One iMac, Multiple Users = Multiple iPhoto libraries

[jlblodgett]

Hello all -

I have a question about iPhoto libraries.

My family has an iMac as our primary desktop computer. Between my wife and I, and our kids - this iMac sees use from four (4) different people, and therefore has four (4) different accounts.

Unfortunately, this also means that there are FOUR (4) different iPhoto libraries. The pictures that my wife uploads to her iPhoto library aren't available to me in MY iPhoto library. Likewise, pictures my daughter takes with her iPhone go into HER iPhoto library -- and aren't accessible by the rest of us.

Is there a relatively painless way to unite these iPhoto libraries, and keep them united? In other words, if I upload something via my account - is there a way that it would be accessible to my wife's iPhoto (via her login on the computer) and visa versa?

 

[can.rules]

You can certainly get multiple accounts to share the same iPhoto library.
What apple recommends is to put your iPhoto library on an external disk which is formatted without access control.

Just move the main photo library there and then open it (from the Finder) from the other account and iPhoto will let you make it the default one. Then you can import any missing photos from the other library.

 

[jlblodgett]

That sounds easy enough....

I do have a pair of external hard drives - once of which I'm using as my TimeMachine backup drive...

Is it possible to get TimeMachine to back up the other external drive, too? Would suck to lose all those pictures if the drive crashed.