Why does my Aperture library show up as "Other" in About This Mac?

The Aperture library is a library package and not an image file, so Spotlight will not show the library as an image but as "other". Since the unified library format has been introduced, iPhoto images will not be shown in Spotlight either.

The usual way to search for images managed by Aperture should be to use the elaborate search tools provided by Aperture - smart searches and smart albums or the Media Browser to access them from applications that can browse iPhoto and Aperture libraries, like Mail, Preview, iMovie, ...

If you want Spotlight to be able to the original image files of your Aperture images, convert your Aperture library into a referenced library (see: Aperture 3 User Manual: Working with Referenced Images). This way, the original image files will be stored in a folder outside the package and Spotlight or Find will see them. Only, if you decide to do that, remember that it it not save to manipulate the original image files in any other way than using Aperture to do this - don't accidentally delete them, move them, rename them, edit them. Referencing is meant as a method to be able to store the bulk of your images on external drives, not to give access to the original image files.

Also, Spotlight will never be able to show you your edited versions, since they do not exist as rendered image files until you export or share them. So Spotlight can only show the originals.

Regards

Léonie

Not to belittle your concern but why are you concern where the Aperture library shows up in that display. It has no bearing on anything important to the machine.

You could get the originals to show up in the photos part of the display by making them referenced but the rest of the Aperture library will probably always show up as other.

If you explain the reason you are worried about htis perhaps we can show you another way to accomplish your goals.

regards

it's the way that window is supposed to work and I would like it to work right.

What window are you referring to , the graphical display in About this Mac? That display is at best a very rough indication of what is what on your system. It's a bit of GUI sugar someone thought would look nice. It has no bearing on anything concerning your system. No decisions are made off that data.

But you can try Aperture->Provide Aperture Feedback. As I wrote moving the originals out of the Aperture library will most likely be the only way to get them to be listed in that particular display.

regards

Define "photos".

Aperture uses many files. "Photos" can refer to your Originals (which can be stored in or not in your Library), the text file Versions, and to your Previews. Previews can exist or not, and can be any size. And then, as Frank points out, there are all the other files Aperture uses, without which your photos cannot be displayed -- do you want them included in the "Photos" category?

Disk Sweeper is an excellent, free, tool to use to examine the size of folders and files.

Disk Sweeper is an excellent, free, tool to use to examine the size of folders and files.

OmnDiskSweeper is another, it's the one I use.

Same program 🙂 . I'm going to out on a limb here and declare it "Highly recommended!".

I'm going to out on a limb here and declare it "Highly recommended!".

OmnDiskSweeper is the one I use too. What's great about it, is that it does not actually sweep your drive, but provides an inventory and will help you decide, what to trash. Other "cleaners" may recklessly clean too much.

You left off an Omni, should have followed you link 😊