Multiple iPhoto Libraries in Aperture?

I have been an iPhoto user since the beginning, and thus have about 7 iPhoto libraries of about 5000 keyworded pics each. Up till now I have not combined them even though the current version of iPhoto should handle them all.
I am considering a new Intel-based Mac and Aperture purchase, but a key feature need I have is to "see" all 7 iPhoto libraries in Aperture without importing all these libraries into the aperture library. I get the impression this is possible with 1.5, but have not seen it discussed specifically. Ideally I could see these old iPhoto libraries as 7 projects; from then on out I would import from the camera directly into Aperture.
Anyone doing or done this?

Ok, I don't know if this would count but here's what I did:
I have two Macs and use iPhoto on both, populated with different content. So I guess that would count as multiple iPhoto libraries.
I'm on my MacBook Pro and I mounted my home volume on the remote PowerMac G4.
I launch Aperture and created a new project called "say "Import->iPhoto Library…".
The file browser drops down. I navigate to "Remote User Home->Pictures->iPhoto Library". I also chose "Store Files: In their current location". Then I clicked Choose.
Aperture started chugging along. I had created a new project and selected it for the import, expecting the imported photos to be stored in the new project. Instead, Aperture created an iPhoto Library folder on the root level, and a Rolls folder inside it. Each roll in the iPhoto library became a Project in the Rolls subfolder. Each Album in the iPhoto Library became an album in the iPhoto Library folder in Aperture. Slide shows in the iPhoto library did not get imported. Trash in the iPhoto library did not get imported.
Next, I imported the local iPhoto library to see what it would do with a 2nd iPhoto library.
Again, I said "Import->iPhoto Library…".
The file browser drops down and points automatically to "Local User Home->Pictures->iPhoto Library". I also chose "Store Files: In their current location". Then I clicked Choose.
Nothing happened. Background Task List shows nothing.
Thinking that Aperture could only allow one iPhoto Library photo, I renamed the folder and tried again. Still nothing.
I created a new folder and moved all the imported items into the new folder. I then deleted the original iPhoto Library folder that was created. Still nothing.
I then deleted all the items imported from the remote iPhoto library, quit and restarted Aperture and tried to import the local iPhoto library again. Still nothing happened.
So my bizarre interim conclusion is that I can import an iPhoto Library from a non-standard location but not my primary iPhoto Library.
I'm stumped.
I need to take care of other stuff. Will continue the experiments later.
Anybody care to try?

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Can I use multiple iPhoto libraries with Aperture?

I've been using iPhoto to manage my photos (successfully) for many years. I have multiple themed iPhoto libraries with many thousands of photos in them (ten years' worth of digital plus another fifty years scanned). I am thinking of downloading Aperture and giving it a try (thanks to an App Store gift card).
Can I use Aperture to edit photos within these iPhoto libraries? Do the libraries become "common" to both applications, or does duplication occur? I have limited hard drive space and don't want to create large duplicate files on my iMac.
Thanks.

luba petrusha wrote:
I have some 50-100 libraries (haven't counted recently) which occupy most of my hard drive. I find it easiest to manage my photos with themed libraries (annual, trip, subject).
You could make each of your "themed Libraries" a Folder in Aperture, with all your current Projects and Albums intact. In this way, you could search across all of your Image at once (e.g.: a Smart Album showing all Images in which you've identified a Face as "Mom"; or filter for the keyword "Sunset"). In general, the more Images in a Library, the more useful that Library is. I strongly recommend one Library for each photographer (or group of photographers working as a business). Aperture has no trouble handling enormous Libraries (officially, it supports up to 1,000,000 Images, iirc).
A more advanced Library organization would replace each "themed" Folder+Projects with Albums. There is no reason to limit your "themes" to the Images in just the Projects contained in a Folder.
My general recommendation has always been to put all your Projects in one Folder (with sub-Folders as needed); and to put all your Albums in another top-level Folder. In this way you build two structures: a _storage_ structure, in which you put all your Projects, where each Project = one shoot, and an _access_ structure, where you have Albums organized by Folders into whatever groupings you need.
The newest version of Aperture (3.3.1) leans in this direction. For the first time there is a default division between Project storage and Album storage (one the Library tab of the Inspector, there are now two built-in top-level containers, one for Projects and one for Albums).
A separate issue is where on your system your Library and your Originals are stored. Aperture allows you to move your Originals to storage on external drives or other non-system drives. The limitation of the storage available on the system drive is something that all active photographers encounter at some point. (In Aperture-speak, you would convert Image's Originals from Managed to Referenced using "File➞Relocate Originals". This isn't something I'd look into right away, but rather after you become familiar with the Aperture interface.

Consolidate multiple iPhoto libraries to Aperture

I recently purchased Aperture 3.2.2 in order to perform a consolidation of my various iPhoto libraries. I primarily have two libraries, one on my MacBook Pro which contains photos from about the last 2 years (and is about 220GB), and one on my old PowerMac G5 which contains a few more years worth of photos, and size is difficult to determine as that one is partially managed (at about 130GB) and partially referenced (most of the older photos are referenced).
To add to the complexity, I find it very difficult to tell exactly where the referenced photos are in iPhoto. When I go to open a referenced photo that is unavailable, iPhoto gives me the equivalent of a blank stare. If it would at least tell me the expected drive (of the few external Firewire or USB drives I have), I'd be able to connect and point to it.
As I have keywords and stars for quite a few of my photos, I'd prefer to avoid going the route of pulling in the original photos rather than trying to import the iPhoto libraries.
The more recent library (on the MacBook Pro) seems to have imported to a fresh Aperture library successfully. The library from my PowerMac (connected in Fireware target disk mode to the MacBook Pro) got about half way through the import process, and then proceeded to hang in limbo doing nothing but spin.
Ok so
a) Best way to bring in the remainder of this other iPhoto library? (just trying to import and not import duplicates does not seem to work, it looks like it's trying to bring in the whole thing again)
b) Best way to resolve the challenge of finding and importing all referenced images, even if they are residing on unattached drives? Quite honestly I'd be happy to export a spreadsheet of the metadata with photo names, dates, and filepath references, if that was possible, just to know where things are supposed to be as far as iPhoto is concerned.
Thanks :-)

Referenced Libraries on iPhoto are a bug bear. Referenced Libraries on iPhoto where the library is on one volume and the original files on another are a disaster waiting to happen - or in your case, happening rght now. iPhoto 09 and earlier uses aliases to track the location of the actual file, and these break if you move the file after importing, when the file is on another volume.
iPhoto has no tools to fix this problem.
You're not going to be able to get this material into Aperture until you do.
No point in hoping that iPhoto will magically provide the missing information, you're just going to have to make all the drives available to it. If it still can't find the images then you'll need to use an app like FileBuddy to fix the aliases.
iPhoto has no ability to export a spreadsheet with the data you require.

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To merge the libraries manually use "File > Export".
To save the high quality originals, set the export panel like this, with "Kind Original":
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HT201340 How do I merge multiple iphoto libraries

I have multiple iphoto libraries on an external HD. Not much memory left on my mac HD. So I'm trying to clear up some memory. I would like to merge/organize the iPhoto libraries on the external HD. But I can't figure out how to separate the photos. I just want to organize them into seperate years, i.e., photos 2009, 2010, 2011, etc.
And since I now have aperture, how can I get these photos organized into simple annual libraries onto the external HD?
Sorry if this has been posted a million times, but I can't figure it out and don't want to lose any photos.

Sorry if this has been posted a million times, but I can't figure it out and don't want to lose any photos.
Reorganizing your photolibraries can be error-prone, so before you start, I'd recommend to check your backups of the libraries, if they are current and working.
I just want to organize them into seperate years, i.e., photos 2009, 2010, 2011, etc.
And since I now have aperture, how can I get these photos organized into simple annual libraries onto the external HD?
iPhoto does not support to export partial libraries or to import and merge photo libraries, but Aperture does.
Your question does link to the document "Aperture 3.3: How to use Aperture to merge iPhoto libraries" that describes how you can merge libraries.
Do you have compatible Aperture and iPhoto versions? Aperture 3.4.5 and iPhoto 9.4.3? If yes, then you can unify your photo libraries by creating a new Aperture library on your external drive and using the command "File > Import > Library" to import your iPhoto libraies one by one into the the Aperture library.
Aperture works well with large libraries. You could keep all images in that one library and be done.
But if you really want separate, small libraries for each year, define smart albums in Aperture:
New > Smart album
and in the "Smart Settings" HUD for the album press "Add Rule" and add a "Date" rule. Set this rule to "Capture Year is ....".
This way you will have all images grouped by date in the library Inspector.
You could then proceed to export partial Aperture libraries for each year: Select the smart album and use the command "File > Export > Album as library". This will create a new Aperture library, just for that year. You can open this library in iPhoto, if you want.
I myself prefer to have all my photos in just one library; that makes it much easier to search all my photos at once and to combine them freely.
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I also read somewhere that once you make the switch, you cannot access iPhoto again.
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Have you considered to use the Shared Photo Streams for specific purposes? I am using the Shared Photo Streams as thematic iCloud albums, for wildlife photos, family photos, etc.
iCloud: Using and troubleshooting Shared Photo Streams
-- Léonie

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