iPhoto....Where are my Photos...?

[cz9h3d]

As a recent Mac newbie (iMac i7), I can't help but smile as I read questions from others similar to my own I don't mind throwing away all my PC expertise, extensive photography file structure, and naming convention, but some things still "irk me".

My wife wanted me to resize some images so she could email them to her editor. This is a common occurrence. I had about 2 minutes to do the job, and of course couldn't quickly/easily figure out how to resize in iPhoto in that time period! I defaulted to Elements (30 day trial, I used it on the PC), quickly resided, saved the files with a new name - BUT I COULDN'T FIND THE FILES to attach to the email!!!! So I again resized, and saved to the desktop.

I know I just need to do some more research/learning, but I get frustrated when I can't do the most basic of things. I know iPhoto keeps all originals -
(1) how do I get access to originals, as well as edited versions if they're all in the library? Will they all show up in iPhoto?
(2) would I be better served to not "copy items to the photo library" as I did when I imported all my photos from an external drive? Would this then allow me to both use iPhoto's cataloging features, but also still have all my images in a nice orderly file structure defined by me? But what happens to any edits then?
(3) My wife routinely edits images for her editor - does it really make sense to have to save them to the desktop for emailing (she uses web-based email)? I'd like to keep these images too, which certainly isn't supported if I'm always exporting to the desktop - is it?

I looked at various iLife/iPhoto books to make me smarter, but I'm not convinced they really answer these kind of questions.

Best regards! P.S. I'm going to make myself love this mac - it cost too darn much to stay frustrated!

 

[Pomeroy]

Have you tried the Email button at the bottom of iPhoto?? Select the photos you want to email and click the email button ( bottom right ) and a dialog box will pop up and let you select from several sizes or just drag the selected photos to the dock and drop on the email icon and a button will appear on the bottom right of your email to let you select the size.

This may work better for your wife with web based mail. Drag the photos from iPhoto to the dock and drop on the Preview icon and then go to the tools menu and select "Adjust Size" and make any size you want.

iPhoto is not going to let you work on the original, but you can make a copy by going to the Photos menu and click on "Duplicate" and then revert the first photo to the original by going back to the the Photos menu and select "Revert to Original", this will give you a copy to work on and still be able to see what the original looks like. There may be other ways to do this also. I do it this way sometimes if I want to have more than one version of a photo.

 

[cz9h3d]

Okay - I'll try to stop the complaining. I learn more each day! Spent some time at the bookstore reading through a few manuals. Now my only regret is that I wasn't more knowledgeable when I first imported all my photos into the library! Looks like I actually could keep my originals outside of the library and still have iPhoto use them as the originals, but I don't see much use in that. My wife's business pics are definitely getting their own library! I might just start over with my main library, as I've got a lot of doubles from where I previous had originals and edited photos - not sure how I'll handle that - might just revert to the originals, and not imported the edited files.

I found the email solution today for sending resized images - that will work great - although I can't say I'm totally happy with mail and how it plays with my hotmail and gmail accounts at present (doesn't pull over the folders) - but that's an issue for another forum!

 

[judderman62]

I cannot believe this thread

I have now been an imac owner for approx 9/10 months having been swayed by my brother and the umpteen times I've heard and read the old "i'd never go back to a pc" /"wish I'd switched earlier" line that one hears so much.

well I have to say I am hugely underwhelmed and never has the concept of emperors new clothes been better demonstrated to me than all the hype over macs.

this new discovery, found as I could not find my photos using my newly downloaded Canon DPP software, that iphoto actually holds my photos prisoners from errr me just takes the biscuit.

what a ******* joke.

well for me it's the opposite - never again will I go for a mac.

my computer prevents me from doing what I WANT with my own photos and only lets me do what it wants in the package it decides I can use !!!

The biggest joke for me is that Macs are supposedly particularly well suited to photographers !!!!! ehmmmm no I don't think so

 

[ChrisA]

well Mary, what if you need a specific format like,
1682 x 1235 pixel TIFF format in High Quality ?

Is iPhoto that customizable ?

thanks!

Then export an image as a 1682 x 1235 pixel TIFF. (But that is pointless if the original was a JPG.)

 

[ChrisA]

(2) would I be better served to not "copy items to the photo library" as I did when I imported all my photos from an external drive? Would this then allow me to both use i

You are just like the 1020' farmer who just bought his first car, can't figure it out and wants his horse back. Just stick with it. Some concepts are new. For example that an image can exist in many "smart folders" at the same time but still only be in one physical place on the disk. Or that smart folders select images based on rules. These concepts are new. You will get used to them and one day see how limiting a folder structure is.

For example. Say you have a photo of John and Mary in San Diego, CA taken may 1965. Do you file this by date (5/1965) or to you place this with other shots of Mary or in John's stack? Using a more modern system you'd file the photo under ALL of those and more. Most of my photos end up in a dozen folders -- but still have only one copy on the disk.

I'm guessing you don't have many photos. Once you get into tens of thousands of them "orderly folders" just don't work unless you only have need to find them by one method. Such as a wedding photographer would nly ever look them up by "Client Name".

 

[H2Ockey]

I cannot believe this thread

Here I quoted about as much of your post as it seems you read in this thread.

Had you TRIED to understand the advice given, repeatedly, to folks who, like you, came into this thread complainig about not being able to pull items out of a database to manipulate in a way that would mess up the database rather than learn and use the tool in the way it was meant you may have made a completely different post and your impressions of a mac might be different indeed.

I would try and reiterate what you need to hear but that would be falling on deaf ears... erm eyes I guess. RE-read the thread, understand iphoto is a database. You know an advanced system to catalog a massive amount of data, ie. photos. There are tools to let you do what you want with those photos. Swearing off a mac becasue you are too thick headed to try and learn a system that does work and is used by pro photographers is fine as well. You should understand however, coming here and complaining about it to people that understand that it is not iphoto and macs that don't make sense; it is those who are unwilling or maybe unable to learn new and better ways of doing something that is the real problem.

good luck.

 

[judderman62]

H not being able to pull items out of a database to manipulate in a way that would mess up the database .

do enlighten me then - how would editing with DPP "mess up the database" when it is non destructive. Also if this database as as magnificent as you profess - why could it not handle me opening abcd.jpg , editing it in DPP and saving edited version as abce.jpg ?

doesn't seem that impressive a database to me if I can't open a record re-save it with changes with another name without getting the whole database corrupted.

Also one of the myths one hears perpetuated is that macs make most things soooo much easier...well as someone has already pointed out the advice given (I have skimmed it a little ) entails not one but TWO extra steps - 1) drag to the desktop 2) drag to the bin when finished (one could argue emptying the bin actually makes it 3 steps but lets not provoke the mac fanboys further )

whereas on a PC I would have just navigated to the folder from any software that can open jpegs , make the changes and save as (either same place or somewhere else) dunno maybe I am a lil slow after all - but that seems quicker to me ... it is quicker that way isn't it ?...isn't it ?

Oh and btw ...don't take it too personally I am expressing my disappointment with my mac ..not having a go at you or your family - sense of perspective n all that

 

[H2Ockey]

This article will explain what you would like i'm sure, better than I could.

http://www.macworld.com/article/143828/2009/11/referenced_library.html

The thing is, if you have a relatively small number of photos just plopping them all into a "my pictures" folder in different sub folders by ?date? title? whatever might be fine, but it really doesn't take that many to become overwhelming.

 

[H2Ockey]

Oh and btw ...don't take it too personally I am expressing my disappointment with my mac ..not having a go at you or your family - sense of perspective n all that

Oh and btw, i don't take mac bashing personally in any way. I'm not that much of a fanboi as it were. I use bootcamp and my imac runs xp quite a bit for certain things. Maybe it is something else in the attitude in your post that comes accross poorly.

 

[judderman62]

This article will explain what you would like i'm sure, better than I could.

http://www.macworld.com/article/143828/2009/11/referenced_library.html

The thing is, if you have a relatively small number of photos just plopping them all into a "my pictures" folder in different sub folders by ?date? title? whatever might be fine, but it really doesn't take that many to become overwhelming.

I'll have a read of that - thanks.

No I have shed loads of photos - took 440 in an 8 hour session a couple of saturdays ago. I guess it depends how one wants to catalogue - venue, month.

I was in a little "playful" mood last night so did pile it on a little more than I might otherwise - sorry 'bout that - I get the devil in me from time to time

I'm still pretty underwhelmed with the mac all round and don't see what all the fuss is about and feel they are very over hyped.

Maybe I just don't understand the benefits ?

 

[Somepix]

Maybe I just don't understand the benefits ?

Maybe .... But remember what Ol' Steve says : THINK DIFFERENT !

 

[BaldiMac]

Also one of the myths one hears perpetuated is that macs make most things soooo much easier...well as someone has already pointed out the advice given (I have skimmed it a little ) entails not one but TWO extra steps - 1) drag to the desktop 2) drag to the bin when finished (one could argue emptying the bin actually makes it 3 steps but lets not provoke the mac fanboys further )

That advice is several years old. If you are running Leopard or Snow Leopard, you have direct access to your iPhoto library in the source list of any Open/Save dialog box. No extra steps.

 

[H2Ockey]

I'm still pretty underwhelmed with the mac all round and don't see what all the fuss is about and feel they are very over hyped.

Maybe I just don't understand the benefits ?

Part of it is the irrationality in these arguments, just like a silly Cannon v Nikon debate or vanilla v chocolate, pie v cake the most passionate are usually, influenced to a very strong degree by personal preference and unable to state many facts to back up their opinion they just resort to emotion.

My choice to go mac was two fold. I was getting into photography and had a friend show me aperture and explain/work with the database type management system. Macs are just better suited to run graphics type programs, much less memory intensive. Can't really compare price per spec as well because the performance at apparently lower specs for things like photo editing and graphics software. Really to run the good photo editing software in the same way I would have spent about the same amount building a PC with a lot of extra fluff as I paid for the mac... but it would have run games a whole lot better

The other reason was my work had recently switched to vista on our computers. That... well put the OS in POS. Some have gone mac from pure spite at microsoft, I went mac not out of spite but in part from simple frustration.

As far as the folders vs iphoto/aperture type system. I would use the analogy that folders would be like a library that stored all their books in large boxes labled by type of book. Sure you can go to the right box, sift through it and pull out the book you want and replace it. But going to a filing system, looking up the book you want and pulling it out is much better.

 

[judderman62]

Part of it is the irrationality in these arguments, just like a silly Cannon v Nikon debate or vanilla v chocolate, pie v cake the most passionate are usually, influenced to a very strong degree by personal preference and unable to state many facts to back up their opinion they just resort to emotion.

My choice to go mac was two fold. I was getting into photography and had a friend show me aperture and explain/work with the database type management system. Macs are just better suited to run graphics type programs, much less memory intensive. Can't really compare price per spec as well because the performance at apparently lower specs for things like photo editing and graphics software. Really to run the good photo editing software in the same way I would have spent about the same amount building a PC with a lot of extra fluff as I paid for the mac... but it would have run games a whole lot better

The other reason was my work had recently switched to vista on our computers. That... well put the OS in POS. Some have gone mac from pure spite at microsoft, I went mac not out of spite but in part from simple frustration.

As far as the folders vs iphoto/aperture type system. I would use the analogy that folders would be like a library that stored all their books in large boxes labled by type of book. Sure you can go to the right box, sift through it and pull out the book you want and replace it. But going to a filing system, looking up the book you want and pulling it out is much better.

very nicely put sir. Same here with the frustration thing and when my pc got hit by a trojan - I called the apple store, asked them what time they were open till (10 pm) and drove straight there and bought one.

There is plenty about microsoft that irks me - one of my faves that has me swearing at my computer is the old "do you want to save changes" when in fact you haven't made any - very tiresome Mr. Gates, very tiresome.

so with the more direct access with leopard (btw how come I couldn't access from Canon DPP then ??) does that then not have the negative impact talked about in this thread if files are changed ?

 

[H2Ockey]

so with the more direct access with leopard (btw how come I couldn't access from Canon DPP then ??) does that then not have the negative impact talked about in this thread if files are changed ?

I can't for the life of me remember the initial steps, but you can set an external editor in iphoto. I guess search for that. I just feel better keeping iphoto in the loop, exporting or opening through it so I don't lose the reference to an album or make a change that bugs the file so I can't find it again.

 

[judderman62]

I can't for the life of me remember the initial steps, but you can set an external editor in iphoto. I guess search for that. I just feel better keeping iphoto in the loop, exporting or opening through it so I don't lose the reference to an album or make a change that bugs the file so I can't find it again.

cheers - I think I have seen somewhere that one can do that - so if one does it that way does that mean it won't cause issues with the data base ?

thanks for all the replies folks

 

[Alpj89]

It is good to know the url for your photos in iPhoto if you i.e. are making a webpage by html editing in text editor.

So you can use the tag:
<img src="/Users/username/Picture/iPhoto%20Library/..."/>
to locate your photo in the iPhoto Library

=)

 

[deadkennedy]

First off "Why?' Are your just curious? If so,then they are inside the iPhoto library in the Pictures folder. You can right click on the library and then select "show package content. But iPhoto hides them this way for a good reason. It's to prevent you from messing with them.

You really should never have to know where the files are. If you need an image file to include in an email or web page the "correct" way go is to export the file to the dektop from iPhoto

This is just about the most retarded thing I've heard in years. That's why people hate Apple and think Apple users are moron fanbois.

 

[marcelleqb]

nonsense

First off "Why?' Are your just curious? If so,then they are inside the iPhoto library in the Pictures folder. You can right click on the library and then select "show package content. But iPhoto hides them this way for a good reason. It's to prevent you from messing with them.

You really should never have to know where the files are. If you need an image file to include in an email or web page the "correct" way go is to export the file to the dektop from iPhoto

Please. What are we - 5 or something?

 

[Designer Dale]

Please. What are we - 5 or something?

You must be really bored. The post you quoted is 2 1/2 years old.

Dale

 

[ToddJ]

They really should do it more like iTunes where it really isn't a database per se. Or, better yet, like Picasa where it scans that hard drive and keeps them where you put them originally.

 

[darrenparr]

iPhoto Query - Where are Photos

Hi all,

I have a similar question. I have backed up my entire library onto a 1tb external. I want to then delete my photos from iPhoto on the Mac...

When I delete any on the Mac and then open up the backup library they are still missing and the backup fails to reveal the deleted ones?? Am I doing something wrong or will this lose all my photos....

I really just want to see 15000 photo files and know they are there. Please can you help anyone?

 

[ChrisA]

Hi all,

I have a similar question. I have backed up my entire library onto a 1tb external. I want to then delete my photos from iPhoto on the Mac...

When I delete any on the Mac and then open up the backup library they are still missing and the backup fails to reveal the deleted ones?? Am I doing something wrong or will this lose all my photos....

I really just want to see 15000 photo files and know they are there. Please can you help anyone?

There s an index file that contains a list of the photos and pointers to the files. If you delete a photo from inside iphoto it removes the entry from the list. iphoto looks at the index and sees it as gone even if the image is still on your disk.

I think you only backed up the files and not the index

 

[trevorhdavies]

iPhoto....where are my iphotos

Hi. I found this thread because I was in exactly the same predicament and just as annoyed. I needed to clear my laptop and move the photos to my imac which is on an earlier version so would not import. Here is the definitive answer. Click once on the iphoto icon in 'pictures' whilst holding control. Menu opens up offering "Show package contents". Choose that and you will looking at your photo folders in finder. Cheers.