Delete photos in iPhoto and External HDD simultaneously?

It would be much safer, to store the complete iPhoto library on the external drive. IPhoto simply does not support working with referenced images well. If you store the complete library on your external drive, iPhoto can delete the original files from the library, when you delete the photos in iPhoto.

If you want your photo library on the internal SSD, but the original images on an external drive, consider to upgrade to Aperture. That application has been designed to work with photo libraries distributed across several drives.

Are you running a Managed or a Referenced Library?

A Managed Library, is the default setting, and iPhoto copies files into the iPhoto Library when Importing. The files are then stored in the Library package

A Referenced Library is when iPhoto is NOT copying the files into the iPhoto Library when importing because you made a change at iPhoto -> Preferences -> Advanced. (You unchecked the option to copy files into the Library on import) The files are then stored where ever you put them and not in the Library package. In this scenario you are responsible for the File Management.

If a manged library iPhoto will delete the original file that was imported into it.

If a referenced library you will have to delete the "source" file after deleting the photos from the library.

We strongly recommend against a "referenced" library because of the problems it's liable to encounter.

OT

Yes - but you also are storing up many future problem with no benifit

The easy and safe solution is to have your iPhoto library on an external drive that is formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) - no downside from what you are currently doing and many upsides since you avoid a raft of problems - the double deletion being one of the minor ones

The GIANT issue is that wit an iPhoto referenced library the path to the originals can never change which makes replacing defective hardware or upgrading either the computer of the external hard drive much more difficult

LN

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

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

Your choice - you can continue deleting twice being aware that you will have future problems when you want or need to upgrade the EHD or the computer - and bewing aware that the photos your PC sees are only the original images - nothing done in iPhoto will be reflected in them (and you can not modify them from the PC without causing issues in iPhoto)

Your problem is that you are using iPhoto for two purposes which is it not designed - cross platform access and a referenced library - you would be much better off switching to a DAM that does support the capabilities you want to use rather than jury rigging a risky method of misusing iPhoto

LN

I would also point out that storing the files on an incomaptible network share can lead to problems with the files going offline from time to time.