Do I need to get rid of iPhoto for storing/accessing photos on wifi network?

Question

Level 1

0 points

Do I need to get rid of iPhoto for storing/accessing photos on wifi network?

My wife is a food blogger and takes 1000s of pictures a week. Our iPhoto library is close to 400gbs. I just converted her MacBook to an SSD to improve performance and the plan is to just store the most recent month's photos on the MacBook and put the rest on an NAS. We previously tried a USB hard drive to do this and it was much too frustrating for 2 reasons. One, we back up everything via crashplan so it was a pain to always make sure it was plugged into her MB as she would carry it around from the office, living room, kitchen, etc. We also have 3 young boys so portable hard drives plugged into a laptop that is always at arms reach is a recipe for disaster. (Already had one ruined because of that) So we need some sort of wireless option. We understand it may be slower, but we won't access those files very often so it's not a huge deal. Everything I've read about various NASs (Synology, My Cloud, etc.) all say they don't work too well with IPhoto/Apeture. (Currently use iPhoto) So any recommendations on better options? I want something fairly simple for her. What about transitioning to Lightroom or non-Apple to allow easier remote storage and access? Anyone have any success with wireless remote storage/access of iPhoto?

Thanks!

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jan 13, 2014 7:49 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

LarryHN

Level 10

106,110 points

Jan 13, 2014 8:14 AM in response to brandonb2222

The problem with wireless is not iPhoto nor is is it speed (although speed is an issue) - it is reliability of the wireless signal and the possibility (probabilty) that some glitch will occur wile editing or importing photos nad will corrupt your photos

and the iPhoto library can not be on a NAS

So switching to a different product will allow NAS use for your library of photos - but ti will not avoid the issue of wireless issues

In your case the reliability may not be an issue if you are pretty much only looking at older photos not imporing and editing

LN

Reply

Answer 2

brandonb2222 Author

Level 1

0 points

Jan 14, 2014 11:35 AM in response to LarryHN

So if the main concern is reliability, wouldn't a RAID setup plus online backup via crashplan protect against that? If something happens to the signal while editing a library that's on the drive and it somehow corrupts the library, we'll have another drive as a backup. And if that drive goes out, you always have your online backup? Seems like avoiding NAS for photo storage is a bit of an ultra-conservative move as long you've properly protected yourself with backups/redundancy.

Reply

Answer 3

LarryHN

Level 10

106,110 points

Jan 14, 2014 11:54 AM in response to brandonb2222

No - RAID can address disk reliability - iut has no effect on wireless dropouts that can damage libraries

and avoiding a NAS is important since the iPhoto library can not operate on a NAS - - it must be on a volume formatted Mac OS extended (journaled)

If you want your photos on a NAS you need to use a different program - Aperture can do that by referenceing the photos on the NAS - so can many other programs - iPhoto can not successfully

LN

Reply

Answer 4

brandonb2222 Author

Level 1

0 points

Jan 14, 2014 12:04 PM in response to LarryHN

We're planning to move to Aperture if that makes a difference. I'm looking at either a Synology DS212J or just an Airport Extreme + USB hard drive, both of those are technically able to house the Aperture libary for our needs. Right?

Thanks!

Reply

Answer 5

LarryHN

Level 10

106,110 points

Jan 14, 2014 12:13 PM in response to brandonb2222

No idea - if they are formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) then yes - if they are not then no - Note this has become a rurring theme in this theread - the iphoto library must always be on a volume formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) I believe tha tis the fifth time I've stated that - the drive brand does not matter - it is only the format that matters - and using a USB drive on AirPort extreme is NOT a NAS - it is an external hard drive - and the recommendation I've made several times in this thread not to access yoru iPhoto library via WiFi is still in place

You do what you wnat - but at your own risk

LN

Reply

Answer 6

brandonb2222 Author

Level 1

0 points

Jan 14, 2014 12:32 PM in response to LarryHN

Of course it will be formatted Mac OS extended (journaled), I understand that. I just asked if an NAS or airplay device are technically able to house the Aperture library.

What I find interesting is that both the Apple Genuises and the Apple Business Support advisor I talked to both said that our photo library could be housed on an NAS or remote storage (airdrive).

Why would Synology use storing Aperture libraries as a testimonimal if it was risky?

“I have a DS411j and use it as an essential part of my workflow. I import photos to my macbook air in Aperture and then export the new project as a library. Since the macbook air has limited storage having the Synology allows me to shoot more and store around 400gb of photos as separate libraries that I can easily access when I need.”

http://www.synology.com/en-us/events/2013_us_Photography_testimonial

Reply

Answer 7

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,308 points

Jan 14, 2014 12:35 PM in response to brandonb2222

We're planning to move to Aperture if that makes a difference. I'm looking at either a Synology DS212J or just an Airport Extreme + USB hard drive, both of those are technically able to house the Aperture libary for our needs. Right?

Unfortunately no. Like iPhoto the Aperture Library needs to be on a disk formatted Mac OS X Journaled and like iPhoto it should not be on a networked but directly connected to the machine.

The people you're talking to are not up to speed.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3252

Reply

Answer 8

brandonb2222 Author

Level 1

0 points

Jan 14, 2014 12:36 PM in response to Yer_Man

Ok, so not for the Synology, but for an external HD connected to the Aiport Extreme you can do Mac OS X Journaled.

Reply

Answer 9

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,308 points

Jan 14, 2014 12:38 PM in response to brandonb2222

Perhaps you need to read the linked article, especially this part:

Also, it is strongly recommended that the Aperture library be stored on a locally mounted hard drive. Storing the Aperture library on a network share can also lead to poor performance, data corruption, or data loss.

Reply

Answer 10

LarryHN

Level 10

106,110 points

Jan 14, 2014 12:45 PM in response to brandonb2222

Again -- what you are doing will not work

but again

You do what you want - but at your own risk

You ask - you have gotten the same answer multiple times - you now choose what you are going to do in spite of the advice - If you had your mind made up and were going to do what you wanted no matter what why did you bother to ask?

LN

Reply

Answer 11

brandonb2222 Author

Level 1

0 points

Jan 14, 2014 12:48 PM in response to Yer_Man

Ok, so definitely no NAS.

I think we may go the following route:

+ Get an Airport Extreme (current router is older)

+ Use an external HD to store older libraries on and make monthly transfers from the local machine of most recent photos

+ Plug that HD into the AE to sync with Crashplan

This is probably the best option if we want to avoid always having an external drive plugged into the MacBook.

If we did this, is the AEBS preferred over a more advanced router like the Asus AC66?

Thanks!

Reply

Answer 12

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,308 points

Jan 14, 2014 1:17 PM in response to brandonb2222

Defintely no NAS and defintely no AE if you're writing to the LIbrary. And, bluntly, there is no reliable online back up for an iPhoto Library.

Reply

Answer 13

brandonb2222 Author

Level 1

0 points

Jan 14, 2014 1:39 PM in response to Yer_Man

Why no AE?

Also, why do you say no reliable online backup? (e.g., Crashplan) Our library is backed up on Crashplan and we just restored it with no issues.

Reply

Answer 14

LarryHN

Level 10

106,110 points

Jan 14, 2014 1:53 PM in response to brandonb2222

Again -- what you are doing will not work

but again

You do what you want - but at your own risk

You ask - you have gotten the same answer multiple times - you now choose what you are going to do in spite of the advice - If you had your mind made up and were going to do what you wanted no matter what why did you bother to ask?

LN

Reply

Answer 15

brandonb2222 Author

Level 1

0 points

Jan 14, 2014 2:10 PM in response to LarryHN

I don't think you've read my updated posts. What I am now asking is COMPLETELY different from the first post.

I now just want to have an external hard drive the we plug INTO our MacBook that will house our photo libraries that are older than a month. We'll plug it in to either do a monthly transfer of the older pictures or if we want to access old photos. I would then unplug it from the laptop and plug it into the router so that it could remotely backup to Crashplan. (Issue is that Crashplan takes a long time with files that large so this allows my wife to not have to always have the hard drive plugged directly into her machine just for backup)

All I asked was why couldn't you use AE to do this? And, would a router like Asus AC66U be a better option given it's better performance and more features.

Reply