Use same Aperture 3 Library on two computers

Hi folks, haven't found a solid answer on this searching so thought I'd give it a post.
I'm using Aperture 3 as my main workflow/management tool on my 15" MBP. My library is getting large enough that I'm going to be in danger of running out of space soon, and could use the performance boost that a desktop would provide.
My question is: Can I use the same Aperture Library on my MBP on a second Mac? Something along the lines of sharing my Pictures folder from one and pointing Aperture to the library on the second.
That way I keep everything in the same library but still usable on two computers (notebook / desktop).

What you describe is technically possible, and I haven't tried it myself, but I'm almost certain that you'll notice a performance hit working with your library over a network. I could be wrong, though. What I had been doing was to save my Aperture library on an external drive (I have a LaCie Rugged 500GB) that I could plug in to either my MacBook Pro or my iMac and work on it from either machine. Of course, if you're like me, and carry that drive and laptop everywhere, you'll want to make sure you have a current backup of your library that you can fall back on in case the worst happens.
The workflow I'm moving to now, because of Aperture 3's new syncing/merging features, is to have my main library on my iMac at home (on 1TB external drive), and smaller, more manageable libraries that I can use with the laptop, and sync back to the mothership when I get home.

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Using same Aperture 3 library with different user accounts. Suggestions?

My wife and I share the same iMac but use different user accounts. Currently, I have our photos and Aperture library on a second partition with no ownership, allowing us both to access the library and edit, reorganize, etc (I know we need to be careful not to make changes "simultaneously," so we simply shut one instance down before switching user accounts). The trick is quickly becoming the organizational scheme. My wife thinks (and I agree) that Aperture will be able to free us from having to "give in" to the other's way of thinking when it comes to grouping pictures in projects, etc. The only trick is, we can't figure out how to do it. My initial thought is to figure if one photo can exist in two different projects and then just have "hers" and "his" folders. The other thought would be to create two different libraries, but then I'm not sure how we would keep the two libraries "current" if one uploaded photos and didn't tell the other.
So, those are my two thoughts, but I'm sure there are others. I'm open to any and all suggestions.

1 Quit iTunes.
2 Drag your entire *iTunes folder* from /Username/Music to /Users/Shared.
3 Log out.
1 Log in on your other account(s).
2 Start iTunes and immediately press an hold the Option key.
3 iTunes will ask to *Create new library* or *Choose existing library*. Select *Choose existing library*.
4 Select the *iTunes library file* in the *iTunes folder* in /Users/Shared.
5 Now go to File -> *Add to library* and select the *iTunes music folder* located in /Username/Music.
6 - iTunes will add all the music in from this account to the main iTunes music folder/library.
7 Delete the *iTunes folder* in /Username/Music
8 Restart iTunes normally (don't hold Option). Everything should be there.
9 Quit iTunes and log out of the account.
10 Do the above steps for all users. Don't do the first 1-3 steps. Start at the second series.
Log into your account, start iTunes normally and all music should be there.
Whenever any of you do anything in iTunes, it will be seen by all since you are using one and the same iTunes library file.
Create a "main" playlist for each user with their own music. Create a smart playlist and set it to Playlist is not the playlist you created above. Select this and it will show you everything NOT in your playlist. Do the same for the others. This will help when adding only the music you want your own playlist.
Note that iTunes can only be opened by one user at a time. If you have Fast user switching enabled, the other users must quit iTunes in order for anyone else to use it.

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Steve,
From the QuickTime Software License Agreement:
This License allows you to install and use one copy of the Apple Software on a single computer at a time. This License does not allow the Apple Software to exist on more than one computer at a time, and you may not make the Apple Software available over a network where it could be used by multiple computers at the same time.
JJ
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How do I go about sharing the same library between two computers in the same house? I would like to take some or all photos around with me on my laptop and be able to have them also at home for use by my family. Will I have trouble with changes and keeping things in sync? Would I locate the library on a portable drive on our home network? Thanks,
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cut and dry ???
are you wanting to constantly move the external around from machine to machine ??? or are you looking for simultaneous access ???
if you had a library on an external and moved it between computers, it could work ... just be careful to always have the external connected before starting aperture, else it will create a new null library for you ...
you could have db issues if you tried to have two people access it at once ... i dont believe that the aperture db could handle multi access at once ... not robust enough ... no locking of records, etc ...

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I would like to have the same library in two computers.
If I use home share to import the whole library, Does that mean the library will disappear from the "old" computer? or
Will I be able to keep the same library in both computers?
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Thanks!

Again without firsthand experience my understanding is iTunes copies (not moves) just the media from the Home Shared drive and adds it to your other library as a new item. It will not affect the original library.
As for syncing idevices, they are intended to sync with just the original library and only one library at a time. Apple deliberately designed it this way, and not so you could plug them into a new computer and transfer the contents from the device to the computer (see exception below). More information:
Some of the information below has subsequently appeared in a document by turingtest2: Recovering your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991
Your i-device was not designed for unique storage of your media. It is not a backup device and media transfer was planned with you maintaining a master copy of your media on a computer which is itself properly backed up against loss. Syncing is one way, computer to device, updating the device content to the content on the computer, not updating or restoring content on a computer. The exception is iTunes Store purchased content.
iTunes Store: Transferring purchases from your iOS device or iPod to a computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1848 - only purchases from iTunes Store
For transferring other items from an i-device to a computer you will have to use third party commercial software. Examples (check the web for others; this is not an exhaustive listing, nor do I have any idea if they are any good):
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- Phoneview - http://www.ecamm.com/mac/phoneview/
- MusicRescue - http://www.kennettnet.co.uk/products/musicrescue/
- Sharepod (free) - http://download.cnet.com/SharePod/3000-2141_4-10794489.html?tag=mncol;2 - Windows
- Snowfox/iMedia - http://www.mac-videoconverter.com/imedia-transfer-mac.html - Mac & PC
- iexplorer (free) - http://www.macroplant.com/iexplorer/ - Mac&PC
- Yamipod (free) - http://www.yamipod.com/main/modules/downloads/ - PC, Linux, Mac [Still updated for use on newer devices? No edits to site since 2010.]
- 2010 Post by Zevoneer: iPod media recovery options - https://discussions.apple.com/message/11624224 - this is an older post and many of the links are also for old posts, so bear this in mind when reading them.
Syncing to a "New" Computer or replacing a "crashed" Hard Drive - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3141 - dates from 2008 and some outdated information now.
Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer - The Definitive Guide - http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/copying-music-from-ipod-to-co mputer/ - Information about use in disk mode pertains only to older model iPods.
Get Your Music Off of Your iPod - http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Get_Your_Music_Off_of_Your_iPod - I am not sure but this may only work with some models and not newer Touch, iPhone, or iPad.
Additional information here https://discussions.apple.com/message/18324797

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My wife wants to have access to her VERY LARGE iPhoto '08 library on two computers - the desktop (her preferred) and the laptop (when the boys are doing homework on the desktop).
Rather than try to share the same library (i.e., networked drive), I set up the two to sync the library. Using +Folders Synchronizer 3.6.2+ (which is able to read and sync the package contents), I have the two libraries syncing so there is a duplicate of her library on both computers (also provides a bit of a backup).
The sync seems to be working well - EXCEPT the changes are not showing up in the iPhoto viewer. In other words...
...she added pictures to iPhoto on the desktop and then synced the laptop.
...Looking inside the iPhoto library (show package contents...) on the laptop and the new pictures were copied to the laptop.
...HOWEVER, when she opens iPhoto on the laptop they don't show up in the window.
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Danktuft:
If you have an external HD connected to the Mac then it's a very easy thing to do. See Apple's KB document on iPhoto: Sharing libraries among multiple users. Trying to get a library in the Shared folder to accept two different users is difficult. There is a site describing how to do that using Access Control Lists in Tiger: Share an iPhoto Library in Tiger Using ACL's. It may not work if you upgrade to Leopard at a later date. By far the easiest way is the external HD method.
Happy New Year
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
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I work in a small design studio, two of us. We used to keep our Aperture library on our server and both use the same library. We both have our own copies of Aperture so can't see why this would be an issue.
We have both upgraded to Aperture 3 and again would like to use the same library, but since upgrading only I can access the library?
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I checked the Aperture license agreement and the word "library" is not mentioned in the agreement so that shouldn't be the problem. Have you called Apple Technical Support to discuss? Have you provided feedback to Apple as this would seem to be a bug, not an intentional limitation? http://www.apple.com/feedback/aperture.html
Just a shot in the dark but I wonder if you will have success if you both use an identical /home/library/preferences/com.apple.Aperture.plist file. The database changed in Aperture 3 from Aperture 2 and it may be that the database is now storing more information about the system than before. Sorry I can't debug as I only have one Aperture licence serial number.

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Hello henrik100,
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
Home Sharing in iTunes is designed to let you easily share your iTunes media libraries between up to five computers in your household.
For more information, take a look at:
iTunes: Setting up Home Sharing on your computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4620
Understanding Home Sharing
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3819
Have a nice day,
Mario

Can I have the same library on two computers?

I would like to run iTunes off two computers..work and home with my same library. Can I? How?
Thank you much

I have seen the same info in a few different threads, but I'm still confused. My daughter has ITunes on an older computer, and wants to back up all the info for a new computer. I have ITunes on my computer, and tried to save her files on a flash drive (1 GB) and here's what happened: When I save either or both the .xml or .itl files, and tried to import them to my itunes, I got folders but no songs. When I saved the ITunes Music folder, that gave me the songs, but its more than 1 GB, so I guess I need more flash drives. [However, I was able to import a song that had been downloaded from a CD onto my daughter's computer while the drive was in place on my computer, but when the drive was gone, so was the song......is that always the case?] Do I need to copy the entire ITunes folder (including the .xml, .itl and Music) to the flash drive, and then copy that to the hard drive on the new computer? Help!

How do I sync the same library between two computers?

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Constantly? The MacBook Air is brand new.
Even if you sync iTunes between two computers With something like this -> syncOtunes, you will still get this message if you sync to the other computer. The libraries may be have the same music but they are not the same library.

Sharing a single itunes library between two computers - must be possible!

Hi there,
This is probably a commonly asked question, but I cannot find a step by step guide to doing it (if indeed it is possible).
I have got a copy of itunes running on my media computer/server in my living room. What I want is to connect my laptop over the network and share this library - the effect being that it is like I am using the original computer.
In essence I want to be able to add muscic, edit tracks, update my ipod from either computer and the changes be made in respect of both computers. I suspect that this is done by making sure that the laptop uses the same database information as that created by my main computer but am not really sure where to start.
Could anyone perhaps give me a step by step guide as to how to do this - a single database that can be used by two computers each running itunes. One thing I am pretty sure is not possible is to for two people to be using itunes at the same time, so I would ahve to avoid this.
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Ah. Sorry about that, I guess I skimmed over the add music part. Correct, in that the home sharing wouldn't allow you to add music to the media server library. The only thing that I can think of that would give you what you want is to use a shared folder on the network and then map both of the iTunes to that folder. At least that way music would go into the same folder. The only question is about the library on the other computer, if it would get updated when you use the other to add music.

What is the best way to manage one library on two computers?

My wife and I recently bought Macbook's, switching from our previous Dell desktop. Now that we have two computers we want a way for both of us to be able to access our iTunes library from our respective computers and add music to our iPods. When I add our music into my Library and set my library to share this only seems to allow her to play the songs on her Macbook but not add them to her iPod. Adding our music to her own library raises the problem of new albums I download not appearing in her library unless she manually adds them. I would like a way we can keep all of our music in one folder (on our Time Capsule) but both be able to download music, have it show up on the other persons library, and add songs to our iPods from our own computers.

When I add our music into my Library and set my library to share this only seems to allow her to play the songs on her Macbook but not add them to her iPod.
Correct. You cannot sync an iPod to a playlist provided by iTunes Sharing. The track must be on the computer to which the iPod is being synchronized.
I would like a way we can keep all of our music in one folder (on our Time Capsule) but both be able to download music, have it show up on the other persons library, and add songs to our iPods from our own computers.
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Regards.

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I have separate iTunes music libraries on my work and home computers. I would like to keep them synchronized, such that if I add a song, or change the rating/playcount/etc on one computer it is reflected on the other.
I currently use an external HD and a 3rd party sync program (Synchronize X Pro) to keep my work files synchronized between the two computers. I'm wondering if I just include the music folder in the synchronization if that will work.
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I have been synchronizing iTunes between two computers by duplicating the following three files/folders from the "source" computer over to the "target" computer:
iTunes Library (file)
iTunes Music Library.xml (file)
iTunes Music (folder)
However, you lastly need to check (with a text editor) the
iTunes Music Library.xml
file because about 5 or 10 lines into it, it has the following line (it's all on one line):
<key>Music Folder</key><string>file://localhost/Users/Username/Music/iTunes/iTunes%20Music/</string>
If this string does not properly describe the location of the iTunes Music folder (the folder that holds all the music files), you must edit it so that it does. (If both computers store the iTunes stuff in the Apple default location, no changes will be needed.)
With this exception, my manual "synchronization" has worked well and all tags, ratings, playlists, counts etc. have been preserved.
imac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.6) (also imac G3 10.2.8; and G4 Powerbook 10.3.9)
imac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.6) (also imac G3 10.2.8; and G4 Powerbook 10.3.9)

Use same Aperture 3 Library on two computers

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