View photos without importing

Jogg

Welcome to the Apple user discussion forums

No

iPhoto is a photo manager not a photo viewer and as such the photos must be imported into its database

You can use image capture to download photos and Preview to view them if you do not want them managed by iPhoto

In the iPhoto preferences you can set any program - or none - to open when you connect your camera

LN

Adobe Bridge - not nearly as capable as iPhoto but comes with PhotoShop and PhotoShop Elements

I believe Lightroom also has a photo organizer as a part of it

BTW - iPhoto does not make duplicate copies

If you run it as a managed library (strongly recommended) it copies your original to the iPhoto originals folder and you can delete it from your library since it is in the iPhoto library - it does make a small thumbnail of each photo for display purposes and when you edit a photo it keeps your digital negative and makes a single modified version

And you can run it in a referenced mode (not recommended) having aliases in the iPhoto library pointing to your photos - this often is problematic but is an offered mode of operation

LN

Jogg:

Welcome to the Apple Discussions. Once you import the photos into iPhoto you can delete the "source" files and then only have one original on your HD. Then you can use the organizational features of iPhoto to have every photo at your finger tip by applying keywords, comments, new titles to the images and use albums and smart albums to group specific photos. Then is you use Photoshop as your editor of choice you can use it from within iPhoto as described below:

Using Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements) as Your Editor of Choice in iPhoto.

1 - select Photoshop as your editor of choice in iPhoto's General Preference Section's under the "Edit photo:" menu.

2 - double click on the thumbnail in iPhoto to open it in Photoshop. When you're finished editing click on the Save button. If you immediately get the JPEG Options window make your selection (Baseline standard seems to be the most compatible jpeg format) and click on the OK button. Your done.

3 - however, if you get the navigation window that indicates that PS wants to save it as a PS formatted file. You'll need to either select JPEG from the menu and save (top image) or click on the desktop in the Navigation window (bottom image) and save it to the desktop for importing as a new photo.

This method will let iPhoto know that the photo has been editied and will update the thumbnail file to reflect the edit..

NOTE: With Photoshop Elements 6 the Saving File preferences should be configured: "On First Save: Save Over Current File". Also I suggest the Maximize PSD File Compatabilty be set to Always.

If you want to use both iPhoto's editing mode and PS without having to go back and forth to the Preference pane, once you've selected PS as your editor of choice, reset the Preferences back to "Open in main window". That will let you either edit in iPhoto (double click on the thumbnail) or in PS (Control-click on the thumbnail and seledt "Edit in external editor" in the Contextual menu). This way you get the best of both worlds

2 - double click on the thumbnail in iPhoto to open it in Photoshop. When you're finished editing click on the Save button. If you immediately get the JPEG Options window make your selection (Baseline standard seems to be the most compatible jpeg format) and click on the OK button. Your done.

3 - however, if you get the navigation window that indicates that PS wants to save it as a PS formatted file. You'll need to either select JPEG from the menu and save (top image) or click on the desktop in the Navigation window (bottom image) and save it to the desktop for importing as a new photo.

This method will let iPhoto know that the photo has been editied and will update the thumbnail file to reflect the edit..

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. Just put the application in the Dock and click on it whenever you want to backup the dB file. 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.

Note: There's now an Automator backup application for iPhoto 5 that will work with Tiger or Leopard.

Yes, it can become corrupt. But don't base your opinion of iPhoto entirely by what you read in this forum. That's akin to judging the health of a city by what you find in the emergency room of one of its hospitals.

The tip I gave in my post above lets you fix that corruption immediately as long as you make frequent backups of the Library6.iPhoto file. I've yet to have a corrupted library.

OT

and you can

And you can run it in a referenced mode (not recommended) having aliases in the iPhoto library pointing to your photos - this often is problematic but is an offered mode of operation

Unlike a managed library where I have never seen a photo lost by iPhoto - many people lose photos using a referenced library due to the complexity of the file management task that they are undertaking for large libraries - but the option is there is that is your choice

LN

it's the act of importing to a database in the first place.

When you import a pic into iPhoto in it’s default setting the following happens:

The file is copied into the Library (note: copied, not moved) and a thumbnail is created.

The file remains a JPEG, it is not compressed, manipulated or changed in any way.

Want to look inside the Library? Go to your Pictures Folder and right click on the iPhoto Library. From the resulting menu select ‘Show Package Contents’. A finder window will open and you’ll find your pics inside the Originals Folder.

Standard Warning:

Don't change anything in the iPhoto Library Folder via the Finder or any other application. iPhoto depends on the structure as well as the contents of this folder. Moving things, renaming things or otherwise making changes will prevent iPhoto from working and could even cause you to damage or lose your photos.

There are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:

For 10.5 users: You can use any Open / Attach / Browse dialogue. On the left there's a Media heading, your pics can be accessed there. Apple-Click for selecting multiple pics.




To upload to a site that does not have an iPhoto Export Plug-in the recommended way is to Select the Pic in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export and export the pic to the desktop, then upload from there. After the upload you can trash the pic on the desktop. It's only a copy and your original is safe in iPhoto.

This is also true for emailing with Web-based services. If you're using Gmail you can use iPhoto2GMail

If you use Apple's Mail, Entourage, AOL or Eudora you can email from within iPhoto. With 10.5 you can access the Library from the New Message Window in Mail:





If you use a Cocoa-based Browser such as Safari, you can drag the pics from the iPhoto Window to the Attach window in the browser.

Or, if you want to access the files with iPhoto not running, then create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use THIS

Other options include:

1. *Drag and Drop*: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.

2. *File -> Export*: Select the files in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export. The dialogue will give you various options, including altering the format, naming the files and changing the size. Again, producing a copy.

3. *Show File*: Right- (or Control-) Click on a pic and in the resulting dialogue choose 'Show File'. A Finder window will pop open with the file already selected.

I think I should be able to tell iPhoto: "This is my images, can you pleace help me view them and organize them? But don't put them in a closet, they are fine where they are."

Simply go to iPhoto Menu -> Preferences -> Advanced and uncheck 'Copy Files to the iPhoto Library on Import'.

Now iPhoto will not copy the files, but rather simply reference them on your HD. To do this it will create an alias in the Originals Folder that points to your file. It will still create a thumbnail and, if you modify the pics, a Modified version within the iPhoto Library Folder.

However, you need to be aware of a number of potential pitfalls using this system.

1. Import and deleting pics are more complex procedures
2. You cannot move or rename the files on your system or iPhoto will lose track of them on systems prior to 10.5 and iPhoto 08. Even with the later versions issues can still arise if you move the referenced files to new volumes or between volumes.
3. Most importantly, migrating to a new disk or computer can be much more complex.

Always allowing for personal preference, I've yet to see a good reason to run iPhoto in referenced mode unless you're using two photo organisers.


Regards

TD