Where is the iPhoto folder?

Question

I am using iPhoto 9.2.1 (OSX 10.6.8) after a recent upgrade. I was accustomed to searching for my photo files within the pictures folder> iphoto > where in addition to the iPhoto library there would be a folder containing all my files organized chronologically and by roll as they were uploaded. Now I find no such folder , instead there is an iPhoto recovered files folder, from my previous libraries and the new files are only accessible by clicking on the iPhoto library icon which opens the application revealing all my stored photos etc, however this way I can't access these pics from say my mail app or if I happen to be on a webmail like yahoo and want to send a pic I can't access the files, where is the iPhoto file folder being kept now? is it accessible or am I dependant on iPhoto to manage all photos I uploaded from my camera? Also while I'm here, why can't I see my camera as an accessible removable drive in the finder but are dependant on a photo app to access my files within the memory card?

Answer 1

Since iPhoto 7 (iLife 08) the old iPhoto Library Folder is 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.
Directly accessing the files via the Finder is not supported. It's also unnecessary and quite inefficient.
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.
All of the above are a: faster and b: safer than what you're doing.
Regards
TD