Filed under: iLife, Multimedia, Software, Cool tools, Freeware
Get to your iPhoto images easily
If you're having trouble finding the actual original images stored in iPhoto, you're not alone. Just dropping into the iPhoto Library folder in your Pictures folder (in your Home folder) is NOT a pleasant experience. For some wacky reason (which I'm sure someone will explain later), iPhoto pretty much stores things however it sees fit. And for those of us who don't want to launch iPhoto just to drag the image onto the desktop, there's this handy workflow from OfflinePixel that'll allow you to easily browse your Library and save images (originals especially) onto your Desktop. It makes a copy of the images you want, keeping the original in your iPhoto Library, but this will let you put those images somewhere else— maybe somewhere more logical.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
James said 12:06PM on 11-18-2005
You can also just drag images directly out of the library view of iPhoto into whatever folder you want to put them in. Again, it's a copy not a move. You can do the same thing in iTunes too.
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Greg said 12:17PM on 11-18-2005
I know all about this, and sometimes iPhoto doesn't actually delete images off your computer, they just float, trapped in some nested folder, in some lost sector of your hardrive. I usually end up exporting my images to another folder, as iPhoto is not quite the image browser I would like it to be.
At least there's spotlight to shed some light on where the hell the images go. But I wish this could be simplified. Managing fonts is also criminally annoying through font book. I actually miss the days of dragging and dropping fonts into the Windows fonts folder.
Please excuse my blaspheme. ;)
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Brian said 12:27PM on 11-18-2005
James, I'm sure that the intention was to not open iPhoto at all just to get a photo.
Victor, I agree with you on this. It's hard to find the picture that you're looking for if you just go into the Photos. I know that it is stored chronologically, but that doesn't make it easy for me.
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Mario Panighetti said 12:30PM on 11-18-2005
I guess I'm just not seeing the usefulness of such a tool, when the functionality already exists to copy pictures from the iPhoto app. As James said, just click and drag from the application window. That way you benefit from iPhoto's in-app organization and never even have to look at the mess of folders (not that I can think of a better way for it to organize its folders than by year/month/day).
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benchosei said 4:20PM on 11-18-2005
This is stupid but the workflow, after I choose the photos, creates a copy of my desktop in a folder named "desktop", before actually coping the chosen photos.
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Ted Walters said 4:29PM on 11-18-2005
What I don't understand is why they don't take a clue from iTunes and have two features: 1. keep library organized and 2. consolidate library. This would make my life much easier. Also, The naming system for folders is deplorable. When comparing iPhoto with Photoshop Album, there is far more control on the nomenclature of the folder/file structure than in iPhoto. Thus ironically, Photoshop Album is one of the few times I actually use my PC. Once I read my compact flash into Photoshop Album, I bring them into my macs and they are much better organized.
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anthony said 8:20PM on 11-18-2005
THANK YOU!! This is a GREAT workflow that solves a problem I didn't even know I had :) Took a few minutes to load up all the pictures on the first go round ( I hav over 3,000) Second shot worked just about instantly.
Mario, the organization is still in this work flow. The point of this app is to save you from having to open iPhoto just to grab a picture. Looking through your actual pictures folder is near impossible.
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