iPhoto folders vs albums

You don't need to create folders. Folders are just a way to group albums and keep the album list in the sidebar a bit shorter.

That is you get this: instead of this:

It's just an organizational tool. Some use it to duplicate the folder hierachy they used to have on their PCs:

OT

In short - albums hold photos - folder hold albums or other folders

LN

Could you just skip albums altogether and just use folders for everything? It seems a bit confusing and needleessly complicated. Why not just put folders inside folders and not have to think about "is this an album or a folder I need here"? I'm coming from a PC to Mac though, so that may be clouding my view. Thanks, Richard

No you can't.

You're thinking in terms of files. iPhoto is about Photos and photos go in... Albums.

Thanks, Terence. I guess I kind of keep thinking just because it says "i" that everything on a Mac is one big program all integrated completely. But iPhoto is its own program just as if I was using Picasa or whatever. I think for what I am doing I may want to use Finder and files. Thanks, again.

could this help you ?

( taken from Ken Watson's "All about digital photos", at http://www.rideau-info.com/photos/index.html )

would

XnViewMP (Window/Linux/mac) www.xnview.com, be an alternative ?

Richard B Miller Jr wrote:

Could you just skip albums altogether and just use folders for everything? It seems a bit confusing and needleessly complicated. Why not just put folders inside folders and not have to think about "is this an album or a folder I need here"? I'm coming from a PC to Mac though, so that may be clouding my view. Thanks, Richard

No - since folder can not hold photos

albums hold photos - folder hold albums or other folders

LN

a way to use folders would be to put all your photos in "Documents" ...

Not much use to you when using folders in iPhoto, now is it?

this was in response to richard's:

Could you just skip albums altogether and just use folders for everything ?

He was asking in the context of iPhoto. You're suggesting he uses the Finder (for what?) and in a way that will make not an iota of difference to how images are displayed in iPhoto.

clodo9 wrote:

a way to use folders would be to put all your photos in "Documents" ...

That is NOT using iPhoto and at best has no effect on iPhoto and at worst would lead one to move photos around within the iPhoto library thereby destroying their library

The correct answer is that n iPhtoo (the context of the quetion) folders simply can not hold photos - you make albums of photos and then make folder to hold albums for organization

LN

richard was NOT asking in the context of iphoto :

I think for what I am doing I may want to use Finder and files.

i repeat what i said: to newcomers to iphoto: give yourself a few weeks ( or months ) of practicing iphoto ;

it is sometimes not as intuitive as some might want us to believe...

We have ample proof of this on this forum...

Actually the question is totally in the context of using iPhoto

iPhoto folders vs albums

His later comment is trying to understand how iPhoeo works - and yoru suggestion is not at all helpful and as I pointed out may lead to an inexperianced user destroying their iPhoto library

Your answer is confusing and dangerous

the answer for using iPhoto as the OP requested is

That is NOT using iPhoto and at best has no effect on iPhoto and at worst would lead one to move photos around within the iPhoto library thereby destroying their library

The correct answer is that in iPhtoo (the context of the question) folders simply can not hold photos - you make albums of photos and then make folder to hold albums for organization

Arguing and posting poor, misleading or incorrect suggestions is really not a good idea and helps no one

LN

I need many more layers of subfolders. How to do that? i.e. sub folder, sub sub folder, sub,sub, sub folder etc..

This is not intuitive, that's why it takes months to figure out?

In Win everything goes into files which is how I have my business office arranged; I know intuitively where everything is.