Where does iPhoto store imported photos?

You use the media browser as documented in this thread. In every open/upload/attach window in the lower left hand corner under media ==> photos ==> iPhoto

LN

I'm always amused by the assertions that "Apple wants to control..." this and that because they are always based on a misunderstanding.

iPhoto offer your 15 or so ways to access your photos. iPhoto has more ways of accessing your Photos that any other app I know of, including Aperture. It has far more than Picasa, for instance - being that your Photos in iPhoto are available in every Open... dialogue in the entire Operating System.

Your "issue" is based on a simple misunderstanding: You're confusing your Photos with the Files that contain them. You want access to the files. You don't need access to the files. You need access to the Photos.

The illustration I use is as follows: In my iTunes Library I have a file called 'Let_it_Be_The_Beatles.mp3'. So what is that, exactly? It's not the song. The Beatles never wrote an mp3. They wrote a tune and lyrics. They recorded it and a copy of that recording is stored in the mp3 file. So the file is just a container for the recording. That container is designed in a specific way attuned to the characteristics and requirements of the data. Hence, mp3.

Similarly, that Jpeg is not your photo, it's a container designed to hold that kind of data. iPhoto is all about the data and not about the container. So, regardless of where you choose to store the file, iPhoto will manage the photo, edit the photo, add metadata to the Photo but never touch the file. If you choose to export - unless you specifically choose to export the original - iPhoto will export the Photo into a new container - a new file containing the photo.

So why do you need to access the specific files?

And if you really have a jones for file management, why not run a Referenced Library?

You don't need a "workaround". All you need is to do is

1. Understand iPhoto - which means understanding the difference between the data and the file that contans them. The data is far more available, and in far more ways, with iPhoto than with any other app you can find.

Or, if you really want to see the the jpeg files in the Finder:

2. run a Referenced library. There are good reasons not to, and it offers zero additional functionality and possible pitfalls further down the road, but you'll be able to visit with your files if you want to

Or

3. Use another app. It's really simple. If the app won't import from your Phone or iPad then use Image Capture (in your Applications Folder) to get the files from the device and then do what you will. (But if you're using Picasa read the licence carefully and be sure your happy with hundreds (and hundreds) of hidden files scattered all over your Hard Disk.

iPhoto is a Photo Manager and not a file manager. It's not about "control" or anything like it. It's about using a database to manage data not containers.

Regards

TD

I hear your pain. I'm on Snow Leopard and finally found a way: YouTube tutorial, worked EASILY AND PERFECTLY:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Io7FaeKJ3Q

Select an image, go to File: Reveal in Finder:Original File

and there it is. I hope this helps.

And this is what I mean by not understanding the Application you're trying to use:

If you edit RAW files in Photoshop it stores the changes alongside the RAW in the same filesystem folder.

If you process a Raw with ACR (and it's with ACR and not Photoshop) the result is saved in a new file. So you have Photo.Raw and Photo.jpeg.

Iphoto in contrast stores the changes in the iphoto library even if the master is elsewhere. I

When you process a Raw with iPhoto (or with Aperture or Lightroom) there is no new file created. Your decisions are stored in an SQL database and applied to the Master (or Raw) file every time you view it. Again: There is no new file created. That's why you can edit and re-edit and re-edit to your heart's content. Each time the new decisions are applied in aggregate to the Original or Master and stored in the database.

That's lossless processing.

iPhoto (and Aperture, Lightroom etc) are not editors. Simply: you cannot edit a file with any of these apps. Open a Jpeg in Photoshop. Crop it. Save it. The original Jpeg is overwritten. That's an editor.

Open the same file in iPhoto (et al) Crop it. The Original Jpeg is... untouched. The instruction to crop is stored in the database. View the shot and you see it with the crop. Crop it again, enhance it and so on. All these decisions are stored in the database.

The file is untouched but the Photo is edited

That's the key distinction.

Okay so now you have a file, a photo and a lot of decisions about it, stored in a database. What if you want to do something with it - Email it, use it in a Website or a Word document - how do I get it there?

Strictly speaking you would export it from the database. Note this process makes a new file containing the decisions you've made about the photo. So it's a new file containing the cropped image. It's not a recompression of the original file. It's not the original file edited. It's a whole new file with the cropped image in it. (That's why you can actually export a larger sized Jpeg than the one you imported, odd though that may seem.)

If you export you have various options: you can export as Jepg, Tiff, png. In Jpeg you can export at various qualities (levels of compression) and sizes (in dimensions). You can write the metadata to the files on export (when the format supports that) and so on.

End result: Your original file untouched. Your edits stored in the database with unlimited options to re-edit, restore and so on. And the ability to export that Photo into a variety of formats and sizes depending on the use you have for it.

Note the Preview is a special case. And I suspect that this is what you refer to when you say

Iphoto in contrast stores the changes in the iphoto library even if the master is elsewhere. I

With iPhoto as you edit (and re-edit) a Preview is created automatically. (If you re-edit the existing preview is destroyed and a new one created. The Preview is not edited, note, it's re-created to reflect the changes you've been making to the Photo). What's that about? It's a handy shortcut. Rather than forcing you to export tediously every time you want to email a shot to grandma it makes a handy version, middle quality everything that's fine for most common uses. But this is not the "edited file", just a shortcut to save you exporting everytime you want to use the Photo.

In Aperture (pay more get more options) you can even elect not to use Previews at all.

So, you've been exporting the Preview (Current setting) thinking it was the edited version. It's not. (You could have got better quality output by exporting using other settings.) iPhoto can't store the changes in the filesystem because there ain't any such file to store.

And that's what I mean when I say you don't understand the application.

Regards

TD

Thanks Larry, I think I figured out a way to accomplish what I am wanting to do. I am exporting all of the images from my iPhoto library as jpegs to my external hard drive. After some further reading, I think this will accomplish what I am needing.

If you want to access the Master or Original files for backing up:

File -> Export: Kind: Original

Regards

TD

Hi everyone,

Here is my two cents...I ended up on this thread because I am trying to retrieve my iPhoto photos from a time machine backup without doing a complete reinstall of my machine through time machine. This is because there is a possibly corrupt file in my old computer which was backed up with time machine, so I did a fresh reinstall and I am manually transferring over what is important from my old time machine backup. This is a totally valid reason for trying to access my photos from iPhoto by file only. In fact, if I try to open my old iPhoto library from my time machine back up in iPhoto on my computer, I get yelled at by Lion and it won't open. So I opted to right click on my old library and "show package contents" and am currently backing up my "originals" from that folder and am not worried if it will corrupt the whole library because I will soon write over it all with a new time machine backup from my new clean machine. I just want my pictures!!

Do I think Mac should make this more transparent...yes! Do I think Mac is infinitely superior to Windows...YES in a hundred million ways!!!! It physically and psychologically hurts me to use Windows. I believe in Apple and their superiority and brilliance, but that doesn't mean they are infallible and can't take a bit of constructive criticism.

Lion is great...but I feel it is a bit of a dumb down of the OSX operating system in this regard, and I have seen it in a few other places as well (adding new fonts to the font library!!??). Definitely more so than it did with its predecesors. In this case, I feel I should be able to access individual files (especially something as basic as an image file!) without having to go through an application. Keep it simple. That's all.

Unfortuantly no one wanted the only correct answer - use the mdeia browser - no other access method is safe or supported

Use the media browser (and pictures and eamples of how to do that) is the answer to the OP question -- other posts directing people to do unsupported things that endanger their photos must be answered.

LN

But now I want to copy them to a USB memory stick - for sharing them with friends and family (they do not use MacOS).

File -> Export. That's how you do it. Ridiculously easy.

Really the key thing is if you want direct access to your photos don't use iphoto because of the way it catalogs you images.

Quite incorrect, really. If you want direct access to your Photo then iPhoto is ideal. What you're referring to is direct access to the files not the Photos.

The illustration I use is as follows: In my iTunes Library I have a file called 'Let_it_Be_The_Beatles.mp3'. So what is that, exactly? It's not the song. The Beatles never wrote an mp3. They wrote a tune and lyrics. They recorded it and a copy of that recording is stored in the mp3 file. So the file is just a container for the recording. That container is designed in a specific way attuned to the characteristics and requirements of the data. Hence, mp3.

Similarly, that Jpeg is not your photo, it's a container designed to hold that kind of data. iPhoto is all about the data and not about the container. So, regardless of where you choose to store the file, iPhoto will manage the photo, edit the photo, add metadata to the Photo but never touch the file. If you choose to export - unless you specifically choose to export the original - iPhoto will export the Photo into a new container - a new file containing the photo.

It's all about the Photo.

Regards

TD

You really do not want to start using a referenced mode - it is extremely problematic and having a mixed library of both manages and referenced photos is the worst of both worlds

simply move your iPhoto library to the external drive and create a small one on your Macmini and use iPhoto Library Manager - http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/ - to manage them

Moving the iPhoto library is safe and simple - quit iPhoto and drag the iPhoto library intact as a single entity to the external drive - depress the option key and launch iPhoto using the "select library" option to point to the new location on the external drive - fully test it and then trash the old library on the internal drive (test one more time prior to emptying the trash)

And be sure that the External drive is formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) (iPhoto does not work with drives with other formats) and that it is always available prior to launching iPhoto

And backup soon and often - having your iPhoto library on an external drive is not a backup and if you are using Time Machine you need to check and be sure that TM is backing up your external drive

LN

Yes. To share via a USB memory stick select the photo(s) and export to a desktop folder. Mount the MS and drag the folder to it. Quick and simple

LN

Interesting read to say the least....

iPhoto is great if you are a home user and what to share, tag, rate, or do basic editing of your photos...

However if you really need to work with your photos in a professional level its a poor choice, because you should not have to hunt for where your files are stored. Believe it or not you do need to have access to the files at some point.

I find it funny with comments like "Learn to use your Mac", really now. I would be curious to know how many professionals use iPhoto to manage all of their photos in a realistic level. The program is designed for a home user and nothing more. It follows Apples mind set on how Apple thinks you should use a computer and manage your photos. Yes some consider this a form of control if you really think about it. Granted if you have all the Apple hardware (iPhone, iPad, etc.) it follows the mind set superbly. However everyone has a workflow that works best for them and in a lot of cases Apples is not the ideal solution. Now from a home users perspective its works as designed, my wife sure does enjoys it..

Quote:

"Similarly, that Jpeg is not your photo, it's a container designed to hold that kind of data. iPhoto is all about the data and not about the container. So, regardless of where you choose to store the file, iPhoto will manage the photo, edit the photo, add metadata to the Photo but never touch the file. If you choose to export - unless you specifically choose to export the original - iPhoto will export the Photo into a new container - a new file containing the photo."

Regardless on how you describe what a jpeg is, it is the container that is your picture is stored in. Thus makes it important to protect the file. So regardless if you are using Time Machine or manually storing your files to other media formats. You will at some point need access to your files. BTW the files are stored in a hidden folder /Users/YourProfile/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Masters/

Ironically this folder is located in your Pictures Folder yet not readily accessible without doing some digging.

Now being a web designer I know if I had to use iPhoto to manage all my work I would go crazy because it just doesn’t do things as streamlined for me. However you get what you pay for and it is included with the OS so go figure. I sure don’t use Microsoft Paint to edit my artwork, yet it does have its usefulness at times.

Then there is the debate of Windows vs Apples; I enjoyed the comment about just installing Windows on the machine. Being a user of both worlds I can say there is some things Apple does better, yet I can say the same for Windows as well. To keep such a narrow mind set that Apple is superior in every way is so wrong. I for one find file management so much easier and robust in a windows world, yet I find Mac lacking. On the flip side I find Mac gestures a better way to navigate a operating system than how Windows works.

So in a nutshell no one but myself has really said in what capacity they are using the Mac and your perspective of the least useful option may not apply to the workflow that person uses. The key is to explain where the files are stored and let the user decided what they consider to be the best way.

Directly accessing the contents of the iPhoto library is not supported and doing it is dangerous. And change of any sort that you make to the content or structure of the iPhoto library can corrupt the library and cause data loss. And with iPhoto it is impossible to delete the original photo. IPhoto always keeps the original. If you are editing using any external editor then you must set it as the external editor. You must not ever directly access the library. That is making changes and does not work

In short there is never a reason to go directly into the iPhoto library

LN

I use Iphoto in the following way.

I always drag photos from my SD cards using Finder into "proper" folders under Pictures in the file structure. My iphoto never sees my SD card!

I then go into iphoto and "import into library". Iphoto then uses the folder names as "events" - so far so good.

If the folder has been imported before, because I have only added photos to the existing folder, iphoto decides annoyingly to create another event of the same name. I then highlight the two events, right click and hit Merge Events. BAck to one event = one real folder.

If I use iphoto to make small corrective edits, I always immediately Export the "Current" version back to the proper folder in the file system with a suffix. That way I don't have to worry about where the heck iphoto has stored the edited version.

If I use Photoshop I always do it outside iphoto and import the subsequent version as above.

If I get tired of the wasted space in the iphoto library I find it and delete it, then import the whole folder structure fresh into iphoto. Cooks the CPU but no harm done.

As you may guess I am ex Windows (aren't we all) and I absolutely hate the way iphoto, Aperture and Photoshop try to catalogue my versions in an obscure place that Finder has a job to find!

OK I am not a believer, sorry, but iphoto has some nice viewing capability it's just not going to take over my filing system.

By the way I unticked that Importing [] Copy to the iphoto library option in Advanced prefs.