I'm brand new to mac's, so I apologize if this is a dumb question. When I set up my new macbook I transfered about 16 gigs worth of pictures, and then imported them into iPhoto '08. I've noticed now that in my pictures folder, along with all my photos, is a icon iPhoto Library that is about 16 gigs in size. Can someone help me understand what the icon is? I'm assuming it contains all my pictures I imported into iPhoto. If this is the case, does that mean I'm storing two copies of all my photos now? I'm asking because I don't really have an extra 16 gigs to spare.
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Question about iPhoto '08 Library
- Thread starter smurray
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The iPhoto Library is an example of a folder that acts as a single file called a Package. It actually contains many files and subfolders. Applications are also Packages. If you right click on it you will see a "Show Package Contents" that will let you explore the Package.
Though it's not recommended you do this. Once you've imported into iPhoto, it would be a VERY bad idea to go mucking about in the package itself. Edit the photos and move them around inside the iPhoto application. If you want to copy, email, or upload them, you can do it from iPhoto. If you move things around in the package itself, you run the heavy risk of corrupting it and losing everything. Tread lightly.
J
jmadlena
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No, you don't have doubles of your photos. Apple made the picture folder a package (as the above poster stated) to keep people from messing with the folders and files in iPhoto, I believe. It is a pretty complicated folder scheme in there. This way, when you click on the package, it merely opens up iPhoto.
Apple is trying to save us from our selves I think. Haha.
Apple is trying to save us from our selves I think. Haha.
So let me see if I understand correctly. When I imported the files into iPhoto it in a way made a copy that it now stores in that library package. And this is to make sure the originals stay unchanged from anything I do in iPhoto? If this is the case, would it make sense to store the original copies of the photos on an external hard drive of some sort? Basically I want access to my photos on my macbook, and I'd like to use iPhoto to manage them. What I don't want however is to have to reserve 30 gigs instead of 16 in order to do so.
Yes, you are understanding it. Storing the originals of your photos on an external is a good idea.
You're making it a tad more complicated than it is. Look at it this way - when you import music into iTunes, it saves it in it's own Music folder. This doesn't mean that there's one copy in a folder, and one copy in the application. Merely that the application points to and accesses the copy on the hard drive itself. Same thing with iPhoto. You only have the one copy taking up space, it's just kept tidy in a nice little package that iPhoto manages for you. Do exactly what you said you want to do - use iPhoto to manipulate photos. And as a note, it's so much easier to back up (even without Time Machine) since all you have to do is copy that package onto an external drive if you want. Couldn't be easier!
Packages are just folders pretending to be files. All Mac applications are the same - when you install a program you drag (what you think is) ONE file into your Applications folder. If you look closely you'll see it's a package with lots of little files inside.
iPhoto groups all your images into one neat package where you can't mess with them, and accesses that package to get at the images.
Now - one problem with it is getting at images from programs from outside iPhoto (e.g. uploading pictures onto a website).
- you'll try to browse for the file but will be stuck at the 'package'. The solution is to open iPhoto and drag the image you want from iPhoto into the program outside iPhoto (e.g. your internet browser)
iPhoto groups all your images into one neat package where you can't mess with them, and accesses that package to get at the images.
Now - one problem with it is getting at images from programs from outside iPhoto (e.g. uploading pictures onto a website).
- you'll try to browse for the file but will be stuck at the 'package'. The solution is to open iPhoto and drag the image you want from iPhoto into the program outside iPhoto (e.g. your internet browser)
I guess my main question is still whether, once I import all my photos into iPhoto, are they taking up twice as much space as they were before? I first noticed this when I noticed I went to check how large my collection of photos was. when I looked at the "get info" for my pictures folder it said it was over 30 gigs in size. I knew that seemed large so I looked inside and tried to figure out what was going on. That's when I noticed the iPhoto Library icon hat in and of itself was over 16 gigs. That coupled with all the actual photos is what made the Pictures folder so large. I'm trying to figure out what the best solution is that will enable to me to only have my pictures take up 16 gigs of space, but also allow me to manage them in iPhoto. Would importing them into iPhoto and then moving the original folders and the pictures inside onto an external hard drive be the best solution, or am I still misunderstanding something?
Ah yes, therein lies the problem. You dragged pictures from your internal hard drive into iPhoto which replicated them. Now that you've moved them into iPhoto, you can delete the originals or at least take them off the mac. The great thing is that when you edit photos in iPhoto it keeps the original in a default location and makes a copy with the changes you've made. This way, you can always revert to the original picture if you want. That does tend to increase disk space being used, but you have the option of disabling this particular feature if you'd like.
Personally, I drag photos into iPhoto little by little when I have the time to create events and rename and reorder and edit them. Then I remove them from their original location since iPhoto stores them for me. Problem solved. Let me know if this doesn't clear up the confusion, but I believe it should now that I realize what it is exactly you're asking about.
Ah yes, therein lies the problem. You dragged pictures from your internal hard drive into iPhoto which replicated them. Now that you've moved them into iPhoto, you can delete the originals or at least take them off the mac. The great thing is that when you edit photos in iPhoto it keeps the original in a default location and makes a copy with the changes you've made. This way, you can always revert to the original picture if you want. That does tend to increase disk space being used, but you have the option of disabling this particular feature if you'd like.
Personally, I drag photos into iPhoto little by little when I have the time to create events and rename and reorder and edit them. Then I remove them from their original location since iPhoto stores them for me. Problem solved. Let me know if this doesn't clear up the confusion, but I believe it should now that I realize what it is exactly you're asking about.
Ok, now I think I understand. I guess I just didn't realize what it was going to do. I got excited and imply imported all of my photos at once. I may go back and take your approach and do it little by little.
I highly recommend it, but I'm just OCD like that. I wish there was a way to create events within events, but sadly there isn't. I find iPhoto lacking in many ways when it comes to photo organization, but it's definitely more graphically pleasing than simply browsing through folders. I hope to someday have the time to import the rest of my photos, but for now I'll settle with the 3000 I already put in.
Personally I copy files to iPhoto and also keep copies on External HDD
if the files were originally in the "Pictures" folder and now there is an "i Photo library" icon of equal size, you can move the originals off-disk (burn them, move them to external, etc..)
I also find iPhotos library is pretty chaotic. it imports all photos, of all types into one place, and then organizes it's own "events" (in '08) and is just a mess.
I use a cool program called filerenamer4mac I give all photo file names prefixes based on what type they are. for example:
I sort all photos that are funny/comedic into a folder, then run file renamer4mac to add "FPF_" to the beginning of all files. I make an iPhoto "Smart Album" with the following rule:
Filename must>>begin with>>FPF_
Upon importing photos, they self-organize into their proper albums. This also organizes the library itself, because I can sort it by filename.
my only problems with iPhoto are:
random events being generated from imports
It doesn't play animated .GIFs (Xee.app does, however)
I can't seem to Delete photos, only "hide" them
Hope this was helpful
if the files were originally in the "Pictures" folder and now there is an "i Photo library" icon of equal size, you can move the originals off-disk (burn them, move them to external, etc..)
I also find iPhotos library is pretty chaotic. it imports all photos, of all types into one place, and then organizes it's own "events" (in '08) and is just a mess.
I use a cool program called filerenamer4mac I give all photo file names prefixes based on what type they are. for example:
I sort all photos that are funny/comedic into a folder, then run file renamer4mac to add "FPF_" to the beginning of all files. I make an iPhoto "Smart Album" with the following rule:
Filename must>>begin with>>FPF_
Upon importing photos, they self-organize into their proper albums. This also organizes the library itself, because I can sort it by filename.
my only problems with iPhoto are:
random events being generated from imports
It doesn't play animated .GIFs (Xee.app does, however)
I can't seem to Delete photos, only "hide" them
Hope this was helpful
Any chance the "Imported items from Finder" box in iPhoto's "Events" preferences is checked? If so, iPhoto will automatically "Autosplit into Events" based on the setting above it if you drag files from Finder (or do an import from the file system).