Confusion about iPhoto...

[bdesj]

Hey, all. This is maybe a silly time to bring up my iPhoto questions since I`m within a week of switching from my Mac Mini to a Windows system, but that involves moving my stuff over somehow. The most pressing information I`m looking for is whether I need any specific kind of external hard drive for use as a moving vehicle. I think files are files, but not sure, so before I run out and spend $60 or so on a piece of equipment that won`t work for me, I`d better ask. And since I`m asking, would loading them all onto a portable hard drive, then onto the new computer really be a reasonable way of transfering? I`m thinking it might be a good idea to buy a backup drive anyway, so might as well pick one up now and use it for moving.

Not as urgent, I`ve wondered about and guessed at how iPhoto works, but really never knew for sure. It seems to me that the actual image files are stored somewhere else in the bowels of my computer, then pulled out and all my edits applied when I click to open one from iPhoto. The original remains intact and whatever I do to the coppies in iPhoto gets sort of catalogued in order to apply the changes again next time I open it. Do I have that right?

The main reason I want to know that now is that I like the results of how the system works even though I don`t get the mechanics of it. I`d like to set up a Windows computer in a similar way- be able to crop, rotate, resize, dink with exposures, etc without degrading the original or having to remember to make a copy every time. Is that reasonable? If so, what kind of storage program could I do it with?

Finally, when I transfer all my pictures to the new computer, will they be all lumped together or separated into the events they`re in now? Will they show up in edited form, or original? Or does that maybe depend on whether I export from iPhoto or the deep down storage library that I suspect exists somewhere? Recommendations on how to best go about it? If you got all the way through my long winded questions, thanks for your patience!

[NeilBlanchard]

You need a hard drive formatted in FAT32, so that both the Mac and the Windows machine can read the files.

I think the photos will be in folders that group them. If you modified any of the photos, iPhoto has a separate folder for the modified version, and it keeps the originals.

[jamesqf]

How many photos do you have? Any reasonable amount should fit on a cheap thumb drive...

[freebeard]

Hey, all. This is maybe a silly time to bring up my iPhoto questions since I`m within a week[1] of switching from my Mac Mini to a Windows system, but that involves moving my stuff over somehow. The most pressing information I`m looking for[2] is whether I need any specific kind of external hard drive for use as a moving vehicle. I think files are files, but not sure, so before I run out and spend $60 or so on a piece of equipment that won`t work for me, I`d better ask.[3] And since I`m asking, would loading them all onto a portable hard drive, then onto the new computer really be a reasonable way of transfering?[4] I`m thinking it might be a good idea to buy a backup drive anyway, so might as well pick one up now and use it for moving.

1. What version of Mac OSX and what version of Windows?
   
2. ...is likely why and how to turn off automatic updates and how to prevent everything you do being immediately mirrored into the cloud.
   
3. I suggest a USB 3.0 external drive that is powered from the USB port, for convenience.
   
4. If you use Mac OSX's Time Machine backup software it will create something it calls a 'sparse bundle' on the backup drive, that require a username and password to mount. That would be problematic under Windows. You could use Finder/File/Compress "ƒoldername" to make a ZIP file; or if you have a CD or DVD burner then Finder/File/Burn "ƒoldername" to disk...

[MobilOne]

I am technically ignorant about such things; but, I have two sons who are experts at this stuff. They both make very nice livings working with this stuff. They would tell you to store your stuff in a cloud. Hard drives have too many interface hiccups to be reliable. So use a cloud.

[bdesj]

First off, thanks to everybody for your responses. One by one:

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

You need a hard drive formatted in FAT32, so that both the Mac and the Windows machine can read the files.

I think the photos will be in folders that group them. If you modified any of the photos, iPhoto has a separate folder for the modified version, and it keeps the originals.

FAT32, got it. I looked that up and see there is no shortage of compatible HDs available, but the thing about formatting has my head spinning a little. Not sure if I`ll attempt go ahead with the operation myself, or just pay to have my files moved over as an extra service where ever I buy the new computer from. Configuring the drive sounds like a one-time thing, yes? So once it is set up, all new files loaded onto it will follow suit and whatever machine it gets hooked up to will either be able to read the files or not, with no more dinking around needed?

Back to moving the photos (if I end up doing it myself), I got to thinking that if I export from iPhoto, selecting highest specs and full size (in jpeg?) I should get edited versions, which is both good and bad, but probably better all in all. And if I do it event by event, they will obviously end up on the new device that way. Is there another option to export the complete original files from the internal hard drive, bypassing iPhoto?

[bdesj]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

How many photos do you have? Any reasonable amount should fit on a cheap thumb drive...

Not quite 7000. "Get info" on the iphoto library says "23.23 GB on disk (24,910,579,526 bytes)". Don`t know why the difference, but I imagine that`s normal. I COULD do it via CDs, but was thinking about an external HD for backup anyway, so figured to maybe kill two birds with one stone.

[bdesj]

Originally Posted by freebeard

1. What version of Mac OSX and what version of Windows?
   
2. ...is likely why and how to turn off automatic updates and how to prevent everything you do being immediately mirrored into the cloud.
   
3. I suggest a USB 3.0 external drive that is powered from the USB port, for convenience.
   
4. If you use Mac OSX's Time Machine backup software it will create something it calls a 'sparse bundle' on the backup drive, that require a username and password to mount. That would be problematic under Windows. You could use Finder/File/Compress "ƒoldername" to make a ZIP file; or if you have a CD or DVD burner then Finder/File/Burn "ƒoldername" to disk...

1. 10.4 to (most likely) Windows 10.
2. Ummm... lost me. Are you talking about the transfer, or recommending something to do with the new computer?
3. Sounds good. I see most of the new coputers in my price range claim at least one USB3, will need to check specs on this one to see what flavor the USB ports are.
4. Almost total Greek to me, sorry. But it sounds like most of that is a warning not to do the transfer via Time Machine? If so, the rest I think is moot.

[bdesj]

Originally Posted by MobilOne

I am technically ignorant about such things; but, I have two sons who are experts at this stuff. They both make very nice livings working with this stuff. They would tell you to store your stuff in a cloud. Hard drives have too many interface hiccups to be reliable. So use a cloud.

Noted. I prefer to buy the device one time rather than depend on outside service for the rest of eternity, likely with monthly fees. The risk of equipment failure is just something I`ll have to accept and the need to be at home to access my pictures isn`t a big deal to me.

[freebeard]

2. Ummm... lost me. Are you talking about the transfer, or recommending something to do with the new computer?
3. Sounds good. I see most of the new coputers in my price range claim at least one USB3, will need to check specs on this one to see what flavor the USB ports are.
4. Almost total Greek to me, sorry. But it sounds like most of that is a warning not to do the transfer via Time Machine? If so, the rest I think is moot.

2—> You're about to step into a big pile of Windows poo. If you have Windows 7 or 8, automatic update will install Windows 10 "just in case you choose to upgrade later". Microsoft really, really wants you to have their new OS. If you buy in at 10, it's moot. I really try to think better of Microsoft now that Steve Ballmer is gone.

3—> USB is backward compatible. Your Mini is probably USB 2.0 and the transfer to a newer machine (from the drive) will be ten times faster. An off-the-shelf drive should be plug compatible with both systems. Don't put anything in the cloud you wouldn't want you mother to see.

4—>'The rest' is how easy it is to do it. Finder means the OS's file manager. File is the file menu, it's just to the right of Finder in the menubar. Compress and Burn are options to move the data. Burn is less attractive given the 23.23Gb*. If you can Get Info on a folder [in the Finder] you can choose Compress instead and if there is~20Gb of free space a compressed version will be created. It may be in the vicinity of 15-18Gb in size.

* The discrepancy is down Allocation Blocks, the last one for each file doesn't get completely filled. I also used to make good money talking to people about this. Editing the Registry over the phone Never lost a drive, but it's a young person's game now.