How to find the iPhoto Library Folder Location

[Demapples]

But if the master list still has photos that you already deleted from iphoto, how else would you delete the photo? I removed a bunch of photos, but they remain.

Maybe you deleted the versions but not the masters and the versions?

 

[ricaltman]

I ditched the whole thing finally. I didn't like how it used, stored, displayed.

 

[Dysfunction]

i cannot understand why designers prefer mac over pc!

I don't know many that use the iLife apps. Most I know use Adobe apps anyway... or other pro-level apps like Aperture (for photography). All in all, I don't ever use iPhoto anyway, for many of the same reasons... so I use... Lightroom

 

[ktgilead]

Fyi

Hi, guys. I just feel the need to clarify - for those of you who are "baffled" as to why anyone would want to access the package contents of the iPhoto library.

Something that will probably blow your mind to know is that some people operate differently than others when it comes to how they organize their files and how they use iPhoto.

Personally, I *only* use iPhoto to import images from my camera. Then, I export them into their very own folder shortly afterwards, then I open the iPhoto library, show package contents, and delete the photos directly from the library.

In this way - I am *only* using iPhoto to get pictures off of my camera and into their own folder.

If this still doesn't make sense to you (as to why a person would do that), let me give you an example:

I am a photographer.

Let's say I just did some head shots for a local musician, and let's call him Greg Z.

I have a folder within my 'pictures' folder called: Photography Business

Within that folder, I have these folders: Head Shots, Family, Live Music, Art, Fashion, Nature_Landscapes, Architecture, etc.

Within the Head Shots folder, I have these folders: Paul Y., Amber S., Jimmy R., Ricky M., Jonathan S., etc. ~ and now, I'll add a folder called Greg Z.

Within Greg Z., I have five folders: Originals, Preferred, Export, Finished, Greg_Z-Lightroom

The 'Originals' folder contains the original images, the 'Preferred' folder contains the images I intend to edit, the 'Export' folder contains the images that I have edited with Lightroom and have exported back into Greg's folder, the 'Finished' folder contains the finished images with and without watermarks, and the 'Greg_Z-Lightroom' folder is a special folder that contains the catalog files for Lightroom (if you don't use Lightroom, I think it's beside the point to explain what this means).

Please try and understand that people like me need for *all* of Greg's images to be contained within the same folder (and organized accordingly). I should not have to access iPhoto every time I want to see the originals. Not only that, but I am in a constant state of rotation, moving these [organized] photography files over to an external hard drive to keep my computer's storage from filling up. *I used to use Time Machine, but for my own personal needs, I prefer to back up only the files that I absolutely do not want to lose. If my computer fails, I will happily start over from scratch. The only programs I really need are my Adobe programs, and because I own them, they are not difficult to re-install. It's not like my computer breaks down or needs to be reformatted every day. Not only that, but I have so many important photography & video files that I need all the space I can get. Much less space is taken when the files I cannot lose are stored as opposed to the entire operating system and apps I can live without.

I hope this helps you understand at least *one* example as to why some of us are irritated by iPhoto. It eats up storage space on our computers and we do not want to open iPhoto every time we want to access an image.

Unfortunately, my USB memory card reader recently kicked the bucket, so I've had no other choice but to use iPhoto in order to access photos from my Nikon DSLR. Thanks to Mac's sneaky ways, the images do not shows up in the finder like an external hard drive (like they do with a Windows PC). If my memory card reader was working, it does show up in the finder window. Macs do not handle media devices well at all.

It's ridiculous to have to go through another program instead of simply dragging from the camera (like an external hard drive) and placing them directly into their own folder.

If this still doesn't make sense to you, then I am now the one who is baffled...

 

[chas_m]

Two things:

1. You're doing a ridiculous amount of extra work for no reason, either because you never learned iPhoto properly or because you've not investigated alternatives.

2. USB camera card readers cost MAYBE as much as 10 bucks. Get a new one already!

 

[ktgilead]

Two things:

1. You're doing a ridiculous amount of extra work for no reason, either because you never learned iPhoto properly or because you've not investigated alternatives.

2. USB camera card readers cost MAYBE as much as 10 bucks. Get a new one already!

Sigh.... I tried my best, but it seems you're still rather dense.

1. If you had the capacity to process my method, you would see clearly that using iPhoto to manage my photos is a lot of unreasonable "extra work".

2. One is already on the way. I only use the iPhoto method when my card reader is hiding somewhere or - as it is currently - broken.

I was simply attempting to help those of you who are too slow to comprehend any other way that a human might choose to function for their own organizational purposes - which would not be possible using iPhoto as a photo management tool. And I was explaining why I was using it *at all*. If you deduct that from the equation, concentrating on the necessarily organized folders, you can still see why someone might prefer to not use iPhoto as a photo management tool. There are instances where iPhoto must be used - even if it is not the regular choice. It is important for forums like this to explain the answer instead of egomaniacs posting comments displaying their self-righteous decision to insinuate that anyone who needs to know how to manage the package contents is an idiot. If I am using iPhoto for a few days, I'd like a simple answer without the ignorant arrogance. Grow up.

I am hoping that at some point the lightbulb comes on for you... until then, I can't respond to this anymore. I truly hoped the one time would work.

 

[bobtomay]

If you're not using iPhoto - why use it to import your pictures?

Use 'Image Capture' or 'Picasa' or 'any other of your choice' that will permit you to import direct from your camera to what ever folder / location on the drive you want.

 

[ktgilead]

If you're not using iPhoto - why use it to import your pictures?

Use 'Image Capture' or 'Picasa' or 'any other of your choice' that will permit you to import direct from your camera to what ever folder / location on the drive you want.

Firstly, because I am new to Mac, so I believed the nice fella over at Apple Care who told me (when I called, confused by the fact that my camera didn't show up in the finder window) that my only option was iPhoto.

I hate Picasa. But you seriously just introduced me to Image Capture (which I just tested) so a million thanks to you for that!

Which makes me now wonder - why do people use iPhoto at all? Sorting through images in the thumbnail view works fine, 'Preview' works fine, and Adobe Photoshop+LightRoom+Bridge+etc. combined is only $10/month through Adobe CC, so I can't imagine why someone would choose to edit with iPhoto. The only conclusion I can come to is that people who are not photographers at all use iPhoto for simple point-and-shoot images.

It's got to simply be a personal preference thing. The people who think that iPhoto is simpler might be saying so if that's the only program they need. I just can't seem to get all the pompous attitudes around here.

My response was simply to detail why someone might need to access the photos individually (via the library) and I was giving one example. Another example might be that someone has grown as a photographer and is choosing to move away from iPhoto and no longer wants them stored there.

There are a lot of reasons I can think of... but why are people on the internet so exhaustingly rude when it comes to questions. Why not give a simple/helpful answer like you?

Things like this (and YouTube comments) make me lose my hope in humanity. And then folks like you come along and restore it... So, thanks.

 

[bobtomay]

...
Which makes me now wonder - why do people use iPhoto at all? Sorting through images in the thumbnail view works fine, 'Preview' works fine, and Adobe Photoshop+LightRoom+Bridge+etc. combined is only $10/month through Adobe CC, so I can't imagine why someone would choose to edit with iPhoto. The only conclusion I can come to is that people who are not photographers at all use iPhoto for simple point-and-shoot images.

...

That's it... the vast majority of people are not photographers. They take a few pics once in awhile and have no business spending $120 a year just to manage/edit their photos.

Depends on what you need - I have Adobe CC at home, but at work, Picasa on my Windows machine there does everything I need an app to do.

 

[ktgilead]

For sure. And I hope that if another photographer stumbles into this issue - that this thread (especially your post) helps them know to just stay away from iPhoto.

 

[MacInWin]

Or take the time to learn how to use it. I believe iPhoto CAN do all that you are doing, but if you don't learn it, the default way it works is not what you are doing. Fortunately, nobody is forcing you to use it if you don't/won't, but if another photographer DOES want to use it and learn it, they may. 'Tis a free country, after all.

 

[ChipSD]

Thanks very much.

 

[chas_m]

For the record, lots of photographers (defined for the purposes of this discussion as "those who have been paid for their photos or paid to take photos") use iPhoto quite happily.

Once you get to the point where you are doing it for a living, or just taking crazy amounts of photos, then you need something better. I'm using Lightroom more these days, but I still primarily use iPhoto for my personal photos because it's better-designed for that purpose.

 

[ktgilead]

I would truly appreciate it if you guys could try to hold back on the blanket statements (if you think you know a lot about iPhoto) and utilize this forum productively by explaining how a photographer would use iPhoto to their advantage. Simply making the statement doesn't really get the point across. Please elaborate.

 

[chas_m]

Why would I spend my valuable volunteer time and effort reinventing the wheel when there are hundreds of sites offering tutorials on iPhoto you haven't yet availed yourself of? Go take a look at some by googling "iPhoto tutorial" and let us know if you still have any questions.

It's 100 percent a-ok not to use iPhoto if it's not right for you, but how will you know that until you've gotten at least a basic grasp on it?

As I've previously stated, I'm a hobbyist photographer who has done work good enough to get paid and published. I use iPhoto primarily for organizing, since it does a fantastic job of it. It's not the only tool I use, but it's part of my main workflow. What would you like to know?

 

[morseldoc]

More questions on original question

Hi, my first time in this forum, so please be kind to me. I have used macs since 1984, but am, like many, a busy person (and not as well-organized as I ought to be) so I don't always a) spend a lot of time learning all the details of a program I may be using and b) don't always remember where on my macs I put something.

My question, which may not be exactly that of the original post, is: If I have iPhoto (this mac is older and I am using v7 (from '08) running OS 10.5.8) and I have multiple iPhoto libraries on my macs and I currently have iPhoto open and I want to know which is the iPhoto library currently in use (before I quit it and opt-open it to choose another one on my hard drive), is there a straightforward way to do so?

I know about not mucking around changing things within the package that contains iPhoto photos, but I do want to look inside ("just looking, not touching").

The reason for this need is that in an iPhoto library on one of my macs (a PB G4 15"), which had about 10,000 pictures, I noted some of those black boxes in place of a few photos in a row. This seemed to have occurred after I swapped my hard drive into a barely used PB G4 that I just picked up on eBay to replace mine that had, unfortunately been dropped too many times and had just developed the nasty single-pixel-wide horizontal line problem on the screen. When I saw this, I tried to quit iPhoto and opt-open and look at some other iPhoto library on that mac. It opened fine, but then I couldn't find my original library.

So, the question became: How do I find the last iPhoto library I opened (or the one or two before that) a few hours ago when I am unsure of its location and I have multiple on my HD?

Thanks and sorry for the wordiness. It is 2 am, I just awoke, and I wish I could solve this.

 

[morseldoc]

Same as above

Okay, so probably being the first to reply to your own post is not good manners. Sorry.

At 2:30 am, I found some answers to my queries. I did using spotlight to find a photo in my open library using the photo file name, then I looked at each copy of the photo file on the desktop (actually, just to the iPhoto library that contained each one) to see which iPhoto library had today/now as its modified date/time. Satisfied that I had, at least, located my currently open library, I then quit iPhoto and opt-opened it. I noted that the open window takes you to the last library opened also.

Still, could anyone help to tell me if there is a simpler way? For example, does it show the name and location of the currently open hard drive somewhere? Preferences?

Argh, worse still. I thought I found my initial opened library and copied it to a different mac. When I opened it there (opt-open) and just now looked at it, there are even more empty boxes in lieu of photos. Am I doing something wrong? Moving an entire iPhoto library as a package folder shouldn't be unsafe, true?

 

[chas_m]

My question, which may not be exactly that of the original post, is: If I have iPhoto (this mac is older and I am using v7 (from '08) running OS 10.5.8) and I have multiple iPhoto libraries on my macs and I currently have iPhoto open and I want to know which is the iPhoto library currently in use (before I quit it and opt-open it to choose another one on my hard drive), is there a straightforward way to do so?

On such an old version, I'm not sure. If there is a command in iPhoto (under "File") to "switch libraries," then yes, you'd see what other iPhoto libraries are available, and by virtue of having named each one something different (which of course you have done!), you'd know which one you currently have open.

If that command isn't there because your version of iPhoto is way old, then the only way is to pick a library, double-click it. iPhoto will open it and that will be the default library opened going forward (unless it is in a remote drive that is no longer available, obviously).

I know about not mucking around changing things within the package that contains iPhoto photos, but I do want to look inside ("just looking, not touching").

This is still very ill-advised. There's a reason Apple made the iPhoto library invisible in recent years: see if you can guess why.

The reason for this need is that in an iPhoto library on one of my macs (a PB G4 15"), which had about 10,000 pictures, I noted some of those black boxes in place of a few photos in a row.

This might be fixed by invoking iPhoto's repair dialog, which is done by launching the program with command and option held down.

So, the question became: How do I find the last iPhoto library I opened (or the one or two before that) a few hours ago when I am unsure of its location and I have multiple on my HD?

The only way I can think of is to look at the modification dates of the libraries.

Hope that helps!

 

[morseldoc]

thanks

Thanks for your post. Don't laugh, but my oldest running mac (not often used, I will admit) is a G3 minitower running OS 9.2.1. (My newest is an intel mini with 10.6.8. Yes, I am always behind on these things!).
Opening a library by double-clicking seems to not work, as iPhoto still opens the default library (or at least, in the situation I will describe). Examining the modification dates of libraries (found by searching for a photo in one of the libraries that I hope is in many) does work. That is how I found what library I had opened a few hours earlier. (I also found it using File Buddy to show me on my HD > 10 GB). The crazy thing is that the file I had opened at 7 p last night is now in a hidden folder (My Internal HD/Volumes (an invisible folder)/A folder named for a partition on another MacBook/The iphoto library of interest). If I use FileBuddy to show me the finder location, it does show me a window in the finder containing the library. I cannot open the library by double-clicking or control-click to "open with" as both methods open iPhoto with the default last-used library. I can neither opt-open iPhoto and open this library from the open window as it is hidden in an invisible folder. What I did do last night was to copy the 28 GB library via my home network to another mac (MDD G4 - my "main" mac) and open it there. While I could open it there, there were even more missing pictures there.

Any ideas? How can putting my old HD in a new used body have caused this? I do think that the PRAM battery in the "new" PBG4 is old as I have found that I need to re-enter my network password a few times. Could this be doing things? I did reset the PRAM once after putting my HD here. Should I have done anything else?

I appreciate the control-opt-open thought. I may try that on a copy of the library later today, unless you have a better thought. thanks

 

[morseldoc]

Sorry, command-option, I see. Also, sorry if I gave redundant info here. It would be nice if one could see the last post or two while typing a reply. My aging brain doesn't always recall all of your points (and no, I didn't write it down or take a screen-shot).