Finder file path (and iPhoto)

Hi guys, I am running an iMac Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz and 10.6.2. I use iPhoto for all of my photo management. I've been trying to find files through finder so I can edit them or sort them, and when I follow the file path to get to iPhoto (ie. home > pictures > iPhoto library), I ust get a preview and some folder information.



Clicking the icon opens iPhoto and takes me to my photos. It doesn't show me any folders that hold any modified images, if I want to access the original file in iPhoto, I would have thought I could get to it through the finder windows, but it seems I can't.

If you look at the below screenshot and the status bar of the finder window, there seems to be a file path which shows the folder the photo is held in along with the 'modified' folder. How can I get to that?

If I read your thread correctly, right click (control click) on iphoto library to show package contents and you will find what you're looking for

Excellent! Now why didn't I know about that before

It's one of those rare occasions that we need to show package contents to find what we're looking for ;D

Note that while you can do this, you should never do this under normal circumstances.

If you want to edit a photo in iPhoto, either use iPhoto's editing tools, or set an external editor from within iPhoto. Doing otherwise could corrupt your iPhoto library.

If this is too much of a hassle for you, then don't use iPhoto. There are plenty of other photo editors (eg. GraphicConverter) that will let you browse and edit photos stored in normal photos.

Doing anything to/with your photos in that library in finder will render iPhoto useless to you. If you want to use iPhoto, stay out of the finder and do whatever you want from within the app itself. Users are not meant to go into the library in finder -- that's why Apple "hid" it -- so users would stop corrupting their photo files.

iPhoto is an excellent organizational software with simple editing features built in, and does it's job brilliantly. There is never a need to go into the library in finder. If you want to use something else to edit your photos, go into iPhoto Preferences and set that software as your external editor. Then when you edit a photo from within the iPhoto app, your changes will be saved right back where iPhoto can find them.

Seriously?

What patronising nonsense. iPhoto includes videos (taken on my lovely apple iPhone or Canon camera) but I cannot access these through a media renderer because of this stupid restriction. If it's so easy to break the system then the software can't be up to much.

It's this kind of arrogance that puts intelligent users off the mac platform, with good justification.

/rant

Is there a way of disabling system-wide, the "special" nature of the iPhoto Library folder so it can be navigated in the normal way with finder?

Thanks

but I cannot access these through a media renderer

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Select your movie in the iPhoto window and just drag it to your desktop, then use it in whatever renderer that you want to.

It's this kind of arrogance

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It's not arrogance, but good advice. If you go into the folders via Finder and edit/move/delete photos, when you next run iPhoto, it's looking for things that have been edited/moved/deleted and has no idea where to find them because it doesn't know that they've been edited/moved/deleted.

How do you feel when your friend/partner moves your suff and doesn't tell you?

puts intelligent users off the mac platform

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Intelligent users aren't put off using Macs.

@MightyGem thanks for your kind reply. You're right - intelligent users aren't put off, but I am ditching iPhoto in favour of Picasa and once I figure out how, I'm going to turn off the weird behaviour of the iPhoto folders so I can use the vanilla-normal behaviour of the finder in other apps when seeking images (e.g. for uploading).

Thanks again for taking the time to reply.