iPhoto question - DPChallenge Forums

08/11/2004 10:33:41 PM · #1

Just curious... I have been downloading images directly from my camera to iPhoto for years. I just right-click to open a promising shot in Photoshop and Save As elsewhere. As long as I don't mistakenly Save over the original in Photoshop, the images remain untouched in iPhoto. If an original is needed for validation, I just go back to iPhoto to get the untouched shot, or if I've cropped it, just hit Revert to Original.

Recently I've noticed that iPhoto is treating the camera-rotated images as a modification, with "sideways" versions in the Originals folder, and these originals have thumbnail icons that never used to appear. It worries me when I see a thumbnail icon on original files that I know I haven't touched, but the EXIF data appears to be OK, and I've had several images validated since this started happening.

Does anybody know if this is a new function of an iPhoto update? Does it affect the EXIF data in some way that I can't see?

08/11/2004 10:45:47 PM · #2

I use iPhoto as well, in exactly the manner you describe when it comes to editing images for submission to DPC. I think you're fine, but just for fun, take one of the camera-rotated images and see if the "revert" menu is active.

BTW, if you do ever accidently save your edits over the iPhoto original, the "revert" command will save your bacon.

-J

08/11/2004 10:53:07 PM · #3

Thanks for the reply, but I think you missed the point. ANY shot I take with the camera rotated will automatically appear with the correct orientation in iPhoto, but Revert will be active (even if all I did was import), and returns you to an unrotated version.

The Revert command will ONLY save your bacon if your edits were done in iPhoto. If you open an iPhoto image in Photoshop for processing and just hit Save, it will overwrite your iPhoto original. Revert will not take you back any further than what you saved in Photoshop. Trust me on this... I've had several validation scares as a result.

08/11/2004 11:32:48 PM · #4

Originally posted by scalvert:

Regarding rotated images, I never noticed this behavior from my camera/iPhoto combo. My rotated shots appear Unrotated in iPhoto and I then rotate them myself using the iPhoto rotate button.

As for the Revert command, I just did an experiment and I stand by my original statement. I just selected a photo from my library, right-clicked to open it in PS7, cropped, added text, and several other obscenely dramatic edits, saved the result, when back to iPhoto, and after a second beach-ball spin, the changes were applied to the photo in my iPhoto library. Selected Revert from the Photos menu, and bingo, back to the original camera shot, untouched. Even quitting iPhoto and restarting do not affect this behavior. iPhoto stores a permanent copy of the original photo in your home/pictures/iphoto library folder. BTW, I'm using iPhoto 4.0.3, if this makes any difference.

digistoune

Canon EOS-20D

08/11/2004 11:43:44 PM · #5

It's been a while since I've used any version of iPhoto... does it still, for all intents and purposes, create a duplicate of every image in your library effectively doubling the amount of space used by images?

08/12/2004 12:06:36 AM · #6

Originally posted by digistoune:

Only for images that you've edited and saved back to iPhoto's library. As explained above, iPhoto always retains a virgin copy of your image so you can "revert to original" anytime.

Nusbaum

Fujifilm X-T1

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

08/12/2004 12:07:46 AM · #7

Originally posted by digistoune:

iPhoto imports images into it's own library system. This does create duplicates if you want to keep your own filing system as well. I have been keeping RAW images in their own directory structure and jpegs in iPhoto. The directory structure is organized well enough that I could move the images back into my own structure later if I want.

I have iView Medio Pro as well, but iPhoto is so simple that I have been using it for all of my image management lately.

digistoune

Canon EOS-20D

08/12/2004 09:11:12 AM · #8

Interesting... I might have to give iPhoto a second look. I guess it won't handle RAW images?

I've been thinking of getting Portfolio 7 (Extensis) because of it's offline cataloging ability.

08/12/2004 10:38:26 AM · #9

Originally posted by digistoune:

Interesting... I might have to give iPhoto a second look. I guess it won't handle RAW images?

I've been thinking of getting Portfolio 7 (Extensis) because of it's offline cataloging ability.

The help file says it is optimized for jpeg, but does not say it only handles jpeg. While I doubt that it could handle RAW, why not try it out?

Olympus 14-42mm f.3.5-5.6 ED Zuiko Digital Zoom

08/12/2004 11:43:21 AM · #10

Originally posted by strangeghost:

Regarding rotated images, I never noticed this behavior from my camera/iPhoto combo. My rotated shots appear Unrotated in iPhoto and I then rotate them myself using the iPhoto rotate button.

This only happens if your camera has an autorotate feature. Some higher-end cameras can sense which way you have the camera oriented and automatically rotate the image upon playback or import.

Originally posted by strangeghost:

As for the Revert command, I just did an experiment and I stand by my original statement.

Open iPhoto and pick a bad image to test (a duplicate won't work). Use the Revert command to make sure you're working with the original as imported. Right-click to open in Photoshop and make some obvious edit, then hit Save. Go back to iPhoto and make a change (crop, rotate, etc.). Now when you hit Revert, it will only go back to the Photoshopped version because that's what you saved in place of iPhoto's original.

airatic

Olympus E-410

08/12/2004 12:07:50 PM · #11

Another question, on the same app:

Until recently, when I double clicked on a photo in iPhoto, it would open in CS, without me needing to do anything. This was very convenient and I set it up this way deliberately.

Suddenly, when I double click on a photo, it opens CS, but doesn't actually open the file. Which means I have to browse for the correct image (difficult since they are all named DSCNXXXX something or other), then open it myself.

I checked the iPhoto preferences, and they still say open photos in CS on double click, but it doesn't work. Any ideas?

edit: If it makes a difference, I have a G5 running 10.3.4, and the only apps I've installed myself (other than the system disk) are AfterDark and Warcraft.

Message edited by author 2004-08-12 12:09:28.

08/12/2004 12:10:02 PM · #12

Originally posted by scalvert:

OK, this explains why I have never experienced it. I don't use iPhoto's editing tools at all (other than the occasional rotate). Still, I'll have to be careful, apparently, even with a simple rotate. This is something that Apple ought to address. Revert ought to revert to the original camera image, period. Thanks for pointing this out.

(10 minutes later)

Well, Shannon, I just followed your steps, and even increased the odds by doing multiple, alternate edits in both PS and iPhoto, even quitting iPhoto and restarting between edits. After several iterations of edits, iPhoto's Revert to Original command always does just that, it takes me back to my original camera image. In numerous (now) tries, I have been unable to get iPhoto to do what you say. Inspecting the "iPhoto library" folder in my home folder, it appears that the "originals" folder that is created is left completely untouched after any edit is made. A pristine, virgin copy of the photo is stored there in the event the user ever goes to the "revert" command.

iPhoto has no preference that speaks to this issue, so I am at a loss to explain why our systems are behaving differently on this (for DPC) critical issue. I even did a search of Apple's support area discussion groups to see if anyone else was talking about this issue, and found no threads that are relevant.

Olympus 14-42mm f.3.5-5.6 ED Zuiko Digital Zoom

08/12/2004 12:15:48 PM · #13

Originally posted by airatic:

Summer, that sounds like a bug of some sort that has crept into your setup. You could try to reinstall iPhoto, but it would be easier to go to your ...home/library/preferences folder and delete the "com.apple.iPhoto.plist" file (but don't empty the trash - just in case). Then relaunch iPhoto. You may need to reset all your preferences in iPhoto again, but this should fix the glitch.

airatic

Olympus E-410

08/12/2004 12:18:02 PM · #14

Thanks, I'll try that tonight when I get home. I guess this is one of the prices I pay for getting a good deal on the floor model :)

Malokata

Canon PowerShot G6

08/12/2004 12:21:27 PM · #15

Airatic, I had this problem as well, it's due (or was for me) to having done an archive and install. Adobe has a help topic:

//www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/338f6.htm

Pretty easy fix.

airatic

Olympus E-410

Olympus 14-42mm f.3.5-5.6 ED Zuiko Digital Zoom

08/12/2004 12:36:46 PM · #16

That must be it, Malo, I did an archive and install when I got the comp, to clear out the crap that got messed with when it was a demo model. I'll try both solutions tonight.

08/12/2004 12:41:07 PM · #17

Originally posted by airatic:

That must be it, Malo, I did an archive and install when I got the comp, to clear out the crap that got messed with when it was a demo model. I'll try both solutions tonight.

Malokata has definitely hit the nail on the head. What he said!