Sharing iphoto library on network drive

Hello,
I'd like to use the same iPhoto library on two Macs.
Therefore, I intend to use my time capsule as a network drive. I learned from other posts that I can easily move my iPhoto library to the network share. Using two laptop on the same photo library, however, is not that easy. It seems that if both are accessing the library at the same time , unpredictable behavior might result.
Is it possible to avoid that issue or is there another software for photo management that can work with a shared library?
Thanks
Armin

I learned from other posts that I can easily move my iPhoto library to the network share.
True. Drag and drop is easy.
But it will damage your Library and risks data loss. See this article
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5168
for more. Note the comment:
“Additionally, storing the iPhoto library on a network rather than locally on your computer can also lead to poor performance or data loss.”
Next:
It seems that if both are accessing the library at the same time , unpredictable behavior might result.
Nothing unpredictable at all. It either won't work or it will corrupt the Library. iPhoto is not a server application. It's a single-user database.
There are server apps, they start at around the $200 mark.
If you want to share the Library between two machines put it onto a portable hard drive, formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled), and plug it into either machine as necessary.

Similar Messages

Sharing iPhoto library over network between two Macs

I would like to edit/create albums via sharing.
I can easily share photos between my two Macs via sharing, but I can't move photos between albums, can't create new albums, etc. (I would like to be able to use my laptop in our home network to modify the albums on the PowerMac in the basement.)
I don't want to move files from one computer to another; via sharing, I essentially want to be able to modify the host library's albums. I don't want to edit the photos as much as I want to move them. Is this possible?

Hi there,
There are two ways that I have tried to share a Library. The first method was to delete the empty library on my laptop and start iPhoto. The application could not find the library and asked me where it was. I linked it to the library on the other computer over the network. This method works but can be very slow when editing or scrolling (especially when using AirPort). It is also safer to only have one iPhoto accessing one library at a time.
The other way that I have been able to relibaly access and edit an iPhoto library on another mac was by using Virtual Network Computing (VNC). Essentially it provides the user the ability to see and controll another computer on the network from their machine. It does work and is alot faster than the first method but the downsides are that the host computer cannot be used at the same time and VNC software does not resize the desktop when, for example, accessing a 20" screen from a 12" laptop. This means that you have to resize the iPhoto window to fit on the smaller screen.
For the host computer (server) I used Real VNC and for the network client I used Chicken of the VNC.
The software works well and is usefull to access emails on the computer in the office from the living room. I have to say that I have stopped using these methods as they both tend to hogg the network and other users in the family are stuck for long periods of time trying to load a web page.
Hope this helps,
Dan
iMac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Can't read iPhoto library from external drive

I suddenly can't can't read iPhoto library from external drive. I have talked to WD and nohing is wrong with the network drive. I can open images and files from it. But, I can't read in iPhoto Library.

Network Drive? a NAS?
iPhoto needs to have the Library sitting on disk formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Users with the Library sitting on disks otherwise formatted regularly report issues including, but not limited to, importing, exporting, saving edits and sharing the photos.
Basically, you need to move the library to a correctly formatted disk.

Sharing iphoto library in Shared folder - so frustrated!

I am so frustrated trying to put the iPhoto Library in the Shared folder, in order to give all users Read & Write access. It worked for about a month, and now my wife suddenly is getting lots of permission problems. I tried making her the "owner" of the library, but that caused iPhoto to not read it at all and say the Library was 0 k in size. Once I changed ownership back to me, it was 20GB.
Certain folders inside the library give her Custom permission, so I went in and changed permission to Read/Write. Doesn't help - photos in iPhoto disappear or black out. Sometimes a folder (like a certain date) won't even show on her side at all.
This seems like such a simple thing, and something most people would want to do. Why won't this work correctly???
Any other ideas?! Thanks!!

have you read this article?
Sharing via the Shared Folder -- Another major annoyance with versions of iPhoto prior to iPhoto '09 was that you couldn't just put your iPhoto Library in the /Users/Shared folder to share it among multiple accounts on the same Mac, since iPhoto always set the permissions on thumbnails to the account that imported the photos, preventing other accounts from editing those photos and having the edits reflected in the thumbnails.
That limitation has now been fixed in iPhoto '09, so you can share an iPhoto library merely by moving it to /Users/Shared and then double-clicking it to open in iPhoto from each account. You may be prompted to repair permissions on the first access - click the Repair button to do that. Note that this also works for storing an iPhoto library on an external hard disk that's shared among users or on a network volume for access across a fast network.
Only one person may access a shared iPhoto library at a time.
LN
Message was edited by: LarryHN

Can't see shared iPhoto library

Computer A can't see Computer B's shared iPhoto library, but B can see A's. Both are running identical versions of iPhoto.
Both can see each other's iTunes library. Both can connect to each other over the network and transfer files to and fro (they're both on the same home wireless network, same subset).
Computer B has over 4000 photos, while Computer A has just a couple hundred; could that be a problem?
Here's what I have done:
Verified each iPhoto Preferences is set to "Look for shared photos" and "Share my photos".
Tried requiring a password, and not requiring a password
Verified System Preferences > Sharing > Firewall has "iPhoto Bonjour Sharing" checked.
Deleted each computer's iPhoto plist, and reconfiguring iPhoto Preferences as above
Turned off Little Snitch
Quit / restarted iPhoto a few times
Logged in / out, rebooted a few times
Researched iPhoto Help
Researched the discussion boards
Repaired permissions on both (as you can see, I'm resorting to voodoo tactics)
Googled the problem
Posted this topic
That's all I can think of to do.
So... what haven't I done?
Message was edited by: John Galt - 4000 photos

add to the list:
Created a "test" user account on Computer B, logged in as "test", launched iPhoto, and set it to share / look for shared libraries.
No change - A can't see B, B can see A. So it's unrelated to the size of the library, probably unrelated to anything iPhoto, probably a network issue. But what?

Sharing iPhoto Library Not Recomended?

According to this.
Is this really a problem? I would like to do this if its not a problem. Acually I do have several iPhoto Libraries in the /Users/Shared folder and so far in iPhoto 5 there didn't seem to be any major problems except for the one listed at the bottom. When upgrading to iPhoto 6 yesterday I did get the permission error while opening a /Users/Shared/iPhoto Library for the first time and I did this.
Setting Permissions for iPhoto Library Folder
1 - Select the iPhoto Library folder and type Command-I.
2 - When the Info window comes up go to the Ownership and Permissions section and make sure You have Read & Write permission and that the Owner and Group have Read & Write also. Others - Read Only.
3 - Then click on the "Apply to enclosed items..." button.
And it seems to be fine. I would really like to keep the iPhoto Libraries in the /Users/Shared folder if I can so that both me (Admin) and my wife (Standard) can access/edit/add/delete pics to this library. Thats why I'm troubled why it's not recommeded.
I also use iPhoto Library Manager v3.2.1 and have the options set as Owner and Group have Read & Write and Others - Read Only. I also have the settings Permissions to Apply as enabled to automatically apply before launching iPhoto and when iPhoto Quits. But I only use it if I want to change libraries if not I just open iPhoto.
I noticed in iPhoto 5 that sometimes after importing photos to this library from one user that when accessing that library from another user iPhoto wouldn't open until the permissions were changed again. I think this happened when I did not launch iphoto from iPhoto Library Manager. Does this mean if I leave the library in the Shared folder I should after importing photos always open iPhoto with iPhoto Library Manager to change the permissions. Will this fix the problem?
Alan

Hello, I have an issue where my iPhoto library is not visible in iTunes Photo Sharing Preferences. I wish to have my iPhoto library (Aperture Library) available on my Apple TV.
Does your joint Aperture/iPhoto library show in the Finder as "Kind Aperture Library"?
Then set your Photo Sharing to share from Aperture and not from iPhoto.
When I try to sync or share iPhoto libraries from iTunes, it will look for libraries "Kind iPhoto" and not sync with an Aperture library, even if it is the current iPhoto library.

How to use photos from a *shared iphoto library* in iWeb's Photos page

I have a large library of pictures in iPhoto. I am sharing it with my wife's Mac on our LAN. She would like to use many of these photos on my Mac in an iWeb page. We're both using 10.4.10 with G5s.
When we try to drag them over from my shared iPhoto library, we get the following error:
"Some items can't be used because you don't have enough access privileges or because they contain no content or they are corrupted.
unable to add object
unable to add object"
Sometimes it imports only the name of the picture to the iWeb page.
Is there a way around this? I tried messing with the Get Info "Permissions" section of my iPhoto folder. But nothing seemed to change.

iPhoto can not merge libraries
And you must NEVER Import an iPhoto library - it does not work and creates a massive mess
To merge libraries you must either use Aperture (being phased out this year) or the paid version of iPhoto Library Manager - http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/ -
Or continue to have two libraries and switch between them
LN

Importing photos from shared iPhoto library

I have all my photos on my Macbook and have home sharing set up to share that iPhoto library with my iMac (within iPhoto…easy enough). Does anyone know if it's possible, from iMovie on my iMac, to access that shared iPhoto library on my Macbook to select photos to add to an iMovie project on my iMac?
I hope that's not confusing. And you might ask why I don't just do the project on my Macbook. I could, it's just a little more user friendly to work on my iMac.
Thanks!

Two ways to do this:
1. Export from the other library to the finder using the File -> Export command. In the dialogue be sure to tick the box at 'Titles and Descriptions., then import to your Library
2. Use iPhoto Library Manager to move the files plus all associated versions and metadata between libraries.
Regards
TD

Time Machine backup of shared iPhoto library

Hi,
I created a shared iPhoto library as suggsetd at: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1198?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US, ,and I use TM.
When I eneter TM, I can't see the shared volume, instaed I can see under "Macnitsh HD/Users/Shared" somthing called a "photolibarary.sparseimage" that seem to be the same size as my iPhoto library.
Is my Iphoto libarary backedup?
Why can't I see the photos inside as I would if it would be in the Pictures libarary?
If I need, how do I restore it?
Thanks,
S

A Time Machine back up is not readable from the FInder. It works in increments. So the first runis the whole object being abcked up, thereafter only the changes are recorded. So, to access the back up you need to restore. This produces the original plus all the changes since.
You have put your Library on a Disk Image. You need to restore the disk image and mount it to view the contents of the Library.

Two iCloud Accounts, one shared iPhoto library

I have a shared iPhoto library for two users, on an external HD. I have two iPhones, each with a separate iCloud accounts. Photos taken on each of the phones sync to the shared iPhoto library, but only the Photostream for the user who took the photo, but not the other user. I would like all photos taken on each phone to automatically sync to the other. I used to do this using the same iCloud account on each phone, but this is now not possible.
I'm using OS X Yosemite and iOS 8.1. Any ideas?

Hi....
What we've done so far is to just use the one account which we set up on the iMac & just disabled the contact sharing. I was having a look on the macrumours website & news from the developers is that you can use two accounts but for some reason certain functions are disabled in the secondary account namely the iPhoto stream.

Sharing Iphoto Library in a network

Hello all,
I have been looking for an answer and i hope you can help me. I use two macs, one for me one for my wife, and i just transferred all the pics to the time capsule, so both macs can access the same iphoto library, and they do perfectly fine, if it is done one a time. What we cannot do is access the library both macs at the same time, the first one to do it is ok, the second one gets a message "cannot access or have no authorizations to do it or the library is in a locked folder".
I guess mac software is able to work in a network as linux or even windows, where sharing files is possible. Could anyone tell me how to solve this little problem in order to work from both macs at the same time on the same folder?
Thanks for your help

Sharing files is easy but with iPhoto you're not sharing files, you're sharing a Database. That's a complex procedure on any OS.
Iphoto is designed as an application for a single user. It's not a Media Server. These are available - they go for about the $200 mark. There is no way for two users to access the iPhoto Library at the same time. Period.
Further, how are you connected to the Time Machine? A strong warning: If you're trying to edit the Library (that is, make albums, move photos around, keyword, make books or slideshows etc.) or edit individual photos in it via Wireless be very careful. Dropouts are a common fact of wireless networking, and should one occur while the app is writing to the database then your Library will be damaged. Simply, I would not do this with my Libraries.
You can use iPhoto Sharing. This allows one Library to see the other one. You set this up in the iPhoto Preferences.
Regards
TD
I

Sharing iPhoto Library with PCs on Same Network?

Hi,
I work in a rug showroom, and I love how easy it is to organize photos of our inventory in iPhoto. Most of our photos are high-res, so the built-in e-mail function is extremely useful. However, I'm the sole Mac in a showroom full of PCs, and I'm getting sick of having to do all of the e-mailing for everyone in the showroom. So, my questions are:
1. Is there a simple way to share my iPhoto library with the PCs on our network?
2. Is there an application for PC that is like (or just is) iPhoto that will allow me to share with a PC?
3. Is there a better solution? (Unfortunately, we're not getting any new computers...)
Thanks in advance for your help!

lahmadin
Welcome to the Apple Discussions.
1. Is there a simple way to share my iPhoto library with the PCs on our network?
No, iPhoto has no such capability. You could try share the images from the iPhoto Library Folder but that could easily lead to your library being corrupted. I would not recommend it.
2. Is there an application for PC that is like (or just is) iPhoto that will allow me to share with a PC?
Google's Picasa is frequently mentioned a similar to iPhoto, but it doesn't have a Mac version.
3. Is there a better solution? (Unfortunately, we're not getting any new computers...)
What's your budget? Check out apps like iView or Extensis Portfolio
Regards
TD

Multiple users on multiple macs sharing iPhoto Library

How can different family members (using personal logins) all access the same iPhoto library, regardless of which of our two iMacs they happen to be logged into?
I thought the solution would be as simple as:
Plug an external hard drive into the Airport Time Capsule.
Copy our iPhoto library onto the external hard drive.
Log in as each user, open iPhoto and point to the iPhoto library on the external hard drive.
I've searched the support forums and can't find a successful example of this. Does it work? If not, is there another elegant solution?
I'd also be interested in how to back up the 'networked' iPhoto library. I plan to use iPhoto's "publish to Flickr" capability for this as it also solves how to share photos with our family's many iOS devices.
Ps. I'm new to the Mac environment so am still learning my way with OSX (be gentle please).
Equipment
x2 iMacs (<12 months old) running the latest OSX and iPhoto software versions
2TB Airport Time Capsule (brand new) with a 1TB USB external hard drive plugged-in (not sure of the formatting).

How can different family members (using personal logins) all access the same iPhoto library, regardless of which of our two iMacs they happen to be logged into?
I thought the solution would be as simple as:
Plug an external hard drive into the Airport Time Capsule.
Copy our iPhoto library onto the external hard drive.
Log in as each user, open iPhoto and point to the iPhoto library on the external hard drive.
This cannot work, unfortunately, for several reasons:
iPhoto is strictly a single user database. Only one user at a time can open it.
An iPhoto library needs to be on a locally mounted volume. It cannot be on a network share.
The file system of the drive needs to be MacOS Extended (Journaled).
Apple's only recommendation to share an iPhoto library is this: iPhoto: Sharing libraries among multiple users
If you want to share photos and not the library, see this: iCloud: iCloud Photo Sharing FAQ
Trying to put the iPhoto or Aperture library on a network volume, will result in library corruption or data loss:
Use locally mounted Mac OS X Extended volumes for your Aperture library

Sharing iPhoto Library with Different Users on Same Mac

Surely what I'm trying to do is not that unusual!!?? I'm a new Apple User coming from the 'dark' PC side and was hoping Apple would be better.
Our family has a single Mac running Mavericks. My wife, children and I have our own logins but we'd like to use iPhoto to store our photos and share the same library. Has to be common......right?
I'm told if we try to share a photo library on the Mac it will cause problems and therefore two choices are:
1. Move the iPhoto library to an external drive or
2. Move the iPhoto library to a disk image.
I'm not sure about this disk image option but luckily(I thought) have both a 2TB Time Capsule and 3 TB WD MyBook Live Drive. I don't really use the MyBook Live and simply use 'Time Machine' to backup the Mac to the Time Capsule.
I thought the easiest way to resolve the iPhoto library problem was simply to put the library on the MyBook Live drive and then I thought I could simply get 'Time Machine' to backup the MyBook Live drive as well as the Mac. From what I can see, 'Time Machine' won't backup external drives.
Given my configuration and hardware can someone PLEASE suggest a good option. I'd like to keep it as simple as possible. :-)
Surely if Apple would simply allow the iPhoto library to be shared but only accessed by one User at a time it would make it dead simple.
Your earliest possible reply would be appreciated.
Thank you!!

Is that MyBook Live a NAS?
iPhoto needs to have the Library sitting on disk formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Users with the Library sitting on disks otherwise formatted regularly report issues including, but not limited to, importing, exporting, saving edits and sharing the photos.
See this article
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5168
for more. Note also the comment:
“Additionally, storing the iPhoto library on a network rather than locally on your computer can also lead to poor performance or data loss.”

Re-establish old itunes library on network drive

After an extended period of not using itunes, I installed it today on my current desktop (Win7-64). Immediately, I had all my prior purchases available which was nice to see. My old library (about 4gb) is on a secondary drive. What's the best way to re-establish access to the old library. I also want these files moved to a network drive which is connected to a different computer and which will not have itunes on it.
I do not wish to use home sharing, and I do not want to use icloud for the old music.
Thanks for any assistance.

You can press & hold down shift as you launch iTunes to open a library on any path, however performance may be poor with a large library that isn't located on a local drive. The library is easiest to move from one path or computer to another however if it is in a portable form, with the library folder containing the media folder. If needed once the library has been established on your chosen path the library files can be copied to a local (internal or external) drive for improved performance. They can be copied back to the network path and accessed there before moving the library again.
See make a split library portable for some more information.
tt2

Sharing iphoto library on network drive

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