Importing photos to iPhoto (duplicating pics?)...help please!

[coolbreeze]

After switching from PC to my iMac, I finally got around to putting all of my photos onto my mac. I have two discs of photos (about 1.4 gig) that are already organized into folders, etc. I tried already to put them in my /pictures folder, and then use the import function in iPhoto. The problem is that it takes forever to import, and I have a feeling I am making duplicates of all photos on my Hard Drive. I am not too happy at the idea of wasting 1.4 gig of space, if the original 1.4 gigs of photos are duplicated into the iPhoto folder.

So my question is this: Should I put all my photos in the /pictures/iPhoto Library folder, and then import? Or should I put my photos in my /pictures folder and then do import?

Keep in mind, I don't want to duplicate anything. I thought when you import, iPhoto simply creates a "path" to where your photo is (similar to iTunes).

Can someone help me with this amazingly confusing iApp?

Thanks.

Breeze.

 

[timbloom]

the easiest way would be to just pop in the disks, open iphoto, and drag those photos into the iphoto window. iPhoto also tries to identify duplicates now, but does not always work.

 

[coolbreeze]

My photos are already on my mac, and I have already organized them how I want. Now, I put them in my /pictures/iPhoto folder. If I do import now, will iPhoto duplicate all of them?

Why is this so confusing to me?

Thanks.

 

[timbloom]

AHH, yes they will, I usually add them to the library like said above, then delete that original file.

 

[coolbreeze]

Dangit. I moved all my pictures from my iphoto folder to my pictures, then did an import. It took forever, and is finally finished. Keep in mind that all my photos were organized in folders (i.e. Seattle/Pioneer Square, etc). I've spent a lot of time organizing my photos on my PC, and now, after I've imported them to my mac, the have no organization to them at all.

I read in iPhoto help that if you import photos from your disk, and they are already organized into folders, iPhoto would break the imoported folders into seperate rolls, even down to sub-rolls.

Well, I'm officially at a loss for seeing this organization that iPhoto supposedly does. When I click on last import, all I see is a screen full of my photos, in no order what so ever.

What am I doing wrong?

[EDIT] I finally figured it out. Whew [/EDIT]

 

[wma2mp3]

the easiest way would be to just pop in the disks, open iphoto, and drag those photos into the iphoto window. iPhoto also tries to identify duplicates now, but does not always work.

Your answer might be the solution to my question essentially. Can you please have a read of my post and offer your opinion please?