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Best way to archive RAW Images and keep JPG?

Hello everyone,


I have what I believe to be a fairly simple question. My iPhoto library, comprised mainly of RAW images, is taking up a majority of my MacBook's 500GB storage capacity, and I want to fix this. I want to keep all the photos in my library accessible on my mac, but they do not necessarily need to be in RAW format.


My thought:

1) Archive my entire iPhoto library in original format (RAW) to an external hard drive

2) Convert the MacBook's iPhoto library to JPG format, freeing up a considerable amount of space on my hard drive


My only concern is the safety of my original (RAW) library. The last thing I want to do is lose those minimally processed images. Is it safe/possible to export an entire library to an external hard drive? If I do that, will I be able to hook up that hard drive and view the images under iPhoto? Is there a simple way to convert an entire library to JPG? Is there a better way to accomplish my goal of freeing space?


Thanks in advance for any advice/help y'all can provide.


Best,

Steven

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.7), 15in Mid-2010 Model

Posted on Nov 13, 2013 11:52 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Nov 13, 2013 12:06 PM

You won't be be "exporting" a library, just moving it:


Make sure the drive is formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled)


1. Quit iPhoto


2. Copy the iPhoto Library from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.


That's the Library with the Raws moved.


3. To view that Library: Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library'


There is no way to "convert" a library. The best you can do is export the images from the Library as Jpegs to folders in the Finder. Trash the Library. Make a new one. Then import the images from the folders. A lot of work, and a job that will need to be repeated as you add images.


This User Tip


https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4921


has details of the options in the Export dialogue.



It might be time to upgrade to Aperture.


With Aperture you can have your Library on the internal disk but store the Raws on the External. You'll still be able to view and share your images without the external connected if you choose to generate previews. While this is theoretically possible with iPhoto, it lacks the tools to manage the referenced images properly.


Regards



TD

4 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Nov 13, 2013 12:06 PM in response to steven.touchton

You won't be be "exporting" a library, just moving it:


Make sure the drive is formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled)


1. Quit iPhoto


2. Copy the iPhoto Library from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.


That's the Library with the Raws moved.


3. To view that Library: Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library'


There is no way to "convert" a library. The best you can do is export the images from the Library as Jpegs to folders in the Finder. Trash the Library. Make a new one. Then import the images from the folders. A lot of work, and a job that will need to be repeated as you add images.


This User Tip


https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4921


has details of the options in the Export dialogue.



It might be time to upgrade to Aperture.


With Aperture you can have your Library on the internal disk but store the Raws on the External. You'll still be able to view and share your images without the external connected if you choose to generate previews. While this is theoretically possible with iPhoto, it lacks the tools to manage the referenced images properly.


Regards



TD

Nov 13, 2013 1:50 PM in response to Yer_Man

Awesome response. Exactly what I'm trying to do, and very descriptive User Tip. Thanks, Terence. It may be taboo to ask on an Apple Support thread, but one follow up question for you: what are your thoughts on Lightroom vs Aperture? I understand Aperture is lagging as far as an update goes, and Lightroom is (by most accounts) an excellent program. Thoughts? Is Lightroom also able to store the library on the internal disk with RAWs on the external?

Nov 13, 2013 3:40 PM in response to steven.touchton

Lightroom v Aperture is like Canon v Nikon, Macs v Windows and so on.


I use Aperture and it does everthing I want. But I'm an hobbyist not a pro. In my opinion - and that's worth exactly the paper it's written on - LR is a very capable app that has some extra bells and whistles that I won't use. It's not as good a Media Manager as Aperture, in fact it's quite poor at that end and - again, my opinion only - the interface and workflow are poorly thought out. It doesn't have the OS integration of iPhoto and Aperture. It's also twice the price of Aperture. I don't believe it's twice the value. And, of course, it's just about the only Adobe app that's not subscription based, at least for now, but we've no idea how that will go in the future. That said, if there is a feature that it has that Aperture lacks that you require, then it's an easy decision. I'm sure that you can also store the Raws off disk but you'd need to ask on a LR forum for more details.

Best way to archive RAW Images and keep JPG?

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