Q: Am I safe to delete both Aperture and IPhoto libraries after updating to Photos
HI I have updated to El Capistan and the new Photos application. I realise that I now need to import both my Aperture and IPhoto libraries to Photos.
I Would like some advice on whether it is safe to delete both old libraries from computer to save disc space and also how to switch between libraries in Photos, when I imported Aperture library I don't see IPhoto pictures anymore.
Thanks
Posted on Oct 29, 2015 12:45 AM
When you open an Aperture library or iPhoto LIbrary in Photos, the Photos.app will create a new, migrated Photos library. This new library does not use much additional space, because all image files are hard lins, that are using the same blocks on the disk as the original files in the iPhoto Library or Aperture library. You can keep the original libraries around, until you are sure, that you do not need to open them again to access items that could not be migrated to Photos, like books, smart albums, or slideshows.
See these links:
How Photos handles content and metadata from iPhoto and Aperture - Apple Support
Photos saves disk space by sharing images with your iPhoto or Aperture libraries - Apple Support
Deleting the original libraries will not save much space, but burn all bridges, in case you need to go back to fix a problem, that could only be fixed in Aperture or iPhoto.
You can can switch between the migrated iPhoto LIbrary and the Aperture LIbrary by holding down the options key while launching Photos. This will bring up a library chooser panel.
And you could merge your Aperture LIbrary and iPhoto LIbrary using Aperture, before you migrate the merged library to Photos: Aperture 3.3: How to use Aperture to merge iPhoto libraries
Posted on Oct 29, 2015 4:47 AM