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will iPhoto work with El Capitan ?

Does anyone know if I will be able to continue to use iPhoto if I upgrade to El Capitan ?

I've avoided Photos up to now (under Yosemite) by using iPhoto Library Manager as I've got 10,000 + images in iPhoto and so was VERY reluctant to change.

Given the reactions I've seen to the use of Photos relating to import large iPhoto libraries - plus the fact I just don't like the way Photos is organised - I really don't want to be railroaded into using it if at all possible.


John F.

Mac mini, OS X Yosemite (10.10.2)

Posted on Sep 23, 2015 4:18 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Sep 23, 2015 6:09 AM

We'll know for certain one September 30th, but the current state of gossip is that iPhoto runs fine under El Capitan.


However, this is a time limited situation. Sooner or later a version of the OS will come along that win't run iPhoto, so you need to be planning for that one way or another. Note that you're not "railroaded" into anything. You have a range of choices:


Don't upgrade the OS and stay with iPhoto - but ultimately you'll need a new machine and that won't work then.

Migrate to Photos and learn how to use it. It's not that terribly different and is better in some ways - particularly editing and the whole iCloud Library feature.

Migrate to another application entirely - personally, I went to Lightroom as the best fit for my needs, but there are many other apps that you can use instead.


So, no railroading there, just plenty of options.


10k is not a large library. My 60k library migrated flawlessly

104 replies

Nov 27, 2015 8:28 AM in response to DavidColumbus

Thank you for this information. Concern about iPhoto is the main reason I have not yet upgraded to El Capitan.


I tried Photos but quickly went back to iPhotos. I'm not a professional photographer. I don't edit photos (other than occasional cropping). I have spent dozens of hours scanning hundreds of old prints, assigning locations to scanned photos and those from my SLR (without geocoding capabilities), assigning faces, and customizing albums. This is the value of iPhoto for me that did not exist in Photos when I first tried it.


When Apple gets around to implementing all that iPhoto functionality into Photos, I'll go back to upgrading to new Mac OS versions without reservation.

Mar 16, 2016 2:26 PM in response to yeti2012

I'm like you. I "upgraded" to El Capitan and (along with all sorts of extremely useful things that were either removed, dumbed-down or turned into eccentric nonsense) Photos totally screwed me over. I cannot show any of my thousands of photos in the Finder (and if I try to export them, nothing happens either). if I copy any photos from the app into a folder, the created date (critically important info) is changed to represent the date that the photo was copied (!!!) — who cares what date a file was duplicated? – and basically everything is a total mess. I also tried to drag groups of photos into my media management app and nothing would copy over at all.

I have no idea why Apple continues to do things like this. I had to stop using Motion and FCP because Apple threw out babies with the bathwater (I really loved Motion, but not after they locked everything down into a cramped inefficient mess).

My plan (which involces a heck of a headache) is to boot from my old startup volume (I'm very glad I upgraded from a clone), create an elaborate hierarchal system of folders, then go through the arduous process of copying over my images. Once this is done, I will shut down Photo and try to totally ignore it. As for dealing with photos from my camera, I will use the second-rate software that came with the camera. As for photos from my iPhone or iPad - I think I'm screwed (which means I would have to immediately drag copy the photos from Photos on the same day they were shot, or lose the creation date. When it comes to sharing photos between devices, we are all pretty much stuck with Photos.

Mar 16, 2016 3:46 PM in response to T_Y

I cannot show any of my thousands of photos in the Finder...

Photos has exactly the same ability to manage photos within a package or referenced as iPhoto has, so you'll need to explain what you mean here

...(and if I try to export them, nothing happens either).


How are you trying?


f I copy any photos from the app into a folder, the created date (critically important info) is changed to represent the date that the photo was copied (!!!) — who cares what date a file was duplicated


Again, just like iPhoto... you're confusing File metadata and Photo Metadata.


There are two kinds of metadata involved when you consider jpeg or other image file.




One is the file data. This is what the Finder shows. This tells you nothing about the contents of the file, just the File itself.


The problem with File metadata is that it can easily change as the file is moved from place to place or exported, e-mailed, uploaded etc.


Photographs have also got both Exif and IPTC metadata. The date and time that your camera snapped the Photograph is recorded in the Exif metadata. Regardless if what the file date says, this is the actual time recorded by the camera.


Photo applications like iPhoto, Aperture, Lightroom, Picasa, Photoshop etc get their date and time from the Exif metadata.


When you export from iPhoto to the Finder new file is created containing your Photo (and its Exif). The File date is - quite accurately - reported as the date of Export.


However, the Photo Date doesn't change.


The problem is that the Finder doesn't work with Exif.


So, your photo has the correct date, and so does the file, but they are different things. To sort on the Photo date you'll need to use a photo app.


and basically everything is a total mess.


So far you've not really explained anything except that you don't understand how photo dating works. So, for help you'll need to describe the issue in a way other people can understand.


I also tried to drag groups of photos into my media management app and nothing would copy over at all.


Both iPhoto and Photos are media management apps, so you're using a third one? Why? Why use two apps to do the same job? That makes no sense. What app is it?


Oh, and you've never noticed Image Capture (in the Applications Folder)?

Mar 17, 2016 8:04 AM in response to Yer_Man

You never know what someone's background is on a forum. Let's say that I do understand. The fact is that when one is working with large numbers of files - particularly when cataloguing in a sub-$2,000 MDB that does not have the ability to display the - you can't gaze in to a pane filled with a ton of small point entries on a one-by-one basis to set keywords for thousands of files.

As for Photos - the upgrade to El Capitan was a disaster. Whatever happened during the migration from iPhoto to Photos, right clicking to reveal in Finder does nothing. Selecting items for export does nothing. Dragging out photos gives the copies new creation dates (and frankly, the date that an exact copy was made is of little value. There was a time when a Finder copy retained the original creation date but someone "improved" this). And unfortunately my MDB doesn't recognize files when I try to drag them in directly from Photos.

In order to process all these files I will have to create a virtual machine of my older OS, migrate everything from the former startup drive to the virtual machine and handle everything in Parallels. Once this is done I can access the catalogues from El Capitan and blow off Photos.

iPhoto and Photos are amateur apps (and until they changed iPhoto to focus on events and such it was useable for many pros). You cannot set keywords for various attributes (such as product model, finish, configuration, type of shot, etc.) or perform searches. Also, iPhoto / Photos have limited support for file types.

As for MDB, I had been using Portfolio but they the standard product is not compatible with El Capitan and now Extensis only offers the server version. After searching through a ton of alternatives, I settled on PhaseOne Media Pro1. I had no problem with the large number of files I had in my various output and dealer licensing collections but was stopped dead by Photos. With iPhoto I could have trotted right along.

Mar 17, 2016 8:27 AM in response to T_Y

Reveal in finder is not a feature of Photos - to use the original you export the unmodified original to a desktop folder and use from there


Dragging gives you a lower quality preview - it does not change the creation date (that is in the EXIF/IPTC data within the photo and does not change during any export)


The finder does not (and never has) used the EXIF/IPTC data - it deals only with the file metadata and when you create a new file it has new metadata (and always has)


What is a "MDB"


As to the design of iPhoto and Photos of course they are designed fro mass markets and are free programs - and are totally optional - if you need more capability then you need to choose a more capable program and use it


As to keywords - most certainly in either you can set any keyword you want, there is no restriction on that of any sort - and you can search the database suing the search field or using smart albums


Limited file types - certainly - and of course that is true of all programs - there is no program that will work with all file types


Since you like and are using MediaOnePro why are you using Photos too - pick one horse that you like and ride it and stop trying to ride two


LN

Mar 17, 2016 10:14 AM in response to LarryHN

There is a reason why I want to export the thousands of images from Photos into Media Pro. It's because Media Pro doesn't have any content. Yet.


The ultimate solution I have worked out is to go to the original Photos Library.photoslibrary file, show the package contents, copy the Masters file to another location and then import the entire thing (~80 GB) and then organize everything totally from scratch. Figuring out a way to import the image organization data from iPhoto / Photos would be not time-efficient and it might not even be possible. I'll have to assign keywords anyway. I would have preferred to drag in items gallery by gallery, but Photos would not allow this.

The bottom line is that neither iPhoto or Photos is worthwhile in a professional setting. Due to a shortage of available man hours up to now I've been using iPhoto for importing / culling and then moving things into Portfolio. I'll have to handle iOS syncing of selected photos manually.

Mar 17, 2016 10:39 AM in response to T_Y

If you are using iCloud Photo Library that may or may not work - with Photos unlike the state of the Masters folder is not a constant which is why direct access is not supported (it have not been for about ten years actually) and the only safe way to get originals is to export the unmodified originals



to use the original you export the unmodified original to a desktop folder and use from there


And again neither Photos nor iPhoto is intended for professional use - they both are free, mass market products


As to the design of iPhoto and Photos of course they are designed for mass markets and are free programs - and are totally optional


LN

Mar 17, 2016 11:55 AM in response to T_Y

You never know what someone's background is on a forum



Correct. So, if there is something you don't understand feel free to ask for clarification.


The fact is that when one is working with large numbers of files - particularly when cataloguing in a sub-$2,000 MDB that does not have the ability to display the - you can't gaze in to a pane filled with a ton of small point entries on a one-by-one basis to set keywords for thousands of files.


I struggle to make sense of this in any context of what you've written before. But you've not heard of batch applying keywords? What's an MDB?


Whatever happened during the migration from iPhoto to Photos, right clicking to reveal in Finder does nothing. Selecting items for export does nothing


All of these work exactly the same in El Capitan as earlier versions of the OS. Check the settings on your mouse. Explain how you're trying to export.


Dragging out photos gives the copies new creation dates (and frankly, the date that an exact copy was made is of little value. There was a time when a Finder copy retained the original creation date but someone "improved" this)


Again, this is the same as before. Nothing changed here. I think the fact that you're copying from the application window would suggest that it's not a Finder copy you are doing, and it's all irrelevant anyway, as explained above.

will iPhoto work with El Capitan ?

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