Library Structure in iPhoto 6

It's been a BIG disappointment to learn in the wrong way that '6' alters the previous date based filing structure of images. Seems to have created a new 'roll based' filing system. Date based filing made it very easy to find files when using other applications.
I want to go back to date based filing - if I uninstall 6 and then re-install 5 will that result in a return to normalcy?
Maybe the solution is Lightroom which looks good, but of course I'm reluctant to put all my eggs in that basket till the retail cost is known.
iMac/PB Mac OS X (10.4.4)

cujimmy:
No, you can't go back unless you have a backup copy of your v5 library folder. LIght box looks interesting but, unless I've missed something, you can only do edits and save in tiff. For some that would really fill up their HD fast.
The change to the current folder format brings iPhoto more into line with other image management applications which let the user create the folder system, i.e. each user folder imported results in a roll in iPhoto, particularly if the option to not copy files into the library is used. Much better, IMO.

Similar Messages

Iphoto 6 : library structure

Greetings ;
I'm new to mac. I've been reading thru the various posts and haven't found a matching situation at least described this way.
i've done what i now know what not to do by somehow through finder altering something in the IPhoto Library.
This is a finder view of the 2006 library structure:
Iphoto 6 Library
Data (this i understand to be thumbnails)
2006
rolls 1 - 13 exist (each populated)
Originals
2006
rolls 1 - 13 exist (each populated)
Iphoto 6 was used to import photos from Canon.
The photos were viewable from within Iphoto 6.
Now they are not.
While in Iphoto 6
Library - has some photos in it
Early Photos (no photos)
2003 (no photos)
2004 (no photos)
2005 (some photos)
2006 (no photos)
Last 14 Months (changed via preferences)
Last 12 Months
Trash
The good thing is Rolls 1 thru 13 (data and original) contain all the images per each download via iPhoto 6 (even tho they are repeats as i was experiencing download problems with my camera and repeated the download about 8 times hence rolls 6 - 13 are partial duplicates of each other.
i created a duplicate of the iPhoto Library in the desktop for now.
by the various posts i attempted the command option iphoto rebuild and selected the all options - it completed ok but the rolls 1-13 in the HD file structure are not corresponding while in IPhoto app.
While in iPhoto app:
i see no rolls and the 2006 year is completely empty.
likewise the 2005 year and the library have some pictures in them but there is no corresponding 2005 or library in the finder view of both the data and the original.
The Finder view of the structure only shows 2006 (rolls 1 -13) for both data and original.
Further : I'm not positive of the sequence here as i'm new to mac and did what i thought was ok but now know otherwise. I created albums and copied/moved (not sure) photos from the library to the albums then moved/ copied from the library to the iPhoto trash (most of which are still there).
I can only tell you where things are now and not exactly how they got this way.
So...
1) So How do I sync up the 13 rolls viewable in finder with something that makes sense while in iPhoto ?
2) What did the rebuild do for me as I hoped it would solve the 13 roll phenomenon?
The per import from camera creating a new roll within iPhoto as I now understand is the way it operates is where i'd like to get back to so I can at least start from ground zero.
Thanks for the assistance.
wb

restuart:
Isn't the cache folder titled "iPod Photo Cache"? It has to do with adding photos to an iPod. Even if you don't sync photos to an ipod there'll be that folder if you've ever connected an iPod.
The Data folder contains the thumbnail files for each photo.
Regarding the year folder with the old structure, I believe it's like our appendix, no longer needed. I had a 2005 folder with just photo in it. I moved it to the desktop and opened iPhoto, went to the roll that had that picture in and it was there and useable. I've since trashed that 2005 folder. Give it a try. and see if there's any problems with removing it. Make a backup of the library folder beforehand just in case.
There is some sort of bug with the roll dates. When you import an old folder of files it uses one of the modified dates instead of the captured date on many of the rolls. I haven't figured out how it determines which date on which photo to use. It's easy to change the date of the roll so it is located in the proper chronological position among the other rolls.
The current folder structure is a result of many requests to get iPhoto in line with other more professional image management applications. iPhoto's new capability of being able to use alias files instead of copying the entire file into it's new folder system allows it to be able to use soruce image files that are on another HD/CD /DVD and if the source files are not mounted iPhoto can still see the thumbnails, make and manipulate albums but cannot edit or work with books, slideshow or calendars. Once the photos come back on line iPhoto can use them again. This way users can develop their own folder/cataloging system and iPhoto will construct it's library in accordance with it.

Corrupted file structure in iPhoto library?

This is a little like the "disappeared library" problem that someone else reported, but my library looks OK. It's just that several years worth of photos have disappeared (i.e. folders show as empty).
A quick check into the library folder suggests that originals and modifieds are still there. There seems to be a "disconnect" in linking the library structure to the contents.
As with the other guy, I wouldn't want to restore everything one roll at a time and rebuild my folders.
I have daily backups (using Backup). 10 days ago everything was fine; but if I do a Restore from 15 days ago, I get a successful restore msg, but nothing has changed. Maybe there are bugs in Backup too. You put some faith in Backup working, but I've had Restoring problems with Backup of Mail files as well in the past.
I'm no expert at this sort of thing, but it might be helpful to just know what the iPhoto file structure is supposed to look like. Then maybeI could try to restore specific items on a trial-and-error basis.

Thanks for the prompt reply, TD...
You've come close to describing my situation, but I don't see the solution.
In my case I have the following in my iPhoto folder (quite similar to your list...
In my case I have folders labelled 2001 through 2007 in my Originals folder, and the same for Modified, although oddly enough there's no 2002. It's possible that I didn't make mods for that full year, but doubtful.
If this is the case you have nothing to worry about.
In earlier versions of iPhoto the folder structure
was based in Date. With v6 a new structure was
created:
Originals are the photos as they were
downloaded from your camera or scanner.
(ii) Modified contains edited pics, shots that
you have cropped, rotated or changed in any way.
This allows the Photos -> Revert to Original command
- very useful if you don't like the changes you've
made.
(iii) Data holds the thumbnails the the app
needs to show you the photos in the iPhoto Window.
OK, you've explained that well, but here is the real problem. If I can call that thing on the left of my screen a Table of Contents, I have folders labelled by year, Last 6 rolls, Last 18 months and dozens that I have created myself... plus some slide shows. That whole structure seems intact from the way I left it before things went wrong.
The issue is that it's the most recent years.. 2006, 2007 have (0) beside them and don't show any photos when clicked on. The same is true of all of the folders (albums) I've created with pictures from those years.
I can see from a file listing of 2006/2007 that I have 3GB of photos in Originals and another 1 GB on Modified. Sampling the photos in Preview shows that they're OK as far as I can tell. What I'm calling the Table of Contents simply isn't accessing them.
Hopefully you have a simpler solution for me, but what would happen if I did an import on the 2006 and 2007 files? I suppose the 100 or so albums I've created would all have to be created???
And, I still don't understand why my Backup Restore isn't recreating what I had working fine just 10 days ago.

How can I get my aperture library exported to iphoto?

Can anyone specifically tell me how to move pictures from aperture to iphoto? Thanks!

You can't import an entire actual Aperture library file into iPhoto.
But you can always create an album with all the images you want to export, select File>Export Versions and then export them to a folder where you can then import them from within iPhoto. You'll be making duplicates (just so you'll know that it will take up some additional disk space.)
If you have some sort of structure you want, you could do this with multiple albums so that iPhoto imports them as individual rolls.

Iphoto Library Missing from Iphoto - Help

I have recently upgraded to Leopard and last night upgraded to the most recent version of iPhoto. When I opened iphoto only the last import I did appeared in the library. In older iPhoto versions it showed the actual file structure with pictures in them but now all I see is a single file called iphoto library. To recover the pictures in iPhoto I dragged the iphoto library file to iphoto. It then imported them, but I believe also took up significant hard drive space to do it. My pictures at first blush appear to be back in the library, though I am not sure all of them as I have 17,000. I do have two iphoto libraries on my computer. Perhaps the upgrades caused iphoto to look in the wrong place.
Did I do this incorrectly? Can I find a way to make sure that I am not using twice the hard drive space I should? What might have caused this?

Well, It would seem the only problems I have now is that I have two of everything and my thumbnails appear as if they are pictures
Well that's a direct result of
To recover the pictures in iPhoto I dragged the iphoto library file to iphoto. It then imported them,
As the iPhoto Library Folder contains Original, Modified and Thumbnail versions.
Given that you also dragged into a damaged database, I think your best bet is to start over. Do you have a back up? If not then you'll need to create and populate a new library.
To create and populate a new library:
Note this will give you a working library with the same Events and pictures as before, however, you will lose your albums, keywords, modified versions, books, calendars etc.
In the iPhoto Preferences -> Events Uncheck the box at 'Imported Items from the Finder'
Move the iPhoto Library to the desktop
Launch iPhoto. It will ask if you wish to create a new Library. Say Yes.
Go into the iPhoto Library (Right Click -> Show Package Contents) on your desktop and find the Originals folder. From the Originals folder drag the individual Event Folders to the iPhoto Window and it will recreate them in the new library. *However br sure that you do not bring over any file smaller than 100kb, as these will only be the thumbnails*
When you're sure all is well you can delete the iPhoto Library on your desktop.
In the future, in addition to your usual back up routine, you might like to make a copy of the library6.iPhoto file whenever you have made changes to the library as protection against database corruption.
If you still have duplicates then try using Duplicate Annihilator
Regards
TD

How do I maintain the file structure in iphoto 6 the way i want them?

For the past few years I have been scanning forty years worth of slides on my windows based PC. I have approximately 9500 scan as this point. Each scan is given a number such as "009500" followed by the names of persons or places shown on the picture. They are generally in chronological order. Obviously the creation of the scan has nothing to do with the date of the actual shooting of the picture. They are in the order that I want them in.
I can import them either from an external hard drive or from cds containing a few hundred scans each.
Is there anyway that I can maintain that kind of file structure in iphoto 6?
Frankly, I am somewhat disappointed by all of this. My kids told me how easy the mac was for photos and I now find that it may well complicate my computer life even more.
Mad Judge

MJ,
Once your files are imported into the library you can view them in many ways. When you import a file, iPhoto uses the filename as the photo title. I think you can achieve what you want by using View > Sort Photos > by Title. This will display all of your scans in the alpha-numeric order of their titles. You could then move the size slider toward the left (to reduce the thumbnail size) and quickly group your photos into Film Rolls. Click on the first photo, shift-click on the last photo, and all photos in between will become selected. Then use File > Create Film Roll to group these photos together into manageable chunks. Each time you create (or select) a film roll you can give it a descriptive title and edit the roll date. When you set the View to Film Rolls, each roll is listed in chronological order by the date of the roll - not the date of the photos within the roll. This is handy, since you can easily set the date for each roll, and it's a much less daunting task than redating your entire library. Photos within one roll will display in chronological order based on the date of the photos. I realize that with your scans these will not be accurate. So you could either change the date in iPhoto (but you said this would be a huge task) or don't worry about it. [You could use Photos > Batch Change to quickly redate the photos in a roll. Even if you don't take the time to set the exact dates, you can assign the group to a date or series of dates. By doing this you can use the calendar tool to filter your library by date. It is just one more way to make iPhoto a powerful organizer. Click on a year, month, or date in the calendar tool, and iPhoto filters your library to show the photos with those dates.] This is where your grouping into film rolls helps make your library organized - if the photos in a roll are from relatively the same time frame, then perhaps the internal order of the roll will be less important. And you can always switch your View back to Sort by Title when you need the photos to display in the exact order you have designated with your filenames. Just don't re-title the photos once they are in your library.
If you divided your library into Film Rolls, then you could create an Album for each roll (by simply dragging the roll to the Source Pane). The advantage there is that with regular Albums, you have the option to sort the photos manually by dragging them around. (View > Sort Photos > Manually) You can switch to another sort order, and iPhoto remembers your manual order when you return to it. You do have the option to reset your manual order if you wish.
iPhoto is very flexible, and with so many views, sorts, and filters you may well find a method that works for you. There is a shift in thinking from the way Windows software works, and if you are used to file browsers then you have to learn to play by the rules of using a database. If you can be patient and work through the learning curve, you may be rewarded. If I can clarify anything for you, please let me know.

Importing File Structure into iPhoto

I need help (or perhaps someone could kindly point me in the right direction) importing the file structure I had set up for my photos. Currently, I have my photos filed in an external drive. The structure I have created is, for example, 2008 folder, then under that 2008 folder I have a folder for each month, then in each month I have an events folder (christmas, tree cutting, etc...). This would look something like this: 2008/12/Christmas Day. Is there a way to import this structure into iPhoto?
Thanks for the help... (if you've made it this far!)!
-Ann Marie

Ann Marie:
Welcome to the Apple Discussions. You can achieve that by using virtual folders, 2007, 2008, etc. and the have smart albums in each of those folder for the months. The criteria for the January smart album would be "Date is the range 01/01/2007 to 01/31/2007".
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), 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.

Controlling File structure within iphoto

Aloha,
I am new to the macs and am trying to figure out the filing system with iphoto. I am interested in doing the following with my files in iphoto:
1. Is there a way that I store the images in folders that mimic my organization in iphoto? If not how can I navigate to a particular photo?
2. If I have a folder structure that I want to import to iphoto how do I go about doing that? As I belive iphoto uses 3 main picture storing folders (data, modified and original). Am I to drag my additional files into original? and will it mimick that structure within iphoto?
Thanks
macbook Mac OS X (10.4.7)

nayrsmith
I'll take these one at a time:
Can I do a mix of how the images are stored? aka some that are imported in the file structure that I have them organized in, and others (presumably new images) that are imported directly into iphoto? How would this work
Not comfortably, though you could do it using aliases I guess. You could certainly experiment with a few shots. My worry would be the complexity of the system would leave open the possibility of Human Error.
2. If I use filing outside of iphoto, I have to manually delete files? aka trashing then iphoto will not delete them from the files? What about if I rotate or modify the image in iphoto, does this then become permanent aka I cannot revert to the original?
Yes you would have to manually delete the files. No, you can still Revert To Original.
3. If I do use the filing outside of iphoto is there a way to use automator to delete pictures when I trash them
Not that I know off. I'm no Automator expert, but I looked in the Automator Library and could see nothing. The difficulty would be trying to make an internal app event (empty iPhoto Trash) match to a system event (Move to Trash) without a hook of some form from the Automator Library, Might be worth a post in the Automator Forum.
4. Iam concerned about space; does iphoto create a duplicate file for each image that is modified in iphoto (what constitutes modifcation, just cropping etc, or rotating as well?).
Yes, iPhoto makes an apparent duplicate of each file that is modified, and yes, modification includes any change. If your concerned about space, move the entire library to an external disk.
I am still skeptical about not having any control over how the images are stored, thus my hesitancy about just going with iphotos database storing.
The iPhoto Safety Net: If you go with the default setting in iPhoto your photo are stored - in plain view - at Home/Pictures/iPhoto Library Folder in the Originals folder, where they are organised in Rolls (really just a folder) based on Date. You can go there and visit them anytime. They are just as accessible as in your own file structure.
The iPhoto Library Folder is organised as follows:
There are various files, which are the Library itself and some ancillary files. Then you have three folders
Originals are the photos as they were downloaded from your camera or scanner.
(ii) Modified contains edited pics, shots that you have cropped, rotated or changed in any way.
This allows the Photos -> Revert to Original command
(iii) Data holds the thumbnails the the app needs to show you the photos in the iPhoto Window.
But remember, It is strongly advised that you do not move, change or in anyway alter things in the iPhoto Library Folder as this can cause the application to fail and even lead to data loss.
So essentially, the storage on iPhoto is as plain and secure as your own file system.
Feel free to ask more if you need more.
Regards
TD

Aperture/iPhoto - Use Unified Library or import iPhoto into Aperture?

So as it is June 30th, I've been forced into upgrading to Lion. Now I know I can take advantage of the Aperture/iPhoto unified library structure.
But should I?
I am new to Aperture and use it for photos starting in January 2012 going forward. I have already upgraded to Aperture 3.3. I am still currently running iPhoto 8.1.2 for photos from 2011 and earlier. My plan was to eventually import my iPhoto library into Aperture. Now it appears I don't have to.
So I'm standing at a crossroads and I'd like feedback. I have read some of the discussions where folks are having issues with migration with both avenues so I'd like to know which one makes more sense.
Should I upgrade to iPhoto 9.3? Should I keep each library separate? Should I merge? Should I import iPhoto into Aperture still and have one library going forward?
Looking for folks with some experience to give me guidance!
Thanks in advance!
Chrystal in TX

Merge them. When you upgrade to iPhoto 9.3 and Aperture 3.3 the programs use the same library format... you can open it in either one.
Note people rarely post feedback about something if it's working for them, so results will always be skewed toward the negative online. Still, it makes sense to have a backup before upgrading, as a general best practice.

Is there a way to move photos directly from one iPhoto library to another iPhoto library?

Is there a way to move photos directly from one iPhoto library to another iPhoto library?

Not using iPhoto - Aperture can or iPhoto Library Manager can
LN

How do you import photos from a library on an external drive to the current library running in iPhoto?

How do you import photos from a library on an external drive to the current library running in iPhoto? I have a few different pictures in each library and would like to have all my pictures in both libraries. The library on the external drive is my backup. I would appreciate any help.

Depends on exactly what you want to do.
Just move some of the Photos? FIle -> Export from one and export the shots to the Finder. Then import them to the other.
This User Tip
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4921
has details of the options in the Export dialogue.
Move the photos and all versions and metadata: use iPhoto Library Manager it's the only way to do this while preserving everything. Merge two Libraries into one?
If you have Aperture 3.3 or later and iPhoto 9.3 or later you can merge libraries with Aperture.
Otherwise the only way to merge Libraries is with the paid ($20) version of iPhoto Library Manager

Library folder in iPhoto

Question regarding the subfolders under the "Library" heading within iPhoto ......
I have 5 "subfolders" (for lack of the proper description) ... marked 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, "Early Photos".
The photos have been sorted into the various "folders" according to the file date on the original .jpg file. I have no problem with this, it makes sense.
However, everything with a file date of 2002 or earlier gets dumped into the "Early Photos" folder. I know there is a way to reassign a "file date" to older photos (say, old pics I've scanned in), and that's not the question.
Is there a way to add "subfolders" to that Library folder so that older pics can be better sorted in the Main Library?
Thanks in advance!
Joseph.

Joseph:
No there's no way as iPhoto has hardcoded 2003 as the breakoff for the year folders in the Source pane and everything earlier in the "Early Photo"s section. You can bring up all 2001 or 2000 image by going to the calendar at the bottom of the Source pane and clicking on the year, scrolling back to the year you want and those will be in the main window. You can also narrow it down by month that way also.
Do you Twango?
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto 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 written an Automator workflow application, 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. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

I need to find the original library of my iPhotos

Hi Terence,
by mistake i clicked on the "create new" project when iphoto opened. ive lost all pictures and videos fo my childrfen over the past two years. i do have copies on an external hard disk so i didnt panic, however when i imported back these, i have the pictures but the videos who show each a different capacity, when opening it gives a duration of zero, and when played the playing bar rolls from the beigning to the end of the vdeo in a second. worst thing is that i realized then that the same is found on the copies ive made, so i havent any correct version of these videos. my only hope is to find the original library of my iphotos and redirect it to it, but i cant seem to find it, even under the following path: macintosh hd-users-(my name)- pictures-iphoto library- masters, i only find 2013 then 12 (december)...nothing before
these are the vidoes of my two young childfen and its horrifying to have lost these videos of them growing up, please help me
<Re-Titled By Host>

Try downloading Find Any File
http://apps.tempel.org/FindAnyFile/
this is a search app that looks in places the Spotlight doesn't. Set it to search the machine for folder names like
Originals
Previews
and see what it finds. It will find the current Library that you have, so you're looking for these ina different location.
If it finds nothing then you're into File Recovery software like File Salvage - you can download a free trial and it will scan the disk for you and tell you with might be recoverable. Actual recovery will require that you purchase the app. There may be many files with the same or similar names. Always recover the largest file size.
There are other such apps. Search on Macupdate or the App Store

How to transfer pics from 1 library to another iPhoto

How can I transfer pics from one iPhoto library to another iPhoto library, without having duplicated the space on the harddrive?
Will the space (GB) duplicate when I copy the pics from one library into the other and delte the 1st one or will it stay the same?
please help!
rewards given!

Hello,
I think this is likely what you want...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1198
When done you should occupy just one space, but be sure you have a backup if it's important.

Viewing Aperture library items in iPhoto as workflow help

I wanted to view my Aperture library jpegs in iPhoto without opening Aperture. The reason for this is to use iPhoto to review my pictures and to open in an external editor from iPhoto. We use Fireworks in designing web sites and newsletters. I did not want to save to another folder which takes up space. The workflow requires the use of Fireworks, crop out what we need from or graphics/pictures and place in the final work for Dreamweaver.
I opened the Aperture library content and dragged the image folders to iPhoto. It did take the pictures and gave a notice for the files that were not imported. These were jpeg files, not the raw. Advantage is that the Aperture library is now the one resource for our workflow. I can switch from FireWorks to Photoshop when needed. We did not try this with the Raw files, but I suppose that could be done too. Opening the raw in PS would be helpful to some workflows.
I thought this was a good tip. It has saved us quite a bit of time and is easy to use.

I'm not sure I understand. If you're using iPhoto to review and edit jpg files you've pretty much nuked any reason to use Aperture at all. It also means that edited copies of your images are not tracked as versions and aren't backed up in the vault. Can you explain a little more what your workflow is?
I'm do not want versions tracked in Aperture in this case. I want samples of textures or parts of image available for use in designing other graphics. We are in the graphics studio and want to open files in FireWorks, crop/marque out parts and paste to another FireWorks file. I have iPhoto set up to open externally in Fireworks. Think of it as needing 'clip art' out of picture in the library.
What we are doing is designing banners for web sites and newsletters. I might want a horizon/sunset only as a background to blend into the banner. I have iPhoto open already along with Fireworks and Dreamweaver. No need to have Aperture or any other program open now. iPhoto has the jpegs..... click to open in FireWorks, marque, copy and past the parts I want into the banner design.
Before that I had to have a resource folder of jpegs. The Aperture library can now store jpegs and access them from iPhoto. I have to hunt quickly through hundreds of image we have store for each texture and different subjects for these banner creations.
Hope this helps. We just need small parts of any given image. This was a good solution. I'm sure there are others too.

Library Structure in iPhoto 6

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