Multiple libraries (or projects on multiple drives)

I'm running low on disk space so I am hoping to split my library of over 13,000 images either (a) into multiple libraries, with only one open at once, or (b) store some of the older or lesser-accessed photos on a removable drive and not on the main drive. (With "B", the removable drive may not always be connected.)
Any recommendations on which route to go?
Thanks.

I'm getting close to having to do something like this myself, I have around 12,000 images sat in a single library, majority of which are RAW files and the library is around 56GB in size.
I think the easiest way to do this is to create a new library, e.g. based on Year, and then export all projects for that year from your main library and import them into the new library you've just created.
To switch between libraries you would need to quit Aperture, find the library you wanted to access, and double click on the Library file to load Aperture with the selected library.
By the way, I should point out that I haven't tried this myself yet, but from what I have read and understood so far, this would be a workable solution.
Hope this helps,
Jason

Similar Messages

Creating multiple libraries and using an external drive for data

I'm a recent switcher and new to iphoto. On the windows platform, I used adobe album. I have a around 10k of images that I put on an external drive which is attached to my new imac. I deleted the iphoto folder and redirected it to my images on my external. All is working great. I'm looking for some advise on work flow of file/iphoto management. i.e. I'm assuming the more images I accumulate, the slower I photo is going to run? I hear you can create multiple iphoto libraries. Will that only load the photos that are associated with the library and I'm assuming optimize iphoto's performance versus always loading every photo you have taken every time you work in iphoto? If adding libraries is the way to go, can someone direct me to instruction on how to do this?
This may be beyond this threads scope but I plan to put all my data (iphoto, imovies, itunes) onto an external drive in order to keep the imac main drive as clean a possible. Is my thinking correct in doing so. Any negative repercussion in doing so?

Joe:
I'm assuming the more images I accumulate, the slower I photo is going to run?
You'll have to get quite a lot of photos into iPhoto before you start to see a real slowdown in performance. Users have reported libraries of 40K files and they perform just fine. However, do not keep all of rolls open as that will really do a job on the performance. Just open the rolls you need and close them all before quitting.
Yes, you can use multiple libraries and only load what's in each. I use iPhoto Library Manager to manage and move quickly between 10 libraries. With the paid version of iPLM you can move albums and/or rolls between libraries as needed and keep the keywords, ratings, and comments intact.
Using an external HD in order to maintain sufficient free space (10G minimum is what I recommend) on the boot drive to help optimize performance is a very good idea.
As far as any negative aspects, it would be a good idea to have a second external HD as a backup to the working external HD. You can't be too careful with those image files (and other important files) that can't be replaced.
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 (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. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Multiple libraries, projects and reorganizing for the new year

I have used Aperture since 1.0 and really like it but the growing pains are still present - over time of use, I've ended up with multiple libraries [2 main ones and 2-3 little ones that probably can be safely archived]. I want to start fresh in the new year and have a new Library that is my main one, my only one in fact == is it possible/feasible/desireable to export projects from Library A and B and then import the ones i want into my 2007 Library the way my new organizing system will be? I mainly have images according to geography and people [e.g. people in locations versus family and friends]. Can I consolidate all my Libraries into one new one for use in the future ?? Will exporting each project and then importing into my new master Library work??

I've been thinking just a little about what features I would like the next rev of aperture to have. Though I haven't thought through the specifics, easier and more efficient use and management of multiple libraries, projects etc would be nice. Whole aperture projects referenced from multiple libraries or some such? (I said I hadn't thought it through!)
It's over a year since aperture came out, macworld is coming up, and I suspect that 2.0 will be released eventually some time in the future, perhaps with changes (maybe even improvements!) in library and project workflow.
So while I too am considering how to organize my own aperture materials I am currently holding off for bit just in case there might maybe possibly be (Conjecture Warning!!!) something new announced soon....
MBP17 2.16 ghz 2gb 120gb Mac OS X (10.4.8)
MBP17 2.16 ghz 2gb 120gb Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Multiple iPhoto libraries on my ext hard drive back up

Hi I have a problem with multiple iPhoto libraries on my ext hard drive back up They are different sizes and large 120gb Is there any way I can rationalise the libraries without the risk of losing data? My iPhoto library on the Mac appears to be complete but with >200gb of photos I cannot be sure.

I upgraded to Lion OS and suffered multiple crashes necessitating a complete rebuild of the system - reformat the main hard drive and install Lion OS from a disk In an effort to be absolutely sure I didn't lose data I have been overenthusiastic in transferring photos to the backup disk dragging and dropping files that contained images as well as a full transfer of "mymac" before reformating. Time machine backup was not realistic as this was the one operation which caused most of the "hangs" System now appears to be working well with Lion OS but I have masses of duplicate jpeg files in multiple folders and libraries - I am considering purchasing Duplicate Annihilator to deal with the duplicates then perhaps I should try to merge the libraries with iPhoto manager?

How can I back up multiple itunes libraries to an external hard drive?

How can I back up multiple itunes libraries to an external hard drive? I have tried dragging them across but they all open up as the primary library.

See this -> https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2682

HT4007 I have multiple libraries. I would like to import one project into another library. How?

I have multiple libraries. I would like to import one project into another library. How?

Select the project in the Library Inspector and export the project as library. Then import this library into your other Aperture library.
File > Export > Project as New Library
File > Import > Library
Regards
Léonie

Lossless to ACC Automator Conversion/Multiple Libraries/External Hard drive

I've been playing around with setting up a home media server, and have run into a few issues and have a few questions about this.
Question 1: Best way to rip into lossless format?
-apple lossless vs. other: has anyone had problems streaming lossless files to iTunes/Airport Extreme?
Question 2: Best way to manage multiple libraries?
-Library manager vs. option key during startup?
-see below
Question 3:Any Automator scripts to convert Lossless to AAC, then save to desktop?
Why this is important to me:
-goal is to have large external HD as a media server with a mac mini/iTV as front end.
-would like to have iMac hardwired to external HD via Firewire for data manipulation/editing, then upload into 'Master Source' file for photos, music, movies
-would like mac mini/iTV (eventually) to act as always on front end client for external HD; would be hardwired/firewired to external HD to prevent lag time; thus could use front row for browsing photos, music, movies off TV monitor
NOTE: no desire for cable/sattelite viewing - what I want to watch I would buy on DVD (backup reasons)
-would like to have music stored in lossless format on external HD for home stereo use, etc, and have a duplicate library in AAC on desktop for syncing with ipod nano
-look for my posts on Front Row issues/wish list for TS file viewing, problems with multiple iPhoto libraries
BTW any external HD that have 2 firewire ports? Most that I see either have two USB 2.0 ports or 1 USB and 1 firewire port

Hi Kirby-
My IMac is 10.7.5 Aperture 3.4.5
My MacBook is 10.8.5 Ap 3.4.5
Guess it's been a while since I've posted.
Thanks,
J

How to store vaults for multiple libraries on one drive

Does anyone know if one can have a vault for three different Aperture libraries on the same external drive? The prompt says something about erasing all vaults.

Tanja Turtsanyi wrote:
I have a new Macbook Pro with Yosemite.
Apple>About This Mac>More Info>Service
Please read the warranty paperwork that came w/your computer.
You have 14 days to return the computer w/no questions asked.
You have 90 days of FREE phone tech support on top of your standard 1 year warranty unless you also purchased AppleCare which gives you an additional 2 years of coverage plus FREE phone support.
Strongly suggest that you take FULL advantage of the above before it runs out. Let Apple deal w/the problems.
Mac OS X (10.4)
Conflicting info: Please update/correct your profile so that you can receive the correct troubleshooting suggestions. This will assist the users in trying to help you. Thank you.

Merging multiple libraries on 3 external drives

This is STILL driving me mad!
I have 2 1TB drives and 1 500GB drive (all external) that have iTunes (.itl) and (xml) libraries on them. I also have a folder on another external drive I'd like to use too.
I've tried various fixes to merge these into one library that when I open iTunes, all files are in that library instead of doing what I do now which is to "choose library" when holding down option key and opening iTunes.
I thought I had it figured out the other night after I exported playlists and then imported them back into iTunes but, instead, it was copying files from one hard drive to another and I had to stop it because the drive was filling up. I'm still amazed that iTunes can't offer a simple "import playlist" feature that does so without copying the files.
Bottom line? Is there a simple way to have ONE library from all my external drives? So that when I open iTunes I see all my files from all my hard drives right there in front of me? I've read countless posts about this and find that some answers do SOME of what I want but invariably, files get copied and I have to stop the whole thing.
I would SO appreciate a simple, step by step, walk-me-through-it-like-I'm-an-8-year-old tutorial on this.
I'm ready to just buy a 4TB drive and do the whole tedious copying of every file I have onto it and then importing them into iTunes. I know this would literally take days to do I am dreading the whole ordeal. I have to believe that somewhere, someone has had the very same issue and found a solution to it.
Appreciate any and all help on this. Thank you.

1) I believe I currently only have one library- is this the folder under Pictures called "iPhoto Library"? Is there anywhere I can check which library/ies are being displayed by iPhoto?
No - if you are using iPhoto Library Manager the current library name is displayed - without it the only way is to right click (control click) on a photo and use the show file option to see the path or to launch iPhoto while depressing the option (alt) key and using teh select library option to choose a library
2) Can I create new libraries, in order to split my sole existing library into smaller libraries, so that I can thereby shift some of my photos off onto the EHD? if so, how? Is there a limit to how many libraries can I have?
There is no limit
2) If the answer to 2) is no, is there any other way I can I move some of the photos onto the EHD?
You can move the eitire library there or using iPhoto library manager any portions of it
3) If I can and do split the library as per 2) can I then display images from more than one library simultaneously in iPhoto, or do I have to toggle between the separate libraries in some way?
You can only view one library at a time - toggling is either launching with the option key or using IPLM
4) If I can split the library and as per 2) and 3) above, can I store some of the libraries on my Powerbook hard drive and others separately on the EHD and still access both/all of them simultaneously in iPhoto?
See previous answer - no simultaneous access
5) Would there be any problems to 4) above if I access the EHD over a cable network rather than a direct connection?
a direct ocnnection is best - wired ethernet is second and wireless is not advised
As a further complication once I have created space on my hard disk I will be upgrading to iLife '08 and therefore a newer version of iPhoto, will this cause any complications with the above?
Yes - each seperate library will have to be upgraded and they must all be the same version
LN

Where best to put Events and Projects with multiple drives...

I just got a new iMac, and I need to know how to maximize its speed with FCPX in terms of hard drives.
My old iMac had two internal drives: a 256 GB flash drive and a 2 TB standard drive. On that iMac, I had the OS and FCPX on the main internal SSD, and my events and projects on the secondary internal drive (the magnetic internal drive).
My new iMac is the latest 27" iMac with an i7 3.5 GHz, 32 GB RAM, and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M 4GB GDDR5 video card. It also has USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt, and only one internal drive: a 512 GB SSD drive. I am connecting a 6 TB OWC external magnetic drive (with 128 MB cache) to my new iMac via a LaCie Thunderbolt to eSATA adapter (the drive and adapter are a combination that OWC sells, has tested, and recommends). I plan to use Disk Utility to make this 6 TB external drive (which is 3 TB + 3 TB hard drives in one enclosure) raid 0 for fastest speeds.
With this new setup, my initial thought is to put both my FCPX events and projects on this 6 TB external drive. But is that the best option? Would it be better to get another high speed external Thunderbolt drive and put the events on one drive and the projects on another? I have a feeling that putting them on one drive is the way to go, and that there would not be much, if anything, to gain by putting the events and projects on separate drives. But I'd really appreciate any advice.
Thanks!

Hi Russ--
Only in the past year I have implemented a backup strategy. I've never had an internal hard drive fail. Until recently, I had never had any drive failure. Then I bought some desktop external drives from Seagate and paid quite a bit more for Seagate's FW800 adapters for them (my last iMac only had FW800 and USB 2.0). The drives kept getting corrupted, so I was copying terabytes of data back and forth to restore the affected data. Turns out it was the FW800 adapters all along. Seagate was aware of the problem, and had a firmware upgrade, but has done absolutely nothing to publicize the fact. I'll never buy their stuff again.
But I'm still using Carbon Copy Cloner (great software, great support), and now that I switched back to the original USB 3.0 interfaces, the Seagate drives are reliable. So I will continue to use CCC and those drives as my back-up strategy. I was playing with fire for decades by not doing any backups. It's ironic that I only started having problems when I started to back things up!
The speed of the 512 GB internal drive on this new iMac is insane (the external drive arrives tomorrow, so I don't know about it yet). The internal SSD drive clocks in at 697 write and 723 read (compared to 179 and 207 on my old iMac's internal SSD drive). I am anxious to see what the external drive clocks in at tomorrow.

How do I reconnect my masters from multiples libraries?

Spring must be coming early...I've decided to clean up my Aperture libraries!
I have multiple libraries, none of which are totally unique, and may have photos contained in other libraries (dont ask me why...)
I want to construct one library that has a total set of all the images across all my libraries
Potential issues
1 - Probably need to reconnect masters - what is the best way when I have multiple external drives? (which may have been renamed since they were first created)
2 - Some photos are contained in iPhoto
3 - Some photos were held in 'Nikon Picture Project'
What is the best method of achieving my consolidated image library>?

Consolidate all Masters into each Library first. Then merge the Libraries. The weed out dupes, organize, etc. The relocate Masters wherever you want.
The merged Library doesn't have to be on your system disk. Any FW800 or faster disk will be OK for setting it up and housekeeping. You could then -- just as an example -- relocate your Masters to the same external drive, and then move the (smaller) Library to your system drive.

Multiple Preferences for Multiple Libraries?

Now that I'm able to create multiple libraries with iTunes 7, I'd like to be able to have a different set of preferences for each library. That is, I'd like to have my local hard drive's library to copy files to the iTunes Music folder when I use it while refraining from copying while I use my external hard drive's library. As I understand it, preferences are user-based, so I can't figure out how to do this.
When I used Libra previous to iTunes 7, it was able to handle this. Any ideas about how to do this using iTunes 7 solely?
Thanks
Powerbook G4 17 1 ghz Mac OS X (10.3.7)

wow Addison that link you posted saved my life (and sanity!) it actually stopped the crashing of iTunes thanks so much!!

Managing multiple libraries with different file types (AAC v. Lossless)

I have set up two libraries, one for my AAC music and the other for my lossless music. The files themselves are located in two separate places on my hard drive. When I switch libraries (option-clicking iTunes), and go to Preferences/Advanced tab, the directory for the files and the import method doesn't change -- I have to change it manually. This is annoying.
Does anyone know of a way to automate this change, so that if I open a new library, the default location of the files and the import format changes automatically? I tried ituneslibrarymanager from Dougscripts, but for some reason can't get this program to install on my machine.

No, it's the same Windows XP user account, but I have two separate music libraries - the music files in library are in a lossless format, while those in the other are in AAC. For convenience, I wish to keep the two libraries separate.
In iTunes 7 it is possible to have separate libraries - start iTunes and hold down the SHIFT key (Windows) while the program starts. A dialogue box then appears where the required library can be selected. However, as far as I can tell, it's not possible to have a different set of preferences for each library.
Say the preferences are set up for my lossless library, which is located on a separate network drive. If I then make the AAC library active and open iTunes, iTunes reindexes the library according to the settings for the lossless library and I end up with the AAC library full of lossless files. I've tried unchecking various things in the preferences box, but I've had no luck fixing the problem. Thanks for your suggestion - I have already reported the problem.
The whole thing is a rather inelegant way of managing multiple libraries in iTunes. Surely the Apple developers can come up with a way of doing it from within iTunes??

Managing multiple libraries

Hello everyone,
is there a way (even through a third-party add-on) to manage multiple libraries (I actually need to have only 2 libraries) in iTunes?
I'm asking so because I need to move part of my podcast collection to an external drive (I want to keep only the most "important" podcasts in my Mac and the rest of them in a external drive). But I'd like to make this change transparent to iTunes (I don't want to choose the library I want to mount every time I use iTunes).
Thanks and have a nice weekend.
Sig

I'm asking so because I need to move part of my podcast collection to an external drive (I want to keep only the most "important" podcasts in my Mac and the rest of them in a external drive).
You don't need a separate library to do this.
iTunes prefs -> Advanced.
Set the *iTunes media folder location* to the external.
In iTunes, select the items you want on the external then right click -> Consolidate selected files.
This will copy these to the external drive.
You can then delete them from the internal.
Then set iTunes prefs -> Advanced, *iTunes media folder location* back to the internal.
I'm looking for something integrated within iTunes
Then no, you cannot manage separate libraries except holding Option when starting and selecting the library you want.

Multiple libraries for one ipod and match?

Ok, so... I've got about 1500 songs purchased via itunes, and own about 3500 CDs, which I'm in the process of adding to my library. All but about 50 of the discs were already ripped years ago, and I'm just copying the backup mp3s onto my new external drive after the last one failed. Anyhow, I just got itunes Match and I'm wondering if I made a mistake in doing so. Is there a way to have songs from multiple libraries on my ipod? Due to the sheer volume of music (and other thigns) I own, I'm wondering if I should just make a comedy library, a blues library, a synthpop library, a metal one, a rock & roll one, an oldies one and so on. If I do that, will I be relegated to having to decide what style of music I want on my ipod at any given time, or is there a way for me to load different items from multiple libraries onto the thing?
I'm halfway tempted to just delete my entire library from itunes and just be SUPER picky about what tracks I add in order to be able to get under the 25K limit. As is, right now I've got 21411 items in my library, over 20000 of which are in match, but it keeps crashing on step 3 right now. As is, I already know I need to re-mp3 some of the discs since when I did them originally they were less than 96K (oddly, I'm finding it's mainly on my "oldies" discs like the American Graffiti soundtrack), and that doens't bug me, but the idea of having to go through song by song and add only what I want is one I'm not too fond of and that I'd like to avoid if at all possible.
I'm really digging match, but not so much now that I realized there's a hard limit to the number of songs available. I don't think Apple is used to folks like me who live & breathe music and attend well over 100 concerts in the average year.
Thanks for anyone who's read all of my rambling, and any of y'all who can provide me a bit of guidance!
-Ann

This would be making is WAY less difficult. This is a MUCH needed feature in iTunes that they should add. As a DJ I absolutely hate having all my music in one library. Certain genres, like Electronic music, deserve to be in their own library. I would like to be able to hit the Music icon on my iPod and have it ask me what library of music I would like to access.
This would allow siblings to share one iPod and not have to combine all of their music together. Or you could make a library of music with no explicicit music on it (and passcode it) so that you don't have to worry about kids having access to your explicit material if you let them use your iPod.
You can already make multiple libraries in iTunes, why not just add the obvious next step and be able to add multiple libraries onto one iPod.

Multiple libraries (or projects on multiple drives)

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