Managing picture library from external drives

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Level 1

6 points

Managing picture library from external drives

Hi everyone.

I have just received my first Mac computer (iMac 27" 3.2) and I want to use external drives to store pictures rather than filling up the iMacs internal drive. If I use Aperature to manage photos can I, for example, set everything up to import from CF Cards to the external and manage all pictures in this manner?

With my PCs in the past I filled the internal too fast as I shoot and edit a great deal of work.

I'd rather manage all pictures through external drives.

What's the feasibility of doing all this and do you have any recommendation s for the best type if external drives to use?

This is a big learning curve coming from the mind numbing PCs that kept crashing every time Windows updated... Glad I'm here now.

Thanks,

Gordy.

iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4)

Posted on Jul 27, 2013 10:22 AM

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Answer 1

Jul 27, 2013 9:27 PM in response to Gordypix

One of those areas where different folks do it many different ways. Following is my own process but no claim it's the best for anybody else, just works for me.

I have an OWC FireWire docking unit and put my original images on "bare" 1 TB SATA drives. I use a CF card reader connected to my 27" iMac to copy the photos to folders in identical databases on three different drives. I use a project/chronological structure. Lots of other ways to do it.

Then I import the images into Aperture from one of the drives I consider a "master" using the "import folders as projects" and leaving the files in their original location. And then go on from there to edit,export, etc.

I backup the Aperture library on the iMac, not nearly as often as I should, by copying it via Finder to various places. One of those is a second iMac which allows me to work in Aperture from that machine too from the SATA drives.

Have been doing this for many years. My file sizes for the image originals are close to 500 GB. No problems with Aperture performance.

Recommend you get ideas from other folks who do it differently and then come up with your own process.

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Answer 2

Gordypix Author

Level 1

6 points

Jul 29, 2013 7:26 AM in response to stumbleone

Thanks for your reply.

As you suggest, I will certainly be gathering ideas from others too.

Reagrds,

gordy.

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Answer 3

Jul 29, 2013 8:15 AM in response to Gordypix

Hi Gordy.

Gordypix wrote:

Hi everyone.

I have just received my first Mac computer (iMac 27" 3.2) and I want to use external drives to store pictures rather than filling up the iMacs internal drive. If I use Aperature to manage photos can I, for example, set everything up to import from CF Cards to the external and manage all pictures in this manner.

Yes. Keep it simply until you are comfortable: just put your Aperture Library on an external drive directly mounted to your system (and formatted "OS X extended (Journaled)"). Buy external drives in triplicate: one for your working copy, one for your on-site back-up, and one for your off-site backup. (Yes, this generates a big gulp in both your throat and your wallet. I have thousands of hours of labor in my Libraries. The cost of secure back-up is worth it to me.) Use the fastest drives your machine supports (cutting corners here is, IME, a false economy in the long run). For your machine that is probably USB-3.

Once you are comfortable with your Mac and with Aperture, you can look into putting your Library on your system drive, and storing your Image's "referenced Originals" on your external drive(s). Doing so now, though, strikes me as too much too soon.

HTH,

--Kirby.

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