__iPhoto or other organizer?

[hcaroselli]

Greetings all,

I am a recent convert to the Mac platform and I'm struggling with the best way to do set up a workflow. When I set up the Mac I imported my photo images to iPhoto.

Photoshop Elements and Photoshop Lightroom 2 are the other applications I have on my computer. The Mac version of PSE does not contain the "Organizer" which is in the Windows version and that's fine; and LR2 has something called the "Catalog".

Here are some of my questions:

1. Is the LR2 catalog another full copy of all the image files or simply an index with thumbnail images? If it's an index what is the best way to keep it in sync with iPhoto?

2. Depending on the answer to #1, how do I import the images from iPhoto into the Lightroom 2 catalog? When I try the LR2 import function, the iPhoto library is not selectable. I have been told iPhoto uses some sort of Apple proprietary software.

The bottom line is, what is the best way to set up an efficient workflow so I can use PSE6 and LR2? Should I forget about using iPhoto? I have not yet figured out a way to open any photos in LR2 that are in iPhoto; and the same applies to PSE6.

Thanks in advance
Hector Caroselli

 

[skybolt]

In iPhoto preferences, set your preferred editing software to be your external editor. Then, when in iPhoto, you open a photo to edit, that external editor will open, you can edit and when you save the photo, it will be saved right back where it belongs.

 

[hawaiipoolman]

the best way is to use picasa through parallels. it works perfectly! and i just heard that google might be working on a picasa for mac...

 

[prostuff1]

the best way is to use picasa through parallels. it works perfectly! and i just heard that google might be working on a picasa for mac...

That is not the best way to do it. That is most definantely a round about way, not to mention it would require that the person have a copy of windows and parallels.

You can use iPhoto like the person aboved just fine. If you want to keep your own folder structure then go into the iPhoto preferences and set it so that iPhoto does no organizing.