HJDS

Q: Where are my iphotos stored on my iMac?

I have iphoto 8.1.2 running on an imac with OSX 10.9. I am looking for where my photos and videos in iphoto are stored on my computer.  Finder doesn't find them unless they are also saved in the "documents", "downloads" or "pictures" folders.

 

Other threads say to click in iphoto on "file" and then on "reveal location", but it doesn't appear in my dropdown. Any advice?

 

HJDS

iPhoto '08, OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Dec 13, 2013 12:17 PM

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Q: Where are my iphotos stored on my iMac?

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  • by Terence Devlin,

    Terence Devlin Terence Devlin Oct 1, 2014 10:49 AM in response to PetroPete
    Level 10 (139,475 points)
    iLife
    Oct 1, 2014 10:49 AM in response to PetroPete
    but making it so you have to go through iPhoto to access your files. Which is exactly what so many Mac users do not want to do.

     

    But if you don't want to go through iPhoto to access your files why on earth are you using iPhoto? iPhoto is not compulsory. You don't have to use it. You can use any other management system you like. But that's very odd is to use iPhoto incorrectly, especially when the supported ways to access your photos are more efficient and faster.

     

    What you're suggesting will leave people roaming around inside the (man) sub-folders of the Masters folder, risking damaging their library and for what? You can get exactly the same result using the File -> Export command. Plus, that command give you far more options in terms of what you export, at what quality, how you name the files and so on.

     

    So really, what on earth is the point of going into the Library package? And if you want finder access to the files, why not use the Finder to manage them? Or run a referenced library?

  • by LarryHN,

    LarryHN LarryHN Oct 1, 2014 10:58 AM in response to PetroPete
    Level 10 (84,185 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Oct 1, 2014 10:58 AM in response to PetroPete

    PetroPete wrote:

     

    Exactly. Larry isn't answering the original question correctly but making it so you have to go through iPhoto to access your files. Which is exactly what so many Mac users do not want to do.

     

    This is how I access the folders that the files are stored in, as ridiculous as this is:

    Go to:

    Macintosh HD / Users / YourName / Pictures / iPhoto Library / Masters / …

    Right Click to "Show Package Contents"

    WRONG ANSWER  !

     

    This is not supported and is the incorrect way to access photos for many reasons including getting the wrong version and a very high probabl=ility of damaging the iPhoto library and losing data - you do what r you want - but DO NOT advise other to take dangerous actions - most people care about their photos and do not want to take actions that can cause their loss

     

    LN

  • by pixel-taker,

    pixel-taker pixel-taker Oct 1, 2014 9:10 PM in response to LarryHN
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 1, 2014 9:10 PM in response to LarryHN

    I really can't get a clear concise answer here?  Simple question:  Are what I see in iPhoto just thumbnails that point to the actual location on my Mac.  OR, are the pictures actually in BOTH places, full size. 

  • by LarryHN,

    LarryHN LarryHN Oct 1, 2014 10:02 PM in response to pixel-taker
    Level 10 (84,185 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Oct 1, 2014 10:02 PM in response to pixel-taker

    1 - threadjacking is confusing to you and others - it is best to start a new thread when you have a new question

     

    2 - is a database - each photo has an original which by default (and strongly recommended) is in the iPhoto library, a thumbnail for quick display which is in the iPhoto library and a preview for use by other programs which is also in the iPhoto library

     

    LN

  • by Terence Devlin,

    Terence Devlin Terence Devlin Oct 2, 2014 12:27 AM in response to pixel-taker
    Level 10 (139,475 points)
    iLife
    Oct 2, 2014 12:27 AM in response to pixel-taker

    Read the thread. It tells you both where you Photos are stored and how to access them.

     

    This:

     

    Are what I see in iPhoto just thumbnails that point to the actual location on my Mac.  OR, are the pictures actually in BOTH places, full size.

     

    What you see in the iPhoto Window are the thumbnails when viewed as thumbnails and the full size image when viewed as a single image. I have no idea what mean by "both places".

  • by pixel-taker,

    pixel-taker pixel-taker Oct 2, 2014 6:43 AM in response to Terence Devlin
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 2, 2014 6:43 AM in response to Terence Devlin

    What I meant by "both places":  Are the full size photos in IPhoto AND in a folder on my Mac, or is what I see on IPhoto just a thumbnail that points to the actual location of the photo on my Mac.  I'm a new Mac user, migrating from a PC, so I just have to ask questions that may seem simple to long-time Mac users.  How I got my photos into IPhoto was to drag and drop the individual photo folders from the larger folder that holds ALL my photos to the word "Albums" in IPhoto, so that is why I'm not sure if the original full-size photos are in IPhoto or just a thumbnail that points to the original location on the Mac.

  • by LarryHN,

    LarryHN LarryHN Oct 2, 2014 6:46 AM in response to pixel-taker
    Level 10 (84,185 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Oct 2, 2014 6:46 AM in response to pixel-taker

    and again

     

    1 - threadjacking is confusing to you and others - it is best to start a new thread when you have a new question


    2 - assuming default setting (you have NOT unchecked the default preference to "copy imported items to the iPhoto library" which you should not uncheck) then once photos are imported they are in iPhoto and the source photo can be deleted


    LN

  • by Terence Devlin,

    Terence Devlin Terence Devlin Oct 2, 2014 8:49 AM in response to pixel-taker
    Level 10 (139,475 points)
    iLife
    Oct 2, 2014 8:49 AM in response to pixel-taker

    By default, iPhoto copies the photos it imports into the iPhoto Library.

  • by pixel-taker,

    pixel-taker pixel-taker Oct 2, 2014 1:25 PM in response to LarryHN
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 2, 2014 1:25 PM in response to LarryHN

    Mr LarryHN, the title of this thread is "Where are my iPhotos stored on my Mac", so I thought this was the place to put the question.  You state the "default setting" - I don't even know where to look for the "default setting" for iPhoto.  As I said before I'm so  new to a Mac, that some of  the answers here may make perfect sense (or seem simple) to long-time users, but I'm starting at ground zero.

     

    And Mr. Devin, your answer seems to be opposite to Mr Larry HN, so I'm still confused.

  • by Terence Devlin,

    Terence Devlin Terence Devlin Oct 3, 2014 12:48 AM in response to pixel-taker
    Level 10 (139,475 points)
    iLife
    Oct 3, 2014 12:48 AM in response to pixel-taker
    assuming default setting

     

    and

     

    By default,

     

    Allowing that my prose is more pithy and elegant, they say the same thing.

     

    In other words, unless you made an explicit action to change the default setting, then your images are copied to the iPhoto Library package.

     

    You would make this change in the iPhoto Menu -> Preferences -> Advanced pane.

     

    Don't do it.

     

    For more on iPhoto and file management see this User Tip:

     

    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6361

  • by pixel-taker,

    pixel-taker pixel-taker Oct 3, 2014 1:23 PM in response to Terence Devlin
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 3, 2014 1:23 PM in response to Terence Devlin

    So, Mr. Devlin if I understand you correctly, those full size photos reside in two places; in the original folder on my desktop and in iPhoto also.  So if I delete the photos out of IPhoto (new app coming in January I've heard), they would still be intact in full size in the folder on my desktop.  Is this correct?

  • by Terence Devlin,

    Terence Devlin Terence Devlin Oct 3, 2014 3:47 PM in response to pixel-taker
    Level 10 (139,475 points)
    iLife
    Oct 3, 2014 3:47 PM in response to pixel-taker

    Correct. Though most people would do it the other way round - delete the version on the desktop. The new app will have a migration path from iPhoto. BTW there is no date for the arrival of the new app except 2015, there is no promise of January, just that it will be before December 31 2015.

  • by pixel-taker,

    pixel-taker pixel-taker Oct 3, 2014 4:51 PM in response to Terence Devlin
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 3, 2014 4:51 PM in response to Terence Devlin

    Thank you Mr. Devlin.  You have been very helpful.

  • by amayored,

    amayored amayored Oct 5, 2014 3:24 AM in response to HJDS
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Oct 5, 2014 3:24 AM in response to HJDS
  • by Keith Doherty3,

    Keith Doherty3 Keith Doherty3 Oct 5, 2014 4:03 AM in response to HJDS
    Level 4 (1,795 points)
    Oct 5, 2014 4:03 AM in response to HJDS

    Easest way to find the image is actually from within iPhoto itself.

     

    Just select any image within the main Photos library, mouse over to the File menu scroll down to reveal in finder and a further pull out menu is presented with choice of original or modified.

     

    Click on the one you want to see and a finder window opens at the exact location.

     

    You can then copy the file to another location = DO NOT MOVE as this will break the iPhoto symbolic link !

     

    iPhoto stores two copies of the image needed to work both the original and thumbnail plus a further copy of any edit.

    This ensures the original is never destroyed.

     

    IF you want to share images the correct and safe way to do this is use the export to function from within iPhoto.

     

    You can export from events, photos or faces libraries , simply highlight the images you want to export (Copy/Move),

     

    Select export from the File Menu and a panel of options are presented select the ones you want -you can even select web compatible files

     

    Click the export button and a Finder window opens allowing you to choose where you want to copy the files to.

     

    I find it easiest to choose the desktop and to create a new folder there to drop the images into.

     

    The iPhoto images remain intact and these copies can be manipulated burned to disc or thumb drive or opened/imported into another app whilst retaining the iTunes library and integrity.

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