My first Mac is coming: best way to import in iPhoto all from my old PC

Question

Next monday I will receive my first Mac...
Now I'm planning how to trasfer everything, I'm ok with documents and iTunes library (very easy becose I was using iTunes also on my pc) but I've some doubt with my photo library...
In win 7 64 I'm using Picasa but i'm managing directly the file structure: I've a folder for each album (for example "2008.04 Vacation to Maldives"), I've more or less 50 different folder/albums for 10 gigas of occupation.
I've read about events, folders, and albums on iPhoto and I'm a little bit confused...
Is iPhoto managing automatically the folders on the hd?
Should be ok with the defualt setting of iPhoto at the first launch to import one folder, letting iPhoto to build automatically events and file structure (I'm not sure but at the moment this is my understanding) and then build an album with new events and again for all 50 folders?
Many thanks in advance

Answer 1

Congratulations on your new Mac and even more congratulations on asking these questions before using iPhoto.
*Best Tip*: Create a Library and import 100 pics into iPhoto and explore the app for a few days. It's an excellent app but not right for everyone.
Then, as more questions arise, you can ask for information on here.
iPhoto is quite different from Picasa and similar apps on WIndows.
It's a Photo organiser. The idea is that you import your files to iPhoto and then forget about the files and concentrate instead on the Photos. Apps like Picasa try and straddle the line - part Photo Organiser, Part File Organiser.
So, the best thing is to let iPhoto manage the files and you can manage your Photos in the iPhoto Window.
This is the default way of using iPhoto. It's much more flexible than folders of files.
You can set it to work with your file system, but I strongly recommend that you don't: especially as a new Mac user and new iPhoto user.
As you have a system already set up, you can copy it into iPhoto`:
*If you want to duplicate your 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.
*Where are your File stored?*
By default, your files are stored in the iPhoto Library in your Pictures Folder. This is a Package File. This is simply a folder that looks like a file in the Finder.
Want to look inside? Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.
Strong Warning: Don't change anything in the iPhoto Library Folder via the Finder or any other application. iPhoto depends on the structure as well as the contents of this folder. Moving things, renaming things or otherwise making changes will prevent iPhoto from working and could even cause you to damage or lose your photos.
In this folder there are various files, which are the Library itself and some ancillary files. Then you have three core 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.
(iii) Data holds the thumbnails the the app needs to show you the photos in the iPhoto Window.
*How do you access files to use in other apps? Email etc?*
There are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:
*For Users of 10.5 and later*
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.
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
(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:
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
*For users of 10.4 and later* ...
Many internet sites such as Flickr and SmugMug have plug-ins for accessing the iPhoto Library. If the site you want to use doesn’t then some, one or any of these will also work:
To upload to a site that does not have an iPhoto Export Plug-in the recommended way is to Select the Pic in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export and export the pic to the desktop, then upload from there. After the upload you can trash the pic on the desktop. It's only a copy and your original is safe in iPhoto.
This is also true for emailing with Web-based services. However, if you're using Gmail you can use iPhoto2GMail
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 later:
Create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use this free utility Karelia iMedia Browser
Other options include:
1. *Drag and Drop*: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.
2. *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.
3. *Show File*: 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.
*To use iPhoto with another Editor:*
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.
Note that iPhoto sends a copy+ of the file to Photoshop, so when you save be sure to use the Save command, not Save As... If you use Save As then you're creating a new file and iPhoto has no way of knowing about this new file. iPhoto is preserving your original anyway.
Regards
TD