When using iPhoto, you're looking at the "card catalogue" of the program.
The iPhoto Library is the "book stacks" of iPhoto.
The Library is where your actual files are located.
The Library contains two folders, Originals and Modified.
Let's say you have a raw file in iPhoto called sapsucker.nef.
.nef is the Nikon file extension for raw files.
Your raw file may be .cr2, .dng, or another three letters.
When you imported or downloaded the sapsucker raw file into iPhoto, the program created the JPEG version of the file: sapsucker.jpg.
So, you have two files in iPhoto.
You can see sapsucker.jpg.
It's the thumbnail.
You can't see sapsucker.nef.
| Original Folder | Modified Folder | |
What You See: |
|
sapsucker.jpg |
What's There |
sapsucker.nef |
|
You set the iPhoto preferences so you can edit the raw file in iPhoto, not the JPEG version of it.
You edit sapsucker.nef in the Adobe Raw Converter, and then open it in Photoshop Elements.
You do some more editing.
Next, you save it as both a Photoshop file and a JPEG file.
You change the file's name from sapsucker to sapsucker-edited.
This is how the iPhoto Library organizes these new files.
| Original Folder | Modified Folder | |
What You See: |
|
sapsucker.jpg |
What's There |
sapsucker.nef sapsucker.xmp sapsucker-edited.psd sapsucker-edited.jpg |
|
The .xmp file, above, is called a side-car file.
It contains the raw processing instructions for sapsucker.nef.
iPhoto is not a power-user program.
The Library is hidden to prevent people from mixing up iPhoto by rearranging and deleting files.
That said, just look at the iPhoto Library.
Don't make any changes!
Do the following to go to the Library.
1) Go to Finder > MacIntoshHD > Users > Pictures > iPhoto Library.
Clicking iPhoto Library will simply open iPhoto.
Instead . . .
2) Right click the iPhoto Library.
Can't right click with your mouse?
Press and hold Ctrl, and click your mouse button.
3) Click Show Package Contents.
You're in the Library.
The important folders are Originals and Modified, mentioned above.
Your files in these folders are arranged as follows.
Year > Month/Day/Year
Your original files are in the Originals folder.
When you edit a JPEG file, the edited version is saved by iPhoto in the Modified folder.
Again, don't rearrange or delete files while in the Library.
However, you can copy and paste them elsewhere outside of iPhoto.
For example, you could pick out the best raw files from a trip, and copy and paste them into a folder on your Desktop.
You would then edit and save them to the folder on your Desktop.
You would no longer be using iPhoto to manage these raw files.
iPhoto normally has a single library for your photographs.
You can create multiple libraries with iPhoto Buddy and other programs.
You could create a second library for only raw files.
iPhoto automatically tags raw files with the keyword Raw.
To view the Raw keyword below the thumbnails, go to View > Keywords.
To group all raw files side-by-side in an Event folder, go to View > Sort > By Keyword.
You can create a Smart Album where the keyword is Raw.
Your raw files will still appear in their Events folders, as well as in the Raw Smart Album.
Do the following.
1) Go to File > New Smart Album.
2) Enter a name, such as Raw Files.
3) There are two drop-down menus, and a text box.
In the first drop-down menu, select Keyword.
In the second drop-down menu, choose is.
In the the text box, enter Raw.
Keyword |
is |
Raw |
4) Click OK.
Now, raw files appear in their particular Events, and in the Raw File Smart Album.
Events view, by default, contains a folder of each day a photograph was made.
You can set Events to split photographs from a download into folders according to week, as well as two-hour gaps or eight-hour gaps.
Go to iPhoto > Preferences > Events > Autosplit into Events.
If you're using older versions of iPhoto, Events is like Film Rolls.
When you upgrade to the current version of iPhoto, the Film Rolls will be converted into Events.
If you're working with raw files, go to Raw Files & iPhoto.
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