I’m panicking. I moved my extensive (to some) 40k+ iPhoto library to aperture b/c the organizational system just seemed much more intuitive to me. Also, I was told that iPhoto just isn’t designed to work efficiently with that big of a database and a had experienced a crash. The way I did it is confusing me. I “opened iPhoto in aperture”. It looked and acted as if the library copied over and I have spent countless hours over the past weeks re-organizing, renaming, rating, making folders of years etc etc. my iPhoto library resides on an EHD with a back up on another EHD. Now I can’t get aperture to open. I can still find my iPhoto library on my EHD but I can’t find an aperture library. I’m using mavericks with the latest iPhoto and Aperature versions. My question is, do I delete aperture and re-download it? If I do, will my library structure remain intact? What about the photos imported directly into aperture vs moved from iPhoto?
When you open an iPhoto library with Aperture, it doesn’t change the fact that it is an iPhoto library. It’s file extension as created by iPhoto will remain .photolibrary. The file extension of a library created by Aperture is .aplibrary. If you double-click the library file, it will open it’s native app by default. If you right-click on the library in the Finder you can choose to open in either Aperture or iPhoto.
Deleting either the iPhoto app or Aperture app will not delete any photos. The photos are stored in the library file, not in the app itself.
Can you further explain what you mean by “can’t get Aperture to open”? What are the steps you are taking to open it and what are the results?
Thomas
Thank you so much for responding! I am obviously new to Aperture and not super tech-savvy but have lots of blood sweat and tears invested in my family photos.
<<When you open an iPhoto library with Aperture, it doesn’t change the fact that it is an iPhoto library. It’s file extension as created by iPhoto will remain .photolibrary.>> I would like to just not even have my photos in iPhoto at all. I could move some things in there once in awhile to make cards or what have you but in general, and this is based on “genius” advice of iPhoto not being able to handle a library with 40k+ photos in it. I feel like it’s vulnerable and unstable.
<<Deleting either the iPhoto app or Aperture app will not delete any photos. The photos are stored in the library file, not in the app itself.>> Does this mean that the library structure performed in Aperture will remain intact if I have to move the library into Aperture again?
I have been plagued with problems lately with both my iMac and my Macbook Pro both “older” 2009, starting with my iPhoto crashing, then my EHD crashed. Now Finder hangs and needs to force quit, additional and brand new EHD is unreadable (yes, iPhoto library is here but I have a back up).
I then, out of desperation and fear of losing everything, downloaded Aperture and began to re-arrange my whole library structure.
<<Can you further explain what you mean by “can’t get Aperture to open”? What are the steps you are taking to open it and what are the results?>>All of a sudden 2 days ago, when I click on the Aperture icon, it hangs, beach ball spins until I force quit. There’s no option of which library to use, it never gets that far.
Could maybe my library be corrupt and is the problem? Thank you so much for helping me.
–J
Update: I can now open Aperture (why? I don’t know). When it asks which library to use, I point to the default EHD that I had used before. It’s giving me a permissions error. Says I’ll have to fix permissions in order to open that library with Aperture (not sure why, it’s the library I used before…). I clicked info on file and it looks like my permission is ok. What now?
it seems that you are confused by the concept of Library. The file on your Hardrive is a “document” that contains all your photos, edit, sorting etc. This “document” can be open by iPhoto or by Aperture. It will show you the document differently but with a layout and specific option of the application. iPhoto and Aperture are not storing anything.
It is the same concept as with other application. A pdf document can be open in Apercu, in Adobe Reader, in Word etc… all application will show you their own view of the documents and their own set of functionality.
Hope it clarify a bit,
J.
Which versions of Aperture and iPhoto are you on? Once at the right levels the library format is the same and the same library is happily opened by either iPhoto or Aperture at will (each will only allow it to open a library that isn’t already open of course).
Regards, Simon
Joe, you are absolutely correct. I am now understanding that the iPhoto library is just the collection of images. It is updated as Aperture or iPhoto is updated. So, theoretically, if I download a photo from an email by “export to iPhoto”, it will show up in Aperture, where I process and organize my iPhoto library, right? It doesn’t exactly work like that though, does it. Is there a way to point my downloads directly to Aperture?
If you have an iPhoto library and use it with Aperture you can open the library with either App (but only 1 App at any time). Then “send to iPhoto” will put the image in the iPhoto library, then when you open that library with Aperture, there it is.
Regards, Simon
Thank you all, more newbie questions to come…