Should I let iLife organize my files?
Hey,
I've recently moved from Windows to Mac.
Anyway, I've noticed that the iLife apps (mostly iPhoto and iTunes) have the option to let them handle the media files for me.
I'm trying to decide if I would be better having them do that for me.
For example, in iPhoto - I see that if I don't let it copy every photo I import into its own folder - It won't add ColorSync profiles (does it matter?)
On the other side, it would be more difficult moving into different media organization software if I let the iLife apps do the organization by themselves...
Any recommendations? (let me know if my question isn't clear enough...)
I've recently moved from Windows to Mac.
Anyway, I've noticed that the iLife apps (mostly iPhoto and iTunes) have the option to let them handle the media files for me.
I'm trying to decide if I would be better having them do that for me.
For example, in iPhoto - I see that if I don't let it copy every photo I import into its own folder - It won't add ColorSync profiles (does it matter?)
On the other side, it would be more difficult moving into different media organization software if I let the iLife apps do the organization by themselves...
Any recommendations? (let me know if my question isn't clear enough...)
Comments
Hey,
I've recently moved from Windows to Mac.
Anyway, I've noticed that the iLife apps (mostly iPhoto and iTunes) have the option to let them handle the media files for me.
I'm trying to decide if I would be better having them do that for me.
For example, in iPhoto - I see that if I don't let it copy every photo I import into its own folder - It won't add ColorSync profiles (does it matter?)
On the other side, it would be more difficult moving into different media organization software if I let the iLife apps do the organization by themselves...
Any recommendations? (let me know if my question isn't clear enough...)
This is part of the reason why OS X "just works". You should let the OS manage the files itself. It doesn't go mess everything up, and for the most part, it's folder organization is top notch. You'll find all your music neatly sorted in your User>Music>iTunes folder.
iPhoto on the other hand... As long as you edit the photos in iPhoto or Aperture, you're fine, but don't expect to browse the pictures folder and find the pic you wanted... I to this day haven't found the logic behind the file sorting of the photos. But again, it works as long as you let OS X do it's thing.
OS X manages files on it's own very very well compared to Windows. But it's when you start mucking it up yourself that it starts to act funny. So go ahead and let it sort.
This is part of the reason why OS X "just works". You should let the OS manage the files itself. It doesn't go mess everything up, and for the most part, it's folder organization is top notch. You'll find all your music neatly sorted in your User>Music>iTunes folder.
iPhoto on the other hand... As long as you edit the photos in iPhoto or Aperture, you're fine, but don't expect to browse the pictures folder and find the pic you wanted... I to this day haven't found the logic behind the file sorting of the photos. But again, it works as long as you let OS X do it's thing.
OS X manages files on it's own very very well compared to Windows. But it's when you start mucking it up yourself that it starts to act funny. So go ahead and let it sort.
In iPhoto 08 you cannot browse the iPhoto library through the pics folder in finder. The library is hidden. As I understand it you must view the pics in iPhoto through iPhoto. No big deal unless you want to send pics and don't use Apple mail.
I use hotmail and in order to send photos I make a copy of the pic first and then paste in into my pics folder. Then I can browse it from hotmail and choose it. In the old iPhoto the library wasn't hidden and therefore could be browsed from hotmail. This is the only feature in the new version of iPhoto I don't like.
Did you try looking in the 'All Images' link under the SEARCH FOR category? Seems this gives you the full breakdown of your iPhoto library, and looks stunning in cover-flow. Plus when you hit the Space Bar and that quick-look window pops up with a bigger view, if you scroll in Cover Flow, what ever is the main image shows up in the big view also! Very slick trick.
Plus the finder window should have the file location listed at the bottom of the window. Of-course with iPhoto managed images that doesn't help much as you can't navigate to the folder proper...
In iPhoto 08 you cannot browse the iPhoto library through the pics folder in finder. The library is hidden. As I understand it you must view the pics in iPhoto through iPhoto. No big deal unless you want to send pics and don't use Apple mail.
I use hotmail and in order to send photos I make a copy of the pic first and then paste in into my pics folder. Then I can browse it from hotmail and choose it. In the old iPhoto the library wasn't hidden and therefore could be browsed from hotmail. This is the only feature in the new version of iPhoto I don't like.
i hate that "feature." one of the only times i've been pissed off while using these new apps.
The library is hidden because users are not supposed to muck about in there. Doing anything to/with your photos in the library in finder is the surest way to corrupt your photos, lose your photos, etc. There is NEVER a need to go into that file! If you want to use, say, Photoshop to edit your photos, set it as the external editor in preferences. Once you edit the photo that way, it will be saved back where it came from.
iPhoto is a great organizer and manager, and does not do a bad job of editing (for the non-professional!). Give it a chance and you will find it is the most efficient way to manage your photos. Organization is a breeze! Rename your "event" or "rolls" to something meaningful to you, then create folders (e.g., Vacations"), then create albums or smart albums within the folder (e.g., "Summer 2007"", "Winter 2006"). Makes finding anything so easy. Keywords help there, too. Give all the pictures of "Bob" the keyword "Bob" and you can quickly find any and all photos of Bob!
Good luck! Make it easy on yourself! Let iPhoto and iTunes handle the organization, you just handle the fun!
To =export your photos to, say, Fcebook, select the photo(s) you want from within the app itself. Drag them to the desktop and upload from there. If you use the export command, you can choose the size.
The library is hidden because users are not supposed to muck about in there. Doing anything to/with your photos in the library in finder is the surest way to corrupt your photos, lose your photos, etc. There is NEVER a need to go into that file! If you want to use, say, Photoshop to edit your photos, set it as the external editor in preferences. Once you edit the photo that way, it will be saved back where it came from.
iPhoto is a great organizer and manager, and does not do a bad job of editing (for the non-professional!). Give it a chance and you will find it is the most efficient way to manage your photos. Organization is a breeze! Rename your "event" or "rolls" to something meaningful to you, then create folders (e.g., Vacations"), then create albums or smart albums within the folder (e.g., "Summer 2007"", "Winter 2006"). Makes finding anything so easy. Keywords help there, too. Give all the pictures of "Bob" the keyword "Bob" and you can quickly find any and all photos of Bob!
Good luck! Make it easy on yourself! Let iPhoto and iTunes handle the organization, you just handle the fun!
I love iPhoto. Been using it from the beginning. Just a little annoyed that when I import files from the camera I can't access them unless I go through a couple additional steps, which is hardly what Apple is about. For instance, in order to set a day's photos for my screen saver I have to search for those photos using spotlight (after getting the file info from iphoto), then create an alias of that folder. That's the only way i've been able to link those photos to my screen saver or desktop pictures. Yes, it's not hard to find the files when I search for them. But in order to open them with a separate program, it takes more effort than the average user has the patience for. If there's an easier way to do all of this, then obviously it's not intuitive enough for it to really be easy at all...