Iphoto question

I have a question I am hoping there is a solution to with Iphoto.

I have the Netgear ReadyNAS Duo I use to back up all my photos. Right now after I do an import I go and move the new folders onto the NAS. This is getting tedious and I would like a more automated way. The other problem is I have 3 Mac laptops. What I would like is to be able to import the images on any of the 3 laptops and then just merge them on the NAS. I would like the option of having the whole library on one of the systems, but not be required. Basically if I want to also have all photos on one of the computers to organize then I can, but not be required. I would like to also be able to just move new photos over to the library and merge them.

Scenario wise this is how I would use it. My Macbook has a 500GB HD so I could see me wanting them all on my laptop to organize in albums. I have an old iBook G4 with a smaller hard drive that I don't want to store all the photos on but if I imported photos to the computer I would like to merge them with the iPhoto library on the NAS, but not move all the photos on the NAS to the G4. Just move the new photos from the G4. This will happen at some point since I bring the G4 with me when I travel and download the photos onto it when the memory fills up on the cameras.

I saw on the web people talking about iPhoto Library Manager and it's ability to merge libraries but I was unsure if I could just copy over new photos or it would want to basically 'mirror' the photos so the libraries are the same when it is done merging. For example the library on the NAS has 5000 photos and my G4 has 300 new photos, I would like the NAS to end up with 5300 photos and the G4 to only have 300 when done not both end up with 5300.

Sorry for the long email, but hopefully it will eliminate any follow-on questions on how/what I was wanting to do.

Thanks is advance for any help anyone can provide.

just like iTunes you can hold down "option" when starting up iPhoto and choose the library you would like to use. so if it were me i :

1. use the NAS library as the "main" library to hold all of your pics
2. use the 500GB Macbook to point to that NAS library and then use that macbook to import my camera pics as often as possible to prevent new pics from being on other macs and having to merge
3. if you do get those cases like the 300 pics you mention above then you need to get iPhoto Library Manager to merge those pics into your 500GB Macbook library which is actually your main library on the NAS. that software is worth the money and i searched for a free way and it just isnt out there that is this easy.

now you can "option" start iPhoto on any of your macs and choose that NAS library and see all your pics on all of your macs.

i hope that made sense.

even if your on the road with your 500GB macbook and you fire up iPhoto you can use the main library on that Macbook while you are out and then merge it into the NAS library when you return.

i run several macs with iPhoto at my house and this was something i had to solve as well.