Question: Web Album Limit (500 pics) and Library Logic?

Question

I've been using Lightroom for my photos, but the Faces and Places features of iPhoto 09 lured me into giving it a try, and now that I did I have two issues for those of you that use iPhoto:
1) What is the advantage of having all your photos in ONE file (i.e. the iPhoto Library)? It appears to me that if I want to give a colleague a picture or pictures, I have to export them, or have to option click to find them in the library? Yes, I know that iPhoto has the option to NOT import all yor files, but any changes to the files location and iPhoto goes bananas. So what's the advantage?
2) Faces and Places: Two GREAT features...that seemed crippled iPhoto's exporting and sharing features. After I tag a HUGE batch of photos, how do I share them with people? I have to export them, which in this scenario isn't bad at all...but the web sharing is ridiculous, as web albums are capped at 500 photos. I know that I can upload in 500 photo increments, but that's not a viable option, because when you combine the batches using Flickr's Organizr, iPhoto only downloads up tp 500 photos for the local copy! What gives?
Anyone else feel my pain or have any workarounds, or words of advice? Don;t get me wrong, I LOVE the Faces and Places features, as well as the Flickr and MobileMe integration, but it just seems half done, or needs a little time to mature.
Can anyone

Answer 1

1) What is the advantage of having all your photos in ONE file (i.e. the iPhoto Library)?
It’s not a file. It’s a Unix package. Inside all the files are stored in folders etc.
The advantage is the absolute point of iPhoto - managing your Photos without having to think of file management. Import them, forget about the files, focus on the photos.
It appears to me that if I want to give a colleague a picture or pictures, I have to export them, or have to option click to find them in the library?
Hmm. Those are two options, here’s a few more...
There are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:
*For Users of 10.5 Only*
You can use any Open / Attach / Browse dialogue. On the left there's a Media heading, your pics can be accessed there. Apple-Click for selecting multiple pics.
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
You can access the Library from the New Message Window in Mail:
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
*For users of 10.4 and 10.5* ...
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*:
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.
but the web sharing is ridiculous, as web albums are capped at 500 photos.
Having never created a web album of more that 500 photos I did not know of this limit. Been posting on this forum for a while now and I think you may be the first person to mention it. Iphoto is a Mom and Pop photo organiser, firmly focussed on the home user with a point and shoot camera. I don’t know that many folks in the target user group have a problem with the limit.
iPhoto menu -> Provide iPhoto Feedback. Perhaps they’ll increase it.
Regards
TD