New Mac owner needs iPhoto help

[macenvy]

Alright, be patient, I did some searching but couldn't really find definitive answer to help me. I have a tonne of photos and need to be able to find certain ones quickly. What is my best course of action from upload to searching for them.
Is iPhoto the best program for me to upload my photos with?? If yes, my windows experience is confusing me. How does the app default sort photos?? It seems they go to Last roll. Where are they actualy stored in the app? Do they go to Library as well?
For sorting, should I set up folders for each type of photo I have or is it wiser/easier to put keywords on each picture and not sort them at all??
Help, some solid advice is needed!!

 

[TheAnswer]

The photos will all Import to the Last Roll and to the Library...you will probably want to use both a keyword system and also Albums for each event, then use nesting folders to group common events or groupings. Example:

Family (folder)
--> Vacations (folder)
---->Summer 05 (folder)
------>Grand Canyon (album)

 

[macenvy]

So what is the last roll folder? When I upload the next batch from my camera those will change to the newest set and what is there now changes?

 

[Arkanok]

I'm away from my mac (at work) so this may be a bad question but how do you create the albums (folders) within other folders. If i go to finder i usually just see "Originals/2007/camping trip" for example. I dont know how to make one inside the camping trip folder.

Also, is there a way to rename the .jpg's through iphoto rather than the images just being named "img0200.jpg" or something?

 

[TheAnswer]

So what is the last roll folder? When I upload the next batch from my camera those will change to the newest set and what is there now changes?

Your Last Roll is your last import from your camera...the Library has everything in it. After your first import...it's obviously easier to organize stuff (keywords, etc) as each roll comes in.

I'm away from my mac (at work) so this may be a bad question but how do you create the albums (folders) within other folders. If i go to finder i usually just see "Originals/2007/camping trip" for example. I dont know how to make one inside the camping trip folder.

You create the folders at the base level, but you can then move them into other folders and create levels of folders that way.

Also, is there a way to rename the .jpg's through iphoto rather than the images just being named "img0200.jpg" or something?

Inside iPhoto, you have show the information window (the "i" tool at the bottom of the sidebar, the select the photo and click the title and edit it there. I'm not sure if that will change the name of the originals hidden in the Home/Pictures/iPhotos or not (I suspect it doesn't)...but try to stay out of there and just use iPhotos and the File>Export command.

 

[skybolt]

Stay out of the iPhoto library in finder. You will create havoc -- lost photos, corrupted photos, etc. Do everything from within the app itself!

When I import from my camera, I immediately rename the "roll" to something more descriptive. You can sort how your photos are viewed -- by roll, by date, etc. Then I create folders, maybe "Vacations" and then within those folders, I create albums -- maybe Summer 2005, Spring 2006, etc. You can use smart folders/albums to make life easier for yourself.

If you are importing from a CD/DVD (maybe form another computer?) use the import function to import one album/folder at a time. If you select all folders/albums, they will import as one large roll.

 

[macenvy]

Here is another question;
If I want to adjust settings on a picture, do I need to duplicate it? Last night I created a folder for altered pictures, I dragged in a photo, adjusted some settings and saved it. if I go back to the folder where the original is, its been altered as well and the original original is gone. (Fortunately I have the pics on the camera still).
Whats the best plan of attack here??

 

[skybolt]

You don't have to duplicate the photo at all. Just make the changes you want and it will save them. If you should ever want to revert to the original, just click on "revert to original" (not at the mac now, so can't look, but probably under "Photo" in the menubar). iPhoto saves all originals just for this purpose. If you look in the library in finder (remember, don't do anything there, but its O.K. to look), you will see folders named "originals" and "modified". That is where the respective copies are kept. Originals are kept so that you can always revert back to them.

Here is an example of when you might want to go to the extra step of duplicating: I took a photo of my son and his girlfriend. It was probably the best photo I have of my son, but she had a "funny" look on her face. So, I duplicated the photo, then cropped her out of one of them and saved just the part with my son. Generally speaking, no need to create duplicates just to alter. Do it from within the roll itself -- no need to create a folder for photos to alter -- it will be fine. When you DO want to create a duplicate, again, just do it from within the roll. The duplicate will show up right next to the original.

Good luck!