IPhoto/Photoshop/RAW issues

Question

Hi, I was wondering if anyone can suggest a solution to this.
I've started shooting raw with my Canon 450D. iPhoto seems to be able to import these files without any issues.
I want to be able to edit these files in Photoshop as editing them in iPhoto defeats the purpose of shooting raw.
What I'm doing is control clicking on a raw photo in iPhoto and choosing "edit in external editor". This brings the photo into Photoshop opening the raw editing dialog box. Perfect.
Then the trouble starts - where to from here? If I make adjustments in the Photoshop raw editor and click "done", the image is not updated in iPhoto. If I do a "save as" and try and import a jpeg or tiff or so on into iPhoto, it won't allow this because there is already an image with that filename in there. I can save a jpeg to the desktop and rename the file, import this into iPhoto but then I would have to delete the raw file because I don't want two of the same image in there. I also notice if I save my raw file out from Photoshop as a tiff or psd and put it in iPhoto, iPhoto will change the date and time to a random date and time which is neither the time the photo was shot or the time I saved it out in Photoshop.
Anyway all of these things are incredibly cumbersome, there must be an easier way, right?
Cheers, Darren

Answer 1

Welcome to the Apple Discussions. Terence mentioned Expression Media. I use it as my primary DAM (digital asset application) and iPhoto to create special projects, MMe galleries, books, calendars, etc.
EM is considered one of the top DAM apps. You can learn about it and other applications at The DAM Forum - Index. EM lets you manage your folders as you want, edit and write ITPC metadata to the files, has version control in editing if so desired, both with EM's editing tools or a 3rd party like Photoshop. It will be a supported on Macs.
If you want to the RAW photo in iPhoto it's best to use a 3rd party editor that is designed for raw. The downside to that is you will have to save the edited version outside of the iPhoto library and import as a new, separate file.
For what it's worth here are some tips on using PS with iPhoto:
Using Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements) as Your Editor of Choice in iPhoto.
1 - select Photoshop as your editor of choice in iPhoto's General Preference Section's under the "Edit photo:" menu.
2 - double click on the thumbnail in iPhoto to open it in Photoshop. When you're finished editing click on the Save button. If you immediately get the JPEG Options window make your selection (Baseline standard seems to be the most compatible jpeg format) and click on the OK button. Your done.
3 - however, if you get the navigation window that indicates that PS wants to save it as a PS formatted file. You'll need to either select JPEG from the menu and save (top image) or click on the desktop in the Navigation window (bottom image) and save it to the desktop for importing as a new photo.
This method will let iPhoto know that the photo has been editied and will update the thumbnail file to reflect the edit..
NOTE: With Photoshop Elements 6 the Saving File preferences should be configured: "On First Save: Save Over Current File". Also I suggest the Maximize PSD File Compatabilty be set to Always.
If you want to use both iPhoto's editing mode and PS without having to go back and forth to the Preference pane, once you've selected PS as your editor of choice, reset the Preferences back to "Open in main window". That will let you either edit in iPhoto (double click on the thumbnail) or in PS (Control-click on the thumbnail and seledt "Edit in external editor" in the Contextual menu). This way you get the best of both worlds
2 - double click on the thumbnail in iPhoto to open it in Photoshop. When you're finished editing click on the Save button. If you immediately get the JPEG Options window make your selection (Baseline standard seems to be the most compatible jpeg format) and click on the OK button. Your done.
3 - however, if you get the navigation window that indicates that PS wants to save it as a PS formatted file. You'll need to either select JPEG from the menu and save (top image) or click on the desktop in the Navigation window (bottom image) and save it to the desktop for importing as a new photo.
This method will let iPhoto know that the photo has been editied and will update the thumbnail file to reflect the edit..
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 versions) 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. There are versions that are compatible with iPhoto 5, 6, 7 and 8 libraries and Tiger and Leopard. Just put the application in the Dock and click on it whenever you want to backup the dB file. 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.
NOTE: The new rebuild option in iPhoto 09 (v. 8.0.2), Rebuild the iPhoto Library Database from automatic backup" makes this tip obsolete.