How do you manage your Aperture library?

[mynewromantica]

Here is my situation:

I have a MacBook Pro with a 320GB HD. I also have a 2 TB external hooked up to my AirPort Extreme. I shoot weddings, some fashion stuff and am a student.

The problem I have is my aperture library is getting too big to keep on my laptop and keeping it on the external drive is REALLY to work from.

How do those of you with MBPs and limited space deal with growing libraries?

 

[cosmokanga2]

Here is my situation:

I have a MacBook Pro with a 320GB HD. I also have a 2 TB external hooked up to my AirPort Extreme. I shoot weddings, some fashion stuff and am a student.

The problem I have is my aperture library is getting too big to keep on my laptop and keeping it on the external drive is REALLY to work from.

How do those of you with MBPs and limited space deal with growing libraries?

Here is what I would do and what I will do when I out grow my 500gb drive.

Using Apertures library feature I would create small libraries with images you access frequently on your internal hard drive and one large master library on the external drive. I would get this external drive either off the airport and connected directly to your computer or get another drive to use. Using wireless is too slow. Then just merge the small libraries to the master every once and a while.

The only time you wouldn't have access to all your images would be when he external is not connected but the rest ofthe time everything would be availible.

Let me know I this helps. I can write a more in depth description tommorow when on my laptop

 

[flosseR]

Here is my situation:

I have a MacBook Pro with a 320GB HD. I also have a 2 TB external hooked up to my AirPort Extreme. I shoot weddings, some fashion stuff and am a student.

The problem I have is my aperture library is getting too big to keep on my laptop and keeping it on the external drive is REALLY to work from.

How do those of you with MBPs and limited space deal with growing libraries?

Split the Libraries into years (or even half years if you have THAT many images) and keep them on the external disk EXCEPT the current one or two. Of course accessing them all at once is a problem so here is the other solution:
Create a Aperture Library and Keep all your RAWs on the external disk and then reference the RAWs only into the library. that way you only have the JPGs with you and can work with them while you RAW photos are externally and your library shrinks like crazy...

//F

 

[jbg232]

+1 for using referenced masters. Also, split your library up into smaller libraries as it will make things faster as well. Plus, using referenced masters is (in my opinion at least) a nice backup solution as well in case the aperture library gets corrupted you will have all your original images in pristine condition. Aperture will save local jpgs on the local drive that the aperture library is installed on which will allow you to see all your files on your computer and do minor editing. This is a big problem and you should figure out a worthy solution now. Aside from having a mac pro, this is the way to do it. I have >20K files and they are all stored externally.