iPhoto organizing

[illegalprelude]

ok, so I have a good 2200 pics on my iPhoto. Sorta organized. All of them are photo's i took with my digital camera of life and friends and such.

that way i have my photo on my PC is I have a main Folder called Photos, then it goes: Life, Car, Movies etc.
then under Life I would have friends, family etc
Under Cars I would have Auto Shows, Mini Cooper, BMW etc
so each folder was fairly organized.

How can I keep the same thing going in iPhoto. I know u can create seperate albums...is that the only way? No way to keep the main folder organized? I already have like 30 keywoards

so any ideas would be cool

 

[Abstract]

I don't know exactly what the new iPhoto 6 file folder structural change, but I think iPhoto now lets you import photos that aren't in your "library," meaning you can keep your photos in your folders and iPhoto doesn't really need a copy to be in the Library.

But I don't know exactly. Haven't been reading up on the Mac news recently.

 

[Applespider]

Abstract is right that in iPhoto 6, you can change the preferences and tell iPhoto not to import the picture into iPhoto's - Year/FilmRoll system but leave it where it was. I'm still not entirely sure how iPhoto will handle cases where you rearrange your file structure but in theory it should work.

So far as pictures already in iPhoto go, I think the easiest thing to do is have a folder for each of those main areas - Family, Cars etc and then create Smart Folders as subs of them. If you name the pictures 'Auto Show' or 'Mini' you'll be able to have an overall folder called Cars and then Smart Folders than bring in the pictures that contain those keywords.

 

[ChrisA]

1) iPhoto 6 has a preferance setting so that you can keep the image files in folder outside of the iPhoto library. Or you can copy the files into the library. Your choise.

2) I think albums work better then folders. A photo can be inside any number of albums at the same time while nly one physical copy of the file exists in the library. So a picture of "Bob" in his BMW can go into both the BMW album and the the "freinds" album.

3) Smart albums are even better then albums because you don't have to drage the files into thealbum. The smart album goes out and finds the files foe you based on search criteria you specify.

4) I like to keep the set of keywords small and search based on comments.

Albums can go inside folders which can go inside biger folders and so on.. Selecting a top level folder shows the content of all albums under it. Because a photo can be in multiple albums you can use multiple parallel methods of organization.

 

[illegalprelude]

hhmm very interesting because ive never played with my smart folders or any of that sort. Ive always wondered too on how I can put a comment on pictures and change their names. Thats why I just have like 30 keywoards, because eachtime I put a new batch of pictures in, I make a keyword for them so its easy to search them up

 

[Applespider]

My keywords are all to do with close members of the family, general locations, various categories of time.

My titles are all 'name of place/event xx' either imported that way via Image Capture or changed during the Batch function

The comments have stuff like where the event was in more detail or if it's a particularly 'odd' thing.

The easiest way to change titles/add comments is to highlight the relevant pictures, go to Photos in the menu bar and choose 'Batch Change'

If you search in Spotlight or in iPhoto, it will see Titles/Comments & Keywords

 

[ChrisA]

THis is what I do.....

Use whatever system works for you but make sure it will continue working for you 5 years from now and 10,000 photos later. So think it through "wil ths work if I have 20,000 images? It is a LOT of work to change systems

I use kaywords and comments as "orthogonal" tagging systems. In other words each is a complete system that does not interfer with the other. I use keywords to define the type of photo like "landscape, cityscape, portrait, macro, underwater (I'm a pretty activer scuba diver) family, animals,... Every shot wil get several of these keywords asigned to it.

I think of keywords as vertical lines and comments as horizontal lines

Then I use comments on each photo to describe the content. like "Jaime inside a large platic egg shell in Vancouver Science Center"

Later I can search for keywords "underwater", "portrait" and comment "Nick" and find the shot(s) of my Son Nick looking at the camera through a dive mask.

I started by making keywords for everyone I know but Ihave phots of well over 100 different people and a similar number of animal species.


I am beginning to use the rating system too. But that's much harder than you think. I had to actually write down the criteria for each number 1 to 5.
1 - a passable photo with poor composition and little interest in susbject, but it is kept for some other reason. Possable it provides a record of something
2- A decent snapshot, wholy un-artistic but it catures a memory or event. Or possably something that I'll sell on ebay
3 - Much bettr than average but not not one of the best.
4 - a very good image but likey only of interrest to someonw with interest in the subject mater. (For example most people don't want to see even the best photos of my kids. unless you know me or my kids)
5 - Fully profesional publishable quality. People who have no interest in the subject matter might light this picture Technically and artistically excelent

no stars means that the picture is simply not yet rated. Anyhting truely deserving of zero is tossed out.

So when you add "ratting" an "date" I have four "orthogonal" systems.


If you search in Spotlight or in iPhoto, it will see Titles/Comments & Keywords[/QUOTE]

 

[mongoos150]

That makes me so happy to hear we can import photos without making duplicate copies of them into the retarted iPhoto folder structure! That drove me absolutely CRAZY!