Every once in a while I find a photo with a missing thumbnail. When I click it, the information of the photograph is there, but the photo itself is missing. A spotlight search of the title of the photo yields no results. Either iPhoto fails to properly delete photos, or it's randomly deleting photos. I need to know which of the two it is, before it deletes more photos, and what I can do about it. It's happening fast.
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Mayday: iPhoto destroying library
- Thread starter Oneiromancer
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Actually, I think I've found out: when I deleted the empty thumbnails, they recurred where they had been before. I found that the empty thumbnails were also in my smart folders. I share my photos through MobileMe in smart folders. When photographs are deleted, smart folders sometimes don't delete them too, so that empty thumbnails are left. Smart folders are based on the entire library, but the smart folders don't contain the files themselves, so that, if the smart folders are shared, the smart folders redirect them to the library. As each photograph in the smart galleries redirects to a photograph in the library, each will link to one. Those that don't have any will still create a link, and since there has to be something to link to it will create an alias.
Hm
that does seem like a possible alternative. But I can imagine using two applications might pose some problems. I still need iPhoto, for two reasons: one is to upload the photographs on MobileMe, the other is to easily use them as wallpapers based on rating. Perhaps a third reason would be that you can directly download photographs to iPhoto from Safari. There's nothing wrong with iPhoto to photos. But for everything else
Also, wouldn't this involve either having to duplicate the library (14 GB) or having separate ones, which would be inconvenient. So is there any way to connect Lightroom to the iPhoto library, leaving all the work to Lightroom but still keeping it in the iPhoto library?
Also, wouldn't this involve either having to duplicate the library (14 GB) or having separate ones, which would be inconvenient. So is there any way to connect Lightroom to the iPhoto library, leaving all the work to Lightroom but still keeping it in the iPhoto library?
Ditch iPhoto. Destroy it and burn it into a trillion pieces. That's my advice to you.
I started out with it, and in fact I was just moving past it a year ago. I can't imagine using it now.
I started out with it, and in fact I was just moving past it a year ago. I can't imagine using it now.
Try Aperture. Aperture can import your iPhoto library and keep your basic structure in tact. I would download the trial version and see how you like it!
Basic structure meaning?
How about Lightroom? Can it do this?
How could one transfer an entire library with ratings, keywords, descriptions, and shared galleries? It was rather a lot of work to sort them alone, and I don't even know if sharing galleries online is possible at all with either Aperture or Lightroom.
iPhoto is quite terrible, though. It's the slowest application I've ever used.
How about Lightroom? Can it do this?
How could one transfer an entire library with ratings, keywords, descriptions, and shared galleries? It was rather a lot of work to sort them alone, and I don't even know if sharing galleries online is possible at all with either Aperture or Lightroom.
iPhoto is quite terrible, though. It's the slowest application I've ever used.
I've addressed most of the issues with switching, but one remains, and it's the most important: I could copy the photos in different folders according to rating and keyword, and I could upload the MobileMe Gallery manually online, but that leaves the issue of desktop pictures. The reason I've downloaded thousands of pictures is not just to have them in my library, but to view them every once in a while while I work it's inspiring, and relaxing.
How could I select photographs with a certain rating from Aperture or Lightroom? I assume that, like iPhoto, they don't manage the photographs in folders in Finder when they're changed in the library?Or is there?
How could I select photographs with a certain rating from Aperture or Lightroom? I assume that, like iPhoto, they don't manage the photographs in folders in Finder when they're changed in the library?Or is there?
Aperture gives you the option of either managing the files for you or to leave the actual file management to you. If you allow Aperture to manage your photos, they'll be put in a bundle, i. e. a special directory that the Finder treats as a single file (just like applications). You can still browse the contents, of course.
You can change this on a per-file basis if you wish and manage some files by hand and let others be managed by Aperture.
In either case, Aperture sorts your photos according to projects, irrespective of how the actual files are managed. I find this to be a huge plus since you could move files to an external harddrive without having to change the way you sort your pics -- you would have merely relocated the files. Photos can only belong to one project, but arbitrarily many albums, books, websites and light tables. You can use smart searches and filters to select photos by rating, keywords, etc.
Lightroom is less flexible in this respect, its library structure is tied to the directory structure on your harddrive.
I have let Aperture manage my photos since I switched from iView Media Pro and I haven't had a single problem.