Need help -- transfer photos from PSE3.0 (Win) to PSE4.0 (Mac)

[Ken S]

Hi everyone. I'm new to this forum but have been a long time PSE user.

I recently purchased an iMac Core Duo and plan on using PSE4.0 on it. However, all of my photos are currently on a Windows PC running PSE3.0.

I'm scratching my head at how I can best transfer my files from the PC (running PSE3.0) to the iMac (running PSE4.0) and still preserve my tags as well as the version stacks for my edited photos.

I've searched and found this thread (http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5149) that came close but not completely applicable to my situation.

Also, once that is said and done, is there a way to have the tags show up in iPhoto 6?

Thanks for your help!

[Wendy]

Hi Ken ...

... and welcome to the forum :)

Ray is probably the best person to answer this one ... hopefully he will be be along soon and will be able to help :)

Wendy

[GaryK]

Hi Ken

Welcome to the forums.

Sorry.. no help here either, just a hello :D

Ray may be around later. From reading some similar posts, I have a feeling that iPhoto just reads the tag info and converts it to keywords (no tags per se). I could be waaaaay wrong on that though. windows user :)

[Ken S]

Hi guys! Thanks for the warm welcome. I'm already feeling good about finding this forum! :)

I'm eagerly waiting for "Ray" to stop by!

Ken

[Carbone]

Hi :)

(sorry for the delay, a friend was here for dinner)

Ken, what seems to be the part not working for you with this previous thread? If you mean version stack, I just can't help, I have absolutely no idea what this is. I've switched to the Macintosh much prior to Adobe releasing this version of PSE. The way I understand it, though, is that you can get back to a prior version of an image... I don't know you if you could simply locate those files and import them manually in iPhoto.

Tags will show up in iPhoto. If you mean like under the pictures, simply choose View / Keywords (tags are keywords).

Ray

[Ken S]

Ray,

Nice meeting you and thanks for the quick response.

To clarify, I have not yet gone through the task of transfering all my files. I wanted to know before I got started if there was an easier/different way to transfer the files since the aforementioned thread refered to Win->Mac on PSE3. Some specific questions:

- Is the process any different if I only wanted to transfer the photos into PSE4 on my iMac and not use iPhoto6? In other words, do I need to write the tags to each photo in PSE3 prior to moving my library?

- Would the process be any easier if I imported first to PSE4 then the iPhoto6?

Basically what I was hoping was if PSE4 had some transfer utility that would make the process straightforward.

Ken

[Carbone]

Ken,

I think there's a little confusion here. PSE3 and PSE4 for Macintosh do not have the Organizer. Adobe chose not to port these applications because Apple offers the very popular iPhoto.

So, when you move your pictures from Windows to Macintosh, you either want to bring them into iPhoto, or simply create a folder structure you like and move your pictures from the Windows to Macintosh computer in this new folder structure.

Now, if you want to use iPhoto, then the procedure I posted is what you need done.

PSE3 and PSE4 for Macintosh don't have any pictures management utility. PSE3 has the File Browser, which lets you find your pictures (catalog them with tags, search them) and PSE4 has Bridge, which is like the File Browser but with added capabilities (better search, better views, etc.) But all these rely on a folder structure *you* created, not them. You organize your pictures, and then use Bridge (PSE4) to browse the folders you created.

Hope this clarifies things! If not, then write again :)

Ray

[Ken S]

Ray,

That clarifies things a lot. I was under the assumption that Bridge offered a similar function as iPhoto.

So, if I understand correctly, the process should be straightforward: copy files over the the iMac and allow PSE4 to rebuild the library?

Thanks,

Ken

[Carbone]

Nope. PSE4 (or PSE3) doesn't have its own library. In the PC world, the equivalent of the PSE4 for Macintosh is the Editor alone (the software that lets you edit pictures).

Typically, you would burn a CD on your Windows computer (or use a network connection) to copy the pictures over to your Macintosh computer.

Then, to find your pictures, you could use Bridge to browse your pictures folders (i.e. like Macintosh HD:Users:Ray:Pictures:Vacation 2004). If you have previously tagged your images and added IPTC comments and keywords, Bridge will let your find them with its own Find command. It's not a library, it's plain Find command (similar to, like, when you're in Word and are trying to find the word Virus in a computer information document).

There are other ways of finding your pictures, like Mac OS X's Smart Folders. Folders based on criterias, like Keyword is Vacation, Camera is Canon, Picture Rating is Perfect, etc.

If you need more help, just write again :)

Ray