Importing/Copying to iPhoto Library?

[Hls811]

I typically do most of my photo editting and storage on my Windows PC simply because I always have and never decided to switch things up.. I'd like to duplicate what I've got and keep pictures on my Mac as well now, but have a question...

Whats the benefit of copying the photo library to the iPhoto library when importing? I have 15+GB of pictures, Is there any reason to copy everything over? I assume I can then delete my original folder to keep it at that size, but why would I want to have it in the library instead of being able to browse to pictures > my specific folders?

 

[Roy Hobbs]

Browsing through folders defeats the purpose of library software liek iPhoto.

Plus if you really want to you can open up the iPhoto library and look in the folders.

 

[ChrisA]

I typically do most of my photo editting and storage on my Windows PC simply because I always have and never decided to switch things up.. I'd like to duplicate what I've got and keep pictures on my Mac as well now, but have a question...

Whats the benefit of copying the photo library to the iPhoto library when importing? I have 15+GB of pictures, Is there any reason to copy everything over? I assume I can then delete my original folder to keep it at that size, but why would I want to have it in the library instead of being able to browse to pictures > my specific folders?

The "PC way" is to make a bunch of folders and physically move the image file into the "correct" folder and manually make a collection of folders in folders. If you have a large investment in thios method you woul NOT want to copy to images into the iPhoto libray but iPhoto offers a much more flexible filing system then you can make using a collection of folders. in iPhoto an image file can appear to exist in any numbers of folders at the same time. Also these foldrs can be "smart foldrs" which maintain their own content based on some criteris. iPhoto works a bit like the public library's card files where each book is files under three systems author, title and subject. Only you can set up more then three systems. Once you have invested in setting up a system of smart folders and keywords you really will never care where the file is physically so you may as well import it into iPhoto.

iPhoto becomes useful if you take the time to come up with a keyword and comment system and stick with it If you don't it's not much better then a set of folders

 

[Hls811]

The "PC way" is to make a bunch of folders and physically move the image file into the "correct" folder and manually make a collection of folders in folders. If you have a large investment in thios method you woul NOT want to copy to images into the iPhoto libray but iPhoto offers a much more flexible filing system then you can make using a collection of folders. in iPhoto an image file can appear to exist in any numbers of folders at the same time. Also these foldrs can be "smart foldrs" which maintain their own content based on some criteris. iPhoto works a bit like the public library's card files where each book is files under three systems author, title and subject. Only you can set up more then three systems. Once you have invested in setting up a system of smart folders and keywords you really will never care where the file is physically so you may as well import it into iPhoto.

iPhoto becomes useful if you take the time to come up with a keyword and comment system and stick with it If you don't it's not much better then a set of folders

Thanks for that info - Actually, I'm not so much married to the 'PC way' of doing it with folders - being this isn't my main catalog of pictures on my laptop (Thats still reserved for my home PC) - I don't mind setting up keywords and associating them (assuming I can do then in bulk)... I'm OK with doing things differently to accomodate a Mac, I just wasn't sure of the benefits of doing it that way vs keping it in seperate folders like I had been used to.

Thanks again...