smithktkt

Q: Time capsule

Can i use Time capsule as a hard Drive to store iPhotos on? If so once I've backed up my I-Photos to the Time Capsule can i then delete them off my mac? Ive got LOADS of photos on my mac (were talking 10 years worth @ 26,000 - ooops) The result equals no more space to load new pictures of my beautiful family! Plus no back up off them if anything was to happen :-(

I bought the Airport Time capsule with 3TB to ensure there would be more than enough space to store my mega iPhoto folder but after dragging the iPhoto library to the time capsule i tested deleting an album to see if i could still open it using time capsule and it had gone from there to. I opened i photo using the command key and was surprised it hadn't worked - Luckily as it was only a test id left it in trash so just moved it back into i-photos.

Not grab with all this back up but can anyone help me sort my problem.

Thanks guys 

iPhoto '08, Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on Jan 23, 2015 6:52 AM

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Q: Time capsule

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  • by Bob Timmons,Helpful

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Jan 23, 2015 7:49 AM in response to smithktkt
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    Jan 23, 2015 7:49 AM in response to smithktkt
    Can i use Time capsule as a hard Drive to store iPhotos on?

    If by "store",  you mean keep a backup copy of your library, Yes.

     

    If by "store", you mean move the library from your Mac to the Time Capsule and use that as your "working" library, No.

     

    Further, if you move the library from your Mac to the Time Capsule and then delete the library from your Mac.......you have only one single version of the library.....and you have no backup.

     

    Add a USB or Firewire hard drive to your Mac, and then move the iPhoto library over to that drive and once you are sure that library is working OK, you can delete it from your Mac and use the Time Capsule as it was intended, so make a backup copy of the library.

     

    For more information, please post over in the iPhoto support forum......where the iPhoto experts hang out....for excellent advice on how to store and backup your iPhoto library.  The link for that forum is just below:

     

    iPhoto for Mac

  • by léonie,Helpful

    léonie léonie Jan 23, 2015 8:00 AM in response to smithktkt
    Level 10 (107,942 points)
    iCloud
    Jan 23, 2015 8:00 AM in response to smithktkt

    An iPhoto Library library needs to be on a locally mounted volume, formatted as MAcOS Extended (Journaled).  With any other setup you are risking library corruption and data loss.

    See Apple's recommendation for photo libraries like iPhoto or Aperture in the link below:

         Use locally mounted Mac OS X Extended volumes for your Aperture library

     

    Note i.e. the last sentence:

    Also, it is strongly recommended that the Aperture library be stored on a locally mounted hard drive. Storing the Aperture library on a network share can also lead to poor performance, data corruption, or data loss.

    The same goes for iPhoto, since iPhoto and Aperture use the same library format.

    If you need to free space on your Mac, move the iPhoto Library to locally mounted drive as Bob Timmons recommended.

  • by smithktkt,

    smithktkt smithktkt Jan 23, 2015 3:12 PM in response to Bob Timmons
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 23, 2015 3:12 PM in response to Bob Timmons

    Hi Bob

     

    Thats great thanks, i do have a maxtor usb hard drive which i used a long time ago for my old pc - i bought it to transfer old photos off my pc onto my new mac at the time. Im thinking that should work for the main back up of my i photos? Just need to workout how to make it work on the mac? hopefully once i plug it in it might be self explanatory?

     

    by "store" i did mean as a back up, so your point is valid that if i then deleted them off my mac iPhoto library there its not a backup, but just a version of what was on my mac now on my time capsule / usb drive

     

    When you say to use a usb to back up and then use the Time capsule as it was intended. Am i right in thinking that the time capsule is to use in conjunction with time machine then? As my initial intention when i first bought the time capsule was to back all my i photos on there to free space on my mac.

     

    Just going to give the maxtor usb drive a go now so fingers crossed (ill let you know how i get on)

  • by Bob Timmons,

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Jan 23, 2015 5:51 PM in response to smithktkt
    Level 10 (105,253 points)
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    Jan 23, 2015 5:51 PM in response to smithktkt
    Im thinking that should work for the main back up of my i photos?

    The iPhoto Library requires that a hard drive be formatted in Mac OS Extended (Journaled), you would first connect the drive to the Mac, then use Disk Utility on the Mac to format the drive correctly.

     

    When you say to use a usb to back up

    No, I suggested that you use the USB drive for the iPhoto Library.  It would not be a "back up", since it would be your "working" library.  The backup of the iPhoto Library would be on the Time Capsule.

     

    Please think of the Time Capsule as only a place where you keep an extra copy of files that are on your Mac or the USB drive.....in case the Mac or the USB hard drive fails, you have a "backup" copy on the Time Capsule.

  • by smithktkt,

    smithktkt smithktkt Jan 24, 2015 9:02 AM in response to smithktkt
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 24, 2015 9:02 AM in response to smithktkt

    ok so how do i now move my iPhoto library to the usb hard-drive (which I've now formatted as suggested to MAC OS Extended (journaled)

    if i just drag & drop it will that be all i need to do?

     

    Then whenever i want to view any of my photos am i right in thinking i just have to plug my usb drive in and open as normal?

     

    If so the photos will no longer be on my mac (once I've deleted them) but just the usb drive. Presuming I've backed up the library to the time capsule first before i delete it (then this is the back up??)

    Currently the time capsule backs up via time machine but i thought that over time if that was to get full things would start to erase and then things could start to go?

     

    Think my trail of thought is right but just wanted to check? I'm really not up to speed with all this technology but slowly getting there

     

    Maxtor usb hard drive is plugged in and Time capsule is plugged in as we speak so might have a quick go and see how things work.

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Jan 24, 2015 9:10 AM in response to smithktkt
    Level 10 (107,942 points)
    iCloud
    Jan 24, 2015 9:10 AM in response to smithktkt

    ok so how do i now move my iPhoto library to the usb hard-drive (which I've now formatted as suggested to MAC OS Extended (journaled)

    if i just drag & drop it will that be all i need to do?

    Yes.

    Then whenever i want to view any of my photos am i right in thinking i just have to plug my usb drive in and open as normal?

    Yes. The first time, after dragging the iPhoto Library to the USB drive, double click the copy on the USB drive to open it in iPhoto. After that, iPhoto will remember the location of the library.

     

    If so the photos will no longer be on my mac (once I've deleted them) but just the usb drive. Presuming I've backed up the library to the time capsule first before i delete it (then this is the back up??)

    After you tested thoroughly, that the copied version on the USB drive is working. Don't just browse the library, try to enlarge photos and see if you can edit photos in all your events.

  • by smithktkt,

    smithktkt smithktkt Jan 24, 2015 9:26 AM in response to smithktkt
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 24, 2015 9:26 AM in response to smithktkt

    ok i dragged the iPhoto library and dropped it into my usb hard drive and it said "moving" once that was done i copied a version back into pictures on the mac just to be on the safe side and moved it to trash

     

    therefore the mac no longer has the images - i viewed the folder off the usb back up and then off the time capsule lbary and both were ok - The test came when i unplugged the time capsule and tried to open the library off the usb drive - the folder was there but wouldn't open? so I've gone a little wrong somewhere?

     

    still got a copy of iPhotos library on the mac in trash at the moment

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Jan 24, 2015 10:08 AM in response to smithktkt
    Level 10 (107,942 points)
    iCloud
    Jan 24, 2015 10:08 AM in response to smithktkt
    The test came when i unplugged the time capsule and tried to open the library off the usb drive - the folder was there but wouldn't open?

    What happened, when you tried to open the library on the external drive?  Did you double click the library to open it?  What happened then?

  • by smithktkt,

    smithktkt smithktkt Jan 24, 2015 10:17 AM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 24, 2015 10:17 AM in response to léonie

    a message appeared saying to choose library which i think must have been on the time capsule but stupidly i think thats been deleted so can't work out how to restore photos