iPhoto Library Manager > Help > What can and can't be copied
What can and can't be copied
Due to technical limitations with iPhoto, not every type of item in an iPhoto library can be copied to another library. Below is a list of everything that can and cannot be copied successfully using iPhoto Library Manager. Note that in many cases, the version of iPhoto you have affects what you can and cannot copy.
What can be copied
- Photos can obviously be copied from one library to another. In addition, iPhoto Library Manager will also copy each photo's keywords, rating, description, title, and date over to the new library. This includes all photos formats, including RAW photos and movie files.
- When you edit a photo, iPhoto keeps a copy of the original photo around, allowing you to revert your changes and go back to the original version of the photo. iPhoto Library Manager will copy both the modified and original versions of each photo, so that you can use the "Revert to Original" command in the destination library just like you could in the original library.
- iPhoto 7.0 and later: For RAW photos that have been edited, both the original RAW and the edited JPG/TIFF version of the photo can be copied between libraries, just like with regular photos.
- iPhoto 8.0 and later: When you edit a photo using only iPhoto, it keeps track of the series of edits you have done and allows you to go back and change the individual edits later, rather than having to revert all edits to the original photo in order to just change one. If you are running iPhoto 8.0 or later, iPhoto Library Manager will transfer this list of edits along with the photo, so you can change individual edits in the destination library just like in the original library.
- iPhoto 8.0 and later: Any Places and Faces data that you have assigned to your photos will be copied to another library along with the photos.
- Regular albums can be copied between libraries, with each album being recreated in the destination library with the same name and description as the original. The photos they contain will automatically be copied over and added to the recreated album as well.
- Whenever copying any photos, albums, or events between libraries, the rolls/events that the copied photos are in will be recreated in the destination library, with the same title, description, and key photo, and containing the same photos they did in the original library.
- iPhoto 7.0 and later: Album folders can be copied between libraries, and any subalbums contained in those folders will also be copied over. The folder hierarchy will be reconstructed just as it was in the original library.
What can't be copied
- iPhoto 6 and earlier: Folder albums cannot be copied between libraries. All the regular albums they contain will be copied over, but will end up as a flat list in the destination library
- iPhoto 6 and earlier: When copying RAW photos that have been edited, only the original RAW or the edited JPG/TIFF version of the photo can be copied, not both.
- iPhoto 7.0 and earlier: Individual edits are not copied between libraries. You can still use the "Revert to Original" command to revert all the way back to the original photo, but you cannot modify the individual edits of photos in the destination library as you can in the original library.
- Smart albums cannot be copied directly between libraries. Trying to copy a smart album will result in a regular album being created in the destination library, containing all the same photos that the smart album contained in the original library.
- Books, calendars, cards, and slideshows cannot be copied between libraries.
- Facebook and Flickr published albums cannot be copied between libraries.
- MobileMe galleries cannot be directly transferred between libraries, but you can still sync additional libraries with your galleries from the MobileMe server.