[gadr]

I recently renamed all the thumbnails in my iphoto library from 00001-06100 and added titles. A typical thumb would be labeled:

00101-Europe-Spain-Dec'07.

After I finished I realized that the changes were only made in the thums and not in the actual picture files. I would like to know if there is a way to create a script to make the photo and data files associated with the thumbs conform to the new thumb names.

Thanks

Gadr

[rab777hp]

You might want to use a batch finder renamer app, several of which are free. I do not think that a script would work here. Maybe a sort of applescript might..

[Skybolt]

I'm assuming that you are doing this in the library in finder, rather than changing the names on the photos in the iPhoto app? If so, you will not be able to use iPhoto for your pictures. Modifying ANYTHING about your photos in the finder will cause the app to not be able to find your photos and will render the app useless to you. If you want to use iPhoto (the app) you MUST NOT modify anything in the library in finder.

[gadr]

I have not done anything in the finder. I only changed the names in the library in the iphoto application on the thumbnails.

One of the posted answers told me to look for a batch application. I'm not familiar with using them and hope that one might allow me to do what I want.

gadr

[Skybolt]

I guess I'm not following you, then. If you opened iPhoto (app) and changed the name of the photo there, then there is nothing else to do. That is the name of the photo. There is a batch change option in the app -- look under Edit (or maybe it is Photo -- not at the mac right now) and see "Batch Change". You can select a number of photos and change the name of all of them at once.

Now, this is not a new file name, that can only happen in the library in the finder. And that is what you must not do if you want to use the app.

Please give us a little more information about exactly what you are trying to do and how you are doing it.

[gadr]

I see what you are saying. Even though I changed the name of the thumbnail in the application, the original name when the picture first was imported stays with it in the library in the finder. What I'd like to do is make the names match eachother. If a picture is named 00010 in the thumb i'd like it to have the same number in the original file. I know not to go into the library in the finder and make changes there because that would mess up the whole system.



gadr

[Skybolt]

There is no need to have them match. In Windows, users generally do that because they access their photos via the file system. In iPhoto, users should only access photos via iPhoto. The file name does not matter because you never see it. There is NEVER a need to go into the finder for your photos, so it is irrelevant what the name is in there. Just do anything and everything to/with your photos from the app and you will be fine.

[MarkHarrisLondon]

Skybolt and others,

I am relatively new to Mac/Iphoto and, yes, I have been brought up on Windows. But I can't accept that there is NEVER any need to rename a photo file. This suggests that one is ONLY EVER going to view/manage photos with IPhoto. What if I want to use Iphoto for now, but keep the flexibility to switch to another software package in the future, or share files with a non-mac user. For this reason, the file name IS very relevant. "Just doing everything within the app" seems very short-sighted, inflexible, and not very robust. Don't take this the wrong way, your posts are very useful, and I know that I need to break free of Windows, but I just can't accept the idea that one should let IPhoto take care of everything for me.

Thanks!

[rab777hp]

But why would you need a different name for another photo editing/organization app?

[MarkHarrisLondon]

I don't know... but that's the point. What if I need to? When I download a picture from my camera with a file name like IMG_0867.jpg, that doesn't tell me anything. In my previous Windows life, I would rename that file to something like (eg.) 2008Dec12aa.jpg or PortraitofDave.jpg, etc. I understand that I can use titles and keywords WITHIN IPhoto to better describe the pictures. But if my friend says "Send me a copy of those 100 pictures", all he will get is a bunch of generic file names that don't mean anything OUTSIDE of Iphoto. (?).

Is there a way to export the annotation from Iphoto so that someone getting a copy of my files also gets the annotation?

Thanks for your help,

Mark

[Skybolt]

Sure! If your friend wants he photos, from within the iPhoto app, export those photos to your desktop and email them from there. Names will be preserved!

[Skybolt]

The "export" function is your friend! If you just HAVE to use a PC, just export the photos to your desktop and then import them into your PC fromthere.

[MarkHarrisLondon]

Thanks everyone,

I see that the export function may be very useful. I'm still not totally sold on Iphoto, but I'm warming...

Does anyone know if there is a practical limit on the number of events or photos in Iphoto? If I migrate everything from PC today, I would already have 10,000 photos. I would probably be at 15,000 with 3-4 years. I have a new Macbook 2GHz, 2GB Ram. Will Iphoto be able to handle this?

Sorry - maybe I should post this as a new thread...

Thanks everyone.

[Skybolt]

With that many photos, I'd probably create multiple iPhoto libraries. Maybe a library for 1990 - 2000, and one for 2000 - 2001, or one for "Old Family Photos", one for "Sports", etc. (or whatever makes sense for you). Easy to do, and easily managed. An app like iPhoto Library Manager can help and also add flexibility to such a system.