iPhoto is scary, and Lightroom is too much - help!

robin_briggs · December 17, 2008

Hello.

I am not a photographer, just the family historian/documentarian. I take a LOT of pictures. I am on the Mac platform, and I have tried to like iPhoto, since it's so well integrated with everything else and it's packaged with the OS (although I'm on an upgraded iPhoto 7.1.5 now). But iPhoto scares me - I don't like how much control the program has over file management, and I'm concerned about storing my archived photos in an iPhoto library. And how can I like a program where the only way I can rename a file is to export it, rename it, and re-import it? Yikes.

So when Lightroom 1 came out at a discounted price, I bought it. It's fine for the management side of things, but it seems like overkill for me, a non-photographer. I have a pretty basic "workflow", if you can call it that. Now I'm wondering if I keep using 1% of Lightroom, or go to some other solution.

My question is... what would you suggest for me? I don't know about much else (although Aperture sounds like it would be a lot like Lightroom in the overkill department). Do I suck it up and deal with iPhoto's limitations, since it does what I need (mostly)? Or just keep paying for a program that I will never use even a small percentage of?

Many thanks for reading.

- Robin

rj russell · December 17, 2008

Try this, <a href="http://picasa.google.com/">http://picasa.google.com/</a> its free and pretty straight forward. For your purpose, there are many open source/shareware programs around that would be great. I actually watched a review on youtube for a new one that looked similar to aperture with out the develop module... looked great for catologing, if I remember the name I will get back to you.

Ryan

robin_briggs · December 17, 2008

I would love to use Picasa, but it's only for Windows. There is a "Mac Uploader", but then my photos are in the cloud somewhere - not what I was looking for. Or does the Mac Uploader for Picasa do something I'm not aware of?

Thanks.

patricklavoie · December 17, 2008

i will get a crash course on Iphoto at my local apple store... as you said its a pretty simple program well integrated that does all you need and more..just learn how to use it in 1hre : )

robin_briggs · December 17, 2008

So the fact that everything in iPhoto is stored within its own structure, that all photos are duplicated into a 'Modified' directory, the fact that you can't simply rename photos... Is this just how things work because I don't know how to use the program properly? or should I not care about those limitations?

patricklavoie · December 17, 2008

Well, you got what you pay for; a simpe, easy to sue program that doestn permit you to make mistake..or a better one overkill for you liek Ligthroom.

if you ask, i would get Ligthroom eyes close, but you want something easy, Iphoto is then for you..with what you call *limitation*

godfrey · December 17, 2008

iPhoto in its latest incarnations (iLife '08) is actually quite capable and much more robust/reliable than earlier versions were. Why are you worrying about file system management? Let it do the job for you. Organize your work with titles, tags, albums and events ... there's no need to manipulate file names until you export from the iPhoto environment to use elsewhere. Yes, there's a learning curve ... go talk to the folks at an Apple Store near you, they have people trained to educate and assist you.

That said, Lightroom is far more capable for the heavy lifting I need in terms of image management and processing. At $300, I find it inexpensive. There is also a learning curve there too ... I'm teaching a course on using Lightroom in March which will focus on aspects of its use beyond the image processing. I've already got 6 people signed up. :-)

Godfrey

robin_briggs · December 17, 2008

Hi Godfrey,

Thanks for the reply. My biggest concern about iPhoto and file naming, etc., is that I have years worth of photos stored offline. I get nervous when I think about my photos from 2002 and finding one that is named "img_0802.jpg", or finding one in a directory that isn't intuitive to me. I like being able to organize my photos by year and month, and then naming all the photos from an event to something meaningful. To me, this insulates me against any new technology that may come up in several years. But I can certainly take a free class at the Apple store, that's not a problem.

As for Lightroom, I only paid $99 for it when it was released, so now I'm on the upgrade path and it would only cost me $99 to upgrade. From what I'm reading about the changes to how it manages offline photos, it might be worth it. But again, it seems like overkill with all the other modules.

- Robin

garrison_k. · December 17, 2008

I'd buy a book or watch some youtube on Lightroom and slugg it out through the learning curve. You already own it and it's the superior choice of anything out there.

patricklavoie · December 17, 2008

I like being able to organize my photos by year and month, and then naming all the photos from an event to something meaningful.

easily doable with Iphoto 08 at least : )

patricklavoie · December 17, 2008

or get a overkill more robust, more latitude, and what you really need for 99$.

i dont se why you have a problem with that..or seem to have one?

you dont want Iphoto because its not ebough what you need, you dont want Lr because its too much...Get Photoshop then! LOL

peter_mounier · December 17, 2008

I'll agree that with iPhoto you can't rename anything in batches, at least not on the old version that I have, but the file structure isn't that hard to understand.

At the top of the hierarchy is a "Pictures" folder; a folder on your hard drive, in your user directory. In the "Pictures" folder is the iPhoto library. Makes sense so far, yes? In the library, the folders are named according to the year you shot the pictures. If you click on a year, there could be as many as 12 folders; one for each month of the year. In each folder for any month you will find folders for each day, or for whatever day you downloaded the images from the card into iPhoto. Once you get to the pictures you're looking for, just rename them individually. That's where Lightroom or Aperture are better. With either of those, you can do a batch rename.

Lightroom and Aperture are really nice for making global adjustments to batches of pics, which is a real time saver.

Peter

robin_briggs · December 17, 2008

I have iPhoto 08, and I don't see a way to batch rename anything. So maybe I just don't know how to use this program.

There really is no "problem" with LR, but I do feel like I have to keep upgrading, and it's not only more expensive than iPhoto, I just don't like have a program that does so much more than what I need. I also really miss the tight integration with the rest of the OS that iPhoto has. If I could get over all of the duplication (Original and Modified) and not worry about renaming, then maybe iPhoto is the way to go, as long as I have the ability to split off an old bunch of photos into another catalog to put on a hard drive (I know iPhoto Library Manager and iPhoto Buddy can do this).

Thanks to all who have contributed!

patricklavoie · December 17, 2008

Then i will get the "So maybe I just don't know how to use this program."

i seriously open this 3-4 time since it existence, but reading the top menu give this...20min ago : )

1_Iphoto 08

2_select 2-3 image to start

3_top menu under PHOTO / BATCH CHANGE

4_see image for info

5_top menu under VIEW / TITLES

You should now see new title to your images. dont thank me, and run to a apple store to learn what you miss : )<div></div>

robin_briggs · December 17, 2008

Patrick,

Thanks, but that's the photo's TITLE. which is not at all its file name. When I go to a hard drive and want to view a photo from 2002 whose "Title" in iPhoto is "Birthday 2002" but whose name is "img_0802.jpg", I won't find it. I appreciate the help, but really, iPhoto doesn't seem to let you rename the file itself. Trust me, I have read the documenation thoroughly. What I found in the Apple support forum is that you need to export the file first, then rename it, then bring it back in.

patricklavoie · December 17, 2008

Oh, by the way, if you dotn feel like getting out to a apple store, lynda.com have a 4.25hre tutorial on all the essential of Iphoto 08. Cost 25$ for a month, but you also have acces to all the other tutorial that cover mostly everything you know as for software.

patricklavoie · December 17, 2008

ah well, then my mistake : (

get Ligthroom : )

kerry_grim · December 17, 2008

These programs may be simple to use. But that doesn’t mean they are intuitive. To understand a program fully or often even the basics, you need to take the time to lean it.

Even before I bought my first DSL, I bought a book about the particular model and read every single page. I didn’t retain all that information, but when I got the camera, I was not at all intimidated and knew almost all the answers the owners were asking about the camera. I am certain that few read the manuals.

To understand a program fully or often even the basics, you need to take the time to lean it.

That deserves its own paragraph. You have an excellent program with Lightroom, so spend a few bucks and take the time to learn it. Then you will likely say it is simple to use.

robin_briggs · December 17, 2008

Kerry,

You have an excellent point, and I appreciate your view. Do you have any recommendations for LR training for someone like me (ie, not a photographer)? I have glanced at a few books, all of which were designed for someone who is keen on understanding workflow, RAW processing, etc. Any recos on something simple to learn about LR would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

patricklavoie · December 17, 2008

www.lynda.com again.

just watch the #6, #7 and #8 part.

Dont read the rest you might like it : )

<h3>6. The Library: Organizing Images</h3>

<tbody>

<tr >

<td><a onclick="popupOTL(539,'{5FF59036-F3E9-4B6F-85EA-FB07EE353C90}',0,880,676,true,'0');setWatched(this);" href="javascript:;" > Flagging, rating, and labeling pt. 1 </a></td>

</tr>

<tr >

<td><a onclick="popupOTL(539,'{A6AC9504-F76F-423E-92D0-4FE286242359}',0,880,676,true,'0');setWatched(this);" href="javascript:;" > Flagging, rating, and labeling pt. 2 </a></td>

</tr>

<tr >

<td><a onclick="popupOTL(539,'{D4E5494E-A8AC-41A8-96D0-73DDB5A4C1C5}',0,880,676,true,'0');setWatched(this);" href="javascript:;" > Using Quick Collection </a></td>

</tr>

<tr >

<td><a onclick="popupOTL(539,'{77D4875D-5A1D-4F84-ADEA-1BDBBA4459BC}',0,880,676,true,'0');setWatched(this);" href="javascript:;" > Collections </a></td>

</tr>

<tr >

<td><a onclick="popupOTL(539,'{DAB16135-D9C0-4143-9E38-C5487BFE51F7}',0,880,676,true,'0');setWatched(this);" href="javascript:;" > Smart Collections </a></td>

</tr>

<tr >

<td><a onclick="popupOTL(539,'{9F951708-081D-4792-B435-0B103B00C90E}',0,880,676,true,'0');setWatched(this);" href="javascript:;" > Stacking </a></td>

</tr>

<tr >

<td><a onclick="popupOTL(539,'{4CE578E9-DBD5-4B9E-B75D-86E6F6D231A5}',0,880,676,true,'0');setWatched(this);" href="javascript:;" > Renaming </a></td>

</tr>

</tbody>

</table>

<h3>7. The Library: Working with Metadata</h3>

<tbody>

<tr >

<td><a onclick="popupOTL(539,'{D6705ED5-102C-4553-84B0-57BDE6E7BB05}',0,880,676,true,'0');setWatched(this);" href="javascript:;" > Adding keywords </a></td>

</tr>

<tr >

<td><a onclick="popupOTL(539,'{4546E4CB-3213-447B-BA36-73CAAA4A7725}',0,880,676,true,'0');setWatched(this);" href="javascript:;" > Creating keyword sets </a></td>

</tr>

<tr >

<td><a onclick="popupOTL(539,'{3D6DFB3F-953C-44CF-A07A-DB5841BDBCB9}',0,880,676,true,'0');setWatched(this);" href="javascript:;" > Using keyword shortcuts </a></td>

</tr>

<tr >

<td><a onclick="popupOTL(539,'{69AABA3F-FEF1-4E80-8AE1-C3F0D2D6AFC7}',0,880,676,true,'0');setWatched(this);" href="javascript:;" > Synchronizing keywords </a></td>

</tr>

<tr >

<td><a onclick="popupOTL(539,'{662097AC-E384-4F53-A243-A974F1021E37}',0,880,676,true,'0');setWatched(this);" href="javascript:;" > Keywording with the Painter tool </a></td>

</tr>

<tr >

<td><a onclick="popupOTL(539,'{7FF552B6-574C-40E1-828E-D8F3BDDB91FA}',0,880,676,true,'0');setWatched(this);" href="javascript:;" > Creative tip 3: Taking wide-angle shots </a></td>

</tr>

</tbody>

</table>

<h3>8. The Library: Finding and Sorting with Filters</h3>

<tbody>

<tr >

<td><a onclick="popupOTL(539,'{DEEC75A9-75EF-438C-B68C-9D0339EB7B06}',0,880,676,true,'0');setWatched(this);" href="javascript:;" > Filtering overview </a></td>

</tr>

<tr >

<td><a onclick="popupOTL(539,'{2E570C44-0739-4CDF-8C2C-1E1B2540E751}',0,880,676,true,'0');setWatched(this);" href="javascript:;" > Filtering by text </a></td>

</tr>

<tr >

<td><a onclick="popupOTL(539,'{DA81C8F1-502E-4517-A53A-A6AAE87CE50F}',0,880,676,true,'0');setWatched(this);" href="javascript:;" > Filtering by attribute </a></td>

</tr>

<tr >

<td><a onclick="popupOTL(539,'{62AE6035-EC73-4221-A27B-E2EFC382AF1C}',0,880,676,true,'0');setWatched(this);" href="javascript:;" > Filtering metadata by keyword </a></td>

</tr>

</tbody>

</table>

patricklavoie · December 17, 2008

dam, sorry it kept the hot link when i paste..my mistake : (

robin_briggs · December 17, 2008

Patrick,

I see the site, but the version I have of iPhoto has different sections. Looks like I have to buy the membership to do the training, which is okay, but it would have been nice for me to preview them. Here's my link: http://movielibrary.lynda.com/html/modPage.asp?ID=456

Thanks.

nathan_tia · December 17, 2008

Robin,

Might I suggest this Mac OS freeware? I use it and it works well. http://wfco.de/applications/macosx/Renamer4Mac

You can just use this in conjunction with iPhoto if you love iPhoto with the exception of this one single annoyance.

Nate

patricklavoie · December 17, 2008

If you got Iphoto 08, that what it is.

Also, if you carefully look at the section, everything that is underline can be seen withotu a membership.

Im starting to suspect that you are fast to complain, and dont seem to really want to learn..but its just a feeling, i could be rong. email and chat make this sometime ; )

robin_briggs · December 17, 2008

Patrick,

On the contrary, I have been struggling with this issue for 1.5 years now and finally got up the nerve to post a question on this forum. Now I see why I was nervous - I'm being accused of being a complainer who doesn't want to learn! :-)

Thanks anyway for your help.

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