Iphoto troubles, moving, editing, sorting, everything..

Question

Hi everyone, I just spent 4 hrs reading through most of the articles in here to find a solution. I am pretty convinced that I am the first one in here with this problem, unless I missed out a few post. I apologize if you have answered this problem before and you would be repeating yourself. I would like to thank everyone who will be answering or even reading my post.
Like a lot of them, I am new to MAC. But with the help of a good friend of mine, I am pretty savvy with this machine, however, iphoto is this naughty little fella that I just cant crack.
A>>
I have in "advance", unchecked "copy files to library" so when I import photos from my folders, it will only create a link in iphoto library, so it will not take up extra space on my hdd. Is this a good move? There is a good explanation why I choose not to keep the files inside iphoto library, because when I do keep them inside iphoto library and edit the folders or the file name, these photos will be missing from iphoto because their file names have been changed (unlike itunes where you can change the location and rename it a million times, itunes will still know where it is). And even if I do not mind this, when I do import the files which I have renamed back to iphoto, it says "cannot import into library because the folder is already in iphoto library folder". Because of this, I have to relocate the folder from "original" to some other location and then import it into iphoto library. its so troublesome but I have since adopted this trouble as a routine. Question: how do I rename the photos without having to have to import them into iphoto again and without having to move them to another location? the videos too, because I use iphoto to sort my videos as well and I tend to rename my videos too.
B>>
I have been using iweb to update my photos on my server for months. One of the "photo" template has a fix frame where all I need to do is to drag photos from "media" into the frame and it will do the rest of the sizing for me. It has worked fine for me but just now when I wanted to add more pictures, I couldnt. Everytime I drag a photo from "media" it will just add on the page as the name of the photo like "dscn1000" as font instead of the photo. I tried dragging other photos and I notice only certain ones work and most of them doesnt work. I tried looking into iphoto to see if its because of the source file and I still cant figure it out. And while I was at that, I found out another very mysterious thing, see my next question.
C>>
Like I mentioned above, I have unchecked "copy files to library when importing" in iphoto's preferences. Hence, there are only links of the photos in iphoto library folder. If I am not wrong, every folder that I import into library, there will be a folder with the same name created in "original" and all the photos will have a little arrow stating that this is linked from another location. But when I was checking for my problem above (Problem B), I notice that out of the 10 albums I have imported into iphoto, only 6 of them have folders created in iphoto library "orignal" folder. The rest are not there and yet I see them in my iphoto.
Gosh, I really hope you guys understand what I am saying in here coz its not easy trying to put in words these problems. If you do not understand me, pls ask me questions so I can explain it further. Any help is appreciated.
Macbook Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Answer 1

Listen to TD - he's usually right.
I'll add my 2¢, since you asked for opinions.
First, you can't crack iPhoto because you're fighting against the way it is designed to work. iPhoto is a stubborn fella, you need to play by his rules or he throws tantrums.
A>>
My advice to you is to check that option and let iPhoto keep the files in its library. Why? Because when you don't it is very easy to break the link between the files and the database. If you move or rename files iPhoto won't be able to find them, regardless of whether the files are in the iPhoto library. At least with them in the library, they are accessible (provided you play by the rules) and organized. In addition, this makes it possible and easy to move or back up your entire library simply by moving or copying the iPhoto library folder. The alias mode complicates things - keep it simple, see how it's intended to work, and consider the alias mode as an option for expert iPhoto users (like Old Toad).
As TD said, if disc space is an issue simply keep the whole iPhoto library on an external drive. Once you put it there and point iPhoto to it, it functions exactly the same as on the boot drive as long as the external is mounted.
Question: how do I rename the photos without having to have to import them into iphoto again and without having to move them to another location?>>>
Answer: You can't. Once a file is in iPhoto it stays there with the name it had upon import. Using Finder to rename files will break the link to the iPhoto database. Continue to do this your way and you may even see your entire database file become corrupt. In that case your photos would be safe but you would have to start over with a new library. (I suggest you do that now.)
TIP: Many users prefer to import from the camera via Image Capture. Create a folder anywhere NOT in the iPhoto library and upload to the hard drive. Then rename your files in Finder to your heart's content. Once you are happy with the file names, import that folder into iPhoto and you will get a Film Roll named after that folder containing your photos with their new file names. You can then either keep the original folder for backup purposes or trash it -- IF you let iPhoto store your photos in its library.
Check out this post by lori_diloreto: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=827283&tstart=0
In it she explains her method of uploading from the camera to Image Browser, then importing into iPhoto. She has a very organized way of storing files for backup until she has enough to burn a DVD.
B>>
I don't use iWeb, so can't answer specifically what is happening. I do suspect that the reasons most of your photos don't work is because your system for using iPhoto just dosen't work. It just doesn't do well with all the renaming, moving, in Finder, then reimporting to try to repair the damage. Clearly some of the damage hasn't been repaired.
C>>
This observation, combined with the way you describe your workflow in section A, suggests to me that you haven't re-established the links to some of your rolls. Let's say I rename a roll in Finder, and lose its link to iPhoto. I can't just reimport the roll. After moving it out of iPhoto I have to delete the broken images in the iPhoto window from within the application. When iPhoto has forgotten about them entirely, I can then import them back into iPhoto. Skip this step, and your second attempt to import the same files will fail.
iPhoto is a database application, not a file browser. Some people just want a file browser, and you may be one of them. But if you enjoy iPhoto's other capabilities, then why not give it a try the easy way? I suggest you begin with a fresh iPhoto library. Find your originals, import them in with the copy to library choice ON, and organize from within the application. TD has given you the ways to locate your photos once they are stored in the library. Look at this screen shot of how an iPhoto library is meant to be organized: http://homepage.mac.com/loridilo/.Public/iPhoto6.jpg [Again thanks to lori!] The application will work much more smoothly when you work with it and not against it.
If you have any questions specifically for me, I'll be happy to answer. Otherwise, I've used up my 2¢ worth.