Do you want to export your entire iPhoto library so you can give it to someone who doesn’t use iPhoto or doesn’t have a Mac? If you try to do it manually, by exporting each album, one at a time, the process can be very time-consuming. Here are two easier ways to do it.
Open up the iPhoto library “package”
If you have ever wondered where iPhoto stores the images, you’re not alone. There is no folder you can find that has all your photos inside it. That’s because the Mac hides it inside what’s called a “package” (because it’s actually lots of folders packaged to look like one item).
However you can un-package your photos by doing this:
- Open your Home folder (that’s usually the one with your name on it, and an image of a house)
- Open up the Pictures folder inside the Home folder
- Inside the Pictures folder is an item called “iPhoto LIbrary.” Hold down the Control key on your keyboard and then click on that item. You should get a pop-up menu. From the pop-up menu, choose “Show Package Contents.”
- A window should open. There should be a folder called Originals. That is where all your actual photos are stored. Copy this folder to an external hard drive or to a DVD. Then give the hard drive or DVD to the recipient.
- If you edited your pictures and you also want to give edited versions, then you should also copy the Modified folder to the hard drive or a DVD.
The problem with this method is that it doesn’t preserve the albums you have made; it just has photos organized by date. If you want to give all your photos to someone, organized by photo album, then there is a second method.
iPhoto to JAlbum Exporter
This free piece of software called iPhoto to JAlbum Exporter allows you to export photos while preserving albums, album hierarchy, album and image order, captions, comments, and ratings.
It’s a little more complicated to use than just grabbing the iPhoto “package” because you need to tell it a few things:
- Where to find your iPhoto library
- Where you want to export the photos to (the “Output folder”)
- Which albums you want to export
- Whether you also want to export captions, comments, and ratings
- Whether you want to export in album hierarchy, or date hierarchy
- Do you want to filter the export to eliminate some photos
However the result is much better organized and contains more information.