*.jpeg Folder organisation

Question

I have just bought an Imac (have been a PC user for 20 yrs). I have succesffuly transferred all music and photos onto the Imac using migration assistant, but the "event descriptive" folders (i.e. Wedding, Vietnam 2007 etc. ) we used on the PC to store/ label photo albums with Windows Explorer have all transferred to the iMac and are illogical when it comes to iphoto.
I understand the iPhoto application is deisgned to manage your photo for viewing, and creating albums etc. However, my question focuses on the organisation of the *.jpeg files on the harddrive (i.e. with Finder). In particular, I am interested in the most effective folder structure for organising the pictures files in Finder. Some forums suggest using dates (i.e. 2010/ 01/ 26 file.jpeg). Please comment

Answer 1

If you're using iPhoto then the locations and organisation of the files on the HD are of no matter. iPhoto is a Photo Manager - it replaces the Finder for anything you do with the Photos. Everything you want or need to do can be done with with or via iPhoto.
So, you had a Folder Tree on your PC. You can recreate that folder tree in iPhoto:
Start at the bottom of the hierarchy and drag a folder of images to the Album Heading in iPhoto. The pics will be imported and an Album of the same name created.
You can then create the Enclosing Folders in the iPhoto Window (File -> New Folder) and drag the Album to it. Folders can contain other Folders (Nested Folders) and Albums.
However, is your folder system date based? Then this form of organisation is a bit pointless in iPhoto when Smart Albums or the Calendar tool (Click on the wee magnifying glass in the Search Box) mean you can find the photos taken on any day, month or year at a click. With Smart Albums it's easy to find photos from specific range - say, June 3 to August 25, 2009 etc.
If your folder system is theme based - Xmas pics, Birthday pics etc, then you'll find Keywords are much more flexible, and can be used in conjunction with other criteria for making Smart Albums and searches.
If you want to edit a photo in another application:
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.
To access your Photos for use in other apps, uploading, emailing etc:
There are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:   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.
(Note the above illustration is not a Finder Window. It's the dialogue you get when you go File -> Open)
You can access the Library from the New Message Window in Mail:
There's a similar option in Outlook and many, many other apps.  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 10.5 Create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use this free utility Karelia iMedia Browser
Other options include:
Drag and Drop: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.
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.
Show File:  a. On iPhoto 09 and earlier:  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.    3.b.
b: On iPhoto 11 and later: Select one of the affected photos in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Reveal in Finder -> Original. A Finder window will pop open with the file already selected.
I have iPhoto configured to keep photos in their original folders and then create events with descriptive names.
This is called a Referenced Library and is not an option to be taken lightly, especially for someone new to the Mac or iPhoto. It offers no extra functionality and has several pitfalls. For more on that see:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3062728?tstart=0