Unused aliases in iPhoto Library?

I'm transitioning a 32,000 photo library from a Reference Library to a Managed Library. I used AliasHerder to replace the aliases in the Masters folder with the actual photos. There are now almost 1,000 aliases, and I assume they're all broken. However, at least 400 are from old photos that I deleted long ago, and are not in the iPhoto library.
I assume I should just leave them there, but would anything bad happen if I deleted all these old useless aliases and the folders they're in?
I know they say to never delete files from the library, but why would there by so many unused aliases with the originals long gone from iPhoto?

(The extra aliases are still there, but I'm ignoring them.)
If they are for the photos you deleted manually from your hard drive earlier just try to selecxt the thumbnails and delete them as you would normally. That should delete the thumbnail and any references to the photo from library.
OT

Similar Messages

I am trying to rebuild my iPhoto library and noticed my backup contains aliases (pointers?) and not the actual file. What's the best way to rebuild my library?

I am trying to rebuild my iPhoto library and noticed my backup contains aliases (pointers?) and not the actual file. What's the best way to rebuild my library?
Facts:
In moving to a new iMac, I copied the iPhoto library to an external HDD assuming that I would point the new iMac to the backed up iPhoto Library
All worked fine when I pointed the new library but noticed that some folders contained aliases and not the original file. So when I attempt to open that photo it can't find it because the alias is pointing to another drive.
I do have all original photos from a couple of external HDDs. In the folders titled, "Originals" (from older versions of iPhoto) and "Masters" (from current iPhoto)
I'm thinking I can create a new folder and drop the original files and make that my new iPhoto library. Is there a better way to rebuild my library? I do not want to create any future aliases.
Thanks in advance for any help!

do you have a strongly recommended default "managed" library (the iPhoto preference to "copy imported items to the iPhoto library is in its checked state) or a referenced library - you have unchecked that option?
It sounds like you have a referenced library and are now experiancing one of the very siginificant drawbacks of a referenced library and one of the many reasons they are strongly not recommended
Also note that iPhoto '11 may use alises in the originals folder as part of the upgrade
It is important that we understand exactly what you have and what is not sorking - what error messages you are getting
You must NEVER make any changes of any sort to the structure of content of the iPhoto library - there are no user servicable parts in it -- and you can not rebuild yoru librtary - only iPhoto ir iPhoto Library Manager - http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/ - can rebuild a library unless you are a SQL programmer and understand the structure that iPhoto uses
LN

Why do icons, .pngfiles and aliases appear in my iphoto library?

Why do hundreds of .png files and aliases appear in my iphoto library?

Because they were imported accidentally. This can happen when a Library or System folder is accidentally dropped on the iPhoto icon or Window, for instance.

IPhoto Library unusable after upgrade to iLife'11

I have recently purchased the iLife'11 Family Upgrade Pack for up to 5 Macs with which my Dad and I have upgraded both of our Snow Leopard capable iMacs.
My iMac was fine when upgraded. Immediately after upgrading I was prompted to use Software Update and then the iMac performed an operation to 'upgrade' my iPhoto Library (or was it the other way around?).
However when I upgraded my Dad's iMac (24", 2.16ghz) the upgrade itself seemed to take ok, but something went awry when the Mac got to the point where it wanted to update the iPhoto Library. During this process it kept reporting that certain files were missing and I was forced to search for them manually. I found these files and the upgrade was eventually completed. I forget now which files they were, however one particular file was repeated a number of times.
Anyway, ever since upgrading the iPhoto Library on my Dad's machine, his iPhoto won't open and he's cussing me flashes.
Any idea what went wrong and how I may fix this?
By the way, I took the usual precautions before upgrading, like running Disk Utility, repairing permissions and so on. I even ran Disk Warrior and got that to fix any potential problems before I did anything.

Downloaded the iPhoto Library Manager that you helpfully provided the link for and asked it to rebuild the library.
This appeared to be going well until we got about 75% of the way when iPhoto Library Manager itself froze. Luckily we were able to identify the Photo that it was working on when it froze so we opened up a copy of iPhoto on our backup drive, found the offending Photo and trashed it before emptying iPhoto's trash.
iPhoto continued to behave a bit sluggishly and other problems were aparent such as the Thumb nails for event not changing as the cursor moved over them. So I trashed iPhoto, re-installed the '09 version, then ran the '11 upgrade again followed by the software update of course.
Toboot iPhoto appears to be working again.
By the way, I found out what those files were I mentioned in my first post. They were .dv file from some movies that I don't think belong where they are anyway. They were made by my digital stills camera so that may have something to do with it.
Thanks for the iPhoto Library Manager tip. It helped a lot.

Delete photo from iPhoto library and HDD

Hopefully I'm not repeating a previous thread...
Not being an expert, am I correct in saying that iPhoto only changes its version of the photo when editing it?
Also, if you delete the photo by moving it to the trash can, it doesn't physically delete it from the HDD? (When you empty the trash can)
This causes a problem for a few reasons.
I have just loaded Medialink PS3 which allows the iMac to serve the PS3. (BTW - Good product)
If you point Medialink to the original HDD folder then this still includes photos I thought I had deleted.
Also If I want to burn a cd with the photo folder external to iPhoto , the "deleted" photos are also burnt.
I copied all of the photos from a windows PC, and Picasa allowed you to physically delet from its own folder as well as the HDD.
Doesn't iPhoto 09 allow this?
What would iPhoto do if I went through and cleaned up the external folder and deleted jpgs or edited using Canon editing software? If using the external editor, would iPhoto reflect the changes?
Sorry if this is verbose.
regards,

You might want to have a llook at the iPhoto tutorials. They cover a lot of these basics.
http://www.apple.com/ilife/tutorials/#iphoto-hero
And the version of iPhoto you are using?
I'm not at all sure that a Referenced Library is what you want. In fact I strongly recommend against it. But however:
*How to do it:*
Simply go to iPhoto Menu -> Preferences -> Advanced and uncheck 'Copy Files to the iPhoto Library on Import'.
*What Happens:*
Now iPhoto will not copy the files, but rather simply reference them on your HD. To do this it will create an alias in the Originals Folder that points to your file. It will still create a thumbnail and, if you modify the pics, a Modified version within the iPhoto Library Folder.
*Some things to consider:*
1. Importing and deleting pics are more complex procedures. You have to to put the files where they will be stored before importing them. When you delete them you'll need to remove the files from the HD yourself.
2. You cannot move or rename the files on your system or iPhoto will lose track of them on systems prior to 10.5 and iPhoto 08. Even with the later versions issues can still arise if you move the referenced files to new volumes or between volumes.
3. Most importantly, migrating to a new disk or computer can be much more complex.
4. Because iPhoto has no tools for managing Referenced Files, if, for some reason, the path to the photos changes then you could find yourself resolving aliases for +each photo in the Library+ one by one.
My own opinion:
I've yet to see a good reason to run iPhoto in referenced mode unless you're using two photo organisers
If disk space is an issue, you can run an entire iPhoto Library from an external disk:
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library as an entity from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
3. Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new location. From that point on this will be the default location of your library.
4. Test the library and when you're sure all is well, trash the one on your internal HD to free up space.
If you're concerned about accessing the files, 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!
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.
+Some Other Comments+
iPhoto will not touch any file outside its library. Period.
It will copy files on import and leave existing files untouched,
It will delete files within the Library but not outside the Library.
When you choose to go with a Referenced Library you are deciding that You want to manage the Files. You want to import them from the camera, you want to sort them however you want and you want to delete them yourself. That's the point of a referenced Library.
I just did a test by editing a photo using Canon Professional and the changes were not reflected in iPhoto. And vise versa.
The point of iPhoto is that you interface with your Photos via the Application. Like Addressbook for your contacts, iTunes for your Music, it's the go-to app for your Photos.
So, you want to edit Photos, you go to iPhoto and use the External 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

I started with a brand new iPhoto Library and I still can't get it to work.

I have almost 40,000 photos and iPhoto simply stopped working altogether. You can read all about my trials and tribulations here: http://www.davidgagne.net/2014/01/02/dealing-with-my-iphoto-library/
Eventually I simply resigned myself to not being able to use iPhoto and started using a program called Lyn. (http://www.lynapp.com/index.html)
The only problems are that now there is no way to synch photos with my iPhone and now I have no way to use iCloud.
So I decided to create a brand new iPhoto library on my laptop and use it *only* for (a) dealing with iCloud and (b) managing the (copies of) photos I want to synch to my iPhone.
I opened iPhoto and created a brand new iPhoto library. This new library is completely empty.
As soon as I connected my iCloud account, iPhoto started using 250% of my MacBook Air processor, 99.9% of its RAM, and absolutely punishing the laptop fan. My entire computer basically becomes unusable; and remember -- this is a completely empty library.
Also fun: iPhoto was downloading every photo from my iCloud account to my laptop.
Am I the only one suffering like this?
Does anyone have an alternate way to synch photos between iPhone and computer?

Does Lyn put the image files in a special package or just accesses them in their folders on the hard drive?
You can sync photos to your iPhone using iTunes. Put copies of the photos you want on the iPhone in a folder on the hard drive and select it in iTunes to sync with the phone.
The screenshot shows syncing from a folder named NanoPics.
OT

Share 1 iPhoto library between 2 accounts on one Mac ?

The simple answer should be to place the to-be-shared iPhoto library in the shared folder with both accounts having read-write access. Since only one account will be open at a time there should be no transaction management issues. Unfortunately, "should" and "are" aren't the same in this caser.
Only the original iPhoto account/application is able to edit the content of the library but both can see it. So it seems that there is some additional hidden (?) iPhoto file tied to the iPhoto application ? I've looked at the content of the iPhoto Package but nothing obvious (recently changed date for example) pops out.
Is this trivial functionality really not available or am I just missing something obvious ?
(As an aside, for iTunes I did see the suggestiuon of putting the whole iTunes folder in the shared space and aliasing the iTunes application to the accounts that needed access on the same machine to get the desired functionality in iTunes. I'm tempted to do the same with iPhoto, moving the originally owning iPhoto app over to the shared space and aliasing a copy into each of the two accounts.)
Thanks,
-Sven

For iPhoto 09 (version 8.0.2) and later:
What you mean by 'share'.
If you want the other user to be able to see the pics, but not add to, change or alter your library, then enable Sharing in your iPhoto (Preferences -> Sharing), leave iPhoto running and use Fast User Switching to open the other account. In that account, enable 'Look For Shared Libraries'. Your Library will appear in the other source pane.
Any user can drag a pic from the Shared Library to their own in the iPhoto Window.
Remember iPhoto must be running in both accounts for this to work.
If you want the other user to have the same access to the library as you: to be able to add, edit, organise, keyword etc.
Quit iPhoto in both accounts. Move the Library to the Users / Shared Folder
(You can also use an external HD set to ignore permissions, a Disk Image or even partition your Hard Disk.)
In each account in turn: Double click on the Library to open it. (You may be asked to repair the Library Permissions.) From that point on, this will be the default library location. Both accounts will have full access to the library, in fact, both accounts will 'own' it.
If you are asked to repair permissions you do this by holding down the command and option (or alt) keys while launching iPhoto. Use the resulting dialogue to rebuild.
However, there is a catch with this system and it is a significant one. iPhoto is not a multi-user app., it does not have the code to negotiate two users simultaneously writing to the database, and trying will cause db corruption. So only one user at a time, and back up, back up back up.
Regards
TD

Your photo library was not found. Do you want to find your iPhoto Library?

Your photo library was not found. Do you want to find your iPhoto Library?
Do you want to create or find?
This is the message I get when I try to open iphoto.
1. this is the first time since I've used iphoto that this has happened.
2. I would like to know why.
3. I am not sure which choice to make.
4. recent changes involving photos would be deleting several photos....I used a program called Grand Perspective and began to delete photos from there
5. although I'm interested in fixing this problem, I would like to learn more about 'libraries' and the way iphoto works. Previous to owning a Mac, I used Picasa with my pc and I don't remember it using as much space on my hard drive. iphoto has a large number of duplicated photos of which I've been unable to resolve easily and it is approx. 60 G of space. I would like to have access to my images (30,000) through external hard drives but not necessarily have them all on my mac. I believe that is what Picasa does. I'm using the new Picasa for Mac but want to continue to use iphoto as well.
If I did not form this question well enough, please let me know how to clarify. I'm trying to remedy this while answering a million Why? why? Why? questions from my 4 year old!
Thank you.
iphoto 7.1.5

I would like to learn more about 'libraries'
Step one is to learn about iPhoto - it is not a photo viewer like Picasa - it is a photo manager and uses an SQL database - the content and structure of this database are critical (as with any database application) to the operation of iPhoto - any changes made to either the content or structure of the database using external programs including (especially) the finder can corrupt the database and cause you to lose data
recent changes involving photos would be deleting several photos....I used a program called Grand Perspective and began to delete photos from there
This is how you destroyed your iPhoto library and made it unusable
As to space - the iPhoto database contains at a minimum a copy of the original photo (in the default and recommended operating environment) and a small thumbnail. When any modification to the photo is made a modified version is created so there might be three versions (no duplicates) of a photo within the iPhoto library - none of them are extraneous and none of them can be removed without corrupting the iPhoto library
Once a photo is imported into iPhoto (assuming default settings which are strongly recommended) the original source photo outside of iPhoto can be archived, deleted or otherwise handles - iPhoto has no further need for it.
The iPhoto library can be located on an external hard drive so long as that hard drive is always available when iPhoto is running
In general it is not advised to run two different photo organizers against the same photos - so if you use both Picasa and iPhoto you are likely to create future problems (although Google claims it is possible - just remember that you can not successfully make any change of any sort to any photo with the iPhoto library using Picasa or any other program - if you only use Picasa to look at photos you may be ok - if you never make any mistakes
As to your immediate problem - you have destroyed you iPhoto library by deleting files from it. If you want to use iPhoto you will have to start over - find the originals folder within the iPhoto library and launch iPhoto while depressing the option (alt) key and create a new library - import the photos from the originals folder into iPhoto and do not go inside the iPhoto library or modify the contents of the iPhoto library in the future.
LN
Message was edited by: LarryHN

How do you copy your iphoto library to ext. hard drive?

I am sorry to ask this lame question, but: How do you copy your iPhoto library to an external hard drive, just to back it up? I'm confused, because of three things: a) I can't seem to find, in iPhoto pref's, where you select what the "path" is to the library; b) in the iPhoto library folder on my computer (which is NOT on my boot drive, but a different internal drive..) the newest "year" folder in there says 2005, yet we have imported many newly-taken photos for the last 3 years, AND c) in the user>Pictures folder there is a "file" called iPhoto Library, but I can't quite figure out exactly what that is, what it does, etc.
So, I apologize, but if someone can help me figure what I would like to think should be a very simple backup, I would be grateful. Thank you very much.

I am sorry to ask this lame question, but: How do you copy your iPhoto library to an external hard drive, just to back it up?
Drag it to the external drive
a) I can't seem to find, in iPhoto pref's, where you select what the "path" is to the library;
There not one - you change the path by launching iPhoto while depressing the option (alt) key and using the select library option to repoint to a different libary - however you would not do this to a backup library - it would just be a copy
b) in the iPhoto library folder on my computer (which is NOT on my boot drive, but a different internal drive..) the newest "year" folder in there says 2005, yet we have imported many newly-taken photos for the last 3 years,
This is probably an unused older library - a backup for a previous version
c) in the user>Pictures folder there is a "file" called iPhoto Library, but I can't quite figure out exactly what that is,
That probably is your iPhoto library and it is probably not a file but a Unix style "package"
Launch iPhoto and in events view select a photo and right click (control click) on it and select the show file option to see the path to the currently active library - I find the column view the easiest to see the path
LN

Extracting photos from backup of iPhoto Library without iPhoto

I recently had to do a clean install of Mac OS X 10.7.5 because I had some funky file structures in my hard drive that were rendering my 8 year old Macbook unusable. I have a full Time Machine backup on an external hard drive and had to drag and drop what I wanted from the backup over to the cleaned hard drive as opposed to doing an automated restore (because I didn't want to restore the funky file structures that had screwed up my mac in the first place). So now I have everything I want back on the cleaned Mac except iPhoto won't open after being copied over from the backup. Fine - I didn't really care for iPhoto anyway so I don't want to buy it. Now I am trying to extract the photos from my backed up iPhoto library to get them on the Mac in plain old folders. I right click the library, select show package contents, select "originals" and then try to copy that folder to my cleaned hard drive - I get an error that I do not have sufficient permissions to do that. Same thing with any folder level.
I have tried iPhoto Library Manager - but that needs a working iPhoto application...
How can I get these photos out of this back up library without having to copy each one individually???? It's driving me nuts. grr.

Here's how to restore an iPhoto Library from Time Machine:
OT

Upgraded: New Mac, Setting up iPhoto Library From Multiple Old Backups

Over the years (Jaguar to Snow Leopard), I've had multiple Macs in different locations (work, home) to which I've loaded photos from cameras into multiple iPhoto libraries. As these Macs have died (G4s, G5s), or I've been forced to upgrade, I've made a backup on CDs and DVDs of the iPhoto libraries (different versions of iPhoto over the years).
Now I've got a brand new Macbook Pro and I want to put all these photos into one library on one disk. I don't care much about preserving photos edited in iPhoto (I use Photoshop for serious editing), nor do I have particular album or roll data from these old libraries that matters. I just want to get all the original photos into one library so I can search and access them all in one place.
I have always found the way iPhoto organizes the photos on disk a bit confusing, especailly when it comes to backing up and accessing the files at the Finder level. And now it seems things have gotten even more dumbed away from the user in "package" w/ the latest iPhoto.
I would like to just have my photos in a folder, not a "package," but I would like to be able to search and organize photos and load them to my iPod Touch. (Maybe isn't the best application for me?) I'd also like my iPhoto folder to be on an external HD.
This is one of those grueling tasks I've been putting off for years. So many disks, so many libraries, how to get them all into one. I want to get it right once and for all, so I'll have all my photos on in one place and hopefully in a Finder-level folder that will be easy to back up and easy to port to my next Mac down the road in the future.
Can anyone offer any advice on the best way to proceed? Anyone else been through something like this?
Thanks in advance,
Babz

This is actually more simple than it seems as you
just want to get all the original photos into one library so I can search and access them all in one place.
So, create a Library: Hold down the option (or alt) key key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Create Library' and import the contents of the originals from the other Libraries: (File -> Import, Drag to the iPhoto Window, Drag to the iPhoto icon on the Dock)
That's all your originals in a single Library.
I have always found the way iPhoto organizes the photos on disk a bit confusing, especailly when it comes to backing up and accessing the files at the Finder level.
It's actually quite straightforward, but the key is +you don't access the files at a Finder level+.
And now it seems things have gotten even more dumbed away from the user in "package" w/ the latest iPhoto.
Remember: iPhoto is a Database. Like any database, you need to manipulate the data via the db and not a back door.
Since iPhoto 7 (iLife 08) the old iPhoto Library Folder is now a Package File. This is simply a folder that looks like a file in the Finder. The change was made to the format of the iPhoto library because many users were inadvertently corrupting their library by browsing through it with other software or making changes in it themselves. That's why +you don't access the files at a Finder level+.
Want to see 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.
Standard 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.
How the library is organised: 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.
But none of that matters, as you never access the files via the Finder.
*To back up an iPhoto Library* make a copy of the Library on another disk. You can automate this process with Time Machine or many other back up apps like Chronosync or DejaVu. There are many, many other options. Search on MacUpdate.
I would like to just have my photos in a folder, not a "package,"
*How to do it:*
Simply go to iPhoto Menu -> Preferences -> Advanced and uncheck 'Copy Files to the iPhoto Library on Import'.
*What Happens:*
Now iPhoto will not copy the files, but rather simply reference them on your HD. To do this it will create an alias in the Originals Folder that points to your file. It will still create a thumbnail and, if you modify the pics, a Modified version within the iPhoto Library Folder.
*Some things to consider:*
1. Importing and deleting pics are more complex procedures. You have to to put the files where they will be stored before importing them. When you delete them you'll need to remove the files from the HD yourself.
2. You cannot move or rename the files on your system or iPhoto will lose track of them on systems prior to 10.5 and iPhoto 08. Even with the later versions issues can still arise if you move the referenced files to new volumes or between volumes.
3. Most importantly, migrating to a new disk or computer can be much more complex.
4. Because iPhoto has no tools for managing Referenced Files, if, for some reason, the path to the photos changes then you could find yourself resolving aliases for +each photo in the Library+ one by one.
My own opinion:
I've yet to see a good reason to run iPhoto in referenced mode unless you're using two photo organiser
If disk space is an issue, you can run an entire iPhoto Library from an external disk:
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
3. Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new location. From that point on this will be the default location of your library.
4. Test the library and when you're sure all is well, trash the one on your internal HD to free up space.
If you're concerned about accessing the files, 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!
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 Photoshop*
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.
There's a lot of material there. By all means come back for clarification if you need it. But I strongly urge you to think very carefully before running a Referenced Library.
Regards
TD

Move Photo Files back in the iPhoto Library

Before a few months ago, I had not checked the "copy files into the library" (or something similar, my iPhoto is French-speaking...).
As a result, whereas my newer photo files are in the iPhoto library special folder, the older ones are not (there are plenty of them).
I have successfully moved my iPhoto Library to an external hard drive, all is well for the newer files, but how do I handle those files that are not in the library?
Ideally I would like them to be integrated in the library so I don't have to bother anymore, very much in the way iTunes can copy all files in the iTunes Library, basically.

Migoo
In the iPhoto Library Folder/ Originals you now have alias files for these pics. You need to copy the full files into the Originals folder and overwrite the aliases that represent them.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1172120&tstart=0
is a thread that details some efforts in the area.
Regards
TD

Why won't Front Row play movies located in my iPhoto Library?

I currently have a little over 300 short movies from my digital cameras. I keep them in subfolders located at /Users/shared/Shared Movies/digital camera movies/ and Front Row plays them just fine under each user account since each user has an alias to /Users/shared/Shared Movies/ located in their "movies" folder within their home folder.
Recently a buddy convinced me to import my short digicam movies into iPhoto as an easier way to organize the short .mov and .avi files. I have over 14K image files in my library so I liked the idea of browsing my video shorts using iPhoto. I created a smart album in iPhoto for all file names ending with .avi or .mov and that works great to quickly locate the relatively few video files in the sea of digital stills.
BUT... WHY won't Front Row locate or play the movies that are located inside of iPhoto's Library? Did they just forget this functionality? Front Row's Video player displays Video Podcasts located in iTunes why wouldn't there also be an automagic category that appears in Front Row for movies located in your iPhoto Library?!
Front Row chokes if I attempt to play the smart "movies" album I created in iPhoto. It just keeps spinning the little "train tracks" progress thingy and never shows a movie. I finally just hit the menu button on the remote to "back out" of that selection.
The other work around I tried to play these movies located in iPhoto was a smart folder located at /Users/shared/Shared Movies/ that displays filenames that contain .mov and .avi located in my iPhoto library folder. This doesn't work. Front Row's Video player will not display the movies found by a smart folder the same way it does for an alias to a folder or file.
I don't want to keep duplicate copies of these movie files on my HD. I'll have to keep them located outside of iPhoto so I can enjoy browsing and watching them "on demand" using Front Row.
What is the fix? Work around?

Thanks for the suggestion but that isn't an option. Think about how iPhoto stores images and movies you import into the photo library. It will import files originally located in one folder and scatter them by storing all the files in hundreds of folders and subfolders based on date. Originally I had my movies in my home movie folder and even used an alias to the shared movies. That all works fine and it isn't the issue. The issue is when you try to use the only tool Apple provides to organize your digital images, both still and moving pictures. Once you import your movies into the iPhoto Library they become invisible to Front Row's video player.
Once iPhoto imports my 300+ files and scatters them into hundreds of subfolders based on the date -how in the world would you even begin to maintain aliases in a folder that point to these files. That is NOT an option, who would do that?! That is why I decided to try the smart folder since it would dynamically locate all the files with .mov and .avi in the file name located within the iPhoto library. Good idea but Front Row will not play these files listed in the result set of a smart folder. It will follow an alias but not play the contents of a smart folder.
Front Row should handle movie files within the iPhoto library the same way it deals with videos within the iTunes library. Poor design, oversight, bug, whatever -it should be fixed. There should be an automatic category that appears under the Front Row video player for "Movies in iPhoto" and if you have no movies in your library it displays something like it does when you have no video podcasts, or no TV shows, or no music videos in iTunes. Come on, how many users have those items vs. an iPhoto library with movies from their digital cameras? I bet more users have movies from their digital cameras that currently drop through a gaping hole in the design of Front Row if they use iPhoto to manage their digicam movie files.

Transfering iphoto library from old computer to new

for whatever reason, i'm not able to transfer my iphoto library from my old powerbook g4<iphoto2/os10.3.9> to the new powerbook g4<iphoto5/10.4.3>. it starts the copying process but then freezes or gives an error message. any thoughts?

Hi rusch,
If there is an Albums folder with aliases in it in the iPhoto Library folder, then take that Album folder out and trash it. It is not used by iPhoto 5 anymore.
Hopefully that might help.
Lori

IPhoto library hasn't moved but photos have...

I recently migrated my photos from one external drive to another and subsequently the path has changed...how can I update my iPhoto library? I have my library set not to copy photos to the iPhoto library. I am hoping that there is a configuration/library file that I can edit manually to reflect the updated file location. Currently, when I open iPhoto, my photos (in thumb form) display but when I click on on them it tells me that the path is not available. I would just re-import them all but I do not want to lose all the facial recognition data.
Andrew

As Larry says, this is a Referenced Library and - to add to the fun - the files are stored on a different volume to the actual Library.
In a Referenced Library iPhoto creates an alias in the Originals folder that points to the location of the file. This alias has all the weaknesses of any alias, and especially when the file linked to is on another volume.
No, there is no
configuration/library file that I can edit manually
just a whole lot of broken aliases.
You can try repair those aliases with an app like [FileBuddy|http://www.skytag.com/filebuddy> , convert to a Managed Library (as Larry suggests) or repair those aliases one by one.
Regards
TD

Unused aliases in iPhoto Library?

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