I know there is a lot of help for this question but I need way more details. I have used mac all my life but still seldom know what I am doing. I just got a new macbookpro and used migration assistant to transfer everything. Most of my files, however, did not transfer, including my iphoto library. When responses are posted to this question, they usually read something along the lines of "copy your iphoto library to so and so and import the library or click new album." I understand all that. What I need to know is how to get the photos from my powerbookG4 to my new computer. Can anyone explain this in terms that say..a five year old might understand? I am dying here.
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iphoto transfer
- Thread starter averett
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I'll give this a shot...
On you Powerbook you will have a folder in called iPhoto. This is a library of you pictures, keywords, tags, titles and any other details that you use to organize the pictures in iPhoto. Basically this is the folder (AKA Library or database) that iPhoto uses this to maintain how you organize within the iPhoto applicatio. This folder is located in your home directiry ie. /user/Pictures/iPhoto. With that said this is the folder that you will copy to your new computer, either thru firewire target disk, copy to external disk drive or thumb drive, or over the network.
These steps are assuming that you do not have any pictures in the new Macs iPhoto that you are keeping.
Step one
On both the old and new Macs, Make sure iPhoto is not running.
Step two
On your new Mac, rename the iPhoto folder to "org iPhoto" with out the quotes. This way if something goes wrong you can get the old library back.
Step three
Copy, do not move, the iPhoto from the old Mac to the new Mac using thumb drive, firewire etc. as mentioned above. Place the iPhoto folder from the old Mac into the same folder "Pictures" where your renamed folder "org iPhoto" is located.
Step four
Once the old Macs iPhoto folder (library) is copied to /users/pictures, open the iPhoto application.
Step five
iPhoto may tell you that the library is older than the current application and it will need to convert or update the library. Let it do the conversion.
Step six
Go get coffee as this may take awhile.
Step seven
Well if it finished the update or conversion with not errors than you are done.
Anyone, feel free to correct anything that is not accurate. But do not worry this is pretty close.
On you Powerbook you will have a folder in called iPhoto. This is a library of you pictures, keywords, tags, titles and any other details that you use to organize the pictures in iPhoto. Basically this is the folder (AKA Library or database) that iPhoto uses this to maintain how you organize within the iPhoto applicatio. This folder is located in your home directiry ie. /user/Pictures/iPhoto. With that said this is the folder that you will copy to your new computer, either thru firewire target disk, copy to external disk drive or thumb drive, or over the network.
These steps are assuming that you do not have any pictures in the new Macs iPhoto that you are keeping.
Step one
On both the old and new Macs, Make sure iPhoto is not running.
Step two
On your new Mac, rename the iPhoto folder to "org iPhoto" with out the quotes. This way if something goes wrong you can get the old library back.
Step three
Copy, do not move, the iPhoto from the old Mac to the new Mac using thumb drive, firewire etc. as mentioned above. Place the iPhoto folder from the old Mac into the same folder "Pictures" where your renamed folder "org iPhoto" is located.
Step four
Once the old Macs iPhoto folder (library) is copied to /users/pictures, open the iPhoto application.
Step five
iPhoto may tell you that the library is older than the current application and it will need to convert or update the library. Let it do the conversion.
Step six
Go get coffee as this may take awhile.
Step seven
Well if it finished the update or conversion with not errors than you are done.
Anyone, feel free to correct anything that is not accurate. But do not worry this is pretty close.
The only advice I can offer is if you have imported new photos to your new iphoto, back them up before you move the rest of your files over. I took some photos this weekend and imported them onto my new MBP, a few days later decided to pull the rest of my files over (through my external hard drive), didn't really know what I was doing and accidentally lost all the new pics I took because one file replaced the other 
Important!!!
She has a great point and that is why I said to rename the new Macs iPhoto folder (library) to "org iPhoto" so you could recover if needed. Also on that note if your old Mac is using, i believe iPhoto 6 or older, then when you import to the new Mac iPhoto it will automatically create albums according to dates and this may not be what you want as it is a real pain to reorganize the entire library, especially if you are like me with over 20,000 organized photos. If it does then you can just manually import the photos as you want, which is a whole different procedure. Relatively easy but time consuming. Are ya confused yet, cause were tryin...
The only advice I can offer is if you have imported new photos to your new iphoto, back them up before you move the rest of your files over. I took some photos this weekend and imported them onto my new MBP, a few days later decided to pull the rest of my files over (through my external hard drive), didn't really know what I was doing and accidentally lost all the new pics I took because one file replaced the other
She has a great point and that is why I said to rename the new Macs iPhoto folder (library) to "org iPhoto" so you could recover if needed. Also on that note if your old Mac is using, i believe iPhoto 6 or older, then when you import to the new Mac iPhoto it will automatically create albums according to dates and this may not be what you want as it is a real pain to reorganize the entire library, especially if you are like me with over 20,000 organized photos. If it does then you can just manually import the photos as you want, which is a whole different procedure. Relatively easy but time consuming. Are ya confused yet, cause were tryin...
Old powerbooks should be capable of booting into target disk mode, so I'd shut off the powerbook, and restart while holding down the T key. this will place it in target mode, then hook a firewire cable between the powerbook and your new laptop.
this will essentially make the old powerbook an external firewire drive, so you can easily transfer files off of it.
this will essentially make the old powerbook an external firewire drive, so you can easily transfer files off of it.