I’ve been using Aperture for around 8 years, I think I understand it less now than ever, maybe my head is getting too old for it, however, I do have a question and would appreciate a really simple answer (if there is one).
I mostly use iPhoto now, and it is pretty much just as confusing as Aperture when it comes to knowing where my photos are.
Back to Aperture, I have about 25000 images, I have no idea what referenced photos are compared to originals, but simply want to get those 25000 photos on to a backup drive. I am hoping the ‘metadata’ (is that what its called?) i.e.. date, time,location, will come with the photos.
I tried using the vault but I get a message something about only about a third of the images will be backed up, the rest will not me. fat lot of good that is.
Can anyone tell this simple mind how to get my photos saved so I can make sure they are not lost? I mean all of them, those I actually see in Aperture.
grateful thanks for any replies.
You can create a smart albums for all of your referenced files (if any are present). To create a smart album start with your Library tab selected at the top of the inspector (left hand panel), click on the large plus sign on the top of the page and in the drop down menu select “Smart Album.” Name it referenced files or something similar. In the settings menu box that appears make sure you have ALL and MATCH selected and on the drop down menu on the right hand side of the window( Add Rule) select “File Status.” In the file status line which is now checked select referenced, close the whole box and now you have a smart album of all of your referenced photos. Go into the newly created referenced smart album, select a picture, go to the top bar of your computer and select File>Locate Referenced Files. This will point you to where your referenced files are located if you have any present. All managed files (photos) and any metadata and adjustments settings to ALL of your photos, whether managed or referenced, are housed in the packaged folder in your Aperture Library. This can be found in Pictures folder in Finder. If pictures are managed they are on your computer’s hard drive within the Aperture Library. Referenced files are located outside of the Aperture Library and can be in another folder on your computer or on an external hard drive if you have one attached to your computer. Referenced files are NOT backed up in the vault and need to be MANUALLY backed up either to another hard drive or using a cloud back up service or off line back up service such as Backblaze, carbonate, etc. Your managed files and all of the” instructions” (metadata, keywords, photos adjustments) present in the Aperture Library (or iPhotos Library for that matter) will be backed up with whatever you use for your computer , i.e., Time machine, etc and in any vault you have backed up. Hope this helps.
Florian
Florian Cortese
www.fotosbyflorian.com
As you do NOT know where your photos are stored I presume that you have NO referenced photos. In case of “referenced” you would have created files in the “FINDER” to store all your 25.000 picture. And you would know that you did that (if you or me we are not too old to remember :-))
As a consequence all your pictures are stored within Aperture. . Is your question now to take them out of Aperture and store them elsewhere? Definitely you can do that. And don’t worry. All your information related to your photos is with the photo and will not be lost.
But first: Can you confirm that my assumptions are right?
Best regards, Alex
Thank you both for your response. helalwi, in answer to your post. I can say that if I create a new vault I get a message saying 33773 photos are managed, 1731 are referenced and cannot be backed up. Does that shed any light on the matter?
florian, I will try the smart album idea, but it may be smarter than I am :)
Taking Pics in Tassie
It’s the 1731 Referenced that will jot be vaulted, the managed will go to a vault. . You can do a search to locate ‘referenced’ then convert them to managed, then all will be backed up.