Moving my photo's from my MAC to a NAS using iPhoto?

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Moving my photo's from my MAC to a NAS using iPhoto?

I would like to move my photos in iPhoto to my NAS.

Some state simply drag and drop it then point iPhoto to the new Location

quit iPhoto and drag the iPhoto library intact as a single entity to the external drive - depress the option key and launch iPhoto using the "select library" option to point to the new location on the external drive

Some say it isn't possible.

Unless the NAS is formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) you will not be able to run the iPhoto library on it

I am not particularly fussed about other users seeing it, I just want it off my iMac? I am using iphoto 9.5.1. its a synology DS213J NAS.

thanks,

Posted on Jan 4, 2014 12:12 AM

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Answer 1

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Yer_Man

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Jan 4, 2014 12:34 AM in response to wISE_ROB

It's really simple: You can't use a NAS for iPhoto or Aperture Libraries. You can't because a: the disk format is unsuitable and risks serious library corruption and b: because accessing either library over a network risks very poor pefromance and dataloss.

If you want to move your Library to an external then use a locally connected USB/Firewire/Thunderbolt disk formatted Mac OS Extended, Journaled.

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Answer 2

wISE_ROB Author

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Jan 4, 2014 3:07 AM in response to Yer_Man

Thank you. Bit dissapointed, I ought to do more research before buying!

Are there any alternatives to iphoto where I could use the NAS for the photo library?

Thank you.

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Answer 3

LarryHN

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Jan 4, 2014 8:11 AM in response to wISE_ROB

probably - that really is beyond the scope of this iPhoto support forum

try asking on a general photo forum or DAM (Digital Asset Management) - there are many -

With Aperture you can have photos on an NAS and the library on your Mac referencing the photos on the NAS which may be enough for you - no idea what you really want to accomplish

LN

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Answer 4

wISE_ROB Author

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Jan 4, 2014 8:16 AM in response to LarryHN

Thank you.

I simply (I think it is simple) want to have my photo's stored on the NAS (as opposed to my imac).

I want to be able to use my MAC to view the photos on the NAS and add further photos as and when from my camera.

I need some software to do this (as iphoto won't). What sorftware would do the job?

Does that make sense?

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Answer 5

LarryHN

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Jan 4, 2014 8:19 AM in response to wISE_ROB

yes

that really is beyond the scope of this iPhoto support forum

try asking on a general photo forum or DAM (Digital Asset Management) - there are many -

and

With Aperture you can have photos on an NAS and the library on your Mac referencing the photos on the NAS which may be enough for you

for details on Aperature there is an Aperture forum

LN

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Answer 6

Yer_Man

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Jan 4, 2014 8:27 AM in response to wISE_ROB

That sounds like a job that Aperture is well up to.

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Answer 7

wISE_ROB Author

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Jan 5, 2014 3:18 AM in response to Yer_Man

for anyone else reading this, this is what I was told in the other forum.

iPhoto is problematic with referenced original files, because iphoto has no tools to recover from broken references, but Aperture has been designed to handle referenced images and libraries distributed across several drives well and has tools to fix broken references.

But both, iPhoto and Aperture, are not network databases.

Apple says: Use locally mounted Mac OS X Extended volumes for your Aperture library

Putting your originals on a network storage will make Aperture slower, and you are risking library corruption by transmission errors. The safest and option, and the solution with the quickest access to your original files will be a directly connected drive.

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Answer 8

LarryHN

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Jan 5, 2014 8:15 AM in response to wISE_ROB

again

With Aperture you can have photos on an NAS and the library on your Mac referencing the photos on the NAS which may be enough for you - no idea what you really want to accomplish

LN

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Answer 9

wISE_ROB Author

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Jan 6, 2014 1:27 AM in response to LarryHN

LN thank you for your assistance. Sorry if I appear a bit dim.

I have done much reading over the last 24 hours. I have also had a play around with Aperture, the NAS and moving pictures around.

It seems I haven't been very clear in what I want to do. I have moved on from my original thought as clearly that won't work. Therefore one final question (s).

For exmaple, If I have 100 new pictures that I import to Aperture/ipoto, I edit, delete and am left with 75 I want to keep, some of which I will print etc. I am not interested in face recognition or placement of the picture, I simply want to keep those 75 pictures in a file name for example 'xmas 2013'. Could I export that folder to the NAS and as and when I want to view it do so via the machine I am viewing it ons standard photo viewer i.e. when I open a picture on my MAC it does so with 'preview' or via plex etc. Could I then delete that file from iphoto on my MAC, as there will be a copy on the NAS? I know I can do it, but would I have the same potential problems as described above?

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Answer 10

Yer_Man

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Jan 6, 2014 1:40 AM in response to wISE_ROB

That will work.

Of course, doing that rather negates the purpose of apps like iPhoto and Aperture - non-destructive editing and photo management. The workflow you describe uses neither. Why not just use a simple photo editor?

That said, the linked article says that images stored in FAT drives may go offline. Not that they will. Most NAS devices are formatted Ext4. I've not seen any reports of poor performance with the Masters stored on a NAS,a nd as the masters are never touched, I'm not sure where the risk of corruption lies.

Again, I stress, that's with the Library on an OS X Extended disk and the masters stored remotely on a NAS. In fact, one of the advertised benefits of Aperture is the ability to use the app without the masters available - except for editing.

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Answer 11

wISE_ROB Author

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Jan 6, 2014 1:46 AM in response to Yer_Man

Again, I stress, that's with the Library on an OS X Extended disk and the masters stored remotely on a NAS. In fact, one of the advertised benefits of Aperture is the ability to use the app without the masters available - except for editing.

Thanks - think i need to go and read about the above as that may do what i want (sorry if you have already told me that and I have missed it)

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