Is your iPhoto library using too much space?
This iphoto-relocate.py script relocates the photos and videos from
your iPhoto library to an external drive (e.g., a NAS drive).
To ensure that iPhoto works 100% correctly, the iPhoto library itself (incl. various DBs, the thumbnail files, etc.) stays where it is -- only the 'masters' are relocated. Each original file in the iPhoto library is replaced by a symbolic link that points to the new file location on the external drive.
So the script simulates a missing "relocate masters" or "relocate originals" functionality for iPhoto.
After running the script, iPhoto will work just as before. When you click on a photo, iPhoto will follow the symbolic link and display the photo. You can still quickly flip through your large collection of photos, unless you have a very slow connection to your external drive (all USB drives and most NAS drives should be fine).
Note that the alternative, simpler method of just copying the whole iPhoto library to a NAS drive is not recommended and may result in data loss. See a discussion here.
Usage example:
./iphoto-relocate.py "/Users/markus/Pictures/iPhoto Library" "/Volumes/external-drive"
This creates a Masters directory on the external drive (the
/Volumes/external-drive directory), which contains all 'master'
image and video files from the iPhoto library. The Masters directory
in the iPhoto library /Users/markus/Pictures/iPhoto Library is
changed to contain symbolic links only.
As a precaution, you should make a backup of your iPhoto library before running the script.
See also:
./iphoto-relocate.py --help
When you run the script for the first time, it will move all originals over to the external drive, which can take many hours. It is recommended to connect your external drive directly to the computer (e.g., via Thunderbolt or USB) the first time you run the script (as opposed to a slower wireless connection).
On subsequent calls, the script will only copy new files over, so it will run much faster than the first time and does not need a direct connection to the external drive.
You can, for example, run the script every month to move your latest photos over to the external drive. It will recognize which files are already symbolic links and which files are new and need to be moved to the external drive.
After you run the script, all masters will be on the external drive; iPhoto will only see symbolic links in its local iPhoto library. Consequently, when you delete a photo in iPhoto, it will only delete the link, but not the original photo on the external drive.
The following procedure is recommended: Whenever you get a new batch of photos from your camera, they will be in your local iPhoto library as usual. Go through them and delete some photos. Then run the script to move all remaining photos to the external drive.
You can run the script from the command line on your Mac (e.g.,
iTerm), provided you have Python installed.
Currently, no GUI is provided.
Markus Dreyer, markus.dreyer@gmail.com
Copyright 2014 Markus Dreyer
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at
http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License.