Removing images from desktop background (iPhoto Selection)

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Level 1

125 points

Removing images from desktop background (iPhoto Selection)

Hi gang, I have added some pictures to use as my desktop background using iPhoto 6's share to desktop feature from the share menu and it worked great. My only question is now, how to I remove them when I don't want them to be readily available as a desktop background? The only way I have found it to go into the iPhoto Library folder and remove the aliases from iPhoto selection, is this the best way to do it? I don't like to modify the contents folder.I feel like I am missing something obvious. Pardon me in advance if I am asking a question with an obvious answer.

power mac dual 2.7 Mac OS X (10.4.6) uad-1 + MOTU Interface

Posted on Jun 25, 2006 2:24 PM

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Answer 1

PhillyPhan

Level 5

5,440 points

Jun 25, 2006 2:33 PM in response to Scary Larry

As far as I'm aware, your solution is the only one. That being said, I always grimace when anyone messes with the innards of the library. My suggestion is to copy the library to a safe place, such as a CD or DVD and then remove the aliases. If nothing bad happens, you're home free. Otherwise, you can always copy the unmodified library back where it belongs.

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Answer 2

Old Toad

Level 10

215,526 points

Jun 25, 2006 4:26 PM in response to Scary Larry

SL:

Welcome to the Apple Discussions. DO NOT delete any alias files or any other files from the iPhoto Library. Setting the desktop picture only edits the Desktop preference file and put a link to the photo to use. So just open the System/Desktop & Screen Saver Preference pane and select a different desktop picture to use or pick a different one in iPhoto.

Do you Twango?

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Answer 3

PhillyPhan

Level 5

5,440 points

Jun 25, 2006 7:02 PM in response to Old Toad

Hi Toad,

I was going to give the same answer that you did but after rereading the original post, I interpreted it as a desire to prevent others from going into system prefs and reselecting the iPhoto photo.

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Answer 4

Old Toad

Level 10

215,526 points

Jun 25, 2006 7:31 PM in response to PhillyPhan

I see now. The desktop selections get placed in a folder titled iPhoto Selection. It wasn't there the last time I used iPhoto to select a desktop picture because I selected only one photo. But this time I selected multiple photos and that triggered the folder.

Yes, SL can either delete just those alias files or the entire iPhoto Selection folder as it gets recreated when you select multiple photos and click on the Desktop button.

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Answer 5

Scary Larry Author

Level 1

125 points

Jun 25, 2006 8:55 PM in response to Old Toad

Thanks, that is what I will do. I was following a help menu about setting an album as a screen saver and ended up with an entire album for my iPhoto Selection desktop images, and I was having to scroll through it to find the one image I use for my desktop and that is how I ended up learning about the alias folder in there, I just cleared it out and everything is fine so far FYI, I rebuilt and backed up the Library just in case.

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Answer 6

Old Toad

Level 10

215,526 points

Jun 25, 2006 9:58 PM in response to Scary Larry

That's what I love about these forums. I'm learning something new every day!

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Answer 7

Sep 16, 2006 4:47 PM in response to Scary Larry

Thanks, that is what I will do. I was following a
help menu about setting an album as a screen saver
and ended up with an entire album for my iPhoto
Selection desktop images, and I was having to scroll
through it to find the one image I use for my desktop
and that is how I ended up learning about the alias
folder in there, I just cleared it out and everything
is fine so far FYI, I rebuilt and backed up the
Library just in case.

I have deleted the iPhoto Selection folder but still see every single one of my iPhoto albums listed under both the Desktop and Screen Saver lists. How does one remove them from the list(s)?

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Answer 8

Sep 16, 2006 5:12 PM in response to Scary Larry

I have deleted the iPhoto Selection folder but still see every single one of my iPhoto albums listed under both the Desktop and Screen Saver lists. How does one remove them from the list(s)?

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Answer 9

Scary Larry Author

Level 1

125 points

Sep 16, 2006 10:42 PM in response to Jim Thomas1

When I remove an album from iPhoto it also removes itself from the screen saver preference pane, is this not working for you? If not, try updating to the latest. I have iPhoto 6.0.4 and Mac OS X 10.4.7. First try restarting your computer and check again. You might have to delete your caches folder ~/Library/Caches and then restart and check again.

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Answer 10

Sep 17, 2006 8:59 PM in response to Scary Larry

When I remove an album from iPhoto it also removes
itself from the screen saver preference pane, is this
not working for you? If not, try updating to the
latest. I have iPhoto 6.0.4 and Mac OS X 10.4.7.
First try restarting your computer and check again.
You might have to delete your caches folder
~/Library/Caches and then restart and check again.

Thanks Larry. All 4,000 of my photos have been organized into nearly 100 albums. To remove an album from iPhoto would mean reorganizing my entire photo library. Is there no other way to remove them from the screen saver/desktop lists? I too amy using iPhoto 6.0.4 and OS X 10.4.7. I tried the other things you suggested (deleting the Caches folders - both in the User and main Libraries) to no avail.

Any ideas? Thanks very much for your help.

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Answer 11

Scary Larry Author

Level 1

125 points

Sep 18, 2006 6:03 AM in response to Jim Thomas1

Desktop and Screen Saver Preferences will automatically show all of your albums, there is no way that I know of to avoid this. If you organize your photos using keywords instead of albums then maybe you can have less albums, but I don't know of any other way to make desktop and screen saver preferences not show albums from iPhoto. Btw.. there is no reason to delete the main library cache for this type of issue, this information is not stored in that cache. I think it is stored somewhere in ~/Library/Preferences (Preferences on the user library folder) in one of the system preferences or screen saver preference list files. Hope this info helps.

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Answer 12

Sep 18, 2006 8:32 PM in response to Scary Larry

Thanks again Larry. I guess that I will just live with a 100 or so albums listed in my screensaver and desktop lists. It doesn't hurt anything; I am just so used to being able to control things more. And I sort of knew that I didn't need to trash both caches - I just adopted one of those unthinking American "if one is good, two must be better" sort of approaches. Ha. Anyway, I appreciate your help. Jim Thomas.

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