Hi, hope you don't mind a silly question from a recent switcher: When I import photo files into iPhoto, the files get placed in a Year-Month-Date folder. Then its difficult to search for specific files. So it would be better to organize the imported files into Category folders (Family, business, etc). In order to do that, it seems like I have to drag the files from the Library window into a newly created Category folder, right? When I do that, are the files actually physically written onto the hard disk again, or does iPhoto simply map the file's location from the Date folder to the Category folder. I'm concerned about this because of storage space on the hard disk. thanks in advance...
if you create albums in iphoto, and drag pictures from the library into the album, then iphoto doesnt create a duplicate so no need to worry about storage space. if i remember correctly, there is an existing thread about this. just use search.
Thanks- I did try searching, maybe I didn't use the right search terms.... Follow up question: where does iPhoto store the imported files? Does it physically write the file when its imported, or does it just map the location of the source file?
I'm closing this duplicate thread but before I do let me correct quicksilver's response with a quote lifted from iPhoto Help. "When you import pictures already saved on a hard disk into iPhoto, the application makes duplicate copies of the original files. Changes made to the pictures in iPhoto only affect the duplicated picture files stored in the iPhoto Library located in the Pictures folder. The original files are not changed. When pictures are imported into iPhoto, a copy is made - either from the camera or from files stored on a disk. After importing, the pictures iPhoto uses are located in the iPhoto Library in the Pictures folder in the users home directory (see Figure 1). In the case of files stored on the computer's hard disk, duplicate files are created on the hard disk." Peter [Edited on 11-5-2005 by peter_ob]
A u2u Clarification from quicksilver: hi peter_ob, what i said was "if you create albums in iphoto, and drag pictures from the library into the album, then iphoto doesnt create a duplicate so no need to worry about storage space." was i wrong? i've been doing this all along and my hard disk space doesnt diminish when i create albums from pictures that are already in the library. your correction referred to importing pictures. i was not referring to those. hope you can clarify this. thanks.
