iPhoto, why keep originals & edited version, does library not get too big?

[andyloc]

Hi

I just started using iPhoto, but stopped when I seen iPhoto 09 coming (should be here tomorrow)

I want to start organizing, tagging etc my photos I have 1000's so its gonna be a big job.

Looking at tutorials on the web etc, it looks like in your Home folder it has edited versions and original versions of all pics that you have, so basically whatever size your library is, its twice the size (on the ones you've edited)

Is this correct? and is it worth keeping the originals? Photos (along with vids and music) is the one thing I want to backup separate to another HDD, along with the backup already using Time Machine, or is this overkill (ie just one copy on iMac and one in Time machine is enough)

So should I backup the iPhoto library with the originals and the edited in or just the final edited versions? what do others do please.

Also if I have tagged everything in iPhoto, if I copy the actual pics to a Windows PC, does all the tagging go with the pics? eg as per iTunes I done a lot of tagging in there, but the tags are in the actual music file so when I play it on a Windows PC, Xbox 360 etc the tags are ok read by it.

Looking forward to using iPhoto, and the new 09 edition.
cheers

 

[Gray-Wolf]

With any picture, if you edit it in any way, throw the original away, later you can't change your mind. You can, however, save all the originals to a CD or DVD for archive purposes.

 

[Peace]

Photoshop does the same thing.

 

[0098386]

Yes it does get too big. My iPhoto library is about 35gb. I moved the original photos out but it complained at me and crashed a lot. I wish there was just a button you could push to replace all originals with their modified versions. If I want to go back I'll just view the picture on a backup DVD.

When I get a new Mac and a larger HDD I won't mind so much. But now it's a pain since I have to edit my photos in Photoshop and then copy them into iPhoto.

 

[andyloc]

mmm yeh it will get big thats what Im worried about

So if you remove them from library iPhoto complains and crashes this is bad..

I dont really want to keep a backup of the originals, as most if Ive edited them will be no use, would rather keep the "new" better version.

I have 25Gb of photos already and so if I have them all as edited version then its going to be double that 50Gb, and counting...

Is there a way to tell iPhoto to get rid of the original, or can you just find the original file in finder and delete it?

Someone must use it this way

cheers

 

[lightwavejunkie]

The way iPhoto works is more like saving instructions of whats changed to the originals as i understand it.

The first big file is the original image then each time the photo is changed in some way it saves the changes but shouldnt be a whole copy of a new image, it the original plus the changes so the "new" version is only taking a fraction of the size of the original PLUS the original.

This is to allow time machine to allow you to go back to any change and recover it properly, including back to original photo.

If however the photo is edited in an external app like photoshop and reimported to your iphoto library, then you have 2 copies of the file the old and the new ones.

You could rectify this by creating a new event with fixed versions then deleting the old ones youy no longer require and this will save your hdd space and keep only the versions you want.

Hope this helps.

 

[andyloc]

The way iPhoto works is more like saving instructions of whats changed to the originals as i understand it.

The first big file is the original image then each time the photo is changed in some way it saves the changes but shouldnt be a whole copy of a new image, it the original plus the changes so the "new" version is only taking a fraction of the size of the original PLUS the original.

This is to allow time machine to allow you to go back to any change and recover it properly, including back to original photo.

If however the photo is edited in an external app like photoshop and reimported to your iphoto library, then you have 2 copies of the file the old and the new ones.

You could rectify this by creating a new event with fixed versions then deleting the old ones youy no longer require and this will save your hdd space and keep only the versions you want.

Hope this helps.

Good idea on the create event to show old ones.

I was just wondering if others keep both copys in there library? ie the original and edited versions?

Also does iPhoto once tagged with places and with keywords, hold this info in the actual Exif data, so for example another app other than iPhoto can read stuff? eg a PC with another app on? like MP3 files with tagging

cheers

 

[kgarner]

The way iPhoto works is more like saving instructions of whats changed to the originals as i understand it.

I don't think that iPhoto has adopted this method yet. Aperture does this with its library, but as far as I know iPhoto is still applying any changes you make to a complete copy of the original image (like a Save As... command). I may have missed something, but I don't recall non-destructive editing being added to iPhoto.

 

[MisterMe]

I don't think that iPhoto has adopted this method yet. ...

You are correct. The edited and original versions of each photo are separate and distinct standalone files.

 

[andyloc]

You are correct. The edited and original versions of each photo are separate and distinct standalone files.

So every change is made into a new photo? or if you do 1 change it saves an edited version, and then keeps saving this edited version after more edits to it?, ie only one original, and one edited version, o matter how many times its been edited, and saved

cheers

 

[roger6106]

So every change is made into a new photo? or if you do 1 change it saves an edited version, and then keeps saving this edited version after more edits to it?, ie only one original, and one edited version, o matter how many times its been edited, and saved

cheers

It has only one original and one edited version.