Transferring entire iphoto library to external hard drive

Please tell me that I don't have to export my entire 30,000 photos from iphoto '11 to the desktop before exporting to an external hard drive! Currently, this is how I export photos to burn to CD or print at Costco. I didn't have to do this with iphoto '09. Am I doing something wrong? I should say that I have another external hard drive doing Time Machine back ups daily.
Thanks!

What do you want to do, keep your iPhoto library on an external to free up space, or figure out how to copy files out of iPhoto?

Hi,
Thanks for the quick response. I want to copy all of my photos out of iPhoto onto an external so that I may use them in other computers and other applications including windows based software. I have plenty of space on my iMac.

A quick way to do this is just open up your pictures folder, right click "iphoto library" copy and paste it onto your external drive.

Thanks, Chemadian. I feel stupid asking this but I don't have a mouse with a right and left click ability. Is there a way to "right click" using the keyboard?

ya, just press the control button and click or tap your trackpad.

cheers

The method you've proscribed will not actually work for what he wants to do.

Read what he wrote again: "so that I may use them in other computers and other applications including windows based software"

Now, how exactly do you think copying the iPhoto library will help him do that?

The REAL answer is that you need to export the library into a folder hierarchy. Here is the solution:

iPhoto To Disk

GolfinMom4 said:

Thanks, Chemadian. I feel stupid asking this but I don't have a mouse with a right and left click ability. Is there a way to "right click" using the keyboard?

Click to expand...

It's an aside to your original query that I think Chas_m has nailed but which mouse do you use that doesn't have a right-click option?

Agreed. Apple hasn't made a one-button mouse in over a decade.

All Apple mouses LOOK like they are one-button but they aren't. You can "turn on" the right-click functionality from the Mouse control panel in system preferences.