Can I delete the 'revert to original' copy to save disk space?

Randy N wrote:
Can I delete the 'revert to original' copy to save disk space?

You "can" but will corrupt your library and have problems - you should not

ok, I've read it a hundred times in other posts that I shouldn't monkey with the library via the finder.

And they are 100% correct! I guess that "reading " it one more time will not convince you so back up your library and go ahead and do it and see what happens - not sure why you are asking since you already know and plan to ignore the advice given anyway

I do minor edits to most all of my pictures and I don't want to keep the original version. (These are not pulitzer prize photos, just snapshots that I am 100% positive I will never ever want the original version again).

You can export the modified photos delete then in iPhoto and reimport the photos thereby making new originals - a lot of work to lose an important capability

Using iphoto 5 I would just trash the whole originals folder and the 'revert to original' option would just grey out without any library failures or other issues. I always made sure iphoto was closed when I did it, and I did it lots of times.

Go ahead if you want - but you will be sorry

Can I do that in the ilife 08 version? Has anyone done it? This forum seems to be loaded with library issues caused by people altering files! ... So I'm suddenly worried about deleting originals from the ilife 08 version.

As well you should be - you should not do it - but you keep ignoring that advice so do what ever you want to do - but you will be creating problems for yourself

*You should NEVER modify the contents of the iPhoto library except using iPhoto!*



LN

Randy

Can I delete the 'revert to original' copy to save disk space?

No.

ok, I've read it a hundred times in other posts that I shouldn't monkey with the library via the finder.

Now it's 101: It is strongly advised that you do not move, change or in anyway alter things in the iPhoto Library Folder as this can cause the application to fail and even lead to data loss

Using iphoto 5 I would just trash the whole originals folder

Er, what about the one's that you didn't edit?

Can I do that in the ilife 08 version?

No.

Has anyone done it?

I'm sure they've tried. Thne they end up re-creating their libraries.

This forum seems to be loaded with library issues caused by people altering files!

Ah, so you see the connection, then.

Three options:

1. Export all your pics from iPhoto using the File -> Export command. Set the Kind: to Current. This will give you the current version of your pics. Put the pics in your library in the iPhoto trash and empty it. This removes all the pics from iPhoto. Then re-import the current versions.

2. You can run an entire iPhoto Library from an external disk:

a. Quit iPhoto

b. Copy the iPhoto Library Folder as an entity from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.

c. Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new location. From that point on this will be the default location of your library.

d. Test the library and when you're sure all is well, trash the one on your internal HD to free up space.

3. Don't use iPhoto. Seriously, this feature of protecting the original file is hard wired into iphoto and you'll find yourself going through all sorts of contortions to work around it. More simple and less work to use something else.

Regards

TD

Oh, one more thing. By deleting the Originals you're disabling one of the key features of iPhoto 7: non-destructive editing.

Regards

TD

A possible solution would be to get an external FW hard drive and run your library from it. You could have a smaller library on your laptop which contained more recent or needed photos. iPhoto Library Manager can be used to copy events and/or albums between libraries while maintaining keywords, titles and descriptions intact.

The external HD can also be used to backup other important files from your laptop.

TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto (iPhoto.Library for iPhoto 5 and earlier) database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger or later), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 6 and 7 libraries and Tiger and Leopard. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.≤br>
Note: There now an Automator backup application for iPhoto 5 that will work with Tiger or Leopard.

Randy N,

Using iphoto 5 I would just trash the whole originals folder and the 'revert to original' option would just grey out without any library failures or other issues. I always made sure iphoto was closed when I did it, and I did it lots of times.

I can explain why this used to work, but now will not. The internal structure of the iPhoto Library folder changed significantly in version 6. Version 7 retains the new structure, with the addition that the folder is now a Unix style pagkage file.

In v5 files were saved into a structure based on the photo date: YYYY/MM/DD. When you edited a photo the original file was then placed inside YYYY/MM/DD/Originals, while the edited version took the place of the original inside the YYYY/MM/DD folder. See lori_diloreto's illustration for a helpful diagram of the folder structure. With that structure, it was easy to go into the library folder to select photos for uploading or other use outside of iPhoto, because the edited files were mixed in with the unedited files. It also allowed you to delete your Originals, because in doing so you didn't lose any unedited original files. However, the old file structure did make recovering a damaged library much more complex. It also didn't work very well. I noticed that if I changed a photo's date it was moved into a new folder accordingly, but that the old folder remained in place, even if it was empty.

The new folder structure in v6 first files everything based on whether it is an original, edit, or thumbnail - Originals, Modified, and Data folders respectively. Inside each of those folders it is subdivided by Year/Roll Name. See lori's iPhoto 6 diagram. This structure is much more common to better digital asset management programs. iPhoto '08 uses the same structure, with the exception that you must Control-click the Library package in order to access it. Recovering a damaged library is much more simple, because the photos are filed neatly based on their Film Rolls. This library runs much more efficiently, improving the speed of the application and allowing it to handle much larger libraries. More difficult now is sneaking into the library folder to grab files for uploading, because you have to know whether to get the original or look for an edited version. *It also means that if you delete the Originals folder you will lose every photo that you did not edit* (or that wasn't auto-rotated). Changes you make directly inside the iPhoto library folder are guaranteed to cause damage to your library. Sometimes the damage is smaller or takes longer to detect - sometimes it is immediately catastrophic.

The reason that the new version of iPhoto hides the library folder structure is that users of v6 kept damaging their libraries by tampering inside it. It has always been true that users were not supposed to access files directly inside the iPhoto Library folder, but with v5 and earlier it was easier to get away with it.

I hope this helps you understand the changes, and also why TD and Larry seemed to be "scathing." They just want to be as clear as possible, because we have seen so many users ruin their databases and have to start over with a fresh library. (The photos are safe, but the albums, titles, and other organizational efforts were lost.)

Regards.

Do you think the non Apple photo apps of the future will be able to sort out my photos?

This is a question for the Psychic computer users forum - this is the iPhoto user forum

At any time you want to quit using iPhoto you can export your photos and use them anywhere

LN

Message was edited by: LarryHN

The structure of the iPhoto 7 originals folder looks like this:



Each subfolder with the year folders represents an Event in the library.

Just remember the age old mantra regardless of platform: backup, backup, backup, backup ....... 🙂