There was a recent question about how to convert an iPhoto and an Aperture 3 library over to a new MCPwRetina. I read it carefully but I have a similar yet different problem. A while back when I switched from iPhoto to Aperture3, I imported my iPhoto library into Aperture, however when it asked where to put the referenced masters, I said “keep in iPhoto library”. So, my aperture library, which is now neatly organized according to your suggestions in the “Work like a Pro Photographer in Aperture 3” videos, is dependent on the iPhoto library. Note that both are “managed”. This is what I have now…What I want is to have a single Aperture library on my new MCP, and convert both the older iPhoto pictures and current Aperture pictures to “referenced” form on an external USB.
What are the steps I can take to do this? Or in general, what do you recommend I do to clean up this mess? Thanks!
Ella,
First off, congrat’s on the new toy. Lovely piece of hardware from what I understand ;-)
Second, there’s no difference in using iPhoto or Aperture on a retina display vs a normal display. You will SEE a difference for sure, but as far as how you work with or manage your files, it’s irrelevant.
Finally, if you want to merge an iPhoto and Aperture library, ensure both are updated to the latest iPhoto and Aperture, then just open Aperture and your Aperture library and choose File > Import > Library, and select your iPhoto library. You may want to just open that iPhoto library in Aperture first though, simply to see how it looks there.
Once you are combined, if you want to go referenced, then simply choose all your photos and go File > Relocate Original. However I would also say that ensure you are only using a fast USB 3 or Thunderbolt drive for your referenced masters; if you use a USB 3 drive, or even a slow drive with a USB 3 interface, you will lose a ton of speed.
@PhotoJoseph
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Thanks for your reply Joseph! I had to do something differnet because I had already imported the iphoto library into Aperture but had kept it referenced to the old iPhoto library. I didn’t want to reimport because I would end up with duplicates. I realized that what I needed to do what to consolidate the masters into the Aperture library. I thought that ‘referenced’ masters could only come from individual files but it looks like it treats anything kept in the iPhoto library as “referenced” as well.
Anyway, I consolidated and copied the folder to the new computer and it looks great. I have 500GB on the new machine which isn’t a lot but will hold me over on a managed library for a while since I’m just a recreational photographer. You said to get a fast USB3 or thunderport external drive…what do you think about using the wireless Time Capsule (2 or 3TB) for my referenced file storage? Fast/slow?
Ella,
Wireless will be VERY slow compared to USB3 or Thunderbolt.
USB3 drives are quite cheap. Again just be sure you are getting a fast drive to go along with the fast interface. Personally I’d avoid drives from Western Digital (too many failures in my experience) and lean towards Seagate. You may not be a pro, but that doesn’t make the photos any less valuable to you.
And of course, back up!! If you aren’t already, consider both local backup (like Time Machine), and a cloud backup, like Backblaze.
@PhotoJoseph
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