importing with both LR2 and iPhoto?

[jacobsen1]

OK, I just ordered my iMac finally yesterday... I currently use LR2.3 on my PC and will use it to PP my shots. But I'm liking some of the features iphoto has, specifically for my wife... Is there a way to have both LR and iPhoto have the images in their respective libraries easily? And I don't want to have the files on the machine twice....

but, for instance, can I import with LR2, then tell iPhoto to import images from a specific location (wherever LR2 put them) into it's library, but just add the info to it's library, no actually copy the file? Also, can iPhoto deal with RAWs? Or the other way around, can iPhoto import the images, then have LR2 import them into it's library from that location?

I'm pretty sure LR2 can import photos from a different location (I've done it on a PC w/o duplicating the images) so that should work on the mac.... But will iPhoto open RAW files? 5Dii RAWs to be specific...

TIA

 

[ChrisA]

OK, I just ordered my iMac finally yesterday... I currently use LR2.3 on my PC and will use it to PP my shots. But I'm liking some of the features iphoto has, specifically for my wife... Is there a way to have both LR and iPhoto have the images in their respective libraries easily? And I don't want to have the files on the machine twice....

but, for instance, can I import with LR2, then tell iPhoto to import images from a specific location (wherever LR2 put them) into it's library, but just add the info to it's library, no actually copy the file? Also, can iPhoto deal with RAWs? Or the other way around, can iPhoto import the images, then have LR2 import them into it's library from that location?

I'm pretty sure LR2 can import photos from a different location (I've done it on a PC w/o duplicating the images) so that should work on the mac.... But will iPhoto open RAW files? 5Dii RAWs to be specific...

TIA

Yes iPhoto can open and edit RAW files. (All Mac image display/edit programs can do that.) iPhoto can also "reference" a file. that means the photo is physiclly NOT inside iPhoto's library but lives in (say) LR's library. iPhoto will keep it's own preview copy, database entry and thumbnails but the RAW image can live outside. (be warned that you have to understand how this works and know that you can NEVER touch a referenced file.)

But edit you make in LR will not show up in the RAW file so iPhoto will not see them. Same the other direction. Neither progroam will change the shared RAW file.

The move edited images you will have to export from one and import to the other. Yes multiple copies of the image But I just bought a 1 TB disk for $100. The cost of keeping multiple copies is close enough to "free" that you should not worry about disk space. Buy more as required. (A 1TB drive can hold 100,000 RAW files easy)

The best solution on the Mac is to switch to Aperture. It is functionally the same as LR. But if you like LR and the Adobe suite stick with it.

One more thing... Be sure and pick up a few 1TB external drives to use as backups. Rotate them with one or two kept off-site.

 

[jacobsen1]

Thanks for all that.

(A 1TB drive can hold 100,000 RAW files easy)

yeah, for me it'll be more like 50k, but yeah (the 5Dii RAWs are ~20mb or more depending on resolution and ISO, but I'm already seeing sRAWs over 20mb...)

One more thing... Be sure and pick up a few 1TB external drives to use as backups. Rotate them with one or two kept off-site.

yeah, on my PC I keep one internal and one external data drive that are identical... So right now I have a 250gb in the PC and an external 250gb drive as well. I only turn on the external to copy everything over and it basically is turned on once a week tops and never used unless I'm rescuing something or copying over the new stuff. Once they're both full, the external gets stored, and the internal goes to my parents house into their fireproof safe...

Not sure what I'll be doing with the Mac off the bat though. My dad was so excited I was getting a mac "finally" he bought me a 1tb timecapsule... Not the best backup (and insanely expensive, but I'm not paying) but since it's free I'll be using that to start with some of the internal 500gb as well. But yeah, eventually I'll have to do 2 mirrored externals and keep doing it my old way...

As for how I'll use them, what you said basically confirms what I was thinking. Import with one, then drag them into the other's library... My only other thought is what will we actually use iPhoto for? The screen saver, and maybe the facebook uploader (for the wife)? And for that, she can use the bordered JPEGs LR exports to my site... Just import those files once I'm done I guess. I'll have to play with both and see if I need iPhoto.

As for aperture, I'll stay with LR2. I already own it, and it's nice to stay with it since I'm comfortable with it and CS4.

 

[swiftaw]

OK, I just ordered my iMac finally yesterday... I currently use LR2.3 on my PC and will use it to PP my shots. But I'm liking some of the features iphoto has, specifically for my wife... Is there a way to have both LR and iPhoto have the images in their respective libraries easily? And I don't want to have the files on the machine twice....

but, for instance, can I import with LR2, then tell iPhoto to import images from a specific location (wherever LR2 put them) into it's library, but just add the info to it's library, no actually copy the file? Also, can iPhoto deal with RAWs? Or the other way around, can iPhoto import the images, then have LR2 import them into it's library from that location?

I'm pretty sure LR2 can import photos from a different location (I've done it on a PC w/o duplicating the images) so that should work on the mac.... But will iPhoto open RAW files? 5Dii RAWs to be specific...

TIA

If you are thinking of using both Lightroom and iPhoto, this article might be useful: http://www.ononesoftware.com/blog/2007/06/15/lightroom-aperture-and-iphoto/

 

[jacobsen1]

^ thanks, yeah, that's almost exactly what I was thinking, only he's exporting full size images where I export 800x600s now for my site already. I'll have to figure out the best way, but his reasons (wife/prints/books) are my exact reasons for wanting to do both. Currently I have to talk my wife through getting pics from my site to her facebook, and I have to get all our prints made. I'm hoping having them in iPhoto will let her figure it out and take care of small prints and facebook alone, and I wouldn't mind trying a book...