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what mac photo software prg can do this simple job for me and how?

A

amien

macrumors member
Original poster
ok, i have 2 external harddisks .. one empty.. and one that is filled with unstructured photos and movies, including duplicaties. photos can be found basically in any folder.

i'm looking for a program that can do this for me:

* scan the harddisk with all the photos AND movies (JPG and MOV)
* sort them based on a date folder structure YYYY/MM/DD.
* remove the duplicates
* copy, including the new date folder structure, to the empty harddisk.

picasa can't do this. i have iphoto and aperture .. but can't find that functionality.

who can help?
 
Shell Script

I'd probably do this with a Unix shell script (bash). Should be simple enough, with a few caveats:

* Timestamps: are you going to rely on the timestamps of the files to determine which date folder they should be copied to? JPEG files might have more accurate timestamp info in the EXIF data, and you could strip that out with something like exiftool. But AFAIK, timestamp info is not stored within a movie container file.

* Duplicates: what does "duplicate" mean? What if there are multiple versions of a JPG, say the original and then a cropped version perhaps? Is the cropped version a "duplicate?" If not, you could look at file size to determine which files might be duplicates, and then eyeball each one to make sure.
 
Maybe I'm missing something, but when you import into iPhoto by default it sets up a date folder structure within it's library. You could then copy the library to the new drive and be done.
 
robgendreau said:
Maybe I'm missing something, but when you import into iPhoto by default it sets up a date folder structure within it's library. You could then copy the library to the new drive and be done.
Click to expand...

How does it work?

* Import to Library
* Wait

then what?

Export will save it by foldername. Not by date (YYYY/MM/DD)
And how do i import MOV intpo iPhoto?
 
amien said:
ok, i have 2 external harddisks .. one empty.. and one that is filled with unstructured photos and movies, including duplicaties. photos can be found basically in any folder.

i'm looking for a program that can do this for me:

* scan the harddisk with all the photos AND movies (JPG and MOV)
* sort them based on a date folder structure YYYY/MM/DD.
* remove the duplicates
* copy, including the new date folder structure, to the empty harddisk.

picasa can't do this. i have iphoto and aperture .. but can't find that functionality.

who can help?
Click to expand...

Aperture 3 does all of this (and much much more) in its sleep. There are several ways to accomplish this... this is what I would do:

  1. Set up A3 Preferences>Import>Auto Split Into Projects>One project per day (or whatever interval you want)
  2. Click on the Import icon on toolbar
  3. Destination> New Project
  4. Project Name> blank
  5. Checkmark "Automatically Split Project (it will auto split into the same period you selected in step 1
  6. Checkmark "Do not import duplicates
  7. Store Files: In the Aperture Library
  8. Optional: Use A3 to move files between projects as desired. This may be useful if (for example)... you scanned the photos on a certain date... but the photos were taken earlier. Just create any new projects and drag appropriate photos to new location.
  9. Select all projects (Command-A)
  10. File>Relocate Originals For Project
  11. Select Destination
  12. Subfolder Format: Project Name
  13. Name Format: Original File Name
  14. Click: Relocate Originals
  15. Enjoy

Personally... I would start by creating a new empty A3 library before doing the above. That way if you make a mistake you will not affect your current library

Secondly... if these are photos that you want to own and manage (i.e.: personal photos)... then I would stop after step #9, and not bother with the export operations at all. I would simply keep them all within A3 which does a unbelievably great job in photo organization. By contrast, humans organizing in finder windows folders usually do a totally crappy job. Of course, that is up to you.

Also: A3's definition of a duplicate may not be the same as yours. For example, if you have both a JPEG and RAW version of the same file... it absolutely will be considered two files (because they are).

Finally, There is no way that I personally would keep my photos in "one project per day" because for me, it would be a super-crappy method of organizing them. However, it would be a very good start to organize within A3. I personally would create new projects that matched what I want to organize. For example, I might have:

2012-02-14 Valentines weekend at the coast
2012-03-17 Going crazy on St Patricks Day
2012-04-20 Easter dinner with the family
2012-05-10 Maui

And then I would drag photos from the appropriate dates into those projects. As the "auto date" projects became empty... I would delete them... ultimately having a nice organized photo collection within A3.

Enjoy

/Jim
 
Thanks all for replying..

@Jim,

i tested this. looks promising, but i have a few questions:

* A3 can't import .MOV files? cause when i hit the import button, and go to a location with .MOV files, its empty
* #2 : When i use this, all photos are automatically checked in all subdirectories? and sub-sub directories? from what i see this is the case.
* #7 : Does this mean that all my photos are stores on my 256 SSD drive? cause this won't fit. Should i choose : Choose... ? and then an external location?
* when importing, is my source deleted? for what i see it's not
* #9 : When i stop there .. all my photos are in my pictures\iphoto library? i see there 1 big file 3.5GB.
Does this mean i can only browse my photos using iphoto or A3? cause when i click the big file, iphoto starts and i dont see any directories

for the rest,

* Stop after #9: Perhaps that i good thing, in the end i want this on my NAS. perhaps i can direct to my NAS in step #2?
* Duplicates: That's fine. i don't mind this. I can delete them manually.
* One project per day : Good remark. I will do this. My wife can fill in the rest (it's her mess anyway 🙂)
 
Last edited:
amien said:
Thanks all for replying..

@Jim,

i tested this. looks promising, but i have a few questions:

* A3 can't import .MOV files? cause when i hit the import button, and go to a location with .MOV files, its empty
* #2 : When i use this, all photos are automatically checked in all subdirectories? and sub-sub directories? from what i see this is the case.
* #7 : Does this mean that all my photos are stores on my 256 SSD drive? cause this won't fit. Should i choose : Choose... ? and then an external location?
* when importing, is my source deleted? for what i see it's not
* #9 : When i stop there .. all my photos are in my pictures\iphoto library? i see there 1 big file 3.5GB.
Does this mean i can only browse my photos using iphoto or A3? cause when i click the big file, iphoto starts and i dont see any directories

for the rest,

* Stop after #9: Perhaps that i good thing, in the end i want this on my NAS. perhaps i can direct to my NAS in step #2?
* Duplicates: That's fine. i don't mind this. I can delete them manually.
* One project per day : Good remark. I will do this. My wife can fill in the rest (it's her mess anyway 🙂)
Click to expand...

Regarding .MOV files. Generally, I do not use A3 for movies. Every now and then an h.264 movie creeps into A3... usually because someone pressed the movie button on the camera by mistake. Do you have the latest version of A3? V3.3.1 is the latest. I know they offered more support for movies. Maybe it now supports .mov. If not, then you might have to do this by hand... or try importing them into iMove.

#2: Yes... generally when you import, sub directors are also selected. I have not done this in a long time, and it was several A3 versions ago. Now, I just load directly from the SD cards into A3 as I take pictures. I generally do not store my pics outside of Aperture.

#7: You can choose to put your A3 library anywhere that you want. If your library will not fit on on you SSD... then create the new empty library someplace else... such as on an external SSD. A3 libraries are completely portable. You can always just copy the whole library anywhere that you want as a single package.

#9: All of the pictures should be in your Aperture 3 library... not your iPhoto library. It looks like a big file, but it is actually a "package"... which means that it is really a directory structure underneath... but it made to look like a single file. If you right click on the package and select "show package contents" then you will see what I mean. It is strongly advised that you do not go mucking around in the package. Look but do not touch. You can corrupt things by moving/deleting ect.

Regarding your NAS. Yes, you can probably direct to your NAS... or you could just wait till you are done and move the entire A3 library to the NAS. In general, you should expect pretty lousy performance keeping your pictures on the NAS. I've tried it with several of my NAS units, and I have always been disappointed. Personally, I prefer a direct attached drive. NAS access generally requires tons of processing through the Ethernet stack... which kills performance. NAS is perfect and ideal for sharing files across multiple computers. OTOH, I personally hate using a NAS when using a large volume of data on a single computer. If you are a very casual user of any photo software (such as A3)... then it will be fine. Just be patient when you get the beach ball. If you will be doing a lot of photo organization and manipulation, then I would strongly recommend that you move your pictures to either a FW800 or ideally, a TB direct connection. You will love the performance improvement. You can choose to use your NAS if you want... I just think for anyone serious in photography, it is using the wrong tool for the job. A screwdriver makes a pretty crappy hammer... but it can work in a pinch.

/Jim
 
More on this topic...

amien said:
Thanks all for replying..

@Jim,

* #7 : Does this mean that all my photos are stores on my 256 SSD drive? cause this won't fit. Should i choose : Choose... ? and then an external location?
* when importing, is my source deleted? for what i see it's not
Click to expand...

You can store your photos outside of Aperture in your own file structure, hard drives, etc. This is what I do because I don't want all of my images 'inside' Aperture.

You can also have multiple libraries for whatever reason. I have mine by year, month, date, event. I find it easier to manage my images this way.
 
MacInTO said:
More on this topic...

You can store your photos outside of Aperture in your own file structure, hard drives, etc. This is what I do because I don't want all of my images 'inside' Aperture.

You can also have multiple libraries for whatever reason. I have mine by year, month, date, event. I find it easier to manage my images this way.
Click to expand...

One of the greatest features of A3 is its incredible flexibility. You can organize, reorganize, change organizational criteria, etc... it just plain works. You can also choose to keep your photos managed (inside A3) or referenced (outside A3) or any combination of the two. You can also move them in/out at will. I do not know of any other program that is as flexible as A3.

BTW: keeping your pictures "Inside" of A3 (managed) is not like they are locked into a program. If you look into the package, then they are all still there filed away. If you choose to keep them "outside" of A3 (referenced)... then you can store them any way you want... but you should not go mucking with them. It is advised that you keep them in place as if they were managed.

/Jim
 
flynz4 said:
One of the greatest features of A3 is its incredible flexibility. You can organize, reorganize, change organizational criteria, etc... it just plain works. You can also choose to keep your photos managed (inside A3) or referenced (outside A3) or any combination of the two. You can also move them in/out at will. I do not know of any other program that is as flexible as A3.

BTW: keeping your pictures "Inside" of A3 (managed) is not like they are locked into a program. If you look into the package, then they are all still there filed away. If you choose to keep them "outside" of A3 (referenced)... then you can store them any way you want... but you should not go mucking with them. It is advised that you keep them in place as if they were managed.

/Jim
Click to expand...
Thanks, I couldn't remember the Aperture term, referenced.

If I do move the referenced files, usually to another hard drive, I can always use the locate referenced file dialog (control-click or two finger click on the trackpad) to reconnect Aperture and the file.
 
MacInTO said:
Thanks, I couldn't remember the Aperture term, referenced.

If I do move the referenced files, usually to another hard drive, I can always use the locate referenced file dialog (control-click or two finger click on the trackpad) to reconnect Aperture and the file.
Click to expand...

Yes, you can use "locate referenced files" to fix the situation if you move them and the database has "lost" the links to the files. However, if you do that you are counting on the fact that A3 will be able to successfully find the files.

I believe the "proper" way to do that is to use the "relocate originals for project" function. It used to be named "relocated masters" in the previous version of A3. This is the same command that you use to move files between being "managed" to becoming "referenced".

The bottom line: Irrespective if you use "managed" or "referenced" files (or a combination of the two) you should use A3 to control the location of files. It really doesn't matter which. If you use managed files, then do not go into the package and move them around. If you are using referenced files... you should still refrain from messing around with the original files using finder.

Computers are wonderful at managing this "mechanical" complexity. There is no value added for you to be playing with the actual files. Use A3 to do that dirty work for you. It works incredibly well.

/Jim
 
Thanks all,

I'm going for the A3 solution. I opened the package and see my photos in there.

the problem with my movies was that they are not MOV files, but MOD files. I don't see any other solution then converting them to MOV,MPG files to use in aperture. I can rename the MOD files to MPG files, so that A3 can import but play. But all of this is a different issues not for this thread
 
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