How to move photos to external hard drive?
How do I move photos from library to external hard drive to free up space?
macbook, Mac OS X (10.5.8)
many thanks- thank goodness I asked first!
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46 replies
this is a great post and answers a lot but I would like to combine several libraries collected on two separate external hard drives in to one library. by dragging each of the iphoto libraries, they're now all separated on my main hard drive. is it possible to combine all of these libraries?
The only way to merge Libraries is with the paid version ($20) of
iPhoto Library Manager. No other method will get all the versions and/or all the metadata.
Regards
TD
Regards
TD
Dear TD or all,
I have about 200GB of photo's and am transferring the iphoto library per your instructions.
About how long should it take to transfer this much data from the HD to the external?
Thanks and Best Regards
El_Rishi
I have about 200GB of photo's and am transferring the iphoto library per your instructions.
About how long should it take to transfer this much data from the HD to the external?
Thanks and Best Regards
El_Rishi
Too many variables to give an accurate answer but 200 gigs is a lot of data and it will take several hours, I would guess.
The Finder may report things like "3567 Days remaining" but the Finder does things like that.
Regards
TD
The Finder may report things like "3567 Days remaining" but the Finder does things like that.
Regards
TD
Hi Terence,
Thanks for your input. I'll go ahead and try it.
I'm pretty illiterate on Macs. I have one more question with regards to iphoto icon vs iphoto library... I can just drag the iphoto icon over to the external drive? correct? or drag the iphoto library? or are they one and the same? in either case the answer is the same.
Thanks in advance.
Best Regards
El_Rishi
Thanks for your input. I'll go ahead and try it.
I'm pretty illiterate on Macs. I have one more question with regards to iphoto icon vs iphoto library... I can just drag the iphoto icon over to the external drive? correct? or drag the iphoto library? or are they one and the same? in either case the answer is the same.
Thanks in advance.
Best Regards
El_Rishi
The iPhoto Library icon in your Pictures Folder is what you drag over. That is the Library.
Regards
TD
Regards
TD
Hi Terence,
Thanks for clarifying the iphoto startup icon vs the iphoto library.
It took about 2 hrs to copy 115GB of photos over.
I did the part where I start up iphoto with the alt/option key pressed and connected the library in the external drive, however when I open the application the photo's do not open from either the iphoto library on the hardrive nor the from the external drive. I have not been able to figure out how to reconnect iphoto icon to open the pictures from either library.
On the top left of the iphoto window, the events photos are 0 and I cannot open any pictures using iphoto.
So I am thinking there are two things left to do.
1. the iphoto icon is not connected to either iphoto library.
2. some how the pictures in either drive are not connected to iphoto ? so I need to do that.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
El Rishi
Thanks for clarifying the iphoto startup icon vs the iphoto library.
It took about 2 hrs to copy 115GB of photos over.
I did the part where I start up iphoto with the alt/option key pressed and connected the library in the external drive, however when I open the application the photo's do not open from either the iphoto library on the hardrive nor the from the external drive. I have not been able to figure out how to reconnect iphoto icon to open the pictures from either library.
On the top left of the iphoto window, the events photos are 0 and I cannot open any pictures using iphoto.
So I am thinking there are two things left to do.
1. the iphoto icon is not connected to either iphoto library.
2. some how the pictures in either drive are not connected to iphoto ? so I need to do that.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
El Rishi
On the top left of the iphoto window, the events photos are 0 and I cannot open any pictures using iphoto.
Sounds like you've created a new Empty Library.
When you hold the option (or alt) key and launch you should get a menu of the available libraries:
How many libraries are there?
Regards
TD
couple quick questions... my hard drive is full as well. so i understand how to move the entire library to an external hard drive. can i then create a new library on the internal hard drive and just use that? would i then be able to use the external hard drive at a different location on a diff macbook? also, somehow i have 3,4, or even more copies of the same picture...nearly every pic i have comes in quadruples. is there a way to delete the duplicate pictures? thanks in advance for your help.
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can i then create a new library on the internal hard drive and just use that?
Yes.
would i then be able to use the external hard drive at a different location on a diff macbook?
Yes. Assuming that the version of the other Mac is the same as the one on yours.
For dealing with duplicates in iPhoto check out Duplicate Annihilator
Regards
TD
This is a great thread to understand the implications of moving your iPhoto library to an external drive. Can anyone comment on how you can now ensure that your backup strategy will still work? e.g. i have a 2TB WD MyBook for backup, 500GB HD on board, and an additional 500GB external drive. I would like to move my iPhoto library to the external 500GB HD, then back everything (both 500GB drives to my WD 2TB drive). Any thoughts or guidance on how to do this? I don't think that time machine can back up two drives to one? i.e. backup the 500gb onboard and the 500gb external drive to the 2TB drive?
Thanks in advance for any help!
Thanks in advance for any help!
I'm not sure about TM, but there are lots of other Back UP utilties that will.]
Regards
TD
Regards
TD
Hey,
Without your query regarding the above instructions I would not have understood them either, so thank you.
Nouns or sarcasm - just because the person writing the text understands the terminology does not mean everyone does. I thought this forum was for help, not responses shrouded in sarcasm!
Thanks to the second person to post instructions, they were plain and clear.
Without your query regarding the above instructions I would not have understood them either, so thank you.
Nouns or sarcasm - just because the person writing the text understands the terminology does not mean everyone does. I thought this forum was for help, not responses shrouded in sarcasm!
Thanks to the second person to post instructions, they were plain and clear.
Why are there some many filese that say library. Couldnt they make it simple? I just moved (thought I did a xmas songs) to external. Saw them there heard tehm when I clicked them. Then delete off my ahrd drive.
I see the songs there but click and it says cant find original file. I thought I moved it. That is why Im scared to move any pictured or movies.
I oly want to move some of the pictures to external....how do you do that....I cant afford to have the exclamation come up again
Same for mvie clips in I tunes and NOV files under movies
Like the MAC just dont get the mvoing and copying to "other loactions"
Baby pics and movies and cant lose
THANKS
How to move photos to external hard drive?