Stressed Mum

Q: I exported my iPhoto photos and now want to import to Photos

Hi - hope someone can help me please.. I have tried to search for a simple method but without success!  I exported my iPhotos to external hard drive and they are clearly showing there neat and tidy in a folder named Exported Photos.  Within that folder are a zillion other folders all dated.  I have just re installed my imac operating system and now wish to bring all those photos and faces, events etc back in - but on trying import the folders are lost!  Just a massive mess!  What am I doing wrong please? Yosemite10.10.4

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.4), 'Stressed Mum' not Mac technician!

Posted on Aug 4, 2015 1:54 AM

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Q: I exported my iPhoto photos and now want to import to Photos

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Stressed Mum,

    Stressed Mum Stressed Mum Aug 4, 2015 3:38 AM in response to Stressed Mum
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Aug 4, 2015 3:38 AM in response to Stressed Mum

    In order to start a with a fresh Photos Ive just restored a few days back through time machine - to replace current Photos so hopefully it will restore with empty files?  Then I'll try the import option again.  Not too impressed so far - I think I'll end up with Photos duplicated or 2 Photos libraries?

  • by Terence Devlin,Helpful

    Terence Devlin Terence Devlin Aug 4, 2015 3:52 AM in response to Stressed Mum
    Level 10 (139,475 points)
    iLife
    Aug 4, 2015 3:52 AM in response to Stressed Mum
    I exported my iPhotos to external hard drive and they are clearly showing there neat and tidy in a folder named Exported Photos.

     

    So you took the photographs out of iPhoto and put them into the Finder.

     

    What you needed to do was to back up the iPhoto Library, so the photos stayed in iPhoto.

     

    What exactly are you trying to do? Get back to where you were in iPhoto? Or migrate to the new Photos app?

  • by Stressed Mum,

    Stressed Mum Stressed Mum Aug 4, 2015 4:07 AM in response to Terence Devlin
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Aug 4, 2015 4:07 AM in response to Terence Devlin

    Hi Terence - always my saviour!  I had to reinstall operating system.  I exported or backed up (cant remember which now) the iPhoto library - think it was an export - to an external hard drive and they are all there.  Once Yosemite up and running smoothly I wanted to transfer photos back to Photos -not iPhoto -  not going to use that anymore!  I opened Photos and clicked on import and chose the folder on the external hard drive.  Not everything has imported as it took a long time anyway and I can see the total number of photos is different.  However, the photos are showing in Photos app but all jumbled up!  I have now time machined myself back to a few days ago before I imported to have a clean sweep at it - and now I am importing again but only a dozen or so files at a time and then checking that they transfer.  Clearly I am not going to get my faces back or events - everything looks as though it is going into date order? 

  • by Terence Devlin,

    Terence Devlin Terence Devlin Aug 4, 2015 4:12 AM in response to Stressed Mum
    Level 10 (139,475 points)
    iLife
    Aug 4, 2015 4:12 AM in response to Stressed Mum

    Couple of things:

     

    1. The view and layout of the new app are quite different from iPhoto, so don't expect it to be the same.

     

    2. The best way to move to the new app is to

     

    a: recover the iPhoto Library from Time Machine

     

    then

     

    b: Open it with the new app:

     

    Hold down the option (or alt) key key and launch Photos. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and select the Library you have recovered.

  • by Stressed Mum,

    Stressed Mum Stressed Mum Aug 4, 2015 4:24 AM in response to Terence Devlin
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Aug 4, 2015 4:24 AM in response to Terence Devlin

    That would have been a good way - but my TM backup was so full that I can only go back to 25th July - not sure why its so full  - I keep getting messages saying they are deleting space to create new backup...  anyway - so far the slow import seems ok - I guess I'll just have to edit it once its all transferredand rest faces etc.  No events anymore then

  • by Stressed Mum,

    Stressed Mum Stressed Mum Aug 6, 2015 11:40 AM in response to Stressed Mum
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Aug 6, 2015 11:40 AM in response to Stressed Mum

    I wish I had waited todo this another day   But hey ho!  I have spent hours and hours importing photos from my backup external hard drive where I exported iPhotos.  some files would not import (?) but anyway - I now have more than double the amount of picture files and it is a total shambles.  I have decided to abandon photos and go back to iphoto - just downloading it now - can anyone tell me please if the import back to iphoto will be better than trying to import to photos.  what a mess!

  • by Terence Devlin,

    Terence Devlin Terence Devlin Aug 6, 2015 11:51 AM in response to Stressed Mum
    Level 10 (139,475 points)
    iLife
    Aug 6, 2015 11:51 AM in response to Stressed Mum

    Stop importing and exporting!

     

    Just restore your Library from your back up and then open it. You can open it with iPhoto or Photos as you prefer.

  • by Stressed Mum,

    Stressed Mum Stressed Mum Aug 6, 2015 12:19 PM in response to Terence Devlin
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Aug 6, 2015 12:19 PM in response to Terence Devlin

    Terrance sorry if Im irritating you - I didn't export as a library as I didn't intend to use iphoto again was hoping to use Photos - so I exported photos using the export facility in iphoto.  Ive now just open my new iphotos and selected import to library - i hate all this - bloomin PHOTOS!!!  I have aperfect iPhoto set up and I dont think its gonna transfer back inthe same   I cant go to time machine further back than when I reinstalled - last backup is now only to 24th July.

  • by Terence Devlin,

    Terence Devlin Terence Devlin Aug 6, 2015 3:11 PM in response to Stressed Mum
    Level 10 (139,475 points)
    iLife
    Aug 6, 2015 3:11 PM in response to Stressed Mum

    Not irritating at all - just trying to stress the point...

     

    so I exported photos using the export facility in iphoto.  Ive now just open my new iphotos and selected import to library

     

    This is quite and completely unnecessary.

     

    To migrate to Photos you simply open the iPhoto Library with the new application: Photos.

     

    See? no importing or exporting...