Sync iPhoto libraries on 2 macs

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fuzz_ballfuzz_ball
Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
I'm looking for something like syncOTunes but for iPhoto. My wife and I each have our own mac, and just like our music libraries, we end up with very different iPhoto libraries. From a simple "backup" perspective it would be nice to sync the two up now and then a la syncOTunes.



Does anyone know of such an application?



Thanks!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 6
    fuzz_ballfuzz_ball Posts: 390member
    I imagine someone out there must have this same problem; 2 macs, each one has some of your complete iPhoto collection, and you want to sync the two so that both Macs have your complete collection of pictures?



    If no application exists out there, is there anyone that has come up with a trick, or know of a handy tool that can fit the bill?
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  • Reply 2 of 6
    cyloncylon Posts: 126member
    I haven't tried it, but I think You Control has a sync program that might do it.
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  • Reply 3 of 6
    fuzz_ballfuzz_ball Posts: 390member
    Thanks for the suggestion. I checked it out, and unfortunately due to some quirks with how iPhoto works, the You Control people specifically advise against trying to sync iPhoto libraries with their program (one poor lady did it and was looking for help on how to fix the mess she was now in).
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  • Reply 4 of 6
    carson o'geniccarson o'genic Posts: 1,279member
    I have the same problem and I found this:



    http://homepage.mac.com/bwebster/iph...rymanager.html



    I haven't tried it yet because I'm waiting for MWSF to see if Apple addresses this issue in the new iLife.



    Features



    Create new libraries, and keep track of any number of libraries on your machine



    Switch between libraries, either through the main window or the dock menu



    See what albums are in each of your libraries



    Get information your libraries, such as their version, modification date, and size



    View and change the permissions of your libraries, handy for sharing libraries between users



    Extract the photos from a library, even if the library is corrupted



    Create shortcut files, letting you open your libraries directly from the Finder (registered users only)



    Copy photos from one library to another, preserving metadata such as names, dates, ratings, comments (limit 20 photos for unregistered users, requires iPhoto 4.0.3 or greater)



    Merge two or more libraries together, preserving all photo metadata and roll organization (registered users only, requires iPhoto 4.0.3 or greater)



    Import photos directly into a library or album, along with various metadata (registered users only)
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  • Reply 5 of 6
    toxotestoxotes Posts: 102member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Carson O'Genic

    I have the same problem and I found this:



    http://homepage.mac.com/bwebster/iph...rymanager.html







    I bought this program a number of months ago and it works very well, although there is no automatic way to compare two iPhoto libraries and sync them. However, you can accomplish the same thing with this program with a little elbow grease. What I do is make an album in iPhoto on each computer called "New Photos", and whenever I add a new picture on that computer I drag it into the New Photos album. Then whenever I get around to it I start up iPhoto Library Manager, connect to the other PC, and just drag the pictures from the other computer's New Photos album into the other computer's iPhoto library. Then take those pictures out of the New Photos album on the other computer (so you don't accidentally import them again), and your photos are in sync. It sounds more complicated than it really is. Still, it's not auto-photo-synchronization, a feature that would be really nice if it preserved the metadata and keywords.
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  • Reply 6 of 6
    sreitshamersreitshamer Posts: 1member
    I recently released an app called iPhotoSync that will sync iPhoto libraries across computers.

    It finds original photos and videos on other computers and copies them to your computer.

    You can do this manually or automatically. In automatic mode it runs in the background, and whenever new photos/videos are available, it copies them to your computer. You control which computers you do this with.



    It only ever adds photos/videos, so it's very safe -- there's no risk of conflicts or corrupted iPhoto libraries.



    There's more info here: http://iphotosync.com.



    - Stefan Reitshamer

    Haystack Software
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