TUAW Tip: Crack open the monolithic iPhoto '08 Library

This new file structure is the dumbest thing ever! Now I can't have an external drive that both my mac can use for iphoto and my pc can use for picasa!

What on earth. And no prefrence to fix this. If they wanted to "fix" this for the dumb users then at least have a pref for people who used to like this now dummy oriented program.

--- Anyone want to try .Mac Backup or other tools so we can build a list? ---

If that list gets made I'd like to look at it. If someone can point to another common bundle that I could copy and modify to try out Syncronize X Pro I'd be willing to report back on that. I use it and .Mac Backup for my backups.

At this point I don't wish to have a 15GB bundle that MIGHT backup each time I change a photo so I'm steering away from iLife 08 for the time being.

If you crack open the file and make aliases of the modified and original folders, then copy these to your pictures folder, it makes it a lot easier to get to your pictures when trying to upload them online (i.e., when you must browse to them via Finder).

One of the strengths of Apple's GUI (or any GUI, for that matter), is the ability to perform tasks using more than one method. Why anyone should put down someone else for having a different workflow than themselves is beyond me. It's condescending, arrogant, and stinks of Windows-think.

I found this thread because I just tried to import 100+ still frame photos into After Effects from my iPhoto library. No, this does not mean that I'm trying to import them one at a time. I'm trying to import them all at once -- a menu option in AE -- and because iPhoto's folder hierarchy is no longer available through a dialog box I can no longer do this. The proposed solutions here -- to set AE as my editor in iPhoto (Why would I want to do that? I edit my photos in Photoshop!) or to drag photos one at a time from iPhoto to AE -- are ridiculously unsatisfactory. No, I'm going to have to drag my photos out of the library folder so that I can import them and that's a nuisance. I understand that Apple wanted to protect the average consumer from damaging their files, but a simple check box under an "Advanced" tab in iPhoto's preferences could save us pros a lot of headaches.

I may be missing something (I'm not much of an expert) but I have had no problem storing my iLife 08 iPhoto library on my external disk. I just moved the library from the Picures folder to the external drive, then when iPhoto opened it asked me where it was. Seem to work fine from there. Please tell me I haven't done something terrible and lost all my originals....

As a daily ChronoSync user, I can confirm that ChronoSync does not have a problem with this. Go to Options | Special File/Folder Handling and check "Dissect Packages". It then treats the package as if it were a regular folder structure and can synchronize individual photo changes without the 50GB (in my case) overhead.

This change makes iPhoto useless as a photo filing and storing app. It fails the grand-mother test for simplicity and useability.

Why do I need to have iPhoto open to access photos or to upload one photo to flickr, photobucket or deviantart?
Why would I want to make a copy of every picture I want to access? crazy.

I'd be better off just keeping the photos in a folder on the desktop, and deleting iPhoto.

I spent the morning cleaning out my iphoto08 file to consolidate all my photos into a folder OUTSIDE of iphoto. Is there an easy way (ala itunes) where you can simply tell iphoto to "add to library" and it will replace previous cached thumbnails? I used the Import to Library (after turning off the "copy to iphoto" pref) - but it still held onto older folder hierarchies and is irritating.

thanks

Oh my God, poor Englebert -- not only does he not know how to use iPhoto, he can't even read the post above his!

Whatever poor soul at Apple is on the receiving end of his angry letter will surely have a little chuckle at the fact that Englebert has never looked in iPhoto's preferences.

This iPhoto rebuild pisses me off. The following email to Apple details why:

"While the new GUI of iPhoto '08 is impressive, the compatibility of opening items in my iPhoto library with other programs (PhotoShop, Final Cut, etc.) is terrible.
I import my photos from my camera to iPhoto, allowing it to organize photo folders as it sees fit. The problem lies in the fact that, if trying to open another a picture or video in one of the aforementioned programs, it proves something of an impossibility.
For instance, if I am using Final Cut and would like to import a video I took on my still camera which has been filed under the iPhoto library, it simply cannot be done, as the iPhoto library icon is locked, providing no access to the subfolders. The same problems occurs in PhotoShop. I now have to either export the photo to somewhere else on my hard drive or go through the annoying process of unlocing the subfolders and copying them. This is especially annoying with large video files.
I am aware that I can show those folders using the OS Finder option, but this cannot be done from another programs "Open File" menu.
I understand that is is considered a new safety precaution to keep people's iPhoto libraries from getting corrupt, but I would like the option to forgo Apple's opinions on the integrity of my library and do what I wish. This is a very "Windows" thing to do, in that it is streamlined to be compatible with only Apple's products.
I called Apple technical support, only to be told that there is no workaround, and that's just how it is. I will now be forced to rebuild my library from scratch and not let iPhoto organize them. This is proving to be a gigantic hassle, and I seriously hope that Apple fixes this inconvenient feature in as quick a time as possible.
This is the first time I have had any problems with Apple's software, but this is the biggest headache you could make for someone like me, who has relied on my iPhoto library for years."

If you are angry about it, as I am, please copy and send that to Apple via the "Provide iPhoto Feedback" button in iPhoto.