How to manage files with a MacBook and external hard drive, yet maintain intent and convenience?

[davideglasgow]

Hmm...giving this approach some more thought. Should I then import my existing RAW files into iPhoto as to include them in the library, and then delete the RAWs from my HDD, thus having ALL my shot jpgs in my iPhoto library on the MacBook HDD?


Sorry, BTW if any of this is obvious. New Mac user

[neuroanatomist]

In iPhoto, if you delete them from the library you also delete them from the HDD (well, they go into iPhoto's trash can, but ctrl-clicking that to empty it deletes them for good). If you have JPGs already, just import them into iPhoto on the MBP (then you can delete from where you imported them from, assuming you have the box to import photos into the library checked in iPhoto > Preferences > Advanced tab, and it's checked by default). Else, convert them to JPG from where they are now, and them import them into iPhoto.


If you import the RAW files into iPhoto, it will keep the RAW and make a JPG too, and thus take more space on your internal drive than you'd probably want.