[Swervage]

I have many many folders in my pictures folder and was going to use iPhoto to organize but realized that when I import, it creates a second photo in the library. So I don't think this is optimal. Is it best to import and then delete original? Or is keeping my current file system better? It's just harder I browse and manage without some software. Ultimately I want it to be easy to sync with my iOS devices so everything is kept up to date, backed up, etc.

Can anyone please share some best practices?

[P]

Make a backup and then let iPhoto import everything and let it do its thing. Less pain in the long run.

[Spheric Harlot]

I agree that iPhoto is probably the nicest option at current, and the path of making a backup of your current structure and then importing that entirely into iPhoto is the best one.

I would probably not invest too much work into actually *organizing* within iPhoto at this point, though (keywords, faces, etc.), since iPhoto is being discontinued and will be replaced by a new "Photos" app sometime early next year.
There will obviously be a seamless path to migrate from iPhoto to the new app, but nothing is known about how that handles tagging, face recognition, keywords, and albums. For all we know, it might be MUCH nicer to do that work after the redesign.

[donaldkepler]

Once you import all the images from iPhoto then one another good thing can be done. Take all iPhoto library to an external drive. Connect the drive with Mac machine and open 'home' folder and click on Pictures folder. Find the iPhoto Library package, and click to select it completely. Press a combination of Cut+Paste from Edit menu to proceed.

[Spheric Harlot]

There is no "Cut" command for files in the Finder.

Also, to select the new library location in iPhoto, you need to open iPhoto while holding the Option key.