Oh Peter, I said I would get back to you when possible, I wish you had waited. I am busy with Clients work and really don’t have time at present but reading your email I decided to reply to try to explain quickly how the process works.
What you are now doing is Creating a NEW iPhoto Library (Duplicating all the Media Files in iPhoto Library package)! You are not understanding the iPhoto & Photos Directory structure... and how ‘Hard Links’ work so there is no duplication or extra space required on the system. The Transition/Import from iPhoto to Photos has to be done on your wife’s MBP where the Library files are in the correct locations to link the two libraries using ‘Hard Links’. Hard Facts about Hard Links On import, Photos makes a Hard Link to all iPhoto media assets in its own library package, using the same directory structure as iPhoto (The libraries say they’re roughly the same size, but in fact, they’re sharing disk space via hard links). Think of hard links as a cousin of Finder aliases—rather than existing in one place with an alias in a different location, files that are 'hard linked' appear to live in two places at once, but only take up the space of a single file. Your old library won't be converted, just imported, so you can still open it in Aperture or iPhoto if you like (though once you import, if you do anything new with that library in Aperture, it won't carry over to the Photos version). So what happens if you edit one of those files? Something clever: if I edit a file from a migrated iPhoto library in Photoshop, that version is altered—but the version in the Photos library is untouched. Basically, the act of modifying a hard-linked file causes the link to break. Now there are two different files, both taking up disk space, living independently. For Mac users accustomed to the a-file-is-a-file approach of the Finder, this one’s a bit of a head-scratcher, but it’s a smart move by Apple to allow us to migrate to Photos without duplicating an entire library and eating all of our free disk space—or worse, never bothering to upgrade to Photos because we don’t have the room. The new Photos library references the same master images as your old library, so you don't need the space to store images twice. It also makes for an incredibly efficient migration process. --- But because of your initial (dare I say - stuffup) this hasn’t happened. How to correct it?? I need more information - what is on your wife’s MBP. From what I can ascertain from your emails - A). On your wife's MBP in her User Home Folder > Pictures - there are these two files "iPhoto Library.migratedphotolibary” and "Photos Library.photoslibrary"… Is this correct? B). And your wife's MBP only has ONE iPhoto Library on her system... is this correct? C). And when you try to open PHOTOS on her MBP it doesn’t open... is this correct - or what happens? One suggestion I will make: On her MBP - If she double-clicks on the "Photos Library.photoslibrary" does it open in PHOTOS? If NOT Hold down the Option key as you open the PHOTOS app in the Dock to see the 'Choose Library dialog' window. Click 'Other Library' Select the 'iPhoto Library.migratedphotolibrary' See if that completes the ‘preparing for import’ Cheers, Ronni > On 27 Apr 2015, at 6:26 am, [email protected] wrote: > > Thanks Ronni. I think I've cracked it. I opened iPhoto with Option held and > selected "Create New". I set a new location for the new database library > file. Once that was set up, I then selected Import and pointed to the > "transitioning" iPhoto Library that I've been unable to open up in the > conventional way. So last night it was able to commence the import of the > photos and i can see the images on screen as it counts down. The > transitioning Library was ~250GB and I had no choice but to let it proceed > when it asked "confirm you have enough disc space" - I had ~750GB free on my > 2TB drive which at the time seemed enough. Once it had started, it said > "Importing 335,000 photos"!!! I don't recall there ever being that many, > however, it was still Importing this morning with 225,000 to go but only > 250GB space left. I think it will run out of space at that rate.Oh well, I am > not so worried about that, at least I have now got a way to access them. I > will get myself another 2TB drive and when I am home will start the process > again. I am somewhat puzzled though that it is now apparently much larger > than it was. Perhaps there is a compression that can be done or maybe this is > all a consequence of the process of how I've got into this pickle. > > Maybe there is still another method to properly unpick the library without > resorting to an Import process. I am keen to hear if you or anyone else has > encountered this and methods for unpicking the mess I've got myself into. > > Regards > > Pete. > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: > [email protected] > > To: > "[email protected]" <[email protected]> > Cc: > > Sent: > Sun, 26 Apr 2015 17:53:44 +0800 > Subject: > Re: iPhoto to Photos migration > > > Hi Peter, > > I haven't got time tonight, but I will get back to your problem when possible. > > Cheers, > Ronni > > Sent from Ronni's iPad4 > > > On 26 Apr 2015, at 4:20 pm, [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]> wrote: > > Hi Ronni, yes I feel a real goose for the steps I took (in hindsight). > > As I work away (and am away from home for a further 2 odd weeks), I placed a > copy of both (iPhoto and Photos) library files onto my 2TB external drive and > using my Retina MBP to try and unpick this mess remotely from my Wifes MBP. A > necessity as this happened the day prior to my departure. > > So i have the two files "iPhoto Library" and "Photos Library" both sitting > within one folder on the external drive (each file is saying around 295GB > from Get Info but not identical sizes). They are also still in place in the > User>Photos folder on my Wife's MBP as I restored the iPhoto library from > Trash using the "Put Back" command. > > When I attempt to open the iPhoto library (using the Option key method on my > Retina), it reflects as iPhoto Library.migratedphotolibrary Which would > suggest that the library underwent the start of its transformation in > readiness to be 'hard linked' with the Photos library. But the transformation > was never completed. > > I do not have a backup I can revert to at any stage prior to the update - coz > I blew away the Sparesebundle! > > Pete. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: > [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > To: > "WAMUG" <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> > Cc: > > Sent: > Sun, 26 Apr 2015 15:38:45 +0800 > Subject: > Re: iPhoto to Photos migration > > > Hello Peter, > > Sounds like you have really messed up the transition/import of iPhoto > Library to Photos... and then did a Time Machine backup BEFORE testing > everything was working correctly.... > > The first time you launch Photos, it searches your system for iPhoto and > Aperture libraries. If only one library fits the bill, it imports that > library. Otherwise, it opens the Choose Library dialog window - Choose a > library from the list, and Photos prepares the library for import. > > Photos needs to prepare your iPhoto Library before it imports into a new > Photos library. > When you import an iPhoto library into Photos, your existing library remains > intact. The net result of the import is that you’ll have two separate > libraries on your Mac’s drive: your old iPhoto library and a new Photos > library > > The Import does NOT duplicate iPhoto Library but uses “Hard Links". Your > iPhoto Library remains intact, BUT a new Photos Library comes into being. > The Libraries say they’re roughly the same size, but in fact, they’re > 'sharing disk space' via ‘hard links’. > > After the successful transition ‘Migration' from iPhoto to Photos you will > have in your User > Pictures folder - 2 separate Libraries: > "iPhoto Library.migratedphotolibrary” AND “Photos Library.photoslibrary" > > On 25 Apr 2015, at 9:30 am, [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]> wrote: > > Last week I updated my wife's 2012 MBP to latest OSX which brought the new > Photos application. I had done my own 2014 Retina MBP previously without > issue and have all my images carried over into Photos without a hitch > > The issue with my Wife's machine is I did the update and am unable to see the > images in Photos. I just get the intro screen with the 4 options for a new > user. I've done the "Option" whilst starting it up and directed it to the new > Photo Library file and still nothing. The Photo Library file shows in Get > Info of 295GB so it would appear to be a file containing the picture and > video files but how do I access it? > > An issue potentially caused by me was that after the update, I ran a cleaner > (Cleanmymac) and it did some cleaning. I did in my travels after the cleaning > notice in the Trash can was the old iPhoto Library!!! I assume this was an > action of cleanmymac. So I selected "Put Back" and it in turn is now placed > alongside the Photos Library in the default Apple folder location. > > It was only after this that I opened Photos for the first time and I suspect > that upon first opening, it runs a script which does the migration (but not > duplication) of image files. > > Oh goodness... Yes, that is correct. The first time Photos is opened (as I’ve > mentioned above) the transition (Import from iPhoto) is run. > But you are saying your wife’s iPhoto Library was not in the correct location > in Pictures... but was sitting in the Trash! > > It gets worse - much worse I am afraid. > > I don’t want to read anymore :( > > During the update I turned Time Machine off to prevent unwanted backups > during the process of updating. I think this is a recommended practice > anyway. Well, after the dust settled (but before running Photos) I turned TM > back on and it goes through the Preparing Backup routine for a looong while > and then says Backing Up 325GB!!! I pressed the cross to stop that and > thought about it a bit. Running low on TM disc space and having done this > previously (and never once having had to call upon the TM backup to retrieve > anything in the 6 years of Mac ownership) decided I would delete the > Sparesebundle file and do a new Backup from scratch . I suspect that the > Preparing Backup routine spotted the iPhoto Library in the Trash and the > Photos library in its normal home and detected there are two libraries to > back up hence the order of magnitude of the backup. > > Anyway, now that I am over this, I still have the problem where neither > iPhoto nor Photos will open showing my wifes previous images. > > When I launch iPhoto - I get a message "Aperture needs updating" so when I > try that, it says the version of Aperture required is not available in the > Australian Apple Store - so no good there > > When I launch Photos - I get the first time user screen. If I select Albums, > I see the greyed image of the previous Events folders as Albums and the names > of Albums are accurate per the previous iPhotos Events folder, but upon > opening, nothing is visible. Still no images. > > Whilst in hindsight some of my actions have been not very good, I still don't > understand why I can get at my images/videos? > > Whilst in hindsight now ‘some’ but almost all your actions have not been good > from what I can ascertain from your email :( > > Anyone have any ideas how to get out of this pickle? > > Let us now exactly what Library files you have in User > Pictures please - > and also if you have a backup of your wife’s iPhoto Library BEFORE you did > the Update to OS X 10.10.3? > > Cheers, > Ronni > > 17" MacBook Pro 2.3GHz Intel Quad-Core i7 > 2.3GHz / 16GB / 1TB 840 EVO SSD > > OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 > > Pete :( >
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