First Time Poster Hope you guys can help

Can't address the Apple TV issue but..

I positively absolutely would not delete the library on the internal HD until you're absolutely positively sure that the copied library is absolutely positively OK.

Do you have another backup of the library? Or are there just these two copies? If it's only these two then you realize if you delete the copy on the internal drive if anything happens to the external drive, and it will, your entire photograph collection is gone.

Dragging the library from the internal to the external drive should have been fine. Dragging between volumes copies the files so you should have two copies of your library now. Make sure you address the backup issue before deleting anything.

Your AppleTV should be able to see the Aperture library no matter where it is located, as long as the computer the drive is connected to is on the network. AppleTV slideshows work even if Aperture isn't running on your computer.

OK, didn't realize you had another external drive you are using as a backup, wasn't mentioned in the first post.

You said:
"I think i need to go to were the setting is in time machine and exclude both the WD harddrive and the external drive with the photo library"

I hope you meant include there! Yes you could use time machine for this. Getting a third drive to use to setup an Aperture vault wouldn't be a bad idea either. Like I said in an earlier post, this is your photographic history, the more backups the better.

Man, this is way too complicated…

I exported my versions from the Aperture Mac Library to my external HD. Now when I open the Harddrive in a finder window i have all of the projects as seperate folders and one item that says Aperture Library

Where to begin?
I'm not going to try and understand what you're doing because frankly, I don't think I can. So let me just give you an example of a working setup, given what you've been saying so far:
1) Keep your Aperture library on your internal hard drive. I'm talking about the actual library package, not the files themselves.
2) Use a referenced library. This means the picture files will be kept on the external drive. Not the library, just the picture files.
3) Backup those files to a third backup drive and use the vault to backup your library (in a referenced system the pictures aren't part of the vault backup).

Now, about exporting and the Apple TV. The only time you need to export anything is if you want to send a file to someone else or work with it in a specific format. That's pretty much it. You do not export for backup purposes - you want your original files and the AP database backed up.

The Apple TV and all Media Browser sharing in OS X is done through the Aperture generated Previews. It has nothing to do with your external drive being online, or its sharing setup. And again, you do not need to export for the Apple TV either. In iTunes select your ATV, go to Photos and select Aperture. All the projects/albums that contain pictures with previews will be available for streaming. Same goes or iPad, iPhone, iPod…

I apparently exported the Masters to the External Harddrive because the option to now export Masters is no longer available to me on the Aperture Program library(Internal HD).

That's weird. It should still be available no matter where the files are.

Here's what I suggest: if you still have *all your files* AND your library on your internal drive, start again. Delete what you copied to the external drive. Then, double-click the Aperture library on your internal drive (this is to make sure you're opening the right one). Once that's open, select ALL your photos and go to File>Relocate Masters. Choose a location on your external drive. Aperture will move all the picture files to this new location. Once that's done, you'll have a proper referenced library.

Finally: forget the Finder. You are now managing your photos through the Aperture database. That's your new Finder as far as photos are concerned. With Previews enabled (it's ON by default) you can drag and drop any picture from AP3 to anything else (Dock, Desktop, Applications). You can also browse and sync them through the iLife Media Browser.

There are all sorts of strategies regarding backups and Preview sharing that you can look into by doing a search on this forum. Check them out.

I know it's a lot to digest - but I hope it helps!

Jade

My pleasure, glad it helped.

So therefore, there is no danger of deleting the masters because in fact i did not move them by exporting correct?

Be very careful! If you used Export within Aperture then yes, you've simply created copies on the external. Those aren't masters at all. But since I'm not sitting next to you and can't see what's going on, I want you to be *extra careful*.

In Aperture's Browser, do the files have a little arrow at bottom right? If they do they're referenced, if not they're managed. Also, if you right-click on a referenced file you get an option to +Show in Finder+; this doesn't appear on a managed file.

I can't tell if you copied your Aperture library to the external drive. If you did, make sure you work with the library on your internal before doing anything else. Then make sure those pictures on your external aren't being used at all. Don't erase the entire hard drive. Just send the files to the Trash without emptying it until the move is done (if you have the drive space, I think you do). Or back them up to another drive to be safe.

From what I can tell you simply need to Relocate Masters as described and you'll be good to go… but deleting is your responsibility, not mine!

Always drive safely 😉

Jade is "managed" another way of saying "master"?

Not at all!
1) Managed refers to how your library links to the master files. In a Managed library all the files are stored inside the library package (on your Macbook in this case). In a Referenced library the files are stored wherever you like, separate from the library. In this case, they'll be on your external drive. The library then contains only the database info (metadata, adjustments etc), Previews and thumbnails.

2) A Master is the actual picture you took, JPEG or RAW. In Aperture this master is never touched. It's your digital negative. Any adjustments you apply in Aperture creates a Version. You can have as many Versions of a picture as you like (they're only virtual). But if you delete the Master, the picture's gone for good. Previews (when automatically generated) always reflect the Version (otherwise you wouldn't see your adjustments). The Export function is how you send those Versions out into the world - or by printing, obviously.

If the masters are not on the laptop will I still see the option to relocate masters?

Yep. You can always choose to relocate the Masters. It's just a way to move files around while keeping Aperture aware of where things are going. If you were to move files around by using the Finder, Aperture would no longer know where the files are and would need to be re-linked.

Sorry for all the questions.

No trouble. But I'd suggest you sit down with the manual and also look at the Aperture tutorials. It'll give you a better idea of the fundamental philosophy behind Aperture. It's a big application and the concepts can be hard to grasp at first. Worth it though.

Just to add to what Jade's written, this may also help:
http://aperture.maccreate.com/2010/01/12/tip-0-referenced-vs-managed-files/