Create Replacement Library - Start from Scratch?

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Level 1

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Create Replacement Library - Start from Scratch?

New user seeks guidance ... after reviewing forum threads and reading iPhoto6 instructional literature, it's obvious that I need to start my library over from scratch. (I am keenly aware that I can screw up the iPhoto software if I delete photos from behind the front door, so to speak).

All the photos are backed up on an external HD. I have only a 100 or so pictures now on my Mac MBP HD; some were imported through iPhoto 6.0.3 and some were just dragged directly into my home folder. So, while it's a small mess, it's an organizational mess nonetheless.

I want to start over and have every photo that makes it way to my MAC HD "enter" through iPhoto so that I don't have duplicates and is "tracked" by iPhoto. Can you suggest a safe procedure? And a second question, how should a picture be properly removed permanently from my system? Thanks, Jim F.

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.4.6), 15in; 2.16hz; 1gb RAM, 256mb VRAM; 100gb 7200 rpm HD

Posted on Jun 4, 2006 2:26 PM

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Answer 1

Old Toad

Level 10

215,316 points

Jun 4, 2006 4:09 PM in response to Jim F

Jim:

Since you have all of your photos on an external HD and so very few on the boot drive, I suggest you assemble those on the boot drive into one or more folders. If they are in your current iPhoto library then the originals should be located in folder in the iPhoto Library/Originals folder. Each roll has a folder there.

Once you have all of the photos safely in folders outside of iPhoto go ahead and delete the iPhoto Library folder.

Now launch iPhoto and create a new library. Then drag each folder of photos into iPhoto to create a roll for that folder. lf you rename the outside folders before importing the new roll will have the same name as that folder.

That's essentially it. To delete a photo from iPhoto you need to drag it to iPhoto's trash icon in the Source pane. Then go to iPhoto->Empty Trash menu option and empty the trash. It's all done within iPhoto.

That being said let me describe an new option in iPhoto for creating a library that uses alias files for each of the source files and doesn't copy the full file into the library. This way you can have your source files located on an external drive and just a small alias based library on the boot drive. There are a couple of caveats to this system. If the external drive is not mounted the only the thumbnail view of the unedited images and the full sized view of any edited images can be seen. You can add comments, labels and keywords but not move any images or use any function that requires the full sized image, slideshows, books, calendars, etc. Also any photo deleted from the library is not deleted from the source files. They have to be deleted manually from the Finder.

Tutorial #2 describes how to convert over to an alias system. Since you're starting from scratch it will be much easier. Just create an alias based library. Assemble your image files in a predetermined location (boot drive or external). Name the folders containing the files so the roll title will be informative, and import. Just a though. Good luck.

G5 Dual Core 2GHz, 2G RAM, 250G HD; G4 Dual 1Ghz, 1.5G RAM, 80G HD, Mac OS X (10.4.6) 22 LCD Display, 200G & 160G FW HDs, Canon S400, i850 & LIDE 50, Epson R200

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