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Copying photos to JAlbum (drag & drop)

I am currently evaluating Aperture and love it (currently using Photoshop Elements), except for one MAJOR showstopper. When I drag and drop the photos from Aperture to my photo album software (JAlbum), it uses the Aperture library reference instead of the actual source. I set up the import to not backup the photos. Any ideas on how I can "copy" the photos while referencing the actual source?

Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.6.7)

Posted on May 8, 2011 5:49 PM

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4 replies

May 8, 2011 6:34 PM in response to SkyMatt

When you drag out of Aperture you get Aperture's preview of the image. The quality of the preview is controlled by the settings in Aperture->Preferences->Previews and can be set to give a very good image.


However if this isn't of high enough quality then you will have to resort to exporting the image using File->export->version and setting the export values to fit your needs.

May 8, 2011 6:52 PM in response to Frank Caggiano

Thank you very much for the response, however that's not quite what I was looking for. I want the reference to the image to be the master file, not anything stored in the Aperture library. With JAlbum, when you drag photos from another application (like the Finder or Photoshop Elements), it doesn't "copy" the picture, it copies the location so that when it builds the album, it goes out and uses the master photo. Just a much more efficient process for me.


Now by your answer, I did realize I could delete the preview, but then I can't drag and drop. 😟


I'm wondering if I should explore the plug-in world some more, or even write my own plug-in.


If you have any other ideas, PLEASE let me know...I am very eager to switch from Photoshop Elements (I just use the organizer really), but my workflow demands that I use the master file location.

May 8, 2011 7:14 PM in response to SkyMatt

I want the reference to the image to be the master file, not anything stored in the Aperture library.

If you reference the master file then you realize that any adjustments you made to the image in Aperture will not be reflected in the image that goes into JAlbum? Aperture never modifies the master file.


If this is really want you want to do then you should set up the masters in Aperture to be referenced, that is stored outside the Aperture library then JAlbum (or any other program) can have access to them.


I'm not aware of any Aperture plug-ins for JAlbum but I don;t use it so nave never really looked for one. You could try searching they may be some out there. As for writing your own plug-in, export plug-ins (which this would be) are easier to write then edit plug-ins so it is not out of the question. Of course your programming experience and familiarity with writing for OS X will have an impact on how feasible that would be.



Now by your answer, I did realize I could delete the preview, but then I can't drag and drop.


Not sure what you;re getting at here. I never said to delete the previews I wrote that you could control the quality of the previews that Aperture creates.


I am very eager to switch from Photoshop Elements (I just use the organizer really), but my workflow demands that I use the master file location.

Then this might be a show stopper for you. As I wrote above the master file is never modified by Aperture. Any adjustments you make are made to the versions and the versions don;t really become physical files until you export them.

May 8, 2011 7:27 PM in response to SkyMatt

SkyMatt -- this may help.


Aperture keeps (or tracks) three files of import for each image you see in your Library:

. The Master (the original, never altered)

. The Version (a text file of proprietary instructions which detail how to create the image you see)

. The Preview (a jpg file of the Master+Version)


That's it. Are you sitting down? Here's the secret: the full image which you see and think of as a Version is created as needed on-the-fly. It doesn't exist as a usable image-format file, and is never saved back into your database. (This is brilliant, but why is beyond this discussion.) In order to have an image-format file of your Master+Version files (remember -- the Version is just a text file) you must export the image. Exporting exactly equals "Make me an image-format file (in these specifications)".


I've never heard of JAlbum, so I can't help you there.

Copying photos to JAlbum (drag & drop)

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