figure out how to move large numbers of photos from the default library into the new (presently empty) library. I tried import and export but those functions weren't available.

Easy way:
Use iPhoto Library Manager to move photos, files, all versions and metadata between libraries. The Free version will move approx 20 at a time. Purchase ($20) will remove any restrictions.
Alternative:
Export the Photos from one Library (File -> Export) to folders in the Finder, then import them to the other library. You won't get versions or Faces metadata this way.
Or, do you need a second library? You can easily distinguish Work and Personal files in a Library with a simple keyword.
Regards
TD

Aperture iPhoto library storage

Just a little bit of background. I have two computers (iMac and Macbook) and I currently use iPhoto on both. I sync the libraries using Chronosync.
I am thinking about buying AP3 and installing it on the iMac but I still want to be able to sync its library with iPhoto on the Macbook. Now, currently to sync my 2 iphoto libraries I select the library files on each computer. If I get AP3 on my iMac, can it just use the iPhoto library to store without creating a new AP3 library?
If AP3 can store the images inside iPhoto library, how will iPhoto appear if I open that?
Or is the best option just to install AP3 on both computers seeing that Apple's license allows it?

I have two computers (iMac and Macbook) and I currently use iPhoto on both. I sync the libraries using Chronosync.
What do you mean by "Sync".
The general term means when two Libraries (A and B) are compared and files in Library A are copied to Library B, while files in Library B are also copied to Library A so that both Libraries are identical.
This is bi-directional copying and you cannot do this with automatically with iPhoto. No Syncing software is capable of parsing the iPhoto Library in this manner. One or both of your Libraries will be damaged if you try this.
You can have uni-directional copying - files in Library A are copied to Library B - this is essentially backing up. Obviously you can also copy from Library B to Library A.
The nearest you can get to syncing is to use iPhoto Library Manager to move files/Albums/Events plus assoicated metadata between Libraries. This process cannot be automated.
hinking about buying AP3 and installing it on the iMac but I still want to be able to sync its library with iPhoto on the Macbook.
Sync Aperture and iPhoto? Aperture has an entirely different Library from iPhoto and iPhoto will make no sense of it whatever.
If I get AP3 on my iMac, can it just use the iPhoto library to store without creating a new AP3 library?
Yes.
If AP3 can store the images inside iPhoto library, how will iPhoto appear if I open that?
The same as now.
Note that iPhoto will have no access to edits done in Aperture.
Regards
TD

IPhoto library, split or move?

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