Kentski Loc: Michigan

I tried the trial version of Lightroom 5 and liked it...but have not purchased it yet. The one downside I am struggling with is its apparent incompatibility with IPhoto storage on my IMAC.

I need to retain the ability to automatically transfer/share and store pictures taken with my IPAD on the Mac. I also have been uploading pictures taken with my camera into IPHOTO.

Any one know of an efficient way to transfer access/transfer photos for editing back and forth between Lightroom 5 and IPHOTO?

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

You don't need to do anything. If you import you images into LR, using LR to do this, your images will wind up cataloged in LR and if you use the standard method of finding those same images using iMac Finder then you are in business.

Squint Loc: Stockton, CA

I may not have a total grasp of the question. Any pictures that you take with your iPad an easily be transferred into LR's library. I have been a Mac user for 25 years but I could be wrong, but there's nothing iPhoto can do that LR can't. Hence I never use iPhoto. As a best management practice, it would be best to have all of your photos in one place (one large place!). Place all of your iPhoto originals into that location as well as all future photos. You can have as many folders under your one "master folder" as you wish. Then importing all future photos from your camera (of any type) into LR is a piece of cake. I'm guessing that once you start using LR's features, you will never go back to iPhoto.

Basil Loc: New Mexico

I just subscribed to Creative Cloud (includes LR5) and transferred all of my photos from iPhoto to LR. I found a really good video that shows the two step process (You first export the pictures from iPhoto, then import them into LR. This video is based on LR3, but I found it works exactly the same in LR5).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH0el2wFqDI

Kentski Loc: Michigan

Let me see if I understand what you are trying to tell me. Right now if I take a picture with my IPAD, it is sent automatically to my IMAC IPHOTO program as long as I have internet access and photo streaming turned on.

Are you saying I can somehow have them sent to LR on the IMAC instead? If so, is this set up in photo streaming? I know LR doesn't actually store the actual pictures, so where are they stored?

Sorry for my confusion, I am new to IMAC and obviously new to LR. I know I can transfer the photos from my Olympus camera to LR via a hard wire connection. I might have to add an extra step and convert from IPHOTO to LR as suggested for IPAD pictures as suggested.

Thanks for all your responses.

Squint Loc: Stockton, CA

Go under your preferences menu and check the box about importing when a memory card is detected.Go to the Library, click import, and set up[ the right side to place your files where you tell it to, filing convention etc. Consider purchasing one of many dedicated 3rd party books such as Scott Kelby's. Also look on line for specific videos. Once you do LR you won't want to go back to iPhoto, I'll bet.

flyguy Loc: Las Cruces, New Mexico

Your photos are stored on your computer's hard drive in the pictures folder under:

Macintosh HD/ users/(your) name/ pictures

You can then import them into Lightroom from there.

RichardE Loc: California

I believe that LR has a 'watch' folder/directory that it can use to auto import your photos if you send them to that folder from your iPad. I think I will try it with my iPad & iMac.

Kentski Loc: Michigan

Richard E

When I had the LR trial active, I tried sending the IPAD photos to Dropbox. Then, opening the photos with LR. That worked OK.
I couldn't find a way to send them directly to LR from the IPAD.

Let me know if/how that works.

RichardE Loc: California

Kentski,
Still working on it. Cannot seem to share to Dropbox from iPad as yet...

Kentski Loc: Michigan

Richard E

This is what I did relative to Dropbox. First make sure you download the Dropbox App for IPAD and Mac. Under options in Dropbox on the IPAD, set camera upload to on. All pictures on the IPAD after that point will be uploaded automatically to Dropbox when Dropbox is open. There is a counter showing you the status of the uploads. If you close out before the upload is complete, it will resume next time the IPAD Dropbox is open.

On the Mac there is an icon in the upper right task bar. This is the part I am a little fuzzy on. I think there is a option to automatically sync...but I had mine set to manually download selected photos to LR. Sorry, I can't check this, since my trial version has expired, but it worked fine.

Initially, since the IPAD photos are synced to the desk top MAC also, I was trying to skip the Dropbox part completely and access them with LR from Iphoto. The sync photos are placed in photos/ iPhoto/ library.photolibrary on the hard drive. Form some reason, I could not get LR to access this. So that's why I used the Dropbox workaround.

Sorry for the long winded response.

RichardE Loc: California

Kentski,
I am trying the same. But LR just hangs when using the auto import from my 'dropbox/ToLr' folder on my MAC. Haven't figured out why as yet. Not trying the iPhoto option as I do not wish the same photo in two locations on the same hard drive. I have B/U drives for that. Still 'playing around' with different options for now.
-Richard

Kentski Loc: Michigan

Good luck...let us know if you find a solution.

Squint Loc: Stockton, CA

Please, please (for emphasis) know that LR does not move your photos anywhere! It is a database (basically). When you "import" photos into LR, you're only telling it where those photos reside. You do NOT have to move them. That being said, just for organizational purposes and future sanity, it's really better to designate one location (a master folder) for ALL of your photos (in sub folders). The best way is to move them yourself, then import hem into LR. Otherwise, if they are already imported (recognized) into LR, then move them into another location within the function available in the LR Library module. If you move them outside of LR, LR will "lose" them and you'll have to teach LR their new location.

RichardE Loc: California

Squint,
Agree with you. But my process is that I copy from the SD card to a B/U location then import/copy as DNG into LR, also creating a B/U copy on a third disk which remains the orig raw file, in my case PEF. Just trying to see if possible to wirelessly get to the auto import folder for LR. Probably never use this as I like two backups to my LR photos, as well as the LR b/u every day. (anal ain't I !).