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iPhoto file structure
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asodamiac
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Jun 6, 2006, 08:47 PM
 
I just purchased an external hard drive, and started to back up my photos from iPhoto. I was looking at the variety of folders iPhoto created, and this is what it looked like:

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/8767/picture18wm.png (sorry, I would use the IMG tags, but it cut off some of the text)

Since I'm just archiving these photos, would it be OK to delete all of the other folders and items other than the "Original" folder? There are some photos in the 2005, 2006, Data, and Modified folders, but I was wondering if ALL of the photos in my iPhoto library are in the "Original" folder. If this is so, I will delete everything else BUT the "Original" folder. I don't do any of my editing in iPhoto, I edit my files in Photoshop, so I don't see why there are "Modified" photos, unless a photo is considered to be "Modified" if I rotate it.

So final line: Is it safe to delete all of the other photos but the "Originals" folder? Are ALL of my photos in the "Original" folder?

Thanks!

BTW, by deleting all of the other files, I would be saving 10gb or so!
15" Powerbook G4 | 1.67, 1.5gb, 128VRAM, SD
20" iMac | 2.66, 2gb, HD 2600
Dell 2408WFP
     
skybolt
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Jun 7, 2006, 10:06 AM
 
It is always best to NEVER mess with iPhoto Library from the finder. You can create disastrous results! The originals in the finder are just what they say they are. They are there so that if need be, you can go back to an unedited photo and start over. The Modified are again, just that. They are photos you rotated, modified (even in Photoshop), etc. If you delete all but originals, you will have lost all your editing, etc. Some of the other folders are folders iPhoto needs to work, so you should not delete them, either. If you do, your library will likely be corrupted. You really should leave the files in the finder alone. Trust me, been there, done that. Lost lots of photos! Do your organizing, etc. within iPhoto, and edit if you wish in Photoshop, but leave the Finder alone. Just backyup the iPhoto Library as a whole and don't mess with it.

Good luck!
Mary
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asodamiac  (op)
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Jun 7, 2006, 03:20 PM
 
Thanks Mary. I did back up the entire folder, but all of the other "non-Original" files are taking up close to 10gb of space. The ease of using iPhoto is definitely a bonus, but it does a terrible job of organizing photos. I downloaded the beta version of Adobe's Lightroom and had to dig around a bit to import some photos to Lightroom. If I had organized my photos on my own, based on a filing system/hierarchy that was familiar to me, this would have been much, MUCH easier. I will be reformatting my powerbook soon, and will start organizing my photos on my own from now on. I do not plan on using iPhoto any longer, unless I can have iPhoto view photos from MY folder system. Is that possible?

To clarify, can I have my own folder system, and have iPhoto view them, without duplicating the documents into an iPhoto Library? That would be great if it could do that. (Lightroom puts it like this, "Reference files in existing location"

Thanks!

Back to the original question though... If I don't plan on using iPhoto in the future, is it safe for me to delete everything but the "Originals" folder?
15" Powerbook G4 | 1.67, 1.5gb, 128VRAM, SD
20" iMac | 2.66, 2gb, HD 2600
Dell 2408WFP
     
BWSchultz
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Jun 7, 2006, 04:10 PM
 
Along these lines, skybolt, you mentioned using photoshop and iphoto together? Can I use iphoto to track changes I make to a photo using photoshop? That would be really nice. Currently, I touch up photos in photoshop and then upload them "as originals" to iphoto. Is there a better way?

If you never plan on using iphoto again AND you con't care about any edits you've made to photos so far, you can simply keep the originals. But back up first before you do such a risky move so you don't lose images/changes you thought you had.
     
asodamiac  (op)
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Jun 7, 2006, 09:43 PM
 
BWSchultz, I backed up the entire library to my external. Now I'm wondering if the "Originals" folder contains ALL of my images. When I open up iPhoto, it says that i have 33gb of photos, but when I "get info" of my iPhoto Library folder, it shows 42gb's of photos. I'm hoping I can discard 9-10gb of "useless" stuff. No more iPhoto for me!
15" Powerbook G4 | 1.67, 1.5gb, 128VRAM, SD
20" iMac | 2.66, 2gb, HD 2600
Dell 2408WFP
     
skybolt
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Jun 8, 2006, 11:17 AM
 
BWSchultz - yes, you can tell iPhoto to use Photoshop or some other to edit your photos automatically. Not at the mac right now, so can't say for sure, but expect that if you look in iPhoto preferences, you'll find an option that asks what external editor you want to use. I had it set that way for a while, to use Photoshop Elements, but changed back to iPhoto for editing. It would open Elements for me when I double clicked on a photo. It then saved the altered photo back into its place in iPhoto. I'll try to look at the mac tonight when I get home and post more specifics.
Mary
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skybolt
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Jun 9, 2006, 05:07 PM
 
The option to edit in Photoshop (or whatever you have) is indeed in Preferences, under the general tab. "Edit photos" and use the drop-down to choose your software. Good luck!
Mary
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13 in. MacBook, Core 2duo, mid-2010, many iPods
     
OmniX
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Jun 9, 2006, 07:02 PM
 
Originally Posted by asodamiac
The ease of using iPhoto is definitely a bonus, but it does a terrible job of organizing photos. I downloaded the beta version of Adobe's Lightroom and had to dig around a bit to import some photos to Lightroom. If I had organized my photos on my own, based on a filing system/hierarchy that was familiar to me, this would have been much, MUCH easier. I will be reformatting my powerbook soon, and will start organizing my photos on my own from now on. I do not plan on using iPhoto any longer, unless I can have iPhoto view photos from MY folder system. Is that possible?

To clarify, can I have my own folder system, and have iPhoto view them, without duplicating the documents into an iPhoto Library? That would be great if it could do that. (Lightroom puts it like this, "Reference files in existing location"
Hi -- I too would really appreciate an answer to this question. In iTunes one can either have the app manage and maintain all files by itself ("copy files to iTunes music fold when adding to library") or reference the files in their original location. Is this possible in iPhoto, or is one forced to use its built-in (and rather clumsy, IMO) organization system?

If the answer is no, are there any other photo-organizing apps out there which permit this, Mac or PC? How about Picasa (have heard of it but know very little)? Perhaps time to bust out BootCamp/Parallels...

tx,
ox
     
King Bob On The Cob
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Jun 9, 2006, 09:02 PM
 
The iPhoto system really does make sense if you take a step back and just let iPhoto do it's thing.
You get "Originals" and it makes a copy for every operation you perform on the image (destructively editing photos is BAD).
It organizes by Year/Month/Day that the picture was taken. Take a step back and ask yourself, do you really need to be able to access the files directly in a way that iPhoto doesn't allow?
     
icruise
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Jun 9, 2006, 10:48 PM
 
Originally Posted by OmniX
Hi -- I too would really appreciate an answer to this question. In iTunes one can either have the app manage and maintain all files by itself ("copy files to iTunes music fold when adding to library") or reference the files in their original location. Is this possible in iPhoto, or is one forced to use its built-in (and rather clumsy, IMO) organization system?
x
The new version of iPhoto lets you add things to your library without actually copying the files to the iPhoto library folder, more or less like iTunes does. Turn off the "Copy files to iPhoto Library folder when adding to library" option under "Advanced." Then any photos that you add will just stay in the locations you put them, but will be referenced in your iPhoto library. If you use iPhoto for importing things from your digital camera, it will still store them in the iPhoto Library folder in the usual iPhoto structure, so if you want complete control over how your pictures are organized, you'll have to use something like Image Capture to download the photos and then add them to iPhoto manually.
     
OmniX
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Jun 10, 2006, 01:39 AM
 
lcruise, thanks for your very helpful reply.
     
jaejae
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Jun 2, 2007, 10:53 PM
 
sorry, i'm new to this. it's not a reply, but a problem. i have totally destroyed my iphoto TWO times. i'm not sure how. then i played around with the library, which was the biggest mistake ever. well, i've tried to upload all of the photos back into iphoto, though i lost many. however, any photo that has been altered in any way... cropped, etc... is either corrupted, or for example - i tried to upload photos to myspace and it says the format is not supported, yet it's a jpg and i can open it. i can only upload orginals. so, i can't even shrink photos in iphoto and export them. they are useless. i even burned a new cd of scanned photos and those are not uploadable either. i can't figure out what i've done. this likely makes no sense. but, if it does to anyone, i'd love some help!!! thank you!!!!!
     
   
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