iPhoto... uuugh!!

Just right mouse click or control click on the iPhoto Library in your Pictures folder and you should get a menu option to Show Package Contents, this will open up the folder that is metaphorically alluded too and within that folder is a folder called Originals and it is inside that fodler that you'll discover everything you've successfully imported.

They'll all open with Preview.

iPhoto is actually pretty darned good, quite idiosyncratic, but is worth persevering with, especially if you have nothing better.

But they won't work with the image importer. The only reason I ever used it was for iMovie. Someone had told me it was finally fixed and if I imported my images into iPhoto things would work fine. Nope. At least with final cut I can access them the way you are suggesting but I can't read them from the folder in QC Not to mention I have thousands of folders with single images in them. IMO Apple really missed the boat on this one.

Hmm, what you are saying doesn't ring right... It really seems like I've done that fine. I'll take a look when I get a chance.

It might be worth checking out the Directory Scanner Blocking patch as well... kind of a different thing, but it can be interesting because of the options for folder depth, blocking out stuff that makes things freak out (.ds stores and such)... and can be useful for loading from locations that are basically consistent from system to system, as well as building a list.

I usually just search in Finder for my photos though, and open up whatever the enclosing folder is. So, while I don't use iPhoto for my "QC picture directory", but having a file organized by it hasn't ever stopped me from using it.

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But they won't work with the image importer

well, you're right [after a fashion] and wrong [ after another fashion]

basically you should do as per the video url attached

Howto get to iPhoto library Assets

and then you will be able to access what would otherwise be wrapped [and effectively protected from outside requests] in the package :-)

In theory it is possible to access images inside packages from 3rd party applications (like QC perhaps). I wrote a .jsx script for photoshop to open images inside a Keynote file (which is a package) and to edit them and re-save. From memory the file path string just treated the .keynote file as any other directory (which it is) using ":"s to separate.

correctly remembered.

then again, not all patches requiring file paths have equal levels of directory literacy capabilities :-)

I tend to think that having assets located in a Project folder is far easier to manage, archive, make portable and so on. It makes most of the path coding headaches that would otherwise result, pretty minimal - just lazy of me, I guess.

Thanks cybero, qtoledo3 and usefuldesign,

Copying the original out of the library was out of the question because the library is way too large and I don't have that kind of extra space on this HDD. I don't have the time right now but will probably just export everything out of iPhoto when I install Snow Leopard and scrap iPhoto altogether. One problem that has always existed for me is that QC doesn't like spaces in the path name and changing iPhoto Library to iPhotoLibrary breaks it's link with other apps.

I did find the temporary solution in cybero's tutorial though. The key was the User Guides and Information alias in the Finder window. I made aliases of the folders I needed and they seem to be working I just can't view the images in the finder window.

Thanks again,

I'm sorry I haven't chimed in yet, but I'm almost certain this has been made way more difficult than it needs to be.

You can access All iPhoto library images without needing any custom patches, or any particularly difficult stuff. Paths aren't difficult, total images aren't difficult.

The only impossible-without-custom-patches part is accessing folders (for grouping by date etc).

[edit: this is possible too, but you'd have to parse the structure with javascript, which would take a bit of effort.]

Here's an example composition.

Succinct & effective.

Covers all the bases and can be applied to sub directories too.

Didn't realise that you wanted to utilise the entire iPhoto Library.

Wonder what is replacing iPhoto in Snow Leopard?

Neat solution from cwright below and not an Image Importer patch in sight :-)

By the way , although the aforementioned post from cwright kind of negates the need for such a concern, I didn't quite get why the Image Importer patch didn't work for you by way of exploring the libraries package content wise and just drag and drop the image you wanted to view onto the QC stage.

Way cool! With the LFO period set to .1 my life flashes before my eyes! Definite improvement on the traditional near-death-experience method. ahaha

"I'm sorry I haven't chimed in yet"

That's okay, It's the final bell that counts. :) But what do I have to do to get it to read the sub directory? This set up is very similar to what I have been using but if I add /Originals/2004/SunsetsAndSunrises/ I get nothing. What am I doing wrong? Do I have to figure our an Event/Folder number and type that in somewhere?

Thanks

I guess this is one for making mutiple iPhoto Libraries. It covers all the directories within, but won't find by named /directory/ path type.

Apropos a multiple libraries approach try iPhotoBuddy - FOC

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if I add /Originals/2004/SunsetsAndSunrises/ I get nothing.

what you need to do, I think is either to employ an XML file you'll have gleaned from within the iPhoto Library package, or, use the tip I gave for exploring the package, drag the folder you want onto your stage and then connect it up, you will have to use a long path which you can copy and paste from the folder you drag and drop onto the QC stage.

/Users/Username/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Originals/Year/SubFolder

you might find this link useful

XML Slideshow

I just tried...

~/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Originals/2001/test

... with the setup that Chris posted, and it works like a charm. It doesn't make a difference if I put a backslash at the end, it loads both ways.

Is it working for others? It works fine for me.

I've always loved the look of ripping through a bunch of pictures like this, using the pics as textures for "wrong" things, like 3d characters or buildings. It's great as an ad hoc QC simple face animation technique with some good pre-planning.

No charm here. :( OS X.5.7, iPhoto 8.0.4 and QC 3.1

I'd been so close to replicating the error that reinformit posted about that I failed to realise that I was confirming this happened by not pointedly refreshing the file after updating the file path on the scanner patch.

You're right, apologies for any pointers I've made in another direction, but by virtue of effectively breaking the file path whilst editing the file path to point directly to a particular sub directory, I ended up reproducing the failure reinformit told us about. However, if the sub directory path [~/Pictures/etc] is placed in the Directory path it does, upon being restarted afresh, work AOK.

post the comp please :-)

Firstly, the example chris posted works all round, as george recently posted to confirm for you.

I've had a closer look at how I can reproduce your problem - a] one too many iPhoto Libraries and pointing to the wrong one, b] not letting the QC Viewer refresh after changing the file path as posted earlier by me c] corrupt iPhoto library - command option when you boot up iPhoto, shows if you have more than one library, also allows you to create a brand new one.

see iPhoto Library Rebuilding

I really don't know what to say cybero. I feel bad because I feel like you are putting a lot of work into solving my challenges. Thank you.

The XML Slideshow is pretty cool but did you have to write the XML file or was it "self generating" somehow with a little manual tweaking?

When I read that qtoledo3 got it to work I took another look. I had only been using the one that cwright had sent to try it out. I didn't modify anything but the path after ...Library/. What is odd is that it read the entire library from ~/Pictures/.., which points to an alias, but wouldn't read a specific folder but when I changed the path to /Volumes/DigitalMedia/iPhoto Library/Originals/2004/SunsetsandRises it seems to be working. Now I just need to figure out where his is different so I can get mine to work.

I see where my terminology threw you as I was talking about the image importer and not the downloader or directory scanner. I will try to be better about that in the future.

IMO what would really be great if QC was able to import a bunch of images and automatically connect them to a mutiplexer.

"Wonder what is replacing iPhoto in Snow Leopard?"

I'm not sure what Apple is doing but I know I'm not installing it. I need to upgrade this pathetic little HDD and was going to do it at the same time I install the new OS. For me iPhoto is really dysfunctional and not worth all the little quirks it comes with and I really don't need thousands of images in thousands of separate non-descriptive folders. Month, Day, Year and an enumeration do nothing for me especially when they used to be organized and I'm quite certain none are from 1903 or even 1970 for that matter. I think I'll stick with PS and Graphic Converter.

Thanks everyone.

The XML is hand coded.

You could use a generated well formed XML file, though it will no doubt have slightly different tags and thus keys for the structure tools. You could global search and replace in that file to recreate the format of the example I presented you with.

Most of the auto XML generators for iPhoto and other image applications output photo albums, which sounds HDD wise a problem due to lack of space and therefore no use to you.

The example cwright posted should work.

I suspect some iPhoto library size or library corruption problem or that you haven't given QC Viewer a fresh start.

Couldn't you use the File from Structure to read the directory structure to output the directory listing to a plist, and then re-edit that, otherwise copying and pasting what you need from the core iPhoto XML might be a good idea, I think that needs a lot of pruning though, mainly the Master Image list is what you need . WellFormed do a plugin for iPhoto that can help with outputting XML supported photo albums.

I'd break the library down I think. Doesn't your Photoshop output well formed XML Gallery albums ? Mind, where do you have the space for the resulting export? By the sounds of it not much.

Thanks cybero,

I did get the example that cwright posted to work by changing the path as I noted above. What is odd and I hadn't noticed originally though is that their example only displayed the movies and not the images when pointed at ~/Pictures... that points to an alias of the library. Anyway I did get it to work and it is a temporary fix to get some old compositions working again and for now good enough for me.

The library I am working with is only 25 GB and I do have plenty of working space on the OS partition but even still, I really don't need any albums or multiple copies of the images. With iPhoto the file structure is the biggest problem with me. I really don't need each image in it's separate folder according to some, often erroneous, date (1903? my grandmother wasn't even born yet) and I find nothing useful with it so it will be gone. The browser in PS and GC work(ed) fine for me and I have already scrapped iMovie which was the only reason I let someone talk me into using iPhoto.

Another thing I haven't had any success with though is using portrait and landscape oriented images in the same composition without the portrait always wanting to hang to the right. Any idea how to center all the images before the reach the renderer? I have been trying with image resize and crop and a few others but can't seem to get it right.

Thanks again.

Aperture lets you use managed files (stored in its vault similar to the iPhoto library) or referenced files – stored where ever you like on whatever drive. The drive doesn't even have to be mounted to work with the preview images (adjustments tagging and so on). It seems overly complicated at times to me because I don't use much of the functionality (nested folders/ projects/ libraries/ albums/ light-tables… etc etc) but I prefer it to iPhoto (which I use for personal stuff only to keep the two apart and be aware of the improvements to both packages).

I agree with cybero – easier to work with images in a folder close to root directory of the HD than inside file directories that may be zipped or whatever etc.

OK, now I know its 25GB and you've got space over to rework the library if needed. My best advice to you is to create an album and order the pictures as you see fit , that should give you one, single album for all you assets. That would be the folder you point path wise to, not the original.

Haven't been able to reproduce your Portrait / Landscape problem.

Finally realised why I didn't have that portrait and landscape problem, see attached solution. Images used therein are from a client of mine and from a Vista Desktop Wallpaper Collection off Flickr :-) .

As you can see, the non XML based, directory scanner loads both Portrait and Landscape orientation with equal ease.

I don't know if you've looked elsewhere on the web for advice about your slideshow problem, but , partly idle curiosity, and also more in the same vein of

Quote:

This was all taken care of before Leopard came out

I think you'll find this link quite useful to you.

Quartz Composer Introduction

by Mike Vande Ven Jr.

:-)

Hey, cybero,

Thanks again!

Another question. In the display patch macro you have a Rendering Destination Dimensions that is not connected to anything. Is that doing anything? Is there any way to get this to work with the Particle patch?

I had used QC quite extensively when it came out but there was very little along the lines of user websites and many were "dead" as there wasn't too much activity. I read through most of Apple's documentation but it always seemed to stop short of what I was trying to accomplish. Now that I am trying to get back into it and resurrect some of my old compositions I find they no longer work properly. I actually stumbled on this and some other websites on the ADC pages.

One issue I had always had was with the sound inputs and "rendering" to a movie with the bogus movie wrapper. I primarily use QC as a movie/image creator/editor. If it wasn't for QuartzCrystal I would have scrapped it too. I was leery of purchasing it because the checkerboard demo was a bit much and I couldn't really tell the quality.

I'm not Cybero but,

Rendering Destination Dimensions is usually used with a sprite or a billboard (in custom size mode, selectable via settings), so that whatever size you make the Viewer window, the image stretches accordingly. The one thing about that is that it will kill aspect ratio if both width and height are connected. Conversely, the Image Dimensions patch will give you the size of a source image, and you can connect THAT to your renderer patch (maybe with resize math), and get the correct aspect ratio.

When using a patch like that with the stock particle system, the main use I've found is to use those patches so that particles stay within certain bounds regardless of screen size. So, you could take the "width" and hook it to the X velocity max, and multiply it by (-1) and hook that to the X min velocity... do the same for Y, and then you have a particle system that "blasts" up to the bounds of the viewer.

Another approach is that one can put a clear, then particle system in a render in image, pipe the output to a sprite (or whatever) and then use the destination dimensions to control the final rendering destination size.

reinformit wrote:
Hey, cybero,

Thanks again!

Another question. In the display patch macro you have a Rendering Destination Dimensions that is not connected to anything. Is that doing anything? Is there any way to get this to work with the Particle patch?

b] it could be used after a fashion with the Particle Patch, but it is best then for static presentations, low size interpolation, especially for slides

wouldn't it spoil the landscape / portrait handling provided by the Image Dimensions patch ?

Quote:

I'm not Cybero but,

good cover, nonetheless :-), was just formatting my drive for BootCamp, seeing as how vmware has its limitations. posted my two pennorth , got the refresh and realised you'd capably covered the proverbial bases.

edit:- and just recently found that my iMacs hardware finds no usable referent for its Ethernet controller so back to the use of VMWare, so I might activate my XP and reinstall Windows 7.

Doesn't the Particle System make every input image square?

Setting billboards to alpha helps with the picture shuffling with the Particle System.

Apparently. :( I just booted into 10.4 but QC wouldn't launch. I'm almost certain that in QC 2 I was able to render in an image and have it maintain it's aspect ratio.