Koheru

Q: Multiple users on multiple macs sharing iPhoto Library

How can different family members (using personal logins) all access the same iPhoto library, regardless of which of our two iMacs they happen to be logged into?

 

I thought the solution would be as simple as:

  1. Plug an external hard drive into the Airport Time Capsule.
  2. Copy our iPhoto library onto the external hard drive.
  3. Log in as each user, open iPhoto and point to the iPhoto library on the external hard drive.

 

I've searched the support forums and can't find a successful example of this. Does it work? If not, is there another elegant solution?

 

I'd also be interested in how to back up the 'networked' iPhoto library. I plan to use iPhoto's "publish to Flickr" capability for this as it also solves how to share photos with our family's many iOS devices.

 

Ps. I'm new to the Mac environment so am still learning my way with OSX (be gentle please).

 

Equipment

x2 iMacs (<12 months old) running the latest OSX and iPhoto software versions

2TB Airport Time Capsule (brand new) with a 1TB USB external hard drive plugged-in (not sure of the formatting).

iMac, iOS 8.1.2

Posted on Jan 27, 2015 1:46 PM

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Q: Multiple users on multiple macs sharing iPhoto Library

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  • Helpful answers

  • by LarryHN,Helpful

    LarryHN LarryHN Jan 27, 2015 1:52 PM in response to Koheru
    Level 10 (85,113 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jan 27, 2015 1:52 PM in response to Koheru

    You can not

     

    iPhoto is not a multi usr application and it can not be used on a network

     

    You need a more expensive (and more capable ) application - there is a Digital Asset Manager (DAM) forum that discusses many different DAM solutions - for your needs iphoto simply is not one to consider

     

    For sharing with IOS devices MyPhotoStream or Shared PhotoStreams is a great solution

     

    LN

  • by léonie,Helpful

    léonie léonie Jan 27, 2015 1:57 PM in response to Koheru
    Level 10 (107,942 points)
    iCloud
    Jan 27, 2015 1:57 PM in response to Koheru

    How can different family members (using personal logins) all access the same iPhoto library, regardless of which of our two iMacs they happen to be logged into?

     

    I thought the solution would be as simple as:

    1. Plug an external hard drive into the Airport Time Capsule.
    2. Copy our iPhoto library onto the external hard drive.
    3. Log in as each user, open iPhoto and point to the iPhoto library on the external hard drive.

     

    This cannot work, unfortunately, for several reasons:

    • iPhoto is strictly a single user database. Only one user at a time can open it.
    • An iPhoto library needs to be on a locally mounted volume. It cannot be on a network share.
    • The file system of the drive needs to be MacOS Extended (Journaled).

     

    Apple's only recommendation to share an iPhoto library is this:    iPhoto: Sharing libraries among multiple users

     

    If you want to share photos and not the library, see this:   iCloud: iCloud Photo Sharing FAQ

     

    Trying to put the iPhoto or Aperture library on a network volume, will result in library corruption or data loss:

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

  • by Koheru,

    Koheru Koheru Jan 27, 2015 2:10 PM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 27, 2015 2:10 PM in response to léonie

    Thank you Larry and Leonie for your prompt replies. I will give up on iPhoto as an option thanks for saving me time trying to make this work.

     

    Do you know if other popular photo software for Mac (e.g. Adobe Photoshop Elements, Adobe Lightroom, Picassa etc.) can work the way I described?

     

    If not, what is your recommendation for the best solution for other family members to at least be able to view the photos from their own logins. I looked at the Leonie's iCloud photo sharing link and it seems to be a manual album-by-album solution. Is there a way for them to automatically view all photos?

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Jan 27, 2015 2:30 PM in response to Koheru
    Level 10 (107,942 points)
    iCloud
    Jan 27, 2015 2:30 PM in response to Koheru

    The simplest solution would be to create a set of folders on a shared drive and store all photos there. Then all family members can access the photos and edit them with any photo editor.

     

    Apple's Photo Sharing with Shared Albums is meant to be used in a way, that everyone is keeping a separate photo library and only sharing selectively the best photos, that are fit to be seen by others. I like this method, btw. My family members get only about 1% of my photos ever to see, and only after they have been edited. Why should anybody see the mediocre photos, before I have a chance to delete them?

  • by Old Toad,Solvedanswer

    Old Toad Old Toad Jan 27, 2015 4:41 PM in response to Koheru
    Level 10 (141,336 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 27, 2015 4:41 PM in response to Koheru

    Media Pro 1 will do what you want.  It's designed for it.  And it's multi platform compatible.  You can store the source image files on a server and each user can access the files and create their own "catalog" of thumbnails. However, if one user edits a photo and overwrites the source file with the edited version all users will see that version in their catalog.  MP1 does have  versioning capability where the edited version is stored on each users hard drive leaving the source file intact as a digital negative.

     

    MP1 has a demo version available to try. Be sure to view the tutorial videos to get you started.  Also other DAM apps are discussed at the  The DAM Forum.

     

    You could use the Adobe Elements Organizer that comes with Adobe Photoshop Elements for Mac as a file organizer along with PSE as the editor.  Here it's a file managing system and not a true digital asset management app.

    OTsig.png

  • by Koheru,

    Koheru Koheru Jan 27, 2015 5:49 PM in response to Old Toad
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 27, 2015 5:49 PM in response to Old Toad

    Thanks Leonie and Old Toad for the additional suggestions.

     

    I had a quick look at Media Pro 1 and will try it out. If it proves too advanced for me (I'm an amateur photographer) then I'll look for a simpler product on The DAM Forum.

     

    As a last resort, I will stick with importing/organising/editing using iPhoto on a single login and iMac. I will then use iCloud Photo Sharing or Flickr to share some or all of the photos so that my wife and kids can view them from their own login on either iMac.

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Jan 28, 2015 8:51 AM in response to Koheru
    Level 10 (141,336 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 28, 2015 8:51 AM in response to Koheru

    My link to MP1 was outdated.  It's Media Pro 1.  Go to Youtube.com and search for Media Pro to get a number of video tutorials on it.