How to import the old library of iPhoto in a new imac with aperture 3.4.4

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Level 1

9 points

How to import the old library of iPhoto in a new imac with aperture 3.4.4

Hi guys I'm a happy owner of a new 27-inch iMac. I previously had a G5 and I had my old iPhoto library on an external hard drive. Now I would like to import this Iphoto library in Aperture. I do not want to create duplicates and I would not want the photos to be saved on the internal hard disk but in my exterenal hard disk.

After importing the Iphoto library can I delete it from the external drive?

What procedure should I use to make this?

Thanks in advance for your help and answer!

Alessandro

iMac (27-inch, Late 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3)

Posted on May 18, 2013 2:56 PM

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Answer 1

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Yer_Man

Level 10

162,308 points

May 18, 2013 11:26 PM in response to nellaalex

Open this Library with iPhoto 11 on your new Mac. It will upgrade it.

Now Aperture can open the same Library.

Then Import the Library to merge it with your Aperture Library.

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Answer 2

léonie

Level 10

194,743 points

May 18, 2013 11:51 PM in response to nellaalex

After importing the Iphoto library can I delete it from the external drive?

What procedure should I use to make this?

In addition to Terence Devlin's advice just a few words of caution, since merging and upgrading libraries will be a major reconstruction of the libraries - better be safe than sorry:

Check your available free disk space. Merging libraries will need temporarily plenty of additional disk space, more than the size of the library that will be imported.
Before upgrading your iPhoto library, check, if your backup of the iPhoto Library is current. Don't merge the libraries without having a current backup of both libraries - your Aperture library and your iPhoto library.
Merging and upgrading libraries is safest, if both libraries do not have any inconsistencies and permission issues. Run the "Library First Aid Tools" on both to repair the database and to repair the permissions, before you do anything else. To launch the "First Aid Tools" hold down the key combination ⌥⌘, while double clicking the library in question.
After you imported the upgraded iPhoto library into your Aperture library, as Terence Devlin explained, check the result of your import carefully, if it is complete. There may be referenced images, that fail to import, or images synced from Photo Stream, Facebook, or something. Do not delete your old iPhoto Library, until you are sure, that every image has been transferred correctly and can be opened and edited.

Regards and Good Luck!

Léonie

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Answer 3

nellaalex Author

Level 1

9 points

May 21, 2013 3:01 PM in response to nellaalex

Hi guys sorry if I answer now but I have not much time. Thanks for your help and then I did the steps recommended by Terence but only once imported the library from the external HD I copied them back into the internal HD. I waited long to finish imported and then I moved them to the external disk using the relocation of the originals.

Now I have the originals on the external drive and previews on the internal HD.

I thought there was another easier method without copy pictures again, however, I came to the same result.

Thank you!

Alessandro

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