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Level 1

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iPhoto onto External Hard drive

I am trying to be able to completely remove iPhoto from my internal hard drive and move it to my external hard drive. I have over 8000 and have no plan on stopping soon 😉

I want to be able to open iPhoto from my external hard drive and see my sorted folders I have already created while it was in my internal hard drive.

I have backed up my iPhotos by copying my iPhoto library to the hard drive, but this does not allow me to actually use iPhoto once it is on the hard drive and/or see the photos as they are saved as a mass amount of unnamed .jpg files and I can never find what I need.

I have read that you copy pictures file to external hard drive then hold options key to select iPhoto to use, but I do not have the iPhoto logo anywhere but in my applicatons folder and not in my pictures file. Am I doing this wrong?

Please help, computer is really starting to run slow!

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Posted on Oct 10, 2010 8:50 PM

77 replies

Oct 24, 2010 3:54 AM in response to speedys

Doing this does not allow me to select any photos -- in my Internal library or via the EHD. So, I don't >understand how I go about deleting the photos? Should iphoto not be launching at this point? In fact, >when I want to review my older photos that I will have solely on the EHD, I thought I could relaunch >them in iphoto, but this makes me think I have misunderstood something?

To delete photos from your Internal Library:
1. launch iPhoto while holding down down the Option key, and select that Library.
2. In the main Library window - select the pictures you want to delete and either hit backspace/delete, or use the Move To Trash menu command.

To look at your older photos, relaunch iPhoto+Option key and select the EHD Library.
(It's a weakness of both iTunes and iPhoto that they only work with one Library at a time, there's no way to operate multiple Libraries simultaneously in separate windows; which would be really cool for those who need that function. Having said that, the majority of users probably don't).

mraggett

Level 1

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Nov 16, 2010 6:07 PM in response to chewsa

I have copied my library to my EHD. I have also launched iPhoto with option and selected the library on the EHD. However, once I am in iPhoto is ther any way to verify that I am truly in the EHD library since it is identical? I want to be sure it is truly working before I start deleting photos from my internal drive.

LarryHN

Level 10

106,110 points

Nov 16, 2010 6:17 PM in response to mraggett

No only by doing the select library command - you can drag the iPhoto library on your internal drive to a new location and if it still works then you are using the correct one = assuming you are going to delete the internal library just drag it to the trash and launch iPhoto prior to emptying the trash

LN

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,320 points

Nov 16, 2010 10:58 PM in response to mraggett

However, once I am in iPhoto is ther any way to verify that I am truly in the EHD library since it is identical?

Select any photo in the iPhoto Window and right click on it. From the resulting menu select 'Show File (or 'Show Original File' if that's available). A Finder Window will open with the file selected. In the Finder's Column view it's easy to identify which Library it is in.

Regards

TD

mraggett

Level 1

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Nov 30, 2010 7:10 AM in response to chewsa

Thanks for the replies. I have two more questions:
1. Is it possible to rename the library on the EHD, will iPhoto recognize it? What I would like to do is starting next year begin putting my photos on my internal drive again. This is more convenient. What I'd like to do is rename the EHD library something like "iPhoto library 2000 - 2010" or something along those lines. I could then, presumably, every year copy my library to my EHD and name it 2011, 2012, etc. Which leads to:
2. Will the option+iPhoto launch and select library also work for a CD? This way, I could organize my photos by year on CDs instead of the EHD.

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,320 points

Nov 30, 2010 7:14 AM in response to mraggett

Yes you can rename a Library. You do it the same way as you would rename any file or folder.

Remember that a Library on an external +is not a back up+, it also needs to be backed up.

2. Will the option+iPhoto launch and select library also work for a CD? This way, I could organize my photos by year on CDs instead of the EHD.

Will a CD be big enough to hold a library?

Regards

TD

Dec 4, 2010 1:22 PM in response to Yer_Man

I have my iPhoto library on an extrenal hard drive and it was working great. But recently when I go to edit my photos, it is taking so much longer. It's beachball city after every edit.

Also - after 10 minuets or so I get a message that states it is saving my work and that could last minutes.

I think it has something to do with the photos having to be accessed though a cord to the hard drive but not sure.

Anyone have any thougths on this?

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,320 points

Dec 4, 2010 2:35 PM in response to PaystarCEO

What format is the external disk?

Regards

TD

Jan 1, 2011 10:39 PM in response to Yer_Man

Terence - Sorry it took so long to respond. It's a WD Passport 1 TB formatted for Mac.

I think my problem is the transfer rate between the two.

I wonder if I could do all my editing on my internal hard drive and then transfer the set over to the External HD once done?

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,320 points

Jan 1, 2011 11:44 PM in response to Yer_Man

It's a WD Passport 1 TB formatted for Mac.

What does that mean? Macs will write to several formats without additional software, but the Library needs to be on a disk formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

I think my problem is the transfer rate between the two.

It's not. Many people - myself included - run Libraries from external disks.

Regards

TD

Jan 2, 2011 7:56 AM in response to Yer_Man

How do I find out what format it is in?

Does the format have an effect on speed?

How do I increase speed?

Thanks in advance!

Jan 29, 2011 8:50 AM in response to Yer_Man

Hi

I have a toshiba EHD that is formatted FAT32 so that it can be used on both Mac and PC. I want to move my iPhoto library to the external drive in order to free up some room on my (now maxed out) MacBook.

My question is - does the EHD absolutely have to be formatted to MAC OS extended in order for iPhoto to run off it? Or might it still work with a FAT32 disk?

I really don't want to have to buy another EHD if i can help it, and I want to be able to use it on both the home PC and my macbook

Thanks in advance for any light anyone can shine on this!
aoife

LarryHN

Level 10

106,110 points

Jan 29, 2011 8:53 AM in response to stranded_aoife

My question is - does the EHD absolutely have to be formatted to MAC OS extended in order for iPhoto to run off it?

Yes

Or might it still work with a FAT32 disk?

No

LN

Jan 30, 2011 1:42 PM in response to LarryHN

Thanks Larry, that cleared that up! Have reformatted now and am ready to go.
thanks for the quick reply
a

Feb 8, 2011 3:24 PM in response to christopher rigby1

HI,

OK, Im still very nervous about all this... i have read and re read and checked and rechecked, hopefully I have everything in tact and backed up.. However, I am at a crucial step. I have just selected the photos to delete almost 100 G -- and used the menu command " move to trash" -- the pix are gone from my library, but i dont see them in the trash and my harddrive space has not increased??? Where did the pix go? Do I have to empty some other trash I dont know about? Thanks in advance... oh... and by deleting the pix off my hard drive but hosting them in iphoto on my external does that effect which pix are available from mobileme (like in the gallery) and on my ipad, or does it just pull them from the hard drive when connected? Hope my questions were clear.

iPhoto onto External Hard drive