Migrating PE3 (windows) library into Iphoto with

[Toblar]

Hi there,

My PC crasched last month, and I seemed like a good time to switch to Mac.
On a backup drive, I have my photos backed up (using the backup feature in PE3 for windows). It so happens that this feature renames all files and trashes the folder structure (while this can be restored from the backup file)

1. Is there any way I can import my library into Iphoto and keep the tags/keywords?

2. Can I do this from the backup-file right-away, or do I need to restore the library in a windows environment first?

Please help me out on this or I will have to re-organize some 3-4000 photos, including vast re-setting of keywords.

// Tobias

[Wendy]

Hi Tobias ...

... and welcome to the forum :)

Ray switched from PC to Mac so he may be able to help on this one ... hopefully he will be around the forum later.

Wendy

[Carbone]

Hello and welcome to the Forums, Tobias!

At the time I switched, last year, I did 12,000 pictures (if not more) manually. But now, someone wrote a script to transfer the IPTC keywords to iPhoto as keywords.

I don't know if the Organizer writes (or can) the tags as IPTC, though. But I know the file browser does (in PSE3).

The scripts can be found here :

http://scriptbuilders.net/files/iphotoiptckeywordimportexportutilities1.0.html

You will also need this other script (which makes it possible to automatically create tags in iPhoto) :

http://homepage.mac.com/kenferry/software.html

And, lastly, you'll need Graphics Converter. Depending on your Mac, it could be already included (PowerMac, PowerBook) or you might have to download it, as a free trial (iMac, iBook, Mac Mini, iHome).

The way it works is that your import your photos in iPhoto, then select them, and call this IPTC to IPHOTO script. I've not tried this but I suspect, go gently (do no more than a couple hundreds at a time, though it should be really fast).

Hope this helps!

Ray

[Toblar]

Hi,

Thanks for the tip. Works great!
I have now imported and tagged some 5,000 pics into iPhoto, using the steps above. I started out with pictures in PSE3 on a windows machine.

A few hints for anyone who needs to do the same.

1. Write tags to file in PSE3
Using the command "Write tags to file" it's possible to transfer your tags into ITPC keywords. However, just selecting all pictures and hitting the command won't do the trick. It seems that you also need to activate (i.e. select) using a tag in order to write it. A brief example:
You have a photo with two tags: "outdoor" and "summer" and want to write these to file. If you just select the file in the organizer and run the command nothing happens. I you activate the tag "outdoor", select the file and run the command you will only add this tag that is currently activated.
Hence, what you need to do is to:
a. activate on tag at the time
b. select all photos
c. run the command
d. repeat for all of your tags...

2. Making keywords "searchable" in Iphoto.
When importing the images and keywords (using the script and and the plugin) you can see that the images get the tags correctly, BUT for some reason the search functionality does not get indexed properly. It seems that you can search the keywords in spotlight in finder, but not inside iphoto - it won't find anything.
However, this is very easy to fix:
a. activate one tag at the time
b. select all photos
c. add the tag to the selected photos (again)
d. repeat for all your tags
You won't see any difference until you explore your library in the search field. Works great!

Thanks again for great help. Would not have made it without your support.

// Tobias

[Wendy]

Hi Tobias ...

Thank you for setting it all out ... I am sure that it will be a big help to the next "switcher" ..

How are you getting on with your new Mac ??


Wendy

[strickce]

Hi,
I'm a newly converted Mac user. In fact, my IMAC is on its way now, according to Fedex. I have over 10,000 pics in Photoshop Elements 4.0 and have organized them using a huge number of tags (many Categories and sub categories). I want to use the methods in this thread to migrate my tags to Iphoto, and have found the scripts and plugin, but I'm not sure which Graphic Converter to get. I found a couple using Google, but couldn't find one on the Apple web site.

Because Iphoto tags are not heirarchical, with subcategories,
I plan to "convert" my categories and sub-categories into Iphoto albums to simulate the same organization I was using to group similarly tagged items, such as the "Aunts and Uncles" subcategory of the Vaught Family category. Does that seem reasonable, or am I missing something?

Thanks for any thoughts.
Charlie

[Wendy]

Hi Charlie ...

... and welcome to the forum :)

I can't really help on this one as I have no experience of converting, I have used a Mac for years so I don't really know what the Organiser is like :)

With iPhoto I donlt have one large library ... I much prefer having smaller ones, which I use rather like you would Photograph Albums. I start new ones each year and sub divide those into events... in order to manage multiple libraries easily I use iPhoto buddy.

Here is the link:

http://www.iphotobuddy.com/

and here is the link to Graphic Converter:

http://www.graphicconverter.net/

Congratulations on the new iMac ... my husbands arrived just this morning by Fedex :)

Wendy

[strickce]

Thanks, Wendy,
I have had a good deal of success getting my tags into Iphoto, but I still have a ways to go before I have the same level of function I had with PE4 on the PC. Has anybody tried migrating from PC Elements 4 to Mac Elements 4?
Do the keywords (especially the heirarchy) translate correctly? And how is the migration physically done? I don't think the backup/restore route will work, but don't know any other way. I've looked at the Elements4 for Mac book and it says nothing about migration. I tried to call Adobe, but their customer service rep could not get me entered into their system, and therefore couldn't (or wouldn't) let me talk to a tech rep. If I can't get this to work, I may have a copy of PE4 for sale (cheap).

Thanks for any info anyone can provide,
Charlie

[Wendy]

Hi Charlie ...

I've always been a Mac users so I can't help on this one ... Ray has done a couple of threads on this subject but I can't find them.

Try this forum ... its a forum for switchers and they should be able to help you:

http://www.macmentor.org/switch

Do let us know how you go on :)

Wendy
EDIT ... here is the forum link ... http://forums.macmentor.org/

[Carbone]

I did not use the method myself because it didn't exist at the time (not in this form actually).

If you use the Write Tags to File, you should be ok. In iPhoto there are no hierarchy. All keywords are at the same level, if you prefer. However, you can have Folders in Folders. This would help you replicate you storage in PSE4 for wIndows.

Contrary to Wendy, I keep all my photos in one library, it facilitates searching for pictures.

I use both Keywords and Comments to classify pictures. Keywords to create groups or families of pictures (i.e. "Places and Events") and to create smart folders (based on Keywords), then when I import pictures, I will also had a comment describing the place or the event. So, when I want to find the pictures of my trip to Paris, I simply highlight the Events and Places smart folder, then type Paris. Within this smart folder, iPhoto will only display Paris pictures, thus excluding the stock images I have of Paris, Ontario for example :)

Ray