does anyone use iPhoto?

[opus]

I want to download my pictures from my camera into my Canon Image Browser in order to capture all the exposure info, but I like some of the features of iPhoto for rapid display. But when I import the pictures into iPhoto, I've discovered it duplicates them and organizes them into new folders, which doubles the harddrive space used.

Does anyone know if you can just "link" from iPhoto to your other picture folders?

[kafin8ed]

I don't think it can link like that it needs to have the photos in its files. what you can do is use iPhoto as your primary browser and then look in the iphoto file system with the other browsers but you're going to have to deal with the wacky naming scheme for the files(which you don't want to change BTW). I only use iphoto for jpgs which are just my web only images and studio stuff that i do at work. everything else that i shoot is RAW and i use the PS CS browser for that. there are several shareware programs that can help out with iPhoto organisation i use iPhoto Buddy to give me access to multiplt iPhoto files (one for work, one for home) there may be other shareware programs to help you out.

[pnd1]

Kelly,

As a fellow Mac and Canon user, I've also tried to use the Image Browser and iPhoto combination to view and organize my images, but I was not happy with either program. iPhoto, in particular, was cumbersome, confusing, and it littered my computer with unnecessary files.

I now download my pictures with a card reader via Mac's built in "Image Capture" application, and then open, edit, and view them in Photoshop CS's browser. I also use iViewMedia -- an excellent Mac friendly picture viewing and organizing program that allows me to easily sort, arrange, delete, and then view my images as full screen slide shows. The slide shows can be controlled with my mouse -- which means I can look at an image for as long or as little as I wish. I can also view my photographs with iViewMedia as rows of thumbnails in various sizes, or as single images, and can save any combination of images as a self-contained "catalogue."

iViewMedia never litters my hard-drive with space-eating picture files, either. Full exposure data is always visible in both the Photoshop CS browser and in iViewMedia.

For info on iViewMedia, go to: http://www.iview-multimedia.com/prod...edia/index.php.
It costs $50 to download. (There is also a more advanced version called iViewMediaPro available for professional use at $100.)

Good luck.