how can I get iPhoto 9.6.1

In any case this is just your opinion, the fact is many people seem to prefer iPhoto to Photos.

Personally, I also prefer iPhoto to Photos, but that does not change the fact that Photos is more powerful both as a manager and as an editor and at integrating with other applications.

I also preferred to have Aperture available.

All that is required to have both of these apps available is that you have an up-to-date version associated with an App Store account.

"There is no app that can give you continuity for your books or other print products."

Well that was a pretty dumb decision and is certainly user unfriendly!

Tell Apple. I'm just telling you what your options are for migrating. In the case of book, there aren't any. Now you can remove that from your considerations.

Sure I use Lightroom but iPhoto was used in a different way for different purposes.

So you're using iPhoto, Aperture and Lightroom? Three different Photo Managers? Makes as much sense as three address books, but whatever. Really, pick one horse and ride it, would be my suggestion. In all that you mention, with iPhoto and Aperture EOL'd, simplify your work flow and move to Lightroom.

Actually the app iPhoto was useful for as long as I did not upgrade, i.e. until just now. And apparently other people have managed to install a version of iPhoto 9.6.1 that works on El Capitan and Sierra. So your statement is false

Perhaps you need to re-read what I wrote. I know it is possible to use 9.6.1, that's what runs on this machine right now. I even told you what's required to get it:

If you have a version of iPhoto v9 (sometimes called iPhoto 11) associated with an App Store account then you can update easily, like everyone else.

Which part of that is false?

If I knew that these iPhoto, Aperture and Mail would create a mess for me to clean up I would not have bothered updating, and left this as an non-internet machine.

You had 18 months to check, really. There has been plenty of warning. Apple announced that both iPhoto and Aperture were discontinued in June 2014. Really, it is a pretty basic thing to check this sort of stuff before updating.

That said, you made a back up before updating, right? So revert. Problem solved.

I suggest Apple have a careful look at user attitudes to "upgrades" where it is becoming clear "upgrades" are more like 1 step forward and 2 back. Where purchased apps become inoperative without warning and on balance the "upgrades" offer very little to the user but seem to be mostly about Apple sucking more user data back to Apple.

Make you suggestions to Apple here

http://www.apple.com/feedback/

but be aware that even though you didn't check first, an upgrade path was available for purchased apps, as for "very little" offered, you can review what is offered and choose to upgrade or not. But again, Photos is a far more capable app than iPhoto.

I do have an appropriate version if iPhoto, but it does not show up in the App Store

Assuming that you have checked the Purchases list, then it is not an appropriate version, but one not associated with an App Store Account. Again, the process for doing this began back in 2012 IIRC. Some folks have contacted the App Store and explained their situation and have been given download links. You could try that too.

In summary, you need to take responsibility for your part in the situation. You chose to upgrade without first checking the consequences of that. You choose not to use the replacement - offered for free, and more capable - as is your perfect right, but those are your choices. This situation has been evolving since June 2014, when Apple announced the discontinuation of the apps. They're a dead end now. Sooner or later you will migrate to another app. Why wait any longer?

I also want to get iPhoto 9.6.1 after "upgrading" to El Capitan since years of work creating albums, books etc have without warning become inaccessible. I don't want to migrate to Photos since it has less functionality, my preference is to continue to use iPhoto until I can find a migration path to another application.

I agree with "Capsian Sea" who said he was getting frustrated with this curve and Apple in particular!

The ideal of "it just works" is long gone to be replaced with a mess of ever decreasing functionality on each update.

1. Photos has far more functionality that iPhoto ever had. It isn't an exact feature match, but it is undeniably more powerful in every area.

2. You gave three options for a migration path from iPhoto.

a: to Photos

b: to Adobe Lightroom, via their import iPhoto Library tool

c: any other migration will involve some version of exporting from iPhoto to the Finder, and then importing to the other app. You will lose your connection between edited and original in this process.

There is no app that can give you continuity for your books or other print products.

Given that this has been the case now since 2015, I'm not sure what other migration path you're hoping for.

3. If you have a version of iPhoto v9 (sometimes called iPhoto 11) associated with an App Store account then you can update easily, like everyone else. If you do not have this then you simply cannot update to iPhoto v9.6.1. Again this has been the case since September 2015. If you do not have an appropriate version of iPhoto then why did you update?

By looking at the comparison table between iPhoto and Photos it is clear Photos has reduced functionality in some areas. Some particularly crucial elements like accurate preview of final products that are important.

In any case this is just your opinion, the fact is many people seem to prefer iPhoto to Photos.

I also preferred to have Aperture available.

"There is no app that can give you continuity for your books or other print products."

Well that was a pretty dumb decision and is certainly user unfriendly!

"to Adobe Lightroom, via their import iPhoto Library tool"

Sure I use Lightroom but iPhoto was used in a different way for different purposes.

Actually the app iPhoto was useful for as long as I did not upgrade, i.e. until just now. And apparently other people have managed to install a version of iPhoto 9.6.1 that works on El Capitan and Sierra. So your statement is false.

If I knew that these iPhoto, Aperture and Mail would create a mess for me to clean up I would not have bothered updating, and left this as an non-internet machine.

I suggest Apple have a careful look at user attitudes to "upgrades" where it is becoming clear "upgrades" are more like 1 step forward and 2 back. Where purchased apps become inoperative without warning and on balance the "upgrades" offer very little to the user but seem to be mostly about Apple sucking more user data back to Apple.

These messy upgrades are fundamentally undermining my experience of using Apple products of which I have many. The result is I will try alternative products and start to drift away from Apple in the long run.

"If you do not have an appropriate version of iPhoto then why did you update?"

I do have an appropriate version if iPhoto, but it does not show up in the App Store for updating/installing no matter what I do. In any case why all the time wasting hoops, just make it downloadable under say a legacy download area, where the conditions of use etc are clearly stated.

Like many others on these forums I did not except applications like iPhoto and Aperture to be made inoperative with warning. Not warning users which apps will become inoperative it is a truly stupid policy and I thought Apple was better than that. It was once but not anymore.

Click here and try following the instructions.

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If you have 10.10.3 and you now have Photos, I would recommend using Photos rather than iPhoto. Apple is no longer developing iPhoto which means eventually you will need to switch to Photos or another app anyway. Because Photos is new there will be a learning curve but you will need to do that anyway.My suggestion is to swtich to Photos now, if you have questions about it Apple does have a forum located at Photos for Mac

I have switched to photos but none of the migrated videos plays in photos. It says cannot find the file. I know it is a learning curve, but I am getting frustrated with this curve and Apple in particular!