Storing my iPhoto library in "normal" folders?

Question

Hi Guys,
I am quite happy with what iPhoto does feature-wise, but it appears the only way to store your library is in the "iPhoto library", which is a "closed format" folder - ie you can't drag it onto other drives to back up, or open it to view the contents! (The only way to view the contents appears to be through the iPhoto app itself...)
I want to start keeping all my photos on Dropbox, in a normal folder - is it possible to use iPhoto in this way... ie, to point it to a standard folder for your photo library?
Interestingly, iTunes allows this... when you go into the iTunes library, there are all your tracks, shown as files just like any other.
Would love some guidance on this... or alternately a recommendation for a different photo editing programme (a free one, ideally - I'm not doing anything particularly sophisticated!) and photo organising programme.
Thanks in advance guys!
Mike

Answer 1

(Much...) Longer answer:
I am quite happy with what iPhoto does feature-wise, but it appears the only way to store your library is in the "iPhoto library", which is a "closed format" folder - ie you can't drag it onto other drives to back up, or open it to view the contents! (The only way to view the contents appears to be through the iPhoto app itself...)
iPhoto is a Photo Manager. It's a replacement for the File Manager, and becomes the "go-to" app for anything to do with your Photos. So anything you need to do with your pictures can be done either with or via iPhoto.
The Finder (or File Manager) is all about Files and it doesn’t really treat Photos any differntly than text files, music files, word processing documents and so on.
Your Photos and your Photo files are not the same thing.
The illustration I use is as follows: In my iTunes Library I have a file called 'Let_it_Be_The_Beatles.mp3'. So what is that, exactly? It's not the song. The Beatles never wrote an mp3. They wrote a tune and lyrics. They recorded it and a copy of that recording is stored in the mp3 file. So the file is just a container for the recording. That container is designed in a specific way attuned to the characteristics and requirements of the data. Hence, mp3.
Similarly, that Jpeg is not your photo, it's a container designed to hold that kind of data. iPhoto is all about the data and not about the container. So, regardless of where you choose to store the file, iPhoto will manage the photo, edit the photo, add metadata to the Photo but never touch the file. If you choose to export - unless you specifically choose to export the original - iPhoto will export the Photo into a new container - a new file containing the photo.
That's what a DAM does. It manages your digital assets.
You can access the Library from iPhoto and all through the entire Operating System:
There are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:   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.
(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:
There's a similar option in Outlook and many, many other apps.  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 10.5 Create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use this free utility Karelia iMedia Browser
Other options include:
Drag and Drop: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.
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.
Show File:  a. On iPhoto 09 and earlier:  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.    3.b.
b: On iPhoto 11 and later: Select one of the affected photos in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Reveal in Finder -> Original. A Finder window will pop open with the file already selected.
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.
I want to start keeping all my photos on Dropbox, in a normal folder - is it possible to use iPhoto in this way... ie, to point it to a standard folder for your photo library?
Why? Yes you can put your iPhoto Library in your DropBox folder, just drag it there. But are you thunking of this as a back up? Or for sharing? It's limited for the first and won't work for the second.
You can run a Referenced Library - where you can store the Master files wherever you want, but you might want to read this before you do:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3062728?tstart=0
and note, storing the Masters on Dropbox won't allow anyone to see the edited files you've done. Just the snaps as they came from the camera.
Interestingly, iTunes allows this... when you go into the iTunes library, there are all your tracks, shown as files just like any other.
iTunes is a very simple database. Files are tracked in the Library and whatever playlists they are also in.
iPhoto does that too - plus the relationship between the Master, thumbnail and Preview, plus the Faces and Places db, plus the Slideshows, Books, Cards etc, and the editing history. It's a (much) more complex machine than iTunes.
That's why the Library is protected by the package set-up - so that Users have to work a (little) harder to damage it.
So: the key question: why DropBox?
Regards
TD