I would like to give family members access to my iPhoto and all movies folders (but not all the other files). I activated file sharing in the settings menu but doesn't seem to work. Can this be done? If so can you please explain how to do it. Thanks.
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photo/movie sharing among users on the same iMac
- Thread starter newtomac29
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Move your iPhoto Library (located in your Pictures folder) to the Shared folder, which is found in Macintosh HD > Users > Shared.
Then, on the other user accounts on the computer, have your family members change the location of their iPhoto library to use the one found in the Shared folder. That will basically make it so that the family will have one big, shared iPhoto Library.
The same can be done for movies. Just save them to that folder.
Then, on the other user accounts on the computer, have your family members change the location of their iPhoto library to use the one found in the Shared folder. That will basically make it so that the family will have one big, shared iPhoto Library.
The same can be done for movies. Just save them to that folder.
Simply modifying the permissions on the Photos and Movies folder would allow for this.
All Users have access to this user's home folder, and as such they would then have access to the Movies and Photos folder, after the appropriate permissions are set.
I wouldn't, personally, used the Shared folder for such as application.
All Users have access to this user's home folder, and as such they would then have access to the Movies and Photos folder, after the appropriate permissions are set.
I wouldn't, personally, used the Shared folder for such as application.
Users don't have access to other users' home folders, by default. Rather than circumvent that by changing permissions (which would make all movies and photos in those folders available to all users, which may not be desirable), it's best to use the Shared folder, since that's what it's designed for. That way, you can selectively share any files you want, while keeping secure those files you may not want to share.
Once again, you are wrong. Default permissions on the home folder give read permissions to everyone, so that the public and sites folders are available. Access is restricted to the other folders.
You aren't circumventing anything. Permissions are there to change. And I never stated that permissions be changed to allow everyone. OS X supports creating groups (easily via Account Preferences), so creating a group and giving that group read access allows you to target who should have access. It comes down to what the user needs, but the proposed solution may not be the best one.
The Shared folder is not best used to keep your entire library. Sharing a few files, sure it makes sense. But moving libraries, such as iPhoto there is a bad idea.
For example, lets say they get a new Mac and use Migration Assistant to migrate their data to it. If they migrate their user account and not /Users/Shared that data may not be moved. This hinges on whether or not they choose the right options during the migration.
Another problem is resource and file contention when using fast user switching.
But again, tossing a few files to be shared is one thing, tossing a large part of a users data into another location is pointless and is a recipe for disaster. Permissions are there for this reason. Keep the data where it should be and give access to those who need it.
Since the OP never stated that they want one giant iPhoto library that everyone uses, I don't see why some are recommending that path, but again, resource and file contention will be an issue even if this was the desired solution. In addition, there can be problems if the library isn't placed on a volume that can be set to ignores permissions (hint: the boot drive isn't one of those).
The OP can go either way, but the more elegant solution is to leverage groups and permissions to accomplish the goal of sharing their files. But, the process of sharing an iPhoto library is far more involved than dragging it to the Shared folder as recommended by you and others, and even my solution doesn't solve but this is because iPhoto libraries don't lend themselves to being viewed (easily) on a file basis.
I apologize for the above.
But there are a number of complications when sharing an iPhoto library. I just wanted to point out that it isn't as easy as simply dragging the library and redirecting.
No need to apologize, Calderone. I appreciate the comments. I have to leave very soon but did try to edit permissions in iPhoto. Changed my side to 'share all photos' and when I logged into a sub-account I noted that the 'search for shared photos' was checked but I can't seem to get them to display. I have an iMac running OS 10.6.3 with iPhoto '09 v 8.1.2. A shared DVD may be a better way to go???? Thanks!