IPhoto Organize Library or Manually?

I just got a Rebel XT and now I'm not sure what to do with my iPhoto library. I had been using a small 2 megapixel Canon PowerShot for years and would just import directly into iPhoto on my G5. Before version 6, the library was simply stored in nested numbered folders corresponding to the date the images were shot. Now with version 6, the library is organized completely differently. Plus, If I use the Canon ImageBrowser software to import the SLR pictures, they are organized differently. In addition, I want to keep all my images on a drive that is on a different Mac on my home network.
What do I do? What did you do?
• Import using iPhoto vs Canon ImageBrowser?
• Let iPhoto organize the library vs Canon ImageBrowser vs manually making folders?
• Reorganize my current iPhoto library to manual organization or ImageBrowser organization?
• Archive current iPhoto library and start over with SLR images?
• Manually name files vs keeping camera file naming?
• Purchase Portfolio or iView MediaPro or Aperture or Lightroom (when available)?
• Anything else I forgot to consider?
Thanks,
-= Ken =-
Power Mac G5 Dual 2.5GHz Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Ken:
Welcome to the Apple Discussions. How you manage your photos is really what works best for you and how you visualize the organizational system. Here's how I do it:
1 - upload manually (with card reader or with Image Capture w/o card reader) from the camera to a folder on the desktop.
2 - name the folder with the date and a brief description of the contents.
3 - using R-Name I batch sequentially rename the files with the international date format.
4 - import that folder into iPhoto.
This gives me a rolls with the same title as the folder. The file naming gives me excellent chronological search and sorting.
Another method, using the same uploading and renaming above, is to use iPhoto in it's alias mode (see iPhoto's advanced preference section) and keep my folders of image files in my own organized folder system and have iPhoto import only aliases into the library. One caveat to this method is that if you delete a photo from the library it does not get deleted from the source files. That has to be done manually. The strong point to this method is that the source files can be on an external HD giving your boot drive more free space to improve efficiency. These Tutorials describe how to convert to an alias system.
Canon's image browser is just a browser and not an image management application. With iPhoto you can assign keywords to pictures, assemble subsets of pictures into albums without actually moving the original files, etc.
Do you Twango?

Similar Messages

Manually migrate iPhoto 8 Library to iPhoto 9.5

Hi, I have a new MBP. Instead of using the Migration Wizard, and I want to manually move documents from my old MBP to the new one. I want a clean system, as there is a lot of cruft on the old machine from many prior migrations from machine to machine.
My first attempt at moving the iPhoto Library did not go well. I got the Unreadable Files error (1300 files) and iPhoto just hung thereafter. So, I want to try again. But, perhaps I'm not clear on the process of how to manually migrate the iPhoto Library. I did the following - is this correct, or should I have done something else?
Carbon Copy Cloner backup to external HD
Copied iPhoto Library from backup HD to /User/Pictures/ folder on new MBP
Opened iPhoto. It started importing and I went to sleep.
Awoke to review iPhoto import: Result was Unreadable Files error and a hung iPhoto
I had the following folders in /Users/Pictures: iPhoto Library_2 (this is what I copied from backup), iPhoto Library.photolibrary
System details:
Old MBP:
OSX 10.6.8
iPhoto 8.1.2
New MBP:
OSX 10.9.4
iPhoto 9.5.1
Should I have followed a different process?
Thanks in advance.

You screenshot does not display for me so I'm answering with the benefit of seeing it.
Opened iPhoto. It started importing and I went to sleep.
Did you try importing the iPhoto 8 library into a new library or just try to open the V8 library directly with iPhoto?
Get a fresh copy of the library from the EHD into the Pictures folder on your new Mac and do the following:
1 - copy the iPhoto 8.1.2 application from the EHD to the desktop, rename it iPhoto 8.1.2.app and place in your Applications folder.
2 - launch iPhoto 8.1.2 with the Option key held down, select the library and try to open. If it opens OK close iPhoto 8.1.2.
3 - launch iPhoto 9.5.1 with the Command+Option keys held down to open the First Aid window. Be sure to follow the circled recommendation in the screenshot.
3 - run Option #4, Rebuild Database.

IPhoto as Library and Adobe Elements Organizer as download client

I wanted to use Adobe Elements 9 Organizer as the download client as I can actually see image files saved and grouped by folders and iPhoto as library and creative authoring.
Will using iPhoto to create library from Pictures Folder (those saved by Elements Organizer) duplicate the photos that are already in that folder? I kind think that iPhoto will copy those photos into its own. I worry about duplicating the JPEG files in my Pictures Folder.
Thanks.

I'm with Larry when he says to pick one horse and ride it. This can get quite confusing very quickly.
To answer your specific question:
Will using iPhoto to create library from Pictures Folder (those saved by Elements Organizer) duplicate the photos that are already in that folder
By default, yes, but you can set iPhoto not to. But note: a: What Happens when you do - for instance, that various versions of the files will not be available except through iPhoto, which will confuse your proposed system, and b: The various caveats to running a Referenced Library.
*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.
*An Alternative*
Set Elements as an External Editor in iPhoto: 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

Importing iPhoto `11 Library Lost Folders & Nested Albums

Been using iPhoto since its' inception. Currently at iPhoto `11. Had created many Albums and Smart Albums based on Keywords and had most of them organized into Folders in iPhoto.
Just bought Aperture 3 and, following the video tutorial provided by Apple, imported my 9,000+ iPhoto Library into it. However, only albums that resided at the top level in the sidebar of iPhoto made it into Aperture. All Folders and any Albums and Smart Albums that resided inside those Folders were not imported into Aperture.
I have verified that all photos contained within the missing Folders and Albums have made it into Aperture, just not the Folder and Album hierarchies I had created over the years.
Do I need to delete the Aperture Library and re-import the iPhoto Library again using other settings?

Thanks for the reply Terrence. I'm still a bit confused by some contradictory behavior of Aperture.
The Aperture Manual states (p.112):
+"The organization of your iPhoto images and albums is maintained as projects in the Projects panel."+
Well, not actually. Only EVENTS seem to be maintained as Projects when imported from iPhoto. My iPhoto library contains 1189 Events. Aperture now has 1185 Projects after the iPhoto import. But Projects does not contain any of the album organization that had been created in iPhoto.
The Aperture Manual further states (p.112):
"+You cannot import slideshows, books, and Smart Albums from your iPhoto Library."+
Well, actually, Aperture DID import 5 of my Smart Albums. But these were only the Smart Albums at the top level of iPhoto's sidebar. All other Smart Albums nested inside folders in iPhotos sidebar were not brought over.
So I'm confused.

When doing a second "Organize Library" cuz the first was too big, will iTunes recognize what's already copied over?

I'm stuck with a large folder of music on my PC in My Music folder. And I used "Organize Library" in iTunes but it didn't copy everything over because the amount of music was too big. I've deleted the original copies of music outside of iTunes to open up more space and was wondering if I do a second "Organize Library" if it will recognize that some of the music has already been copied over.

I don't know what "restore the iPod" is
It's usually the second thing to do (after Reset) when the iPod is not working correctly.
Select the iPod in iTunes and click Restore.
See this -> Restoring iPod to factory settings
what about my main question? Can I go back to "sync all" but manually block certain albums?
No because sync all is just that.
Sycning specific playlists should work fine. And you can create more than one and sync which ones you want.

Removing EXIF and other Metadata from iPhoto 5 Library

This post is intended for users who have upgraded to iPhoto5 and have suffered extensive slowdowns because of metadata that has accumulated in their iPhoto library, specifically in the Library.iPhoto file.
This occurs if certain Pentax, Canon, and other digital cameras are used for pictures. Search this forum for "metadata" or "EXIF" or "makernote" (no quotes) for additional information about this issue.
If you are affected by this issue and want to rid your iPhoto 5 library of this extra garbage, follow the steps below.
1. Make two copies of your complete iPhoto Library folder and put them someplace else other than in the normal location. If something goes wrong, you'll have the backups. In any event, understand that if you follow these instructions, you are responsible for any problems, errors, or loss of photos. If you aren't prepared to take that responsibility, then do not read any further.
2. Go to http://www.versiontracker.com and search for and download the free SmallImage application. Install it in your Applications folder.
3. In your original iPhoto library, trash the Library.iPhoto file.
4. Launch SmallImage by dragging your entire (ORIGINAL) iPhoto Library folder on top of SmallImage.
5. There are 5 categories (checkboxes) of metadata (called profiles) that you can eliminate. I selected them all. Uncheck the "Recompress at quality:" checkbox. You don't want your photos altered. Uncheck the "Add Suffix" checkbox so that SmallImage will overwrite your photos with ones without the metadata. Select whether you want keep any custom file icons or not. Then, hold your breath and push the "Process Files" button in the SmallImage toolbar. If you have thousands of photos and/or a slow computer, it might take many hours.
6. When SmallImage is finished, lauch iPhoto5, holding down the command/apple, option and shift keys. Before iPhoto fully loads, you'll be presented with the library rebuilding dialog box. Check ALL 4 options (especially the last one) and then allow iPhoto to rebuild the library. This also can take a very long time, depending on computer speed and the number of photos you have. When iPhoto is finished rebuilding the libary and reloading your photos, you'll have an iPhoto library without any the metadata that seems to be slowing it down. If you hold down the wrong keys and don't get the library rebuilding dialog box, don't panic. Quit iPhoto, and try it again. Your photos are still there.
7. If you stay with your current camera (that is generating the metadata), manually transfer your picture files to your computer (but not directly into iPhoto) and use SmallImage to remove the metadata BEFORE you manually import them into iPhoto5.
Hopefully, future versions of iPhoto5 will include an import option to strip metadata from photo files. If SmallImage can do it, why can't our favorite fruit company?
Best of luck.
12 inch 1.5Ghz Powerbook Mac OS X (10.4.3)
12 1.5Ghz Powerbook Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Link the two Macs together and use iPhoto Library Manager
Regards
TD

Using Aperture 2 to Edit Iphoto 08 Library

I imported my Iphoto 08 library into Aperture 2 as reference images so I can still view my iphoto library on my HD Samsung through my PS3 using Medialink, after I edit the images with Aperture. My question is will there be any problems if I edit / delete / change images in my iphoto using Aperture ? Are there any tricks or things to be careful about ? I don't want to corrupt my library. I am a recent convert to mac (SR Macbook) and iphoto 08 did a great job with importing and initial organizing the mess of photo from all my windows machines. Aperture 2 seems to have better editing and file management of my resultant 25000 + library. I'd like to use both iphoto and Aperture together.

I import into Iphoto first for a couple of reasons. If I have some videos on my camera, which i usually do, Iphoto will capture them for viewing or editing later. Aperture won't. Second, Time Machine works with Iphoto, not with Aperture. So backups are automatic with Iphoto. With Aperture, you can backup with vaults. I import all my images into Aperture (as referenced images) mostly so I can manage them, IE, organize using metadata, and place into folders by year / month, etc. Also, when you do edit in Aperture, no extra copies are made, like in Iphoto, because, Aperture takes the master from the iphoto library and applies your edits on the fly. You can continually edit and change the image in Aperture and it only will render and make a new image / master when you want to export.
As far as keeping track of various version of images, after organizing and editing in Aperture, you can place a rating on images, or place them in an album of good stuff (which is just a link to the real image), to then export into a new iphoto event of good stuff, etc
Alternately, you could import the images into Aperture as masters, and Aperture will make another copy, which means you'll have two of each image taking up twice as much space. Depending how many images and how much hard drive space you have will determine if this works. You could keep either or both Aperture and / or Iphoto libraries on external hard drives. You could import directly into Aperture and only export good stuff into iphoto, if you don't have any videos to manage and you're willing to backup with Aperture vault.
I setup the external editor in Aperture to use CS3 PS. When you select edit in external editor, Aperture renders a new master which you edit in PS and end up with a new master in Aperture.
Good luck. I went through several workflows with Aperture trial and almost gave up. In the end though, after I saw what Aperture can do, Iphoto along wasn't good enough and I came up with something that works for me.

Is the new iPhoto '08 Library syncing in entirety every time?

The new storage for iPhoto Library in iPhoto '08 is a package. It SEEMS like PHD is sensing any minute change inside (which update the package's modified date) and then copying/syncing the ENTIRE library. For some users, this can be 15GB of pain.
Can anyone else confirm or deny?

OK, but please, there's no warranty or anything of that nature and it's a bit specific to my situation, but here goes:
1. I created a script at ~/Library/Scripts/Applications/iPhoto/Backup Library.sh
By putting it at that path, it shows up nicely in the AppleScript menu extra only when iPhoto is active. Thus, it can be manually triggered by the user at any time.
So, here's the script:
<pre class="command">#!/bin/sh
SERVER="afpserver.domain.net"
synclibrary()
    if test -d "/Volumes/Users/$USER/Pictures/iPhoto Library";
    then
        /usr/bin/rsync -av --delete-after "/Users/$USER/Pictures/iPhoto Library/" "/Volumes/Users/$USER/Pictures/iPhoto Library"
    else
        echo "iPhoto Library is not available."
    fi
echo `date` "* Syncing \"iPhoto Library\""
if test -d /Volumes/Users;
then
    echo "Users is available."
else
    echo "Users is not available. Mounting..."
    mount_needed=1
fi
if test "$mount_needed";
then
    mkdir "/Volumes/Users"
    sleep 1
    if `mount_afp -o nobrowse "afp://$USER@$SERVER/Users" "/Volumes/Users"`;
    then
        echo "succeeded."
        synclibrary
        echo -n "Unmounting Users..."
        umount "/Volumes/Users"
        echo "done."
    else
        echo "failed."
        rm -r "/Volumes/Users"
    fi
else
    synclibrary
fi
echo `date` "* Done Syncing \"iPhoto Library\""
exit 0
</pre>
Now, while I've been doing all sort of scripting for many years, shell scripting's a bit new to me, so any suggestions/corrections welcomed. I tried to mirror what Home Folder syncing does in this deployment's situation, which is:
1. If the user has manually mounted the Users sharepoint, this script realizes it's there, makes sure the iPhoto Library folder is present at the right remote location, and does its thing.
2. If the user does NOT have the Users sharepoint mounted, but has an active Kerberos ticket, I mount the sharepoint, run the script and then disconnect the sharepoint afterwards. I do this in a way that the sharepoint does not show up to the user.
Does that sound right to everyone?
OK, now to run the script automatically, I use launchd. Cron is deprecated.
So, the launch script goes in ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.iPhoto.rsync.plist and looks like this:
<pre class="command"><?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>com.apple.iphoto.rsync</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
        <string>/Users/username/Library/Scripts/Applications/iPhoto/Backup Library.sh</string>
    </array>
    <key>StandardErrorPath</key>
    <string>/Users/username/Library/Logs/MirrorAgent.log</string>
    <key>StandardOutPath</key>
    <string>/Users/username/Library/Logs/MirrorAgent.log</string>
    <key>StartInterval</key>
    <integer>21600</integer>
</dict>
</plist>
</pre>
You can set the StartInterval to whatever you want. It's represented in seconds. I chose 3 hours, which is the same interval that I use for PHD.
I am also using the MirrorAgent.log to report all output and my script tried to make that output look as similar to the PHD output as possible. Thus, I can track it all in the one log.
There is ONE problem with this launchd script, which I can't seem to surpass, and that it the fact that I have to use FULL paths.... I can't use ~/Library/etc/etc which means I have to make the launchd plist for each user. Any workarounds for that would be greatly appreciated.
Any questions, just ask!
Message was edited by: jaydisc

IPhoto Referenced Library: repair aliases

Hello everyone, I have an iphoto referenced library of about 58 thousand pictures, I have the originals stored on a 1TB lacie hard drive ("castor") connected through firewire 800. Tonight I was doing some funny stuff in order to get that drive clean and empty for re-partitioning (since disk utility wound't let me erase a couple of mac journaled partitions I didn't need anymore without reformatting the whole volume), so I took all the pictures, documents, applications, and a mac os tiger (from which I boot sometimes) to another daisy chained 1TB lacie (pollux) and once I was done, back to it's original home ("castor"), I thought that, even formatted, it would keep it's original path, but may be it didn't for when I tried to open my library all of the files where missing. There were only thumbnails and once at full screen it would ask me for the current location of the picture and if canceled, it would show just a huge exclamation mark.
I remade some of those aliases manually but there are 58,000 + files. So I am looking for a clever solution to get all those aliases fixed automatically without having to re-import all the folders containing my pictures again (not yet).
A few days ago I had a rather similar problem with iMovie which I solved by following a tutorial; editing the project's binary file by turning it into html via terminal and then modifying it with the correct location of the files. I hope there might be some trick like this for my mess. I would guess all of the ilife applications have a similar architecture and way to work.
I will post back if I find any fix for others to learn. Meanwhile, thanks in advance for your useful help and sorry for my english, I am Mexican... greetings! .

Good day, unfortunately filebuddy did not work for me, however I found on the internet a hope for all of us having issue with our referenced libraries: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=711230
This man affirms that by double clicking in one of the files and manually finding it's location when prompted (as expected in iTunes) was able to regain the order of his library.
And in http://thedigitalstory.com/2010/05/reconnecting_master.html this function appears to be more reliable and may be I am upgrading to Aperture now.
My "referenced videos" iphoto library seems to be working quite well, even though it passed through the same odyssey of getting out and back to my external hard drive, and it's also within an intricate directory structure.
I certainly have the need of a referenced library since my computer's hard drive is laptop-size and therefore it can't run as fast for browsing 4 years of amateur digital photography, so I think there's no workaround about that, in fact it is a pretty amazing feature.
Meanwhile I managed to solve it using automator: renaming folders, making aliases, and replacing the dead ones with these. The only problem is that the aliases made by automator which uses (I think) a similar method as Finder for creating aliases is that these links occupy much more hard disk space that the ones generated by iPhoto. I am sure I read on some other post that I can get into the iPhoto application package and mess around with its vital files to get the aliases repaired, in a similar fashion as I did to iMovie. Thank you for your help.
Message was edited by: sighi.dmor

Transfering iPhoto '08 library to new mac iPhoto '11

I have a new iMac OS Lion with iPhoto '11. I wanted to migrate my huge (67,000 photos) iPhoto '08 library from my older Snow Leopard iMac. I've got them hooked up via ethernet.
Since it looked like the newer iPhoto had some different little files inside the "iPhoto Library" compared to the older version, I showed contents on both and transfered the older files/folders into the new virgin library, so as to keep the fresh empty files untouched, just in case there were new prefs etc.
But when I open the new iPhoto it still seems to think its empty.
Should I have just copied the entire old iPhoto library over and replaced the new one? Or is there a special command to tell the new iPhoto to start whatever conversion process etc?
Thanks.
ps: I didn't use the migration assistant since I didn't want any legacy crap from the past three mac to move over, so that is why I am manually moving music, docs, etc over.

Should I have just copied the entire old iPhoto library over and replaced the new one?
yes
NEVER make any changes of any sort to the contents of the iPhoto library - it is a SQL database you there are no user servicable parts within it
Migration assistance does not handle the iPhoto library well sometimes - the best way is to drag the existing iphoto library from the pictures folder on the new system to the desktop if you have any photos you want in it, connect the two systems together (network, firewire target mode, etc) and drag the iPhoto library intact as a single entity from the old system to the pictures folder of the new system and launch iPhoto on the new system - it will open and convert the iPhoto library as necessary and you will be fine - once you test the iPhoto library you can delete the one on the desktop
LN

IPhoto 09 hangs up during analysing / converting iPhoto 2 Library

Hi
I recently bought a new MPB (OS X 10.6.1 / 3.06GHz / 8GB RAM).
I restored / copied the user data from the old Mac Book (OS X 10.4.11 / PowerPC G4 1.33GHz / 1.5GB RAM) to the new MPB. Now I have got a problem with my photos which I manage on both systems with iPhoto.
*On the MPB iPhoto "V 8.1 (415)" blocks / hangs up during analysing / converting the old iPhoto Library "iPhoto V2.0.1 (3E89)"*
Old iPhoto Library: ca. 8000 Photos, ca. 23GB
What did I do:
- from my backup of the old system I moved / copied the folder "iPhoto Library" to the new MPB into the folder "Pictures"
- I started iPhoto
- I selected the "iPhoto Library" as the Medithek
- iPhoto started to verify and to update / convert the Mediathek
- shortly after iPhoto is blocked / hangs up
I have absolutely no idea why this happens.
Questions:
How do I get my entire iPhoto 02 Library working with the new iPhoto?
Did anybody have the same / a similar problem and how was it solved?
Is there any way to copy manually the old Library into the new packetised iPhoto Library (if yes - what do I need to do)?
Do I need to copy any other files (e.g. preferences) to the MBP so that iPhoto does the conversion of the old Library correctly?
Any hints / solutions are very welcome.
Looking foreward to get my photos back to work with the new MPB.
Thanks guinevra

This can be cause by a damaged file or a dodgy file permission somewhere in this Library.
Download BatchMod from
http://macchampion.com/arbysoft/
And apply it to the iPhoto Library Folder using the settings found here:
http://homepage.mac.com/toad.hall/.Pictures/Forum/BatChmod.png
(Credit to Old Toad for this one).
and try again.
Regards
TD

I am trying to move my wife's iPhoto '08 library to my new iMac for iPhoto '11.

I am trying to move my wife's iPhoto (2007) library on a Macbook to my new iMac for iPhoto '11. First, when I opened iPhoto on the iMac it asked me to create a library, which I did. Then I imported her photos via a wireless network to my "new" library. However, when it finally finished importing, it had imported 3 copies of each photo from her library. I deleted the "new" library and started over.
Second, I opened iPhoto on the iMac and chose to use "other library." I chose my wife's shared iPhoto library and it began transferring the photos to the new iMac (or so I thought). This worked beautifully as it only brought over single photos and not 3 copies like discussed above. After editing the new library and adding some photos from an old PC, I shut down iPhoto. A few hours later I tried to open iPhoto on the iMac and it gave me the opening screen again with choices to create a new library or use a different library. As it turns out, my wife's Macbook and been disconneted from our wireless network. I was able to figure out that that unless my wife's Macbook is connected to the network then I cannot access the iPhoto library on my iMac. I was under the impression that I had copied her library to my computer and that the photo files were now on the hard drive of the iMac. So when her computer is offline I can no longer access the imported library. I want her library to stay on the iMac as we plan to sell her Macbook. As you now know, we cannot access her iPhoto library on the Macbook since she is running an older version of iPhoto.
So, what I would like to do is to completely transfer the photos from her Macbook to my new iMac and be able to access them on the iMac regardless of whether she is on the network or not because we plan to sell her Macbook to a friend. Thank you for any help you can provide.

To move an iPhoto Library to a new machine:
Link the two Macs together: there are several ways to do this: Wireless Network,Firewire Target Disk Mode, Ethernet, or even just copy the Library to an external HD and then on to the new machine...
But however you do choose to link the two machines...
Simply copy the iPhoto Library from the Pictures Folder on the old Machine to the Pictures Folder on the new Machine.
Then hold down the option (or alt) key key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library'
and select the Library that you moved. That's it.
This moves photos, events, albums, books, keywords, slideshows and everything else.
Your first option didn't work because you imported 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.
Your second option didn't work because you simply referenced her library on the old machine.
Regards
TD

I am trying to backup my Itunes onto my external hard drive. I am at the step where I on Itunes, click on File - Library - Organize library. I am suppose to check mark both boxes there, It won't allow me to check mark the second box, why? How to fix this.

I am trying to backup my Itunes onto my external hard drive. I am at the step where I on Itunes, click on File ->Library ->Organize library. I am suppose to check mark both boxes there, the first being "Consolidate Files" & the second being "Reorganize files in the folder 'Itunes Media'. I am able to checkmark the first box but It won't allow me to check mark the second box, why? How can i fix this? Please help!

Well you must have made a mistake somewhere. The last instruction of step four reads:
When you've found your iTunes library folder, drag that folder to your external hard drive. This will begin the iTunes backup. The amount of time the backup will take depends on the size of your library. When the transfer is done, your backup is complete and your external hard drive can be disconnected.
Normally dragging content from to a new location on a different drive will result in a copy action which is what you were supposed to do. At a guess you somehow managed to move the iTunes folder. Then when you started iTunes it created a new blank library for you assuming it had just been installed rather that raising a warning.
Close iTunes. Rename the iTunes folder on the internal drive as iTunes (Empty) then copy the iTunes folder from the external back into the User's Music folder. Start iTunes. All should be well.
When you've made sure it all works please read my User Tip and use that method to backup in future. Since you already have a folder with the backup in place you can skip the "Make New" operation in the fourth step and simply choose the external folder.
tt2

IPhoto '08 Library won't open in OSX 10.6.7

I have moved an iPhoto '08 library to a new iMac running OSX 10.6.7 and I can't get the library to open - any suggestions?
Thanks in advance....
Sunny in Eugene, Oregon

I backed up the user to an external hard drive then dragged the iPhoto Library into her Pictures file. When I open iPhoto, I get 2 error messages: "To use iPhoto '11 you need to upgrade your photo library" - I click on "continue to upgrade. Simultaneously I get another message saying: "You can't open your current photo library using this version of iPhoto...Please quit & use the latest version".... I AM using the latest version??? Huh?
Thank for any help.....

How can i share my iphoto 11 library with another user on the same mac?

hi
i recently added a new user account for my wife on my macbook pro. now we want to share the existing iphoto 11 library, which is on my account, with the new user account. i'm using os x lion.
many thanks!
davide from sitzerland

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.

IPhoto Organize Library or Manually?

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