How do I restore an iPhoto library from Time Capsule

If the library to be restored is too big for your boot drive you'll need to get an external HD, formatted OS X Extended (journaled) with ownership set to be ignored, and restore the iPhoto Library to it according to the instructions in the following screenshot:

With the restored library up and running you can use the paid version of iPhoto Library Manager to merge the Macbook library into the restored library on the EHD. A possible candidate for the EHD is the OWC Mercury On-The-Go Pro USB 3.0 / FireWire 800. It lends itself nicely for portable use.

Once you are satisfied that the merge was successful you can delete the Macbook library from the Pictures folder.

. I think the iPhoto library that is hopefully on my Time Capsule is too big to fit on my MacBook.

Try to restore the iPhoto Library first to an external drive. Then you can see, if it can safely be moved to the internal drive.

To restore from Time Machine see this help document:

iPhoto '11: Restoring from Time Machine with iPhoto '11 (9.2 or later) and OS X Lion 10.7.2 (or later)

and perhaps: Mac Basics: Time Machine

If you are using an external drive to restore your library to, make sure it has the correct file system - MacOS Extended (Journaled), as described here for Aperture: Use locally mounted Mac OS X Extended volumes for your Aperture library

http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html

See #16 as a start

LN