Archiving old photos and iPhoto 9.5

Question

Archiving old photos and iPhoto 9.5

So,

The newest version of iPhoto has not only dropped the ability to burn old photos to CD and DVD, it's stopped supporting reading libraries that are set read-only.

Even worse, even if you do use the iPhoto Library Ugrader to convert a backup DVD to modern format, when you open in it in iPhoto, iPhoto will promply try to sync it to your iPad, your iPhone, PhotoStream and everything else.

SO HOW THE HECK AM I SUPPOSED TO ARCHIVE OLD PHOTOS?!?

This is ridiculous. Does anyone have any idea for a good process for archiving old photos in a way that they can still be accessed without worrying about them being "contaminated" with stuff from your photostream or other current sources?

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Mavericks (10.9), Mail.app

Posted on Dec 15, 2013 12:58 PM

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Answer 1

Old Toad

Level 10

207,439 points

Dec 15, 2013 1:05 PM in response to Michael Heinz

Export the original files of selected Events to corresponding folder on the Desktop and burn those folders to DVD. However, a better method, IMO, is to obtain an external hard drive, formatted OS X Extended (journaled) and copy the entire iPhoto Library to it. Then use a backup application that can do incremental backups to update the backup each day. One that I use for that is Synk Pro. ChronoSync is another that can do incremental backups.

Happy Holidays

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Answer 2

Dec 15, 2013 1:09 PM in response to Old Toad

Old Toad,

You missed what I said - I do export entire iPhoto Libraries. I've got iPhoto archives for every year going back to 1978 (I actually scanned old photos in and loaded them into iPhoto, obviously).

The problem is that when I open an old iPhoto library it immediately gets infected all the new "sharing" features - including pulling down images from PhotoStream, Facebook, et cetera - but if I make set the old libraries to "read only", iPhoto 9.5 will refuse to open them - which was not a problem with iPhoto 9.0!

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Answer 3

Dec 15, 2013 1:12 PM in response to Old Toad

There's also the problem that now I have to manually upgrade and convert each iPhoto Library because Library Upgrader doesn't support applescript or automator, won't convert multiple libraries at one pass and, for extra frosting, quits after it converts a single library, so you have to manually restart it each time...

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Answer 4

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,308 points

Dec 15, 2013 1:26 PM in response to Michael Heinz

You archive old libraries to HD's. Turn off Photostream, FB et al and nothing will be "infected".

You might be able to use an app like Keyboard Maestro to automate the upgrade procedure.

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Answer 5

Old Toad

Level 10

207,439 points

Dec 15, 2013 6:37 PM in response to Michael Heinz

When I open another library it doesn't import any Photo Stream photos unless I enable PS in that library. PS can be enabled in only one library. When a new library is opened one must consciously enable Photo Stream in that library. This is the window you get when you go to iCloud in a newly opened library:

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Answer 6

Dec 16, 2013 2:52 AM in response to Yer_Man

So, your solution is to remember to manually turn off all the sharing features before re-opening an old library?

Frankly, I don't think my wife is going to remember to do that every time she wants an old photo for scrapbooking.

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Answer 7

Dec 16, 2013 2:59 AM in response to Old Toad

It must be my imagination, then.

You're awfully defensive about this. It's a fairly simple issue: iPhoto used to allow re-only libraries, now it no longer does.

Given that archiving old photos is one of the major use cases for a cataloging tool like iphoto, this is quite an anti-feature and one that's cost me two days work so far and will apparently require me to completely abandon the tool in the future.

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Answer 8

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,308 points

Dec 16, 2013 3:04 AM in response to Michael Heinz

You're welcome.

Remember Michael, this forum is simply users talking to other users. The folks who are responding to you and trying to help you are volunteers, just ordinary folks who give of their time.

Here's the problem: you've invested heavily in a dying technology and along the way developed an overly complex archiving system predicated on that technology. You also, apparently, have a forgetful wife. The solution to your iPhoto problem is simple: Copy all the Libraries to a HD. Upgrade them. Merge them into one. Turn off any features you don't want. Have a robust back up system in place. That this is a lot of work is because you - not I or anybody else - invested heavily in a dying technology. Your wife's forgetfulness is not the fault of anybody here. Your tone is such now that I no longer have any further interest in assisting you.

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Answer 9

Dec 16, 2013 4:27 AM in response to Yer_Man

So, to sum up:

From the very beginning, you've tried to explain that this is my fault because, apparently I should have known in 2003 that Apple would kill of CD backups in 2013.

Moreover, your recommended solution is that I blame my wife and then export the photos in such a way as to strip off years of accumulated metadata such as tags, descriptions and ratings.

Yes, this is about users helping other users - what it's not about is you blaming me for using Apple products.

you do realize that you didn't have to argue, right? You could have left it for other people to offer their suggestions as to how they've solved the problem....

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Answer 10

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,308 points

Dec 16, 2013 5:31 AM in response to porkchop_d_clown

You archive old libraries to HD's. Turn off Photostream, FB et al and nothing will be "infected".

You might be able to use an app like Keyboard Maestro to automate the upgrade procedure.

My sole contribution to the thread prior to your sarcasm. It offers two solutions to your queries. No argument. I blamed you for nothing, I simply explained the problem you have and indeed offered a solution. Nowhere do I say that anything is your wife's fault, so the notion that I blamed her for anything is twaddle. You're the one that mentioned it.

I said nothign about exporting photos at all, and the solution I suggested woud preserve all the tags, descriptions and ratings. But then, if you weren't so busy being sacastic to people who are trying to help you, you might read what I said again:

The solution to your iPhoto problem is simple: Copy all the Libraries to a HD. Upgrade them. Merge them into one. Turn off any features you don't want. Have a robust back up system in place.

Export? Lose metadata? Not if you do it right.

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