Copying my Aperture Library to Keyword on Vacation?

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Jim Cutler Author

Level 1

95 points

Copying my Aperture Library to Keyword on Vacation?

On upcoming vacation I would like to work on keywording my (large for me) Aperture libary.

Library is 66 Gig (referenced library) plus all the actual images (465 Gig).

Is the following the best strategy?

1) Copy the entire referenced libray PLUS all the images from my Desktop onto a portable drive for vacation.

2) Do keywording on the portable.

3) When I return, merge the portable copy with the new keywording onto the permanent MacPro?

Seems to me that Aperture wouldn't let me merge two libraries a few months ago because one was a clone of the other with only keyword changes.

I wish I could just bring a copy of the referenced library without the actual 465gig of images but Aperture won't let you keyword those.

Thanks.

Jim

MacPro2,1 Quad-Core Intel Xeon 3Ghz, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jul 24, 2011 9:33 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Kirby Krieger

Level 6

12,592 points

Jul 24, 2011 9:55 AM in response to Jim Cutler

Jim Cutler wrote:

I wish I could just bring a copy of the referenced library without the actual 465gig of images but Aperture won't let you keyword those.

Hi Jim. That's exactly how it does work -- and one of the benefits of using Referenced Masters for Images.

Could you confirm that Aperture does not let you apply Keywords to Images when their Masters are off-liine?

The standard approach is to take just your Library with you, do all the keywording (and other administration) that you want, and ... come home. There is nothing to merge or add at all. When your Masters are again on-line, you'll be able to once again print and export Versions.

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Answer 2

Jim Cutler Author

Level 1

95 points

Jul 24, 2011 12:04 PM in response to Kirby Krieger

Kirby,

Just tested. I made a copy of my desktop's Aperture library onto the portable vacation drive. In fact I CAN keyword the ref library on my vacation laptop that doesn't have the actual IMAGES. So that's great. Thanks.

One question please: You had said: "The standard approach is to take just your Library with you, do all the keywording (and other administration) that you want, and ... come home. There is nothing to merge or add at all. When your Masters are again on-line, you'll be able to once again print and export Versions."

Please tell me if I'm correct: Take my Desktop REF libary (not the actual images) and COPY it to my vacation laptop. Work on Keywording during that week on the laptop. When I return, delete the Desktop library. Copy the vacation-laptop library with whatever keywording I have accomplished to the Desktop? If that's it, that's what I'll do. Library is 66Gig without the IMAGE Library so I wondered if there was an easier to keep them both current without doing a FULL LIBRARY COPY each time. Thanks again in advance.

Jim

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Answer 3

Jul 25, 2011 8:58 PM in response to Jim Cutler

Hi Jim. The answer is "Yes".

Here's more. Your Library is a database. The core record in the database is the Image. Attached to the Image are all the info-pieces Aperture knows about the Image. One of the pieces of Information is where that Image's Master is located. (If it is located inside the Library, the Image has a Managed Master; if it is located outside the Library, that Image has a Referenced Master.) The Library is a stand-alone unit -- you can put it on any up-to-snuff Mac that has Aperture (the program) installed, and open it and use it. If, when open, Aperture can access your Masters, then they are "on-line" and you have access to all of Aperture's features. If Aperture cannot access a Master, then that Image's Master is "off-line" and you cannot make adjustments to, or export full versions of, or print (a form of export) that Image. Even if the Master is off-line, you can work with all Image metedata: ratings, keywords, Albums, etc.

So: copy your Library to your laptop. You now have another backup. Take your laptop on vacation. Add to your Library (probably using Managed Masters), do whatever keywording and other metadata administration you want on any of your Images. Return home. As a precaution, make a backup of your changed-on-vacation Library. Then delete the Library on your desktop (this copy is now out-of-date), empty your system trash, and copy your up-to-date Library from your laptop to your desktop. STOP USING the laptop version. Use the desktop version.

While on vacation, your not-added-while-on-vacation Masters will be off-line. Once you copy your laptop Library back to your desktop and open it, it should find and reconnect to all your old Masters -- it will make them "on-line".

You can filter for Images with Managed Masters (the ones you imported while vacationing), and use "File→Relocate Masters" to convert them from Managed to Referenced and join them with your pre-vacation Masters.

It is possible to take only a subset of your Library with you. That is a little more complicated. In that case, you will want to select the Images you want to have available on vacation, and export them as a Library. Take that Library with you, work with those Images (with the same limitations vis-a-vis whether they have Managed or Referenced Masters), and then merge that Library into your desktop Library.

Have a good trip. 🙂

Message was edited by: Kirby Krieger

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Answer 4

Jim Cutler Author

Level 1

95 points

Jul 25, 2011 9:01 PM in response to Kirby Krieger

Superb and very complete answer. Thank you for taking the time to write that, I know that took a time to write.

I now fully understand. I take the library with me, and when I get back I replace the older desktop library with this vacation one. What was throwing me was copying over a library of this SIZE but it probably won't take 5 minutes. I was alos confused by the ability to merge. I merge small exports all the time, but thought I was supposed to merge my library after vacation with the desktop library. I totally get it now.

Thank you again!

Jim

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