[abbies1]

I am new to the world of digital cameras. Recently I scanned a photo into my iMAC. It went into a file "Pictures". The file indicated that it was 6.0 megs in size. I then imported the photo into iPhoto.
Did I just doulbe the amount of memory being used for this photograph. That is; 6 megs in the Pictures file and 6 megs in iPhoto.
To add to the problem; I now have Photoshop Elements 2.0. When I save a photo in Photoshop am I also adding another 6 megs.
One more thing. I am sounding like Columbo. I have a digital camera (Kodak LS443). When I download pics from the camera, they go into iPhoto and not the Pictures folder. To get them into Photoshop, I have to drag them into the Pictures folder. In this case have I just doubled the memory use? That is; 100kb in iPhoto and 100kb in the Pictures folder.
I have 4000 slides and photographs to work with. So, memory may become an issue with me quite soon.

Thank you
Abbies1

[KeyLimePi]

Hi and welcome to that Mac/Digital Hub! These are good questions and I'm surprised no one has answered by now so I'll take a shot at it.

Anytime you import photos into iPhoto they are saved in a folder called 'iPhoto Library' in your Pictures folder. If you are importing images that already exist elsewhere on your computer, than yes, you are essentially duplicating that image. When you export an image from iPhoto, you are also creating a new image, and the original stays in your iPhoto Library until you delete it.

Let's say you scan in Photo A and it takes up 5MB of space on your HD. Then you import it into iPhoto, so a copy is made and placed into your iPhoto Library folder. Now you have two copies on your Mac (totalling 10MB). If you drag that photo out of your iPhoto window or export a copy for editing in Photoshop, then you are making a third copy (15MB total).

But there are a couple of things to remember here. One, your Mac probably has at least a 40GB HD, which means even at 5MB each (which is a VERY big photo) you can still fit well over 5,000 images on your Mac.

Second, as with any file, you need to get in the habit of deleting your unnecessary files. When you import a file into iPhoto, delete the original. If you edit a file in your iPhoto Library and no longer need the original version, delete it. It's just as easy to clutter your HD with photos as it is with any other media (okay, maybe easier).

Hope this helps.