importing in iPhoto

[sparklytom]

ok, so I'm really new to Mac. Just managed to copy all of my files across from my windows laptop onto my macbook (white plastic version), yay so far.

then I opened iPhoto and thought, ok, so I have to import all of my photos, yes? except I didn't do it right. I just highlighted all of them (we're talking 12000 here, 20GB) and clicked import.

so it takes forever, and when it's done I have one "Event" containing all 12000-odd photos all jumbled up, rather than in the folders and subfolders I have them in in the Finder (i.e., folder of year, subfolder of particular event in that year, etc).

so I put the new 12000-photo "Event" into the Trash and thought I'd start again, perhaps read a how-to first this time, then I go to empty the Trash within iPhoto and it warns me that this will permanently delete the photos...

does that mean it will permanently delete them from the macbook entirely? if so, how do I clear them out of iPhoto and start over, and how do I properly import all my photos so that events and so on correspond to the folders that the photos are already in...?

please help!! thanks x

so I'm running OS X 10.7.3, 2.4 GHz processor, 4GB memory, iPhoto version 8.1.2 - need any more info? thanks!

 

[MisterMe]

Unless you deleted the originals, your photographs are still in place. Copies were placed in your iPhoto Library bundle. Because you already have your photographs arranged to your liking, it sounds like your best option is to leave them in place and to use iPhoto[/b] to view them.