Can You Merge Two Iphoto Libraries
How To Consolidate Multiple Iphoto Libraries In Mac Free
How To Merge Two Iphoto Libraries
How To Consolidate Multiple Iphoto Libraries In Mac Os
How To Consolidate Multiple Iphoto Libraries In Mac Download

(This how to from 2013 was written for iPhot0. However, this trick works just as well in Apple’s new Photos for OS X app.)

Can You Merge Two Iphoto Libraries

Family computers can be complicated. Sometimes, if a family is smart and manages their Mac wisely, each person in the household will have their own Mac login. However, that doesn’t always happen – and when it doesn’t, using personalized things such as iTunes and iPhoto libraries can become a concern.

How To Consolidate Multiple Iphoto Libraries In Mac Free

The Consolidate feature works separately from Import, and doesn’t let you “consolidate” multiple libraries. In iPhoto and Photos, you can keep originals stored in folders, and only have the. Backstory on the question. Over many years and many devices, I have multiple photo libraries and many non-iPhoto folders of photos (iPhones, Nikon cameras). With a new phone, I decided I didn’t want the baggage of 100 Gb of photos that I don’t alw. Merge Photos libraries. Got a whole bunch of libraries you want to consolidate into one? PowerPhotos lets you merge your libraries together while weeding out duplicate photos in the process. You will be shown a preview of what your merged library will look like before any modifications are done, to ensure your merged library looks how you want.

Fortunately, just as we showed you how you can use multiple iTunes libraries on a single Mac login, the same trick can also be performed with iPhoto! Besides the shared/family computer scenario, this could also be used for keeping various projects separate. For instance, if you are a photographer, you could have one iPhoto library dedicated to client projects, and a separate library for all of your personal images.

Setting up and using multiple libraries could not be more simple. To do so, simply press and hold the Option (or Alt, if you are using a Windows keyboard) button while launching iPhoto, and you’ll be able to select between multiple libraries you might have – or even create a new one if you so desire!

We hope you find this as helpful as we did – personally, I prefer to keep my personal images separate from my professional ones, and this does the trick quite nicely! For more helpful tips, check out our full collection of tutorials by visiting our How-To category!

Photos in your System Photo Library are available in apps like iMovie, Pages, and Keynote. You can also sync them to iOS devices and view them on Apple TV. And if you want to use your own images as your desktop picture or screen saver, the images need to be in your System Photo Library before you can select them in System Preferences.

If you have only one photo library, then it's the System Photo Library. Otherwise, the first photo library that you create or open in Photos will become the System Photo Library. If you have more than one library, you might need to designate a System Photo Library, so other apps can access the photos and videos you want them to use.

How To Merge Two Iphoto Libraries

Follow these steps to designate a System Photo Library:

Quit Photos.
Hold down the Option key and open Photos. One of the photo libraries is already designated as YourLibraryName (System Photo Library).
Choose the library you want to designate as the System Photo Library.
After Photos opens the library, choose Photos > Preferences from the menu bar.
Click the General tab.
Click the Use as System Photo Library button.

How To Consolidate Multiple Iphoto Libraries In Mac Os

If you open a second or different library in the Photos app, and you haven't designated it as the System Photo Library, other applications will use photos from the original System Photo Library. Hold down the Option key when you open Photos to see which library is set as the System Photo Library.

How To Consolidate Multiple Iphoto Libraries In Mac Download

iCloud and the System Photo Library

You can use iCloud Photos, Shared Albums, and My Photo Stream only with the System Photo Library. If you choose a different library in Photos without designating it as the System Photo Library, the iCloud tab in Photos preferences is disabled:

If you designate a new library as the System Photo Library and then turn on iCloud Photos, the photos and videos in the new library will merge with those already in your iCloud Photos. If you want to keep the contents of your photo libraries separate, don’t turn on iCloud Photos for more than one library in Photos.