I *HATE* Iphoto, i have thousands of pics . Any Reccs?

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I hate navigating thru iphoto its such a pain.

i understand that assigning keywords to each pic makes it easier to search for but when u have like thousands of pics
its really hard and time consuming to do that!

I am really quite comfortable with Window's "my pictures" folder where you can arrange your pics in a folder and each folder has like a thumbnail preview of whats inside.

once you click on the folder you can see thumbnail previews of each pic..


WHY cant i do this on my mac?? i know i can arrange my pics in folders but when i click on the folder it shows up as a generic "jpg" icon along with the picture name it doesnt show an actual preview of the pic

i have to manually click on each pic to see what it is.

basciallly my two questions

1.)

is there anyway to see the pics in ur generic folders ALL at once as little previews (as u could in windows) or do i have to click on them one at a time to view?

2.) is there anything better than iphoto that takes less time to organize? i hate the user interface.. i mean i know i can organize my pics on the left in different subfolders but the MAIN screen in the middle is a jumbled mess and its quite distracting..
 

eric


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i'm in the same boat - i actually removed iPhoto.

i just use the pictures folder and have created many subfolders to suit my needs.

i've also found a couple programs to be invaluable.

Xee - nice, easy to use picture viewer, will remind many switchers of the windows picture and fax viewer.

renamer4mac - great mass file renamer program. easier to use than automator for renaming multiple files.


also in answer to your question #1:
these are from the Mac-Forums Switchers FAQ and Information

Q: How do I change the size of icons, size of icon text, background color/image of my windows, and/or the way files arrange themselves in my windows?
A:
When in icon view(the first view button), right click in the folder and select "Show View Options". Here you can select "Keep Arranged By" and select how to arrange your files and even set all folders to do the same. You also have other options here to help suit your preferences.
When in list view (the second view button), to get your folders and files to organize themselves by name, type, date modified, etc, click the corresponding bar at the top of the finder window.
When in column view (the third view button), folders and files seem to automatically sort by type then by name.


Q: Is there a "thumbnail" view in finder?
A: When in icon view, right click inside the window and choose "Show View Options". Click the box marked "Show icon preview". Remember to choose whether you want it to be for this window only or for all windows.
 
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i'm in the same boat - i actually removed iPhoto.

i just use the pictures folder and have created many subfolders to suit my needs.

i've also found a couple programs to be invaluable.

Xee - nice, easy to use picture viewer, will remind many switchers of the windows picture and fax viewer.

renamer4mac - great mass file renamer program. easier to use than automator for renaming multiple files.


also in answer to your question #1:
these are from the Mac-Forums Switchers FAQ and Information

Q: How do I change the size of icons, size of icon text, background color/image of my windows, and/or the way files arrange themselves in my windows?
A:
When in icon view(the first view button), right click in the folder and select "Show View Options". Here you can select "Keep Arranged By" and select how to arrange your files and even set all folders to do the same. You also have other options here to help suit your preferences.
When in list view (the second view button), to get your folders and files to organize themselves by name, type, date modified, etc, click the corresponding bar at the top of the finder window.
When in column view (the third view button), folders and files seem to automatically sort by type then by name.


Q: Is there a "thumbnail" view in finder?
A: When in icon view, right click inside the window and choose "Show View Options". Click the box marked "Show icon preview". Remember to choose whether you want it to be for this window only or for all windows.


THANKS for ur reply!!

i have a few more questions


1.) when u say u just use the "pictures folder" is this a folder u created yourself and named the picture folder right?

2.) that tip u gave about being able to view icons as previews is amazing! thnaks so much for that.
on windows, when u clikced on a folder u could see little preview icons ON the actual subfolder as well...is thre any way to do that on the mac?

3.)what is the advantage of xee? since u can already view pictures by clicking on them what would the advantage of having this picture viewer be? ditto with the mass renamer..in what situation would u need to mass rename files?
 
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oh one more thing...do u know if the icon preview mode can also be used when looking at folders with videos???

i know on windows u could see like a screenshot of the video in videos folder...
 

eric


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not sure, i usually use list view. give it a shot, see if it works, can't harm anything!
 
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not sure, i usually use list view. give it a shot, see if it works, can't harm anything!

1.) when u say u just use the "pictures folder" is this a folder u created yourself and named the picture folder right?

2.) that tip u gave about being able to view icons as previews is amazing! thnaks so much for that.
on windows, when u clikced on a folder u could see little preview icons ON the actual subfolder as well...is thre any way to do that on the mac?

3.)what is the advantage of xee? since u can already view pictures by clicking on them what would the advantage of having this picture viewer be? ditto with the mass renamer..in what situation would u need to mass rename files?


:)


just in case u didnt se eit :p
 

eric


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1) in your home folder, there are folders called library, applications, documents, pictures (or maybe photos or images, but i think it's pictures). i used this folder. by default this folder should be on the left hand sie of finder.

2) np.
i don't know about that. i don't find it super useful on windows either though, since i'm typically in detail view ;)

3) Xee allows easy movement back and forth within a folder in the way the standard windows picture viewer does (and does so with hotkeys (command <- and -> or just < and >). it's just a very quick and easy app to use.

re: renamer4mac, OS X will not mass rename files as windows would (see if you can do it yourself in finder). automator does have an action for this, but it tends not to keep your original file order, and can be trickier to use for complex renaming than renamer4mac.


btw, i'm at work on a windows machine right now, so there are a few things i can't check first hand right now.
 
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iPhoto needs one simple addition - apply keywords as photos are imported to the libary. That would make it much easier to catalog a series of folders (I don't import photos into iPhoto as I needs them for other things). It's a pain to add a load of photos, then go through and select them all from within the library, then apply keywords. And you need to be able to add keywords somewhere easier to get at than Preferences.
 
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You might wish to check out QPict too (http://www.qpict.net). I use it and find it to be better than iPhoto by a long way.
 
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I am so glad it is not only me! I do not know why people rave about iphoto at all - it is very limited in editing functionality, and is useless at storing/filing work - one of the worst photo apps I have used. Another gripe is that it automatically saves when you edit a photo - you have to undo what you have done so that your original is not written over - that is terrible IMHO.

Apple certainly need to develop it more!

I just create a folder in my documents (just as I did in Windows, except with Windows it is already created), and then file and store my photographs there - much easier!
 
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all of my iphoto stuff is set up into folders within the application...if i go out and take 30 pics of something i organize it into a new folder with the date attached to it etc....therefore when i want to see a picture i just go to that folder where i know it is....i dont see how the iphoto orgainzation is so difficult...

but recently i did switch to aperture which i have set up the same exact way
-chris
 

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I use iPhoto for organizing my pictures, but for viewing a massive quantity - or just to page through pictures quickly, I like CocoViewX, which reminds me of ACDSee on Windows. MacHeadCase turned me on to this little gem, which is freeware and very easy to use (and quick too).
 
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I'm also disappointed with iphoto... is useless and i'm also looking for something better... I have tried some of what you guys recommended here but I cant find anything suitable yet... I'm thinking in putting money together and buying Aperture... what about that program?

Any comment?

A.
 
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Before spending any money on Aperture, try The Gimp which is a very good PSP clone and is totally free.

Other alternatives are Adobe Photoshop Elements (what I use because it came as standard with my DSLR), and, more expensively, photoshop itself.

All the above a good photo-editors, much more to them than iphoto - and of course there is what has already been suggested :)
 
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Bear in mind people, that iPhoto isn't meant as a photo editor any more than iTunes is a music maker.
 

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it doesn't seem as though the OP is under that assumption either. ;)
 
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I love I photo. You just need to know how to use it. As for the thumb icons in finder...just go to show view options and change the icon to preview. If You want a my pictures type thing just press apple A to select all pictures..right click and select slide show. in slide show you have options for adding to iphoto full screen and index view. I thought I fphoto was horrible at first but its the best program I have ever used. The trick is in the rolls. I am very tired and drunk right now but if you really want help pm me tomorrow.

Everything you wan't to do is possible. I can teach you.
 
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Well I'm in the same camp as other it sounds and thats nice to know at least we aren't alone in the dark. I want to figure out how to use iPhoto instead of giving up right away, I'm stubborn and cheap and stubborn. The main problem I have is organizing. Is there a way to organize in anything other than date (2006) and roll (547) this is killing me. I'm coming from a windows thumnail background, bear with me. I want to label a sub catagory inside another catagory. Know that most of my searching for photos is done outside of the app. iPhoto via the iPhoto library in my home file. Its mainly done on the fly where i can search through my 3000 photos and just drag it into what I'm doing. It seems like iPhoto wants to be Finder in this regard but its just not grocking. If you need I'll explain the situation a bit more clearly if I can,
 

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