Viewing modified photos in iPhoto

Question

Hello!
So, I'm a new Mac user and one of the first things I did was to import some photos from my camera into iPhoto 08. I use Photoshop CS3 to make any modifications rather than iPhoto itself.
Now that I've made several modifications, I notice that they won't show up in the iPhoto library. It's just showing originals! I did a little searching and found there were three different folders made: Data, Originals, and Modified. Why do I care to have an originals folder? If I want my original photograph, I would "Save as..." the modified photograph and that would be that.
Two things, then:
1. How do I make iPhoto display the most recent modifications in my photos? (I can view modifications by quicklooking or double clicking on the photo; they just aren't visible in the thumbnail)
2. Do I need those extra folders? It seems like it would take up a lot of unnecessary space.
Thanks!
Message was edited by: fotojosho

Answer 1

Welcome to the Apple Discussions. Here's how Photoshop should be used with iPhoto in editing photos:
Using Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements) as Your Editor of Choice in iPhoto.
1 - select Photoshop as your editor of choice in iPhoto's General Preference Section's under the "Edit photo:" menu.
2 - double click on the thumbnail in iPhoto to open it in Photoshop. When you're finished editing click on the Save button. If you immediately get the JPEG Options window make your selection (Baseline standard seems to be the most compatible jpeg format) and click on the OK button. Your done.
3 - however, if you get the navigation window that indicates that PS wants to save it as a PS formatted file. You'll need to either select JPEG from the menu and save (top image) or click on the desktop in the Navigation window (bottom image) and save it to the desktop for importing as a new photo.
This method will let iPhoto know that the photo has been editied and will update the thumbnail file to reflect the edit..
NOTE: With Photoshop Elements 6 the Saving File preferences should be configured: "On First Save: Save Over Current File". Also I suggest the Maximize PSD File Compatabilty be set to Always.
If you want to use both iPhoto's editing mode and PS without having to go back and forth to the Preference pane, once you've selected PS as your editor of choice, reset the Preferences back to "Open in main window". That will let you either edit in iPhoto (double click on the thumbnail) or in PS (Control-click on the thumbnail and seledt "Edit in external editor" in the Contextual menu). This way you get the best of both worlds
2 - double click on the thumbnail in iPhoto to open it in Photoshop. When you're finished editing click on the Save button. If you immediately get the JPEG Options window make your selection (Baseline standard seems to be the most compatible jpeg format) and click on the OK button. Your done.
3 - however, if you get the navigation window that indicates that PS wants to save it as a PS formatted file. You'll need to either select JPEG from the menu and save (top image) or click on the desktop in the Navigation window (bottom image) and save it to the desktop for importing as a new photo.
This method will let iPhoto know that the photo has been editied and will update the thumbnail file to reflect the edit..
DO NOT delete, rename or move any file or folder from within the iPhoto Library in the Finder. That's committing the cardinal sin of iPhoto and will render your library unusable. iPhoto uses the nondestructive editing method and preserves the original files as a digital negative so you can always go back to it to start over with a new edit or crop to print. The Data folder contains the thumbnails used for the small views. .
If you have saved those edited versions as .psd files (from jpg files) you can open the library package and do a Finder search for image files with .psd in the file name. Move them to the desktop and import as new files. Or delete them and reedit the photos the correct way. If you do the search method I'd make a backup copy of your library beforehand just in case the results are not what you wanted.
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto (iPhoto.Library for iPhoto 5 and earlier) 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.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger or later), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 6 and 7 libraries and Tiger and Leopard. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.≤br>
Note: There now an Automator backup application for iPhoto 5 that will work with Tiger or Leopard.