Rebuilt Library in iPhoto 5

Question

Hi guys,
My friend recently "lost" all of her photos on her Powerbook G4 and iPhoto wouldn't open. They were still being used for her screensaver but she couldn't find them anywhere in finder using spotlight.
I helped her to re-build the library using iPhoto Library Manager and the files were moved to another hard drive. (hers filled up before the end of the re-build at the first attempt.)
However, even though all of the thumbnails are now back in iPhoto and the albums are happily brimming with photos again, when she tries to browse the rebuilt library in finder, the directry structure has changed. The albums are divided by year as before, but now have random numbers rather than names and not all of the photos are there. Also, they have been moved to random places chronologically. (photos taken in 2008 now in 2003 folder etc.)
Does this need a 'Repair Permissions'? Will this work if the rebuilt library in on an external drive? Any other tips?
Thank you in advance!

Answer 1

If you prefix a quote with a > then you'll get that italic effect. Good for clarity.
Thanks.
iPhoto is a database. It's not an image viewer.
I had no idea, as on the surface it look like every other image viewer I've used, but point taken.
The point is simple: do you want to manage and work with the files or the Photos? If you want to work with the Files, use the File Manager - the Finder. If you want to use manage the Photos use iPhoto.
I would say the point is that, for other software I've used, "photo" and "file" are not treated as mutually exclusive. But guess this goes back to the database thing. I would question the amount of extra functionality that this "database" offers over a viewer though.
And this way you have exactly a two ways to find your photos: date taken or Filename.
If you use iPhoto you can search for that photo by date, filename, title, filename, keywords, camera model, lens, aperture and more, plus any compound of them.
I think we're at cross purposes here. You seem to be answering a different point to the one I was making. Mine referred to having to open iPhoto in the first place, so the search options offered within iPhoto are irrelevant.
If you were in email and using Apple's Mail programme then click on the Photo Browser as indicated above. Find the photo and drag it to the message window. Or use the Attach command as indicated in the first illustration above. Or use a media Browser. Or just drag and drop from the iPhoto Window or... or... or...
You mentioned Entourage earlier. Is the same the case for that?
If you have more than 100 photos, if they were taken on more than one date, there is no way the rooting through the iPhoto Library Folder is faster.
With the speed at which iPhoto a) loads and b) scrolls the thumbnails for large albums, I doubt that. (I'm speaking from experience here at least, if nowhere else)
Yes I'm aware what the word means. Here's another way of looking at it: Integrated throughout the OS. There is nothing negative about this. Don't want to use iPhoto? Don't. Don't want to use some of the features? Don't. They're opportunities, that's all.
Freedom to choose is all very well, but when the vast majority of casual or "domestic" users make the migration from PC to Mac, or from whatever photo "management" software they are using to iPhoto, I would wager that they are unaware of how much the integration of iPhoto will affect their ability to work in their chosen way.
(I think that, given the nature and number of similar post on the discussion boards, its a pretty safe bet.)
It certain isn't implicit when iPhoto's dialogue pops up to entice you to import your photos with it.
Depending on which version of iPhoto you use, there are some similar tools to Lightroom, but Lightroom is a pro level application, iPhoto is geared for the domestic point and shoot user primarily. There's a price difference too.
You're right, there is. And I think you get what you pay for. Tons of features and tools, and robust file management.
That said, if you find iPhoto difficult, good luck with Lightroom
I do find iPhoto difficult. However, the difficulty is of its own making.
As a user of Lightroom, I have absolutely no difficulty in using the file management part of the software, which is where the difficulties seem to arise for iPhoto. In fact, its probably more intuitive.
I've certainly not had any of the aforementioned issues regarding permissions, having the wrong font installed, disappearing photos and corrupting libraries by either browsing my file manager, or breathing too hard near the directory structure.
The main issue would now seem to be how to get the photos back safely from iPhoto into a viewer that does essentially as much as iPhoto, but with a lot less fuss.
Is drag and drop from within iPhoto (and having to copy everything from one location to another) the only way to do this?
C