iPhoto question

my 500gig internal hard drive is almost full, mostly photo's / video's. i have 2 external drives i use as backup and storage.
is there a way to use an external drive to view (in iPhoto) and store my iPhoto's / video's and wipe my internal drive ???

Sure. Here's the procedure:

1. Copy the iPhoto Library in your Pictures "file" (actually a package, but never mind that) to the drive you want to store it on. DO NOT throw away the original library on your boot drive YET.

2. Open iPhoto holding down the option key: you will be asked if you want to open or create another iPhoto library. Choose to open one, then direct it to the iPhoto Library file where it is on the external drive.

3. Check to make sure everything looks like it is there.

4. NOW you can delete the "original" iPhoto library, though I should add that you'll now need to come up with some new way to back up the iPhoto library since Time Machine won't be doing that any more.

I am new to iphoto09.I have 10000 plus photos in the library and I have to reduce my
pressure on my hard drive.I am trying to create as many albums as possible.here are my questions?
Is it possible to upload specific albums to an external hard drive and delete them in iphoto library?
Is it possible to remove specific photos to an external drive and delete them in the library?
By deleting a photo/s in the library will remove the phot/s forever?

any help will be appreciates.

nagarajan

Raja.Nagarajan said:

I am new to iphoto09.I have 10000 plus photos in the library and I have to reduce my
pressure on my hard drive.I am trying to create as many albums as possible.

Click to expand...

This does nothing to assist or fix your problem.

Is it possible to upload specific albums to an external hard drive and delete them in iphoto library?

Click to expand...

No. Put the entire library on the external drive. Or you can use third-party software to "split" your existing single iPhoto library into smaller, multiple libraries. Then some can "reside" on your external and some can "reside" on your boot drive, which I suspect is what you really want to do rather than the "albums" idea (which may just be your way of expressing the same concept).

Is it possible to remove specific photos to an external drive and delete them in the library?

Click to expand...

Yes.

By deleting a photo/s in the library will remove the phot/s forever

Click to expand...

If you delete a photo from the iPhoto Library *and* empty iPhoto's own Trash, then yes they are gone for good.

thanks for the response.
which are the reliable third party software for mac to split the iphoto library?

nagarajan

I would suggestion iPhoto Library Manager. Indeed, it's the ONLY program I know of that will properly split iPhoto libraries.

Hi - I have most of my photos on an external hard drive and want to view them in iPhoto. I tried Chas M's solution 07-25-2011, 06:56 above and have copied iphoto library onto the ext HD but still couldn't view the photos using iPhoto. Then I thought I must import them into the library so am doing that but there are over 40,000 photos and although it started importing them, has now stopped and frozen. Is there another way of doing this. If it doesn't work my next option would be to to import each album/folder separately. There must be an easier way! Thanks - gillian

PS - it is still frozen on the same photo and I can neither close iPhoto nor do anything else within the programme, even close it. I clicked on stop import but it has no effect, just carries on circling at importing. I tried to close it but now have the delightful little rainbow circle going round too...

...and now, 3 hours later, it is still going round. I have no option but to switch off forcibly as I can't close the programme and nothing is happening. Mac seems to be great for those that have used the system from the start but for us switchers, it isn't.

OK I found out how to close the programme and did so - now I try to reopen iPhoto (the copy on my ext HD) and it starts to open but I get a dialogue box with the following message: The iPhoto Library is locked, on a locked disk, or you do not have permission to make changes to it. I click OK and it closes again - just great. Help please. I do wish I hadn't changed OS but now I have, I really need to learn how this works and stick with it. I am reading the notes on the forum and really trying but it is not easy, nor intuitive! Thanks in advance...