Migration to Photos: Trouble with import from iPhoto Library

Question

Migration to Photos: Trouble with import from iPhoto Library

I have just upgraded to OS X Yosemite (10.10.3). When I first opened Photos, it wanted to convert my iPhoto Library to Photos. After some hours of working with the 165.2 GB iPhoto Library, it told me that I don't have enough disk space. I believed that if I free my MacBook Pro from those 165.2 GB, I might solve the problem. So yesterday, I stored it on an external USB drive (a solid state drive of OWC with USB 3.0 connection to my MacBook), deleted the iPhoto Library on my harddisk, and opened Photos. In Photos, I chose Menu > File >Import , and navigated to the external drive. However, clicking the file icon and name does not release into any import. What shall I do to import data from my iPhotos Libray?

Suggestions will be most appreciated and rewarded with a virtual box of Mozart Kugeln.

Erik Thau-Knudsen

MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2012), OS X Mavericks (10.9), Upgraded to OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)

Posted on May 5, 2015 1:44 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,290 points

May 5, 2015 6:44 AM in response to Erik Thau-Knudsen

You don't import it, you simply open it:

Hold down the option (or alt) key key and launch Photos. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library'

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Answer 2

May 5, 2015 6:54 AM in response to Yer_Man

Thank you,Terence, this helped, although not completely.

What happened when I followed your advice, was that Photos converted the iPhoto Library to a Photos Library and left it in the same folder, i.e., on the external drive. Importing the photos from that location was as impossible as in the case with the iPhoto Library.

I then relaunched Photos while holding down the Option (= Alt) key, and from the menu of 'Choose Library' selected the Photos Library. The resulting window was empty, i.e., no photos were shown.

Will it make any sense to replace the existing .photoslibrary file at 4 GB on my internal hard drive with the 156.1 GB Photos Library on the external drive?

Erik Thau-Knudsen

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Answer 3

LarryHN

Level 10

106,110 points

May 5, 2015 6:57 AM in response to Erik Thau-Knudsen

what format is the external drive and how is it connected to your Mac?

It must be formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) and must be connected with a fast hard wired connection

LN

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Answer 4

May 5, 2015 7:05 AM in response to LarryHN

Hello, Larry, thank you for answering.

The format is MacOS — extended (journaled). The connection is through a USB cable, USB version 3.0, connected directly to a USB port of my MacBook Pro. I can see the library files in Finder and also view the content of the library files.

Erik

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Answer 5

Yer_Man

Level 10

162,290 points

May 5, 2015 10:52 AM in response to Erik Thau-Knudsen

What happened when I followed your advice, was that Photos converted the iPhoto Library to a Photos Library and left it in the same folder, i.e., on the external drive.

As it should do.

Importing the photos from that location was as impossible as in the case with the iPhoto Library.

Importing what photos from where to where?

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Answer 6

May 5, 2015 1:58 PM in response to Yer_Man

Hello again, Terence,

I want to import the files in the 156.1 GB large Photos Library of the external drive to the Photos Library already on my hard disk. In other words, I want the old data to merge with the new ones.

Erik

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Answer 7

léonie

Level 10

194,653 points

May 5, 2015 2:02 PM in response to Erik Thau-Knudsen

Photos does not support to merge libraries, you can only switch between libraries. Browse he libraries in turn.

You could merge your original iPhoto libraries with iPhoto Library Manager (the full, paid version) or Aperture, if you have access to an Aperture installation. and then migrate the merged library to photos.

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