
Due to technical limitations with iPhoto, not every type of item in an iPhoto library can be copied to another library. The table below summarized what can and can't be copied in each version of iPhoto, with more details explanations of each item below. This applies to copying albums and events between libraries via drag and drop, merging libraries, and rebuilding a library.
|
iPhoto 4 |
iPhoto 5 |
iPhoto 6 |
iPhoto 7 |
iPhoto 8 |
iPhoto 9 |
Photos with basic metadata (rating, keywords, date, description, title) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Modified versions of photos paired with originals |
Yes (RAW n/a) |
Yes, except RAW |
Yes, except RAW |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Individual photo edits (e.g. cropping, filters, color adjustments, etc.) |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Places data |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
Yes |
Yes |
Faces data |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
Yes |
Yes |
Regular albums |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Folder albums |
n/a |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Smart albums |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Keepsake items (books, slideshows, etc.) |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
MobileMe galleries |
n/a |
n/a |
iPhoto auto-syncs |
iPhoto auto-syncs |
iPhoto auto-syncs |
iPhoto auto-syncs |
Facebook/Flickr galleries |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
No |
iPhoto auto-syncs |
Events/rolls |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Photos with basic metadata: 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.
Modified versions of photos paired with originals: 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. However, in iPhoto 6 and earlier, when copying RAW photos, it's not possible to bring both the original RAW and the edited JPG/TIFF version of each photo. You can choose one or the other via the preferences window in iPhoto Library Manager
Individual photo edits: 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. For example, if you perform a saturation adjustment, iPhoto remembers the saturation level and lets you readjust it independently later on, even if you've performed other edits. 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
Places data: In Photo 8.0 and later, you can assign geographic locations to your photos within iPhoto. iPhoto Library Manager will transfer all place information along with the photos when performing a copy between libraries. There is one small exception: if you are copying photos from an iPhoto 9 library to an iPhoto 8 library, then custom places created in the "Manage My Places" window in iPhoto will not be transferred (latitude/longitude information for each photos will still be copied though).
Faces data: iPhoto 8.0 and later will automatically detect people's faces in your photos and allow you to assign names to them. iPhoto Library Manager will copy this information between libraries along with your photos.
Regular albums: When copying albums between libraries, a new album with the same name will be created in the destination library, and all the same photos that were in the album in the original library will be added into the newly created album.
Folder albums: In supported versions, if you have albums organized into folders in the iPhoto album list, those folder albums and their hierarchy will be recreated in the destination library. In iPhoto versions where this isn't supported, any regular albums contained in folders will be created in a flat list in iPhoto.
Smart albums: Smart albums cannot be recreated in another library with the same set of rules as the library they are being copied from. Instead, a regular album of the same name will be created, and any photos that were in the original smart album will be added to the new regular album.
Keepsake items: These items cannot be copied between iPhoto libraries.
MobileMe galleries: These cannot be directly copied between libraries, but iPhoto will automatically sync galleries from the MobileMe server back to your iPhoto library. You can read about this in more detail on this help page.
Facebook/Flickr galleries: These cannot be directly copied between libraries. In iPhoto 9 (but not iPhoto 8), iPhoto will automatically sync these galleries similarly to what is done with MobileMe galleries.
Events/rolls: When copying photos between libraries, events (iPhoto 7-9) or rolls (iPhoto 4-6) will be recreated in the destination library with the same photos as they contained in the original library. Each event's name, date, description, and key photo will also be preserved.
Also note that copying to or from Aperture libraries is not supported.