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Q: Using Aperture 3 with library on a shared drive

My Aperture library has become too big for my MacBook Pro 13 and I want to move it onto a 2 Tb G-RAID connected by Firewire 800 to my iMac.  I hope to keep my older projects (perhaps 90% of my work) in a library on this external drive and use them with Aperture 3 on my MacBook Pro.  The iMac does not have a copy of Aperture installed (not sure if that's relevant, but there it is).  At the same time I hope to keep a few active projects in a library on my MBP's local drive.  As work demands, I hope to import and export projects from the two libraries, merging them in and out as needed.  I use Time Machine on both Macs to back up their data to a single Time Capsule.

 

The two Macs seem to have no problem back up their Time Machine data to the single Time Capsule.  I don't think Time Machine have any problem backing up the data on that external drive, but is my scenario a practical approach to managing Aperture libraries if I want most of my projects in one place and a few active projects going with me on my MBP?  Thanks.

Posted on Jun 27, 2012 1:10 PM

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Q: Using Aperture 3 with library on a shared drive

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  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Jun 27, 2012 1:20 PM in response to VResor
    Level 10 (108,906 points)
    iCloud
    Jun 27, 2012 1:20 PM in response to VResor

    The Aperture Library needs to be on a locally connected volume - locally connected to the mac that is running Aperture, see this knowledge base article:

         Use locally mounted Mac OS X Extended volumes for your Aperture library

     

    To free disk  space on your MBP you might consider to turn your Aperture library into a referenced library and to relocate most of the master image files (originals) to your raid, but keep the Aperture library on the MBP.

     

    If you build high quality previews you will be able to work with your library, even if the volume with the masters is offline-

     

    Regards

    Léonie

  • by VResor,

    VResor VResor Jun 29, 2012 1:18 PM in response to léonie
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 29, 2012 1:18 PM in response to léonie

    Thanks leonie. Aperture's inability to access networked drives seems to be a fatal flaw in my approach.  Whether I keep a "main" library either on the larger 2 Tb drive in my iMac or on an external drive attached to my iMac, I would not be able to access it across my network, true?  That would suggest I need to have Aperture installed on my iMac as well as my MBP.  Am I missing something?

     

    Perhaps I would be better off keeping the large "main" library on an external drive attached to my MBP?  Since I travel to and from work daily with the MacBook, the external drive containing the main library would spend most of the time disconnected and powered down at home.  See any problem with that?

  • by léonie,

    léonie léonie Jun 29, 2012 1:34 PM in response to VResor
    Level 10 (108,906 points)
    iCloud
    Jun 29, 2012 1:34 PM in response to VResor

    One solution, if you want your Aperture Library on your MBP, would be to use a referenced library. Relocate a part of your originals (master image files) to your external drive, but keep the library on your MBP. If you let Aperture build previews, you can still work with the images, tag them with meta data, and share them to the Media Browser, even when the external drive is not connected. Only adjustments are not possible, if the master/original is not available.

     

    To use your library on your iMac connect the MBP in target disk mode to your iMac.

     

    Regards

    Léonie