How to Move all my Photos to external

I have read here that to move the photos in iPhoto you move the iPhoto Library to the external. Does this MOVE the picture files to the external or are they just a reference to the actual files still in the Mac? Need to be sure to make this.

~~~ Then...

Also, CCC makes a backup of my other photos not in iPhoto but I am not sure where they are. Doe sit make an exact copy of the Pictures folder?

I have a mix of things in my Mac. I sometimes use Picasa, now I am using Lightroom and stopped using iPhoto long ago, but still have those libraries and iphoto tree.

My GOAL: I want to move entirely to a dual system of Picasa for my home photos and Lightroom for serious experimentation.

I need to be sure that by moving the library folder to the HD the files are moving as well, that it is not a reference to the actual files.


Then, I want to move all of the rest photos that I imported with Picasa (this is easy) and with Lightroom to the external to keep my Mac free of photos.


Thank You.

BTW, I already see some folders on my Mac that are named "iPhoto Library Recovered Photos" but I don't remember how they landed there or how I did this. In some there is a list of files inside, like in any pictures folder, in others I find a strange named file.

 

Ok thanks. Picasa is easy and I think I have to move the catalog for Lightroom, but I know that when I move a photo LR cannot find it... The question is, how to move the photos and the catalog so they will be found.