I don't understand iTunes

wanea · October 23, 2004 9:17PM

hey,

I just can't understand why everytime I run a mp3 file iTunes copies it to its own folder ("iTunes Music") just so it can be added to the playlist...it's slower cause I have to wait while the mp3s are copied and it's a waste of disk space...whats the logic behind this ? please someone explain me...

thanks

peace

bauman · October 23, 2004 9:46PM

The idea behind it is that iTunes will manage your music for you. It will keep everything in one consolidated folder, organized by artist and album.

Of course, you can disable this "feature" by going to the preferences and under advanced uncheck "Keep iTunes Music Folder Organized" and "Copy files to iTunes Music Folder when adding to Library"

I personally like the way iTunes does it, so I just let iTunes keep track of everything in it's own place, and then I don't have music scattered all around my hard drive.

mikef · October 23, 2004 10:38PM

After the song is imported into iTunes, you don't need to keep the (now) second copy, so it's not a waste of disk space.

FWIW, iPhoto does the same thing.

admactanium · October 23, 2004 11:28PM

i agree. i like itunes organization. it's pretty much how i would do it myself. so i double click a file and then throw away the original.

buonrotto · October 24, 2004 10:35AM

Isn't there an option to *not* have iTunes organize your music folder?

Anyway, the question is, are people trying to manage their music with the Finder? If so, you're missing the point of iTunes. It's a music catalog first and foremost. Using other apps and your own folders to organize your stuff is making more work for yourself, work that isn't needed because that's what iTunes is for. People do the same thing with iPhoto, try to manage their stuff outside of it and wonder why iPhoto tries to do the same thing for them. The sole reason these apps exist is to help manage your stuff for you! Otherwise, we would just use the Finder and Quicktime.

vox barbara · October 24, 2004 12:40PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BuonRotto

...

Anyway, the question is, are people trying to manage their music with the Finder? ...

The only complaints about itunes i actually have is:

if you are importing a CD without giving this particular CD a name you are in a tight spot

The finder creates a folder "unknown album", iTunes doesn't care about that issue. The struggle begins...

mikef · October 24, 2004 8:29PM

If iTunes is managing the music, why is this a problem? You shouldn't care how the files are stored on disk, you should care that they're accessible through the iTunes interface.

failedmathematician · October 24, 2004 11:04PM

For me, it is the loss of control. I don't care about iTunes, because I just download or import music and it organizes it for me. End of story. But when I take a photo, it is usually just a starting point. Manipulation in PS, or as a background for a draw-over in Illustrator or something. Three quarters of them I just throw away anyway. So once you start interacting with files on a level beyond iPhoto, the iPhoto file management is no longer particularly good. This is why I don't use iPhoto.

It is interesting to me how Apple is rethinking how users get to their files. I'd just say that some ideas work better than others.

wanea · October 25, 2004 5:44AM

the thing is I'm used to organize my mp3's in finder, it's cool that iTunes does it for me but I have to always be aware that if a particular mp3 doesn't have all the info on it (artist,album,etc) I'll get an "unknown artist" folder full of files...iTunes does it for us, but we have to help him and always pay attention to what he's doing with the files in question...

johnq · October 25, 2004 6:29AM

Like the man said.

Uncheck "Keep iTunes Music Folder Organized" and "Copy files to iTunes Music Folder when adding to Library"

Shit stays where you put it. Just gets added to the library.

Easy.

Arguably this should be the default. Whatever. The option is there. Read the help file whydoncha.

tuttle · October 25, 2004 7:58AM

This is an annoying feature of iTunes that should be fixed.

Clicking on a file(s) to listen to is a completely seperate thing from dragging a file(s) to the Library tab in iTunes.

mikef · October 25, 2004 12:49PM

Apple's aim is to have iTunes work for people who don't fully understand the notion of files and folders. I think the default should stay as is and those who know how and why to change can do so. It'd be worse if the option simply wasn't there.

I do agree, however that there should be a way to play a file without having it added to the iTunes database.

wrong robot · October 25, 2004 8:44PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mikef

Apple's aim is to have iTunes work for people who don't fully understand the notion of files and folders. I think the default should stay as is and those who know how and why to change can do so. It'd be worse if the option simply wasn't there.

The problem is, so many new users end up with two copies of everything, and then they come to me "why don't I have any HD space?"

it's not that hard people! oh well.

vox barbara · October 26, 2004 4:07AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Wrong Robot

The problem is, so many new users end up with two copies of everything,

there should be some intelligence which notifies you once in while about that ...er... issue.

Quote:

and then they come to me "why don't I have any HD space?"

I won't give you my telefonnumber

admactanium · October 27, 2004 4:57AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BuonRotto

People do the same thing with iPhoto, try to manage their stuff outside of it and wonder why iPhoto tries to do the same thing for them.

well, it's the same intent with differing results. the itunes file organization actually makes sense. artists > albums > songs. iphoto seems to create its own directory system with no logic whatsoever. why do my photos have to be nested 4 folders deep, all with cryptic numerical names that seemingly do not correspond to any input i've used. why is a picture in the album > 14 > 32 > 3 folder?

and the main annoyance i have with iphoto that itunes solves (thus making the ommission more annoying in iphoto) is the "show original file in finder" function in the contextual menu. if you're looking at a picture in iphoto, you just have to root around on your hard drive to find the corresponding file if you want to edit it beyond the basic iphoto editing features. i stoppped using it altogether.

Quote:

Originally posted by mikef

I do agree, however that there should be a way to play a file without having it added to the iTunes database.

in a finder window set to columns mode.

vox barbara · October 27, 2004 5:04AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Wrong Robot

The problem is, so many new users end up with two copies of everything, ...

Fixed

tchwojko · October 27, 2004 2:55PM

In iPhoto, the folder names that are numbers are year/month/day, so the path to the photos should be something like "~/Pictures/iPhoto Library/2004/09/27/something.jpg"

Also, if you edit the picture in iPhoto, it seems to keep the original un-red-eye-fixed photos in "~/Pictures/iPhoto Library/2004/09/27/Originals/something.jpg"

Oh, and the date is the day you imported the photos, I think.

mikef · October 27, 2004 2:57PM

Is there an easy way to edit the original outside of iPhoto? When I drag out of iPhoto, don't I get the modified version?

Seems they have made it more difficult than necessary to edit the original. I guess Photoshop users don't use iPhoto.

vox barbara · October 27, 2004 3:01PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mikef

Is there an easy way to edit the original outside of iPhoto? When I drag out of iPhoto, don't I get the modified version?

Seems they have made it more difficult than necessary to edit the original. I guess Photoshop users don't use iPhoto.

drag the particular image from iPhoto to PS (Icon in the Dock), save the image at a different place, there you go.

mikef · October 27, 2004 3:04PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Vox Barbara

drag the particular image from iPhoto to PS (Icon in the Dock), save the image at a different place, there you go.

I thought dragging the photo from iPhoto gets the modified version though? If it does get the original, then I've been printing the unmodified versions of my photos

Sorry I am a few hundred miles away from my Mac right now, so I cannot check first hand.

buonrotto · October 27, 2004 3:50PM

A (fairly) quick tip for getting back to your original pictures and keeping your modified ones: first, duplicate the current (modified) picture in iPhoto. Then, go back to the first picture and choose "Revert to Original." That way, you have both the original and the modified versions on the iPhoto light table. iPhoto assumes that these actions are exceptional. If this is something you do regularly -- have both an original at your disposal and an iPhoto-modified version, then you might want to select your roll when you import it and duplicate all the images right then, or else iPhoto may not be the right workflow for you.

Really, there's nothing iPhoto does in terms of editing images that you can't do in PS, so you can always just edit the pictures in PS, ignore the Edit portion of iPhoto and just use it as a catalog. The other problems with iPhoto in a PS workflow is when you want to "Save As...", iPhoto won't see the new file, it only knows about the files it imported or created itself.

I don't understand iTunes

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