iPhoto Directions  

Open iPhoto:

-Click the iPhoto icon in the Dock at the bottom of the screen. OR double click the system hard drive. Click ÒApplications.Ó Then double click ÒiPhoto.Ó

Importing photos from a camera:

-Make sure iPhoto is open and running

-Connect the camera to the computer using a USB cord and turn the camera on.

-iPhoto usually will switch into Import mode when it detects the camera. If not, click the ÒImportÓ button at the bottom, center of the screen.  Information about the camera and the pictures will be displayed at the bottom left side of the screen.

-Click ÒImportÓ at the bottom right hand of the screen. At the bottom center of the screen there will be a small thumbnail version of each image and it will show how many images remain to be imported

Importing a photo from e-mail:

-In e-mail double click the photo attachment and save the attachment onto desktop as a file

-Click the photo file and hold down the mouse button

-Drag the file to the left side of the iPhoto window where the albums are listed and release the mouse button.  The photo will import.

-The file was copied and now is stored in the iPhoto Library. The file can be deleted from the Desktop by clicking the file and pressing ÒDeleteÓ on the keyboard.

Naming the Photos:

-Click the photo to be named

-Click in the ÒTitleÓ box in the bottom left hand of the screen

-Type a name for the photo

Assigning Comments to a Photo:

-Click the desired picture

-If the comments section is not displayed click the ÒiÓ button to display it. The ÒiÓ button is like a toggle to hide or reveal different amounts of information.

-Type the desired comments

Viewing Rolls of Film (Photos imported at the same time):

-Click ÒPhoto LibraryÓ in the left column of the screen

-Click the arrow to the left of the roles name to expand the roll of film, click the arrow again to hide the photos

-All the roles of film in the Photo Library can be expanded or collapsed by holding down the ÒOptionÓ key while clicking the arrow

Name a Roll of Film:

-Click ÒPhoto LibraryÓ in the upper left of the screen

-Click the name of the roll that needs to be named

-On the bottom left of the screen, click in the ÒTitleÓ box

-Delete the old name and type in the new one. Click anywhere outside the box to save the name.

Moving Photos Between Rolls:

-Select a picture to be moved by clicking it. To select more than one picture at a time, hold down the ÒAppleÓ key while clicking the desired pictures.

-Click any selected picture and hold down the mouse button

-Drag the picture to the new roll and release the mouse button

Merging Two Rolls:

-Select a roll by clicking the rollÕs name and holding down the mouse button

-Drag the roll of film until the name of the destination roll is highlighted in blue. Release the mouse button. 

-If the roll displays in the wrong place, choose ÒUndo Add to RollÓ from the Edit menu

Creating an Album:

-Select ÒNew AlbumÓ from the File menu or press the ÒAppleÓ key and ÒNÓ

-Type a name for the new album

-Click ÒOKÓ

-To add a photo to the album, click on the photo and hold down the mouse button.  Drag the photo over the name of the album in the left column.  When there is a blue border around the name of the desired album, release the mouse button. 

-To add several photos to the new album at once, hold down the ÒAppleÓ key while clicking the desired photos.  Then click any selected photo and hold down the mouse button.  Drag the photo over the name of the album.  When the desired album name has a border around it, release the mouse button.  This will add all of the selected photos to the album.

Creating a ÒSmartÓ Album (only available on iPhoto 4 +):

-A smart album means that certain criteria are set and then the album is made automatically, rather than adding photos one at a time.  This is a great way to round up photos with similar dates etc. 

-Choose ÒNew Smart AlbumÓ from the File menu OR press ÒOptionÓ ÒApple KeyÓ and ÒNÓ

-Specify what photos to add by clicking the blue drop down arrows and then clicking the desired criteria. Click the plus sign at the right to add another criterion. Type a name for the album in the top box beside ÒSmart Album NameÓ

-Click ÒOKÓ

Changing a ÒSmartÓ Album:

-Select the desired album by clicking it in the left column of the screen and choose ÒEdit Smart AlbumÓ from the File menu

-Add more criteria for the Smart Album by clicking the plus arrow to the right of any existing criterion. Click the blue drop down arrow and the click the criteria for the Smart Album. To get rid of existing criteria, click the negative sign (-) to the right of the existing criteria to be deleted

-Click ÒOKÓ

Assigning Keywords:

-Select a photo by clicking it

-Choose ÒKeywordsÓ from the edit menu or press the ÒAppleÓ key and ÒK.Ó Select one keyword by clicking it or choose several keywords by holding down the ÒAppleÓ Key while clicking the keywords

-Click ÒAssignÓ

Searching by Keywords:

-To search the entire library, click ÒLibraryÓ in the left column of the screen OR to search a specific album, click that albumÕs name in the left column. Press the ÒAppleÓ key and ÒK.Ó Click the keyword to search by. To search by multiple keywords hold down the ÒAppleÓ key while clicking the desired keywords. Click ÒSearch.Ó

-The number of photos and the actual photos that match the keyword search will be displayed in iPhoto. To view keywords below each picture choose keywords from the View menu or press ÒShiftÓ ÒAppleÓ key and ÒK.Ó To see all pictures again click ÒShow All.Ó

-Click the red dot in the top left of the keyword box to close the search box

Viewing a Quick Slide Show:

-Select the album to view by clicking it in the left column or choose desired photos by holding the ÒAppleÓ key and clicking the photos

-Click the ÒPlayÓ button in the bottom left of the screen

-Click anywhere on the screen to stop the slide show

Customize a Slide Show (only available on iPhoto 4 +):

-Select an album by clicking it in the left column OR select individual pictures by holding down the ÒAppleÓ key while clicking them

-Click ÒSlideshowÓ at the bottom of the screen

-Click the blue arrows next to ÒTransitionÓ to select a transition style for the pictures. Move the blue arrow next to ÒSpeedÓ to adjust the pictureÕs transition speed. Click the blue arrows next to ÒPlay each slide for:Ó and click the desired length each picture is displayed. Click the box next to desired options such as ÒRepeat slideshow.Ó

-Click Òpresent slides in random orderÓ to displays photos in random order rather than the order they appear in iPhoto. Click ÒRepeat slide showÓ to repeat the slideshow until the ÒEscÓ key or the mouse button is pressed. Click ÒScale photos to fit screenÓ to make each picture adjust so that the screen is completely filled with no black edges. However, be aware that vertically oriented shots and photos that have been cropped may display strangely if this option is selected. 

-Click display titles, display my ratings, or display slideshow controls to view information about each photo while the slide show is playing.  This can be a useful tool in doing some housekeeping while the slideshow plays.  Slideshow controls will also be displayed if the mouse is moved while the slide show is playing.  These controls can be used to rotate, rate, and delete the currently displayed photo.  Clicking the trash icon in the control panel while the slide show is playing will remove the photo from the slideshow and the album the slideshow is made from. However, it will not remove it from the iPhoto library.

-Click the ÒMusicÓ tab at the top of the screen

-For a silent slide show uncheck the box next to ÒPlay music during slideshow.Ó To choose music from iTunes for the slide show, click the blue arrows to the right of ÒSourceÓ and click iTunes. To assign an entire Playlist to a slide show, click the Playlist name. To hear a song, double click the name of the song OR single click the name of the song and click the Play button at the bottom left of the screen. The name of the currently displayed Playlist will be above the ÒSave SettingsÓ button.

-To make searching for a song easier, sort the song list by clicking a column heading such as ÒArtistÓ or ÒSongÓ OR click in the oval button above the name of the slideshow.  Then type part or all of a song or artist name and hit enter

-Click the ÒPlay SlideshowÓ button at the bottom right

Note: To view a Slide Show on a TV, connect the TV to the computer using an S-video jack

Slide Show Tips:

-Normally a slide show takes over the screen. To see a slideshow in a window, press the ÒControlÓ button and click the ÒPlayÓ button in the bottom left of the screen.

-To assign a default song to a specific album, open iTunes. Position the iTunes and iPhoto windows so the list of songs in iTunes and the album list in iPhoto can be seen at the same time. Click the desired song and hold down the mouse button. Drag the song to an album. When the album name turns gray, release the mouse button. If this is done for the Photo Library, iPhoto will ask to set that song as the default slide show music. Click ÒOKÓ and all future albums created will automatically have that song assigned to them initially.

-Create special effects by having a photo start in black and white and then dissolve into a color version.  Select a photo by clicking it, choose duplicate from the iPhoto menu OR press the ÒAppleÓ key and ÒD.Ó  Then click the first photo.  Click the Edit button in the bottom center of the screen.  Click ÒB & WÓ in the bottom center of the screen.

-During a slide show use the spacebar to pause the slide show. The music will continue to play but the images wonÕt change. Press the spacebar again to restart the slideshow. Press the up or down arrow keys to adjust the speed of the slide show. Press the left or right arrow keys to manually move through the slide show. Press 0 (zero) through 5 to rate a displayed photo during a slideshow. Press the ÒAppleÓ key and ÒRÓ to rotate a displayed photo clockwise.  Press ÒOptionÓ ÒAppleÓ key and ÒRÓ to rotate the displayed photo counterclockwise. Press Esc OR click the mouse button to stop the slideshow. All changes done to a slideshow while it is being viewed will be saved for that slideshow.

Editing Tips:

-Select a photo by clicking it. Then click Edit in the bottom center of the screen. Or, instead of doing this, just double click the photo to be edited.

-Zoom in and out on the photo by moving the blue dot on the line to the bottom left of the picture. Adjust brightness and contrast by dragging the blue dots on the ÒBrightness/ContrastÓ lines.

-Click the ÒPrevÓ or the ÒNextÓ button to go to different pictures to be edited OR use the right and left arrows on the keyboard

Cropping Photos Free Hand:

-Select a photo by clicking it. Then click ÒEditÓ in the bottom center of the screen. Or double click the photo to be edited.

-To crop unwanted parts of a photo, hold down the mouse button. Drag a box around the portion of the picture to be saved. Release the mouse button.

-To move the box which contains the area to be saved, Click the box and hold down the mouse button. Drag the box to the desired location and release the mouse button.

-To extend the area to be saved, move the mouse to a corner of the box. Click that area and hold down the mouse button. Drag the area to the desired size and release the mouse button.

-If cropping does not turn out as desired, click anywhere outside of the box to start over.

Cropping Photos to a Specific Size:

-Select a photo by clicking it. Then click ÒEditÓ in the bottom center of the screen. Or double click the photo to be edited.

-Click the blue arrows above ÒConstrainÓ in the bottom left of the screen. Then click the desired size of the cropped photo. If there is a checkmark to the left of ÒConstrain as PortraitÓ the photo will print vertically. If there is no checkmark the photo will print horizontally. To toggle this option, click ÒConstrain as Portrait.Ó

-Click the photo and hold down the mouse button. Drag a box around everything on the photo to be saved. Release the mouse button. iPhoto will only allow the saved area to be as large as the specified size in the ÒConstrainÓ window.  However the cropped area may be smaller than the chosen size if desired.

-To extend the area to be saved move the mouse to a corner. Click that area and hold down the mouse button. Drag the area to the desired size and release the mouse button. 

-To move the box which contains the area to be saved, click it and hold down the mouse button.  Drag the box to the desired location and release the mouse button.

-If the cropping does not turn out as desired, click anywhere outside of the box to start over. To crop the photo free hand again (see above), choose ÒNoneÓ from the ÒConstrainÓ options.

Getting the Red Eye Out:

-Select a photo by clicking it. Then click ÒEditÓ in the bottom center of the screen. Or double click the photo to be edited.

-Make sure the ÒConstrainÓ box says ÒNoneÓ in it. If it does, click the blue arrows above ÒConstrainÓ and then click ÒNone.Ó

-Click the picture and hold down the mouse button. Drag a box to encompass the subjectÕs eyes and release the mouse button. Then click the ÒRed EyeÓ button at the bottom of the screen.

Enhancing Photos:

-Select a photo by clicking it. Then click ÒEditÓ in the bottom center of the screen. Or double click the photo to be edited.

-Click the ÒEnhanceÓ button at the bottom of the screen. Continue to click the ÒEnhanceÓ button until the image looks its best.

-To see what the image looked like before it was enhanced, hold down the ÒControlÓ key.

-If the ÒEnhanceÓ button is pressed too many times, the image might start to look grainy. To get rid of enhancement choose Òundo Enhance PhotoÓ from the Edit menu as many times as needed to get the photo back to a desired look.

Removing Flaws:

-Select a photo by clicking it. Then click ÒEditÓ in the bottom center of the screen. Or double click the photo to be edited.

-Click the ÒRetouchÓ button at the bottom of the screen. Move the mouse so that the crosshair pointer is over the flaw. Click and hold the mouse button. Drag away from the flaw in a short stroke and release the mouse button. Repeat this until the flaw is sufficiently gone.

-To see the photo before it was retouched, hold down the ÒControlÓ key. To undo individual mouse clicks choose ÒUndo RetouchÓ from the Edit menu. To undo ALL retouching at once, choose ÒRevert to OriginalÓ from the iPhotos menu. However, be aware that if this is done any other editing including cropping will also be lost.

Displaying an Edit Window:

-To open a photo in a separate window, press the ÒOptionÓ key while double-clicking the photo. Click ÒFitÓ in the upper left of the screen to make the photo fit the edit window. Click ÒCustomizeÓ in the upper right to edit the windowÕs toolbar.

-Enter a custom constrain by typing the measurements in the boxes in the upper center of the screen above ÒCustom.Ó OR Click the blue arrows above ÒConstrainÓ to see the options for constrains. Then click the desired constrain.

Printing a Single Photo:

-Select a photo by clicking it. Then click ÒEditÓ in the bottom center of the screen. Or, just double click the photo to be printed.

-Crop the photo so that its measurements are within the confines of the paper being used (See ÒCropping Photos to a Specific SizeÓ) If you want to retain a version of the photo that is not cropped for printing, make a duplicate of the photo by clicking the photo and pressing the ÒAppleÓ key and ÒD.Ó

-Make sure that the photo to be printed is in the ÒEditÓ mode. The ÒEditÓ tab under the displayed picture should be highlighted in blue, if not click it.

-If using a paper size other than letter, choose ÒPage SetupÓ from the File menu. Click the blue arrows to the right of ÒPaper SizeÓ and click the appropriate size of paper. Click ÒOK.Ó

-Choose ÒPrintÓ from the File menu. Make sure the correct printer name is displayed in the ÒPrinterÓ box. If not, click the blue arrows beside ÒPrinterÓ and then click the appropriate printerÕs name.

-Choose the type of paper being used by clicking the blue arrows beside ÒPresetÓ and then click the name of the type of paper

-Adjust the margins (border of the picture) by clicking and dragging the blue arrow beside ÒMarginsÓ to the desired location. Select zero (0) to have no margin around the photo.  However, the printer used must be able to support borderless printing and a borderless paper-size must be selected.

-To see a preview of the photo to be printed, click ÒPreviewÓ in the bottom left of the screen

-Click ÒPrintÓ

Printing Multiple Photos:

-Crop each individual photo to be printed so that it fits the paper being used.  (See ÒCropping Photos to a Specific SizeÓ) To retain a version of the photo that is not cropped for printing, make a duplicate of the photo by clicking the photo and pressing the ÒAppleÓ key and ÒD.Ó

-Hold down the ÒAppleÓ key while clicking the pictures to be printed. Click the ÒOrganizeÓ tab in the lower center of the screen.

-If the paper size is not letter, choose ÒPage SetupÓ from the File menu. Click the blue arrows to the right of ÒPaper SizeÓ and click the name of the appropriate size of paper. Then click ÒOK.Ó

-Choose ÒPrintÓ from the File menu. Make sure the printer name is displayed in the ÒPrinterÓ box. If not, click the blue arrows beside ÒPrinterÓ and then click the name of the printer.

-Choose the type of paper by clicking the blue arrows beside ÒPresetÓ and then clicking the name of the appropriate type of paper

-Adjust the margins (borders of the pictures) by clicking and dragging the blue arrow beside ÒMarginsÓ to the desired location. Select zero (0) to have no margin around the photos.  However, the printer used must be able to support borderless printing and a borderless paper-size must be selected.

-To see a preview of all photos printed, click ÒPreviewÓ in the bottom left of the screen

-Click ÒPrintÓ

Burning Photos to CDÕs and DVDÕs:

-Select photos by holding the ÒAppleÓ key while clicking the photos. Click the ÒBurnÓ button in the bottom right of the screen. iPhoto will ask that a blank CD be inserted. Insert a blank CD and click ÒOK.Ó

-Information about the pending burn will be displayed in the information area.  Add or delete photos from the selection and the information area will update accordingly. Type a name for the disc in the ÒNameÓ box.

-Click the ÒBurnÓ button again. A dialog box will be displayed, click ÒBurnÓ

-When iPhoto has finished burning the photos onto the CD, the CD can be ejected

Working with Burned CDs:

-Insert the burned CD into the computer. If the CD was burned in iPhoto, the CDÕs name will appear in the column at the left of the screen.

-Click the CDÕs name to display the pictures on the disc. If the CD contains multiple albums, a yellow triangle will appear next to the CDÕs name.  To view the names of all the albums on the disc, click the triangle. To display the photos that are in an album, click the albumÕs name.

-At this time the pictures are not saved in iPhoto, they are only saved on the CD. It is possible to display slide shows of the photos on the disk, however the photos cannot be cropped, retouched, or edited in any way. To edit a photo, click it and hold down the mouse key. Drag the photo into the library and release the mouse button. Click Library.  Double Click the photo and edit it as desired.

Copying an Album from a Burned CD into iPhoto:

-Insert the burned disc. Click the name of the disc in the left column of the screen to display the photos. If there are multiple albums on the disc, click the yellow arrow to the left of the disc name to display all the album names. To display the pictures in an album, click the name of the album.

-To select only some pictures to be copied from the burned CD to iPhoto, hold down the ÒAppleÓ key while clicking the desired photos. To slect all of the pictures to be copied from the burned CD to iPhoto click one photo, then press the ÒAppleÓ key and ÒA.Ó 

-Click any selected photo and hold down the mouse button.  Drag the photos into a blank area in the column at the left of the screen.  Release the mouse button.

-A new album will be created. To rename the album, click the album name and type the new name.

Exporting Photos as Movies (a portable slide show):

-Select a set of images by holding the ÒAppleÓ Key while clicking the pictures OR select an album by clicking its name in the left column

-Choose ÒExportÓ from the File menu. Click the ÒQucikTimeÓ tab at the top of the window

-Enter dimensions for the movie, the preset values generally work well but to disperse a movie over the internet the settings 320 by 240 work best. In the ÒDisplay image forÓ box, type the desired duration for each photo to be displayed.

-Select a background color (displayed before and after each picture and also behind pictures that donÕt fit the screen) for the movie by making sure the circle to the left of ÒColorÓ has a black dot in it, if not click the circle. Click the box with a color displayed in it and hold down the mouse key. Click the desired background color.

-The current song assigned to the library or selected album will play during the movie, to turn this off click the box to the left of ÒAdd currently selected music to movieÓ

-Click ÒExportÓ at the bottom right of the window. Type in a name for the movie.

Moving Photos into Documents:

-Open the document where the photo is going. Position the document window so that it can be seen at the same time as iPhoto.

-In iPhoto, click the desired photo and hold down the mouse button. Drag the picture into the destination document and release the mouse button. Or, to make a copy of the picture that will remain in the Library, drag the picture to the desktop and release the mouse button. Then click the Photo file and hold down the mouse button. Drag the photo to the destination document and release the mouse button.

iPhoto tips:

-If a photo is in many albums and it needs to be edited only in one album leaving the original version unchanged, click the photo to select it. Choose ÒDuplicateÓ from the iPhoto menu OR press ÒAppleÓ key and ÒD.Ó Then edit the duplicate photo as desired.

-To duplicate an album, click the name of the album in the left hand column. Choose ÒDuplicateÓ from the iPhoto menu or press ÒAppleÓ key and ÒD.Ó Edit the duplicate album as desired.

-Stay out of the library as much as possible. Adding, deleting, renaming, or modifying photos in the Library can cause a loss of photos. It is better to work with photos in their album. iPhoto will automatically update the Library when a photo is edited in an album if the photo is the original. However, if the photo being edited is a duplicate, the library will not update the editing of the photo.

-Try to do cropping in the cameraÕs viewfinder as much as possible verses cropping in iPhoto. The photos will retain a better quality.

Jenni at the HOB © 2005