[schalliol]

I've been holding out using iPhoto since I tried the first version and found it annoying and not that helpful. People tell me that 5 is pretty nice, and I'd like to use it so I can view photos on my TiVo too. So, now the question is, how do I safely import? I don't have enough free space to completely duplicate my photo library (though I have a relatively recent backup), but I can duplicate a "roll" or two to try. I currently have six years of digital photos (8GB) with folders for each year (i.e. 1999, 2000, etc.). Within these folders I have folders that start with the date and then give a description - (i.e. "02/03/1999 - Sunset Over The Ocean"). I like having these kinds of information and can pretty easily find the photos I want in this way. I don't mind dragging in each individual folder and supplying the text currently listed in the folder to describe the "roll', if that's needed. I certainly don't want to risk losing these photos or screwing up the formats to make it impossible to find what I wish to find, so does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!

[OreoCookie]

I suggest you take a look at iViewMedia or the likes instead.

I tried iPhoto v. 1-4 and after my experience with iPhoto 4, I up and left to buy something better.

[CaptainHaddock]

I really like iPhoto 5. The efficiency with which it integrates with everything else — my camera, iPod Photo, my Flickr account, Spotlight, Automator, other iLife and iWork applications — makes it incredibly convenient.

However, using iPhoto smoothly requires a different approach than the organize-by-folder method that experienced computer users are used to. If you import your photos, the originals will stay the same, but iPhoto will manage its own folder structure. That means if you need to grab an individual photo for something, it's easiest to either drag it straight from iPhoto, or use Spotlight (a cinch if you assign good roll names and keywords).

By the way, I can't stress too much the coolness of Automator. I was able in a matter of minutes to make a workflow that grabs photos from iPhoto, resizes them, renames them, and puts them in another folder for eBay uploading. I don't know if iViewMedia includes any Automator actions or not.

[schalliol]

Good thoughts. Since I want to use TiVo Desktop, I think I'll need to use iPhoto, but that other program sounds good.

So I guess the question is: How do I convert my folder structure into something managed in iPhoto?

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by CaptainHaddock

By the way, I can't stress too much the coolness of Automator. I was able in a matter of minutes to make a workflow that grabs photos from iPhoto, resizes them, renames them, and puts them in another folder for eBay uploading. I don't know if iViewMedia includes any Automator actions or not.

iView can do that by itself and can be programmed with AppleScript if needed.

[Mediaman_12]

Originally Posted by schalliol

Good thoughts. Since I want to use TiVo Desktop, I think I'll need to use iPhoto, but that other program sounds good.

So I guess the question is: How do I convert my folder structure into something managed in iPhoto?

You just drag the lot in. getting your current structure for 8GB of pics replicated within iPhoto may be a bit of a chore though (there may be some way to automate this), and it may take some time for iPhoto to import the pics.
Does iPhoto look at the creation dates when importing pics, or would schalliol just end up with 8GB of pics with a single creation date?

[PurpleGiant]

iPhoto looks at the creation date for photos, thankfully. So they will still be tagged correctly when browsing by year.

I've got over 10,000 photos in iPhoto and I love it. Given your lack of space, schalliol, I would say you have the right idea - import a folder/film roll at a time. It will take a while, but it will also allow you tag tag them as you go, if you wish.