I have over 45000 photos named and numbered why does IPhoto want to (Import) the photos that are already on my Computer?

Thanks. That would put 2 copies of each original file on my hard drive though, right? So, pics take up twice the disk space, but then I would have a backup (of the files, outside of the iPhoto Library), correct?

It's the same thing as I suggest only OT is backing up before importing, and I suggest that you do it after.

Yes you have a copy outside the iPhoto Library - but that's not a back up. For it to be a back up you need to have a copy on another disk. So, you would copy that folder of images to a back up disk. Then delete it from your hard drive to recover the space.

I suggest you consider using Time Machine for one of your backup options: Mac Basics: Time Machine

Old Toad, thanks for the info.

Question: I'd like to understand why you back up your masters separately from iPhoto, through the file system? I mean, if the iPhoto managed library is a sound way to manage your photos, why wouldn't a Time Machine backup of the iPhoto library be sufficient? Do you have doubts about the robustness of iPhoto managed library?

I'd like to rely entirely on iPhoto to organize and store my photos, but am nervous about giving up the control and visibility that I had previously when I managed photo file organization manually through the file system on my PC. The numerous complaints by other users who have had their iPhoto library corrupted makes me wonder how robust the iPhoto managed library mechanism really is... Judging from the complaints, it seems that the iPhoto library is easily and often corrupted, leading to a loss of photo organization, if not a loss of the photo files themselves, which would be a major headache when dealing with many thousands of photos.

Terence Devlin,

You've explained another method of backing up masters separately from iPhoto, exporting them to file after they've been imported into iPhoto, using the file system for storage/organization. Do you personally maintain a master photos backup using discrete files, separate from the iPhoto library?

Thanks for your advice.

I backup the Masters before importing into iPhoto only because I use Media Pro 1, a DAM (digital asset management) app as my primary photo management application. I use iPhoto for special projects like books, calendars, cards, etc.

Do you personally maintain a master photos backup using discrete files, separate from the iPhoto library?

No.

I have a multiple back-up strategy as losing some of these photos would result in divorce, murder (mine) and dismemberment - not necessarily in that order.

All my back ups are entire Libraries, two to disks connected permanently to the Mac, one to a disk stored in my car, and one to a disk stored in a relative's house.

The only time photos are stored outside a Library is my online back up on SmugMug.

Remember what you're seeing here is the triage room of the hospital. Lots of posts that seem to suggest ruination and dismay and - I reckon - about 90% of cases there is a good outcome. For the other 10% not having a robust back up strategy is costly. This applies equally whethere iPhoto manages the files or you do.

Regards

TD

Hallo!

Excuse me for question but have I any chance to restore links between my iPhoto and library at EHD?

I'm switch to Referenced mode at the beginning of use iPhoto and now I have all my photo there. And two months ago I'm changed my EHD to another. And I lost all links. I try to restore it manually but it so hopeless. Is it any opportunity to automate this process? (The structure inside folders stay the same.)

Thanks in advance.

this is one (of many) reasons that a referenced library is strongly not recommend

If you have the latest version of iPhoto then you can use Aperture to restore the links

If you can use the previous hard drive and have iPhoto work you could use iPhoto Library Manager to rebuild as a referenced library which woujld eliminatge this and many future problems

And for new questions it is much better to start new threads - Threadjacking old existing threads is confusing to you and to volenteers trying to help - and even more confusing to new visitors looking for answers

LN

Terence,

I read this doc:

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4921

which was extremely helpful. One question, when I try to export the original, it just shows up as the same sized JPEG. When I pick jpeg and the highest quality, it is indeed a bigger file than what I see in iphoto. How do I

a) send the raw picture to someone, or export it?

b) what jpeg export setting matches the one that iphoto automatically uses (and should I ever export at a higher quality)?

Thanks.

One question, when I try to export the original, it just shows up as the same sized JPEG.

What were you expecting?

a) send the raw picture to someone, or export it?

You export it at the Original setting.

b) what jpeg export setting matches the one that iphoto automatically uses

I'm not sure what you mean by the one iPhoto automatically uses.

(and should I ever export at a higher quality)?

If you want a higher quality version, yes.

Thanks for the quick reply.

What were you expecting?

- A non-JPEG file format. How is this the raw format if it is compressed? I would have assumed the raw format is a much larger file (like a FLAC file in your mp3 analogy).

I'm not sure what you mean by the one iPhoto automatically uses.

- Perhaps this is what I don't understand. When i look at the original in iphoto, it is in jpeg format, for this example it is an iphone picture so its ~2.6MB. When I export it raw, it is the same (see response above). When I export it at highest quality, it is 2x the size. That should be impossible unless there is a larger raw file, right?

You're not understanding what a Raw file is.

When a camera opens the shutter and light falls on the sensor the camera reads that data and processes it into a photograph. That processing involves correcting the colour, some sharpening, setting the white balance and so on. The out put from this process is then saved (on 99.9% of cameras and phones) as a Jpeg file.

However, some high-end cameras, usually dSLRs have an option to step into that workflow just before the camera processes the sensor data. What these cameras do is offer the data from the sensor to the user unprocessed. This is a Raw. Each camera make saves their Raw data with a different suffix - NEF in the case of Nikon, CR2 in the case of Canons and so on.

With this sensor dump the user can (with specialised software) process the data him/herself.

That's what a Raw is. The sensor dump from the camera. Unless you have a higher-end camera you're not shooting Raw.

When you import to iPhoto it makes a byte by byte copy of the file. If you export the Original then you get the same back out again. So, if you import a jpeg then exporting the original gets a jpeg back out.

So, you can't import a Jpeg and export a Raw. The only thing that can create a Raw is the camera.

When i look at the original in iphoto, it is in jpeg format, for this example it is an iphone picture so its ~2.6MB

Okay.

When I export it raw, it is the same (see response above).

You can't export it Raw. There is no such setting. You can export it as Original.

When I export it at highest quality, it is 2x the size. That should be impossible unless there is a larger raw file, right?

No. Remember a Jpeg is not an Image file. It's a compression file. When the camera processes the image it compresses it and stores it in the Jpeg. When you view the shot what happens is the Jpeg is decompressed to get to the image. So, that 2.6MB Jpeg actually contains a compressed image that might be 8 or 10 MB.

WHen you export at High Quality, all that means is you are using less compression. It's the same image just not stuffed as tightly into a Jpeg.

Thanks, that is very helpful. Should I think of jpeg compression more like .zip for photos then?

In audio compression, once you compress to a certain file size, it can't be improved, right? If you compress FLAC to 128 kbps, you couldn't take that 128 kbps file and export it at 192. You could re-compress it at 192, but that resulting file would be even worse.

I'm not sure about audio files, but yes, zip for photos isn't a bad analogy.

Terence, thanks for all your expertise. Greatly appreciated.

This might be a dumb question. Bear with me. In iPhoto Preferences > Advanced > Importing, if I uncheck "Copy items to the iPhoto library," will the photos stay in my Finder and not be copied into iPhoto's Package Contents?

This would turn iPhoto into just a more visual way to view the photos in my Finder.