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Good Photo organizer/viewer for mac?

C

ChunkySKillz

macrumors newbie
Original poster
I just switched from windows to mac. So far its been good till i tried iPhoto.
I like to organize my collections of photos. I HATE how iPhoto reorganize the whole stuff on its own. And I think the file sizes of the photos are different.

ANYWAY, What I want to know is:::
Is there any other application that is similar to windows photo gallery in mac?
 
I used ACDSee on Windows and did have some trouble finding something I liked. I don't use iPhoto so I kept looking for something similar to ACDSee and settled on ViewIt--not perfect but it does what I need.
 
Best Iphoto alternative!

Hi there!
I've just bought a new MBP and thought I'd import my images into Iphoto.
I quickly noticed that the images got duplicated and copied into a new folder.
Which equals massive memory lost for me as I have well over 70 Gb of images.

So my question is: is there any good/better program for browsing images?
(I don't think finder is good enough)

And How do you guys browse your images? Are you using Iphoto?
In that case, why?

Thanks.🙂
 
You can browse your images with Preview or you can just right click and choose Quick Look. If you want to slide show through a bunch, just select them all and then right click for Quick Look.

Of course, you can also use MKrishnan’s advice and use Picasa.
 
I'll second Picasa. I was a long time Picasa user on the PC but to tell you the truth I gave iPhoto some time and I have come around on it.
 
Uncheck the 'Copy items to the iPhoto library' in the preferences under the Advance tab. This way iPhoto leaves your photos where they are and you do not lose the extra disk space.

Jason
 
OP, iPhoto is one of the best -- if not the best, consumer level photo organization apps for Mac.

You're just using it incorrectly. The idea is to import all your photos into iPhoto and stop managing them in your own folders.

Once your photos are in iPhoto, it's safe to remove the originals. Make a backup on to a cheap external HDD just in case but when you've used your library in iPhoto and all seems well, you can discard the originals.
 
AV8TOR said:
I'll second Picasa. I was a long time Picasa user on the PC but to tell you the truth I gave iPhoto some time and I have come around on it.
Click to expand...

But iPhoto transfer photos to its own library... i like to organize my photos into folders on my own, so i can easily find it and edit it whenever i want.
 
You know you can change how iPhoto organizes your images, right? For example, if you don't like having Events put into order by date, you can go to the View menu > Sort Photos > Manually.

What is it that you don't like about iPhoto? Maybe we can help find you a fix (or an alternative) based on what you don't like.
 
I have lots of disk space and a NAS, so I do it like this:

I do not let iPhoto download from my camera.

I have a set of folders into which I dump the images from my D300, segregated into JPG and RAW. That's my archive, and it lives on the Mac Pro and also on the NAS.

Then, after I import into the dump folders, I tell iPhoto where the new stuff is, and let it import the images into its own library.

I recognize that this is wasteful of disk space, but as I said - I have a lot. And it's a way to have backups, too.

So basically I use iPhoto as a quick and easy way to find what I'm looking for, to drop images into email, and so on. I let it manage its own set of copies, but I manage the rest.

Works for me, as the saying goes, with my setup.
 
I purchased Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 for the Mac & it includes CS4 Bridge. This is as close to ACDSee as I can find. it's an awesome organizer & viewer.
 
Jason Edwards said:
Uncheck the 'Copy items to the iPhoto library' in the preferences under the Advance tab. This way iPhoto leaves your photos where they are and you do not lose the extra disk space.

Jason
Click to expand...
I've tried this.. but it still imports my photos into its library

ziggyonice said:
You know you can change how iPhoto organizes your images, right? For example, if you don't like having Events put into order by date, you can go to the View menu > Sort Photos > Manually.

What is it that you don't like about iPhoto? Maybe we can help find you a fix (or an alternative) based on what you don't like.
Click to expand...
I've lived in 4 different countries, I arranged my photos as follows:
Australia
-Blackberry Photos
-iPhone Photos
-D300
--- 2009
-----Trip to Melbourne - dd/mm
--- 2010
----- bla bla dd/mm
States
Singapore
Japan

This way, I can keep track of my photos, by country, by devices used to take photos, and the events... (Years are not that important). So if i can put events in another event, that would be great.
Another thing is.. does iPhoto read NEF/RAW files? or resize photos?

monokakata said:
I have lots of disk space and a NAS, so I do it like this:

I do not let iPhoto download from my camera.

I have a set of folders into which I dump the images from my D300, segregated into JPG and RAW. That's my archive, and it lives on the Mac Pro and also on the NAS.

Then, after I import into the dump folders, I tell iPhoto where the new stuff is, and let it import the images into its own library.

I recognize that this is wasteful of disk space, but as I said - I have a lot. And it's a way to have backups, too.

So basically I use iPhoto as a quick and easy way to find what I'm looking for, to drop images into email, and so on. I let it manage its own set of copies, but I manage the rest.

Works for me, as the saying goes, with my setup.
Click to expand...
Does iPhoto read NEF files? Do you lose any information in the photos. I noticed the total file size in the library and my personal folders are different.



Guys, basically what I want is not to have two libraries in the harddisk. Yes, I do back-up my photos, but I dont want the back ups to act as my primary source for transferring. I like to be able to view, edit and transfer photos to my friends from the same source. I like the iPhoto experience, but it's just the transferring into the library is the main issue. Also, I notice there's an option where you can choose not to transfer it to the library, its unchecked, but it still does. Any suggestions or comments is appreaciated.
Thanks...
 
I just moved up to Aperture, and really like for managing all my photos now.

I found it gives you better control over your folder structure and ability to organize how you want it to then iPhoto.

It's pricey, but it's been worth it for me.
 
iPhoto imports NEF images properly.

If you don't want to have two libraries, then obviously my technique won't work for you, and I'm not a person who says that the way I do things is the best for everybody.

I'll only say that when I switched to Mac, back in 2006, I was fussing about finding a photo-organizer and my adult son, who's been a Mac guy for a long time, told me not to discount iPhoto just because it was a free app. It can do a lot of things well-enough, he said, and that's been my experience.

Have you tried Lightroom? I haven't, but keep meaning to take the free trial for a ride.
 
iPhoto handles NEF photo's just fine. But if you are using a Nikon, why not try the Nikon software: ViewNX = Apple iPhoto, CaptureNX = Apple Aperture.

CaptureNX must be bought, but ViewNX is a free download from the Nikon site. And Nikon supplies a Mac version of this software. When you use ViewNX, you can also use Nikon Transfer (also a free download) for copying the pictures from the camera to your harddisk folders.

http://support.nikontech.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/61/~/current-versions-of-nikon-software
 
Photo organizer/viewer

I originally started out with Iphoto when apple first introduced Iphoto.

I shoot large numbers of pictures and need them sorted in a certain manner for retrieval and copyright purposes. It soon became apparent that Iphoto was NOT the program to use. It could not handle the volume of photos I was processing. I think for Grandma and Aunt Judy and Uncle Jim it's a fine program.

I then went to Photoshop and Bridge and for the most part it met my needs. Photos could be arranged in separate folders by date, subject, model, location, etc. There were some manipulations to take place, but, overall a good solution.

I have evolved into Lightroom and love it. It is set up just like we did photo's in the pre digital days but a whole lot better. You have a light table to view the pictures, you can name them in mass, you can rank them a couple of different ways. You can do some basic editing, web page creation, assign key words and sort on key words, etc. In some cases I have done everything I need to do in lightroom. For those that need a few more tweeks I go into Photoshop CS4. It's truly a photograph data base manager. If somebody wants a particular model say blond haired. I can pull the blond haired model, then by eye color, location, date, activity, etc.
 
I am not a very organized person myself, but iPhoto remembers date/time, organizes photo's in events (automatically on date, and by manualy moving the pictures to a specific event), can detect faces and recognizes gps data from your camera. Place data kan also be added manually, and you can tag every picture with various tags.

When using iPhoto, you have to learn to rely on it, using its windows and dialogs. You have no control over its file structure. But w why should you. I can always find properly tagged pictures in iPhoto in a snap.

You need to select a library app that looks nice to you and spend some time with it. Every app has its features and downsides. Once you are used to one, the others will probably feel "wrong".
 
I would recommend you try out Lightroom. You'll love it!

It can edit, organize, upload (web), and print.
Very powerful software for a great price.
 
I've lived in 4 different countries, I arranged my photos as follows:
Australia
-Blackberry Photos
-iPhone Photos
-D300
--- 2009
-----Trip to Melbourne - dd/mm
--- 2010
----- bla bla dd/mm
States
Singapore
Japan

This way, I can keep track of my photos, by country, by devices used to take photos, and the events... (Years are not that important). So if i can put events in another event, that would be great.
Another thing is.. does iPhoto read NEF/RAW files? or resize photos?
Click to expand...
It sounds to me like iPhoto will do exactly what you want easily and in a more elegant fashion than using static folders. Reading between the lines it sounds like you are really having a little trouble importing your existing photo folders into iPhoto. If you use the default setting of having iPhoto search your drive for all photos when you initially set up iPhoto, which works for a messy person with unorganized photos scattered across their computer, then iPhoto will impart its own organization structure. What you want to do is manually import your carefully constructed folders (iPhoto > File > import to library ...). If all your photos are stored in a single enclosing folder then by simply importing the main folder each sub folder should be imported as an individual "event". From that point it should be easy to use the various management tools in iPhoto to organize your photos new and old. I would create some key words (command + k) to define your file categories and then create some "smart albums" (click the "+" button at the bottom of the left hand column) that reference the key words to automatically sort photos into albums. You can have the same photo referenced in several different albums. Now when you import new photos from your cameras by default they will organize themselves into "events" by date and each event will be specific to the camera that was used to take them. It is easy to assign key words to photos in each event and then the photos will automatically sort themselves into their respective smart albums. If your camera has a built in GPS then "Places" can sort photos automatically by location. Places can also be used manually. I think you will find that iPhoto is more than up to the tasks you have defined, plus it is well integrated into the rest of the Apple computing environment. Aperture and Light room are more powerful but unless photography is your main business then stick with iPhoto. Once you get to know it I am sure you will find it an easier and more flexible tool than what you were used to.
 
PK4KDG said:
It sounds to me like iPhoto will do exactly what you want easily and in a more elegant fashion than using static folders. Reading between the lines it sounds like you are really having a little trouble importing your existing photo folders into iPhoto. If you use the default setting of having iPhoto search your drive for all photos when you initially set up iPhoto, which works for a messy person with unorganized photos scattered across their computer, then iPhoto will impart its own organization structure. What you want to do is manually import your carefully constructed folders (iPhoto > File > import to library ...). If all your photos are stored in a single enclosing folder then by simply importing the main folder each sub folder should be imported as an individual "event". From that point it should be easy to use the various management tools in iPhoto to organize your photos new and old. I would create some key words (command + k) to define your file categories and then create some "smart albums" (click the "+" button at the bottom of the left hand column) that reference the key words to automatically sort photos into albums. You can have the same photo referenced in several different albums. Now when you import new photos from your cameras by default they will organize themselves into "events" by date and each event will be specific to the camera that was used to take them. It is easy to assign key words to photos in each event and then the photos will automatically sort themselves into their respective smart albums. If your camera has a built in GPS then "Places" can sort photos automatically by location. Places can also be used manually. I think you will find that iPhoto is more than up to the tasks you have defined, plus it is well integrated into the rest of the Apple computing environment. Aperture and Light room are more powerful but unless photography is your main business then stick with iPhoto. Once you get to know it I am sure you will find it an easier and more flexible tool than what you were used to.
Click to expand...
I'm seeing the light here... But u havent tackled my main problem, that is to create events within events. or folders within a folder...
 
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