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I'm sick of iPhoto.... any other suggestions?
- Thread starter jbg232
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Nab - I don't believe there is anyway to do what you are asking.
You know, many people have ripped on those of us in this thread that continue to "defend" iPhoto, when the original question was to seek alternatives. But with so many people continuing to post questions about how to get it to work well, while still managing and have access directly to the files, I think it is important to understand a key point of iPhoto's design ----> Apple intentionally designed it so that the user would not have to deal with managing the files. If working directly with the files is super important to you for some reason, you are probably going to be frustrated at the work-arounds and patches you have to implement to get iPhoto to work how you want. You are probably going to be much better off with the finder or a 3rd party app.
For those who can let go of the old way of managing photos manually at the file/folder level, and can think of iPhoto as an amazingly advanced finder just for photos (and get over opening "another program" - doesn't a 3rd party app or the finder require that you launch them too?), you may find iPhoto works amazingly well. I too was apprehensive of letting iPhoto take control of everything 5 years ago when I started using it, and came from a PC with folders that I manually organized. I was worried that there would be something that I would want to do, that iPhoto would make either impossible or a PITA. While there are some rare things that iPhoto makes take 1 extra step (those are the ones that have been put under the spotlight in this thread), but for everyone one of those, I have found 10 things that iPhoto makes a world easier.
iPhoto is not going to meet everyone's needs, but for most people, it will make quick work of organizing a complicated library of photos, and make your life easier. If your needs don't fit into Apple's box of photo management, no need to spread FUD (that's fear, uncertainty and doubt, for the Elmer-Fud who didn't know that term
), just move on to another solution. There are many of them out there. Few, if any, are like iPhoto, or as good as iPhoto is at what it was designed to do, of removing the drudgery of managing your photo library. I for one, would not want Apple to change it to make it just like everything else out there. I appreciate not having to ever micro-manage my 16,000 photo library.
You know, many people have ripped on those of us in this thread that continue to "defend" iPhoto, when the original question was to seek alternatives. But with so many people continuing to post questions about how to get it to work well, while still managing and have access directly to the files, I think it is important to understand a key point of iPhoto's design ----> Apple intentionally designed it so that the user would not have to deal with managing the files. If working directly with the files is super important to you for some reason, you are probably going to be frustrated at the work-arounds and patches you have to implement to get iPhoto to work how you want. You are probably going to be much better off with the finder or a 3rd party app.
For those who can let go of the old way of managing photos manually at the file/folder level, and can think of iPhoto as an amazingly advanced finder just for photos (and get over opening "another program" - doesn't a 3rd party app or the finder require that you launch them too?), you may find iPhoto works amazingly well. I too was apprehensive of letting iPhoto take control of everything 5 years ago when I started using it, and came from a PC with folders that I manually organized. I was worried that there would be something that I would want to do, that iPhoto would make either impossible or a PITA. While there are some rare things that iPhoto makes take 1 extra step (those are the ones that have been put under the spotlight in this thread), but for everyone one of those, I have found 10 things that iPhoto makes a world easier.
iPhoto is not going to meet everyone's needs, but for most people, it will make quick work of organizing a complicated library of photos, and make your life easier. If your needs don't fit into Apple's box of photo management, no need to spread FUD (that's fear, uncertainty and doubt, for the Elmer-Fud who didn't know that term
), just move on to another solution. There are many of them out there. Few, if any, are like iPhoto, or as good as iPhoto is at what it was designed to do, of removing the drudgery of managing your photo library. I for one, would not want Apple to change it to make it just like everything else out there. I appreciate not having to ever micro-manage my 16,000 photo library.
you aint the only one. that's for sure.
aperture is fun. if you're into computer techy things, then its a lot of fun to have way more software functionality that you'll ever need. when you bought your digi cam, it probably came with a CD with that company's software on it. i recommend that over iphoto.
I find iPhoto alright and suits my needs.
My needs is very VERY modest though - I only have -/+ 10 photos at a time. I generally don't keep them, and usually they are snapshots from my iPhone that I send to people for various reasons. *shrug*
Though it would be nice if Google releases Picasa for OS X.
My needs is very VERY modest though - I only have -/+ 10 photos at a time. I generally don't keep them, and usually they are snapshots from my iPhone that I send to people for various reasons. *shrug*
Though it would be nice if Google releases Picasa for OS X.
Nab - I don't believe there is anyway to do what you are asking.
You know, many people have ripped on those of us in this thread that continue to "defend" iPhoto, when the original question was to seek alternatives. But with so many people continuing to post questions about how to get it to work well, while still managing and have access directly to the files, I think it is important to understand a key point of iPhoto's design ----> Apple intentionally designed it so that the user would not have to deal with managing the files. If working directly with the files is super important to you for some reason, you are probably going to be frustrated at the work-arounds and patches you have to implement to get iPhoto to work how you want. You are probably going to be much better off with the finder or a 3rd party app.
For those who can let go of the old way of managing photos manually at the file/folder level, and can think of iPhoto as an amazingly advanced finder just for photos (and get over opening "another program" - doesn't a 3rd party app or the finder require that you launch them too?), you may find iPhoto works amazingly well. I too was apprehensive of letting iPhoto take control of everything 5 years ago when I started using it, and came from a PC with folders that I manually organized. I was worried that there would be something that I would want to do, that iPhoto would make either impossible or a PITA. While there are some rare things that iPhoto makes take 1 extra step (those are the ones that have been put under the spotlight in this thread), but for everyone one of those, I have found 10 things that iPhoto makes a world easier.
iPhoto is not going to meet everyone's needs, but for most people, it will make quick work of organizing a complicated library of photos, and make your life easier. If your needs don't fit into Apple's box of photo management, no need to spread FUD (that's fear, uncertainty and doubt, for the Elmer-Fud who didn't know that term
Ok maybe there is something im missing.
Lets say you found a nice picture on the net and you want to save it. How would you go about doing it. Do you haveto first save to desktop, then put it in your pics folder, then import into iphoto, then put it in a certain album?
Hmm...when i right click it doesnt have that listed
That seems weird, are you running .4 or .5? Have you set up a iphoto library yet?
I use Adobe Lightroom, it fits my needs.
I was really excited to use iPhoto when I got my MacBook, but it's not really all it's hyped up to be (In my opinion).
I was really excited to use iPhoto when I got my MacBook, but it's not really all it's hyped up to be (In my opinion).
.4 and iphoto version 7.1.1. and i do have an iphoto library.
Hmmmm... I don't know what it could be for sure, I'm on iphoto 6.0.6 and 10.5. Maybe that has something to do with it, or maybe it's because I'm using Safari 3
Oh....lol i see what i was doing. Im in firefox, not safari. I just opened safari and sure enough its there
thanks for your help!
Oh....lol i see what i was doing. Im in firefox, not safari. I just opened safari and sure enough its there
thanks for your help!
No problem, I wish I had thought about that fact earlier. I must be slipping in my old age ... I started troubleshooting a satellite system today and realized the very first step is to cycle power and see if the problem persists ... it didn't.
It's always the simple things.
Or, drag the image to the icon for iPhoto in the dock, or if iPhoto is open, drag onto the right pane. Puts it right into iPhoto!
Can you do that from firefox? If so, that would really help the person who asked the question, then he could have the best of both worlds.
These are the kinds of solutions that seemed baked into the iPhoto integration all over the place, that make it a little easier to "let go" of managing the files manually. It is also the reason why I used the FUD term. A lot of times, people start ripping on Apple tools, without realizing the subtle integration that eliminates or reduces many of the issues being raised. iPhoto is very Apple-like, where if it seems like something is a PITA or impossible to do, you are probably making it too hard, and there is some very simple implementation that you have overlooked.
I hear you about iPhoto. It's OK, but I take the organization and storage of my photos very seriously, and they're not something I want to get messed with.
High-end apps like Aperture and Lightroom are good. But they may be overkill for what you need.
If you can 'snag' a copy of Photoshop, then is comes with Adobe Bridge. It is a VERY capable photo/image/file viewer. It simply looks at the contents of folders and doesn't move them anywhere -- so you can store them how you like. You can create albums, rate pics, etc... it's very decent.
I used to use iView, but since it was bought by Microsoft, I'm going to pass on it. Main reason is they haven't updated it in ages, and it's GUI sucks big time.
High-end apps like Aperture and Lightroom are good. But they may be overkill for what you need.
If you can 'snag' a copy of Photoshop, then is comes with Adobe Bridge. It is a VERY capable photo/image/file viewer. It simply looks at the contents of folders and doesn't move them anywhere -- so you can store them how you like. You can create albums, rate pics, etc... it's very decent.
I used to use iView, but since it was bought by Microsoft, I'm going to pass on it. Main reason is they haven't updated it in ages, and it's GUI sucks big time.
Well I will tell you how I do my photos, it may be more work but it works out great for me. First whenever I hook up my camera to my mac, iphoto comes on of course. I immediately, shut down iphoto. I then go to my pictures area in Finder, and I have there all my photos in folders listed by Year and Month. I have them from 2003 to Present day. Once I dump my camera photos there, usually 50-100 photos at one time in a new folder with a current subject name that will be the event name when I import them into iphoto later.
Then I use a program called Photoshop Elements 4.0 for Mac and use their process multiple photos option and rename all of my photos like this, (let's say it is for BIrthday party) Ethan's 5th Birthday at home taken Oct 10 2007_
Then I use the option in photoshop elements to add a ext to each photo that will add a 3 digit number to each and every photo. This saves me a ton of time. If there are any that I wish to be more detailed , at that time I can rename only the ones I wish to be more detailed.
After that is done, I then open up iphoto and import the new folder into iphoto and then I have them in iphoto and also a current back up of the original which is also renamed which I back up in 2 ways, first with TIME MACHINE and second with a manual backup on a couple of DVD's. I will never lose my photos and they are always named and not unfamiliar names or imagesxxxx.jpg .
Personally I like iphoto 08 which is what I use, and I like to search for photos and email them from there. But if there is ever a reason I need to get to a photo and I know exactly where it is by year and date, then it is faster sometimes for me to get it direct from my pictures back up area.
Might seem like too much work for some of you but it is a great system for me. What do you think?
Then I use a program called Photoshop Elements 4.0 for Mac and use their process multiple photos option and rename all of my photos like this, (let's say it is for BIrthday party) Ethan's 5th Birthday at home taken Oct 10 2007_
Then I use the option in photoshop elements to add a ext to each photo that will add a 3 digit number to each and every photo. This saves me a ton of time. If there are any that I wish to be more detailed , at that time I can rename only the ones I wish to be more detailed.
After that is done, I then open up iphoto and import the new folder into iphoto and then I have them in iphoto and also a current back up of the original which is also renamed which I back up in 2 ways, first with TIME MACHINE and second with a manual backup on a couple of DVD's. I will never lose my photos and they are always named and not unfamiliar names or imagesxxxx.jpg .
Personally I like iphoto 08 which is what I use, and I like to search for photos and email them from there. But if there is ever a reason I need to get to a photo and I know exactly where it is by year and date, then it is faster sometimes for me to get it direct from my pictures back up area.
Might seem like too much work for some of you but it is a great system for me. What do you think?
Is it possible in iphoto to have your library exist on a network share? Just curious.
Open another Application
Well one way or another you'll have to open some sort of application to be able to navigate to and select the photo you want to attach. In the case of IM, the "attach file" button opens Finder so you can navigate to a folder and attach a Document. In the same GUI, you could just navigate to the iPhoto Library and launch iPhoto to get your photo. If you were to use Finder to navigate the file system you're looking for a folder, proably by date. If you use iPhoto, you navigate the Library, probably by Event, or even QuickFind.
Well one way or another you'll have to open some sort of application to be able to navigate to and select the photo you want to attach. In the case of IM, the "attach file" button opens Finder so you can navigate to a folder and attach a Document. In the same GUI, you could just navigate to the iPhoto Library and launch iPhoto to get your photo. If you were to use Finder to navigate the file system you're looking for a folder, proably by date. If you use iPhoto, you navigate the Library, probably by Event, or even QuickFind.
Open another Application
Maybe it's a Leopard thing, I dunno because 10.5 is my first intro. But in apps like Yahoo Messenger and Yahoo Mail in FireFox, when I "send file" or "attach file" (respectively) I get a small Finde popup. On the left is Devices (dg Mactintosh HD), Places (eg Documents), then Media (eg Photos). When I click Photos, the right hand pane offers same Source List as in iPhoto: Events, Photos, Last 12 Months, Albums. In the bottom of that right pane are thumbnails. I see no need to have to actually open iPhoto to complete the task of attaching a photo here. Perhaps the app you're using, the one you want to use to attach or open the photo is by a 3rd party?
Maybe it's a Leopard thing, I dunno because 10.5 is my first intro. But in apps like Yahoo Messenger and Yahoo Mail in FireFox, when I "send file" or "attach file" (respectively) I get a small Finde popup. On the left is Devices (dg Mactintosh HD), Places (eg Documents), then Media (eg Photos). When I click Photos, the right hand pane offers same Source List as in iPhoto: Events, Photos, Last 12 Months, Albums. In the bottom of that right pane are thumbnails. I see no need to have to actually open iPhoto to complete the task of attaching a photo here. Perhaps the app you're using, the one you want to use to attach or open the photo is by a 3rd party?
Imports by Camera
I use a really old Canon Rebel EOS SLR and a really new Canon SD750. I haven't attached the old one yet, but the new one worked like a charm *without* ever having installed the Canon software. I was very pleased about that. I've used their software on Windows, and it was perfectly suitable. But apart from the frustration of not being able to let go of my file system organization, I don't see any reason to need it in iPhoto.
I use a really old Canon Rebel EOS SLR and a really new Canon SD750. I haven't attached the old one yet, but the new one worked like a charm *without* ever having installed the Canon software. I was very pleased about that. I've used their software on Windows, and it was perfectly suitable. But apart from the frustration of not being able to let go of my file system organization, I don't see any reason to need it in iPhoto.
This is a neat trick. I tried it on a photo imported from a Windows file structure. The resulting path is a little weird. What's the difference in forward vs backslash here?
/Users/myname/Pictures/iPhoto\ Library/Originals/...?
Right Click
In Leopard you can also right click the image in iPhoto then click Show File and a finder opens in that not-so-obvious Package Library called "Originals.
In Leopard you can also right click the image in iPhoto then click Show File and a finder opens in that not-so-obvious Package Library called "Originals.
Biggest problem with iPhoto
I am getting a new iMac this week and would LOVE to use iPhoto, but, the way I understand it, there is a BIG BIG problem...
I have about 15K photos that I have organized and added keywords to on my PC... The keywords are stores in each photo. (In the EXIF?)
I am told that iPhoto does not read the keywords or captions from the EXIF when importing photos???
I know Adobe supports this in some way, and I see the Image Organizer that MS is including in the new version of Office supports it... So maybe there is some hope.
Does Apple want everyone to start over when the buy a Mac and start using iPhoto????
I am getting a new iMac this week and would LOVE to use iPhoto, but, the way I understand it, there is a BIG BIG problem...
I have about 15K photos that I have organized and added keywords to on my PC... The keywords are stores in each photo. (In the EXIF?)
I am told that iPhoto does not read the keywords or captions from the EXIF when importing photos???
I know Adobe supports this in some way, and I see the Image Organizer that MS is including in the new version of Office supports it... So maybe there is some hope.
Does Apple want everyone to start over when the buy a Mac and start using iPhoto????