Archiving iPhoto photos onto DVD

[notatechie]

I want to archive my photos in iPhoto and free up my hard drive space. I made albums of all of the categories/rolls thinking that when I copy them on to DVD and ever need to retrieve them, they will be easier to find.

I'm finding Mac OSX is not making it that easy for me. When I go to Users>Pictures>iPhoto Library, I find folders labeled 2003, 2004, 2005 and then within those folders, more labeling I can't figure out. Most of the files I open to see if I want to include them in backup. Some of the extensions are .attr files which I've never encountered. Could you please tell me what these files mean, if I am in the right place to find all my photos, and if they will ever be able to be archived and retrieved in the folders/albums I've created.

Thank you,
notatechie

[VirtualTracy]

notatechie, What version of iPhoto are you using? I'm guessing iPhoto 6?

Here is some info regarding the iPhoto Library:

About the iPhoto Library.

If you want to archive your photos, don't do it from your Pictures ~> iPhoto Library, but do it from within iPhoto itself. It's wise to leave the iPhoto Library folder well alone or you run the risk of getting yourself into a pile o' trouble!

You can:

Select all the photos in your library and drag them from the Library window straight onto a newly created folder on your desktop.

If you have a gazillion pics it would be wiser to drag them in smaller quantities, so as to not send iPhoto/Finder into the "Not Responding" mode from the sheer enormity of the task.

Go to iPhoto ~> File ~> Export, then export them to a folder.

If you go to iPhoto ~> Help, then type Export into the search field you will be able to read about the Exporting options and what they mean.

Go to iPhoto ~> Share ~> Send To iDVD.

I just tried this option and due to my largish library (3,500 piccies), iDVD, iPhoto & Finder all went into the "Not Responding" state until I Force Quit iDVD.

FWIW, I'm using iPhoto 7 so I'm presuming these options are good for at least iPhoto 6 as well.

[skybolt]

Even easier and safer, would be to invest in an external hard drive and move your library there. Follow these instructions: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1229. Doing so would free up your internal hard drive space, and keep your photos out of harm's way. External hard drives are getting cheaper all the time, so the investment would be small, certainly compared to the value of your photos.

VirtualTracy is correct -- stay out of the library in finder. iPhoto organizes things so that the app will work correctly, and if you go mucking about in there, you will corrupt your photos. It does not matter to the user HOW iPhoto organizes, just that it does.