I tried asking this on an apple discussion group and the responses were a bit desultory. No one really knew.

When I attempt to open an old iPhoto library in Photos, I am told to open Photos (with a new library) and IMPORT all the photos from the old library because the formats are incompatible; so I cant simply open them

But when I try to do so, Photos WILL let me import the pictures but WON'T let me add them to my (now) new library?? Photos also doesn't seem to be opening the pictures within the iPhoto events. It seems to be looking at them as one event of 16,000 pictures and importing them as such!

It isnt seriously asking me to import/split up the library manually event by event, is it? There are hundreds of events!

Or am I supposed to install Mojave into a VM, open the old iPhoto library and have it saved/updated automatically in some new format which Photos will be able to open in Ventura?? Or update the VM to Ventura to get the library to update the library format?

On 24/11/2023 19:21, DManzaluni wrote:
> I tried asking this on an apple discussion group and the responses
> were a bit desultory. No one really knew.
>
> When I attempt to open an old iPhoto library in Photos, I am told to
> open Photos (with a new library) and IMPORT all the photos from the
> old library because the formats are incompatible; so I cant simply
> open them
>
> But when I try to do so, Photos WILL let me import the pictures but
> WON'T let me add them to my (now) new library?? Photos also doesn't
> seem to be opening the pictures within the iPhoto events. It seems
> to be looking at them as one event of 16,000 pictures and importing
> them as such!

The lack of a merge capability was one of the criticisms at the time and
it sounds like nothing has been done since.

> It isnt seriously asking me to import/split up the library manually
> event by event, is it? There are hundreds of events!

Not done it myself but this forum answer from "kieran485" suggests it is
(or at least was!) possible.
<https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6983256>

> Or am I supposed to install Mojave into a VM, open the old iPhoto
> library and have it saved/updated automatically in some new format
> which Photos will be able to open in Ventura?? Or update the VM to
> Ventura to get the library to update the library format?

I don't believe iPhoto was ever upgraded to include a "Save in Photos
format" type option, if that is what you are wanting.

--
Bruce Horrocks
Surrey, England

On 25/11/2023 11:04, Bruce Horrocks wrote:
> On 24/11/2023 19:21, DManzaluni wrote:
>> I tried asking this on an apple discussion group and the responses
>> were a bit desultory.  No one really knew.
>>
>> When I attempt to open an old iPhoto library in Photos, I am told to
>> open Photos (with a new  library) and IMPORT all the photos from the
>> old library because the formats are incompatible;  so I cant simply
>> open them

For some time, it was possible to open an iPhoto library into
Photos.app, and it would convert the whole library for you.

I would suspect that at some point, Photos would no longer be able to do
this.

Did you try to open the iPhoto Library with Photos? (use a copy, not the
original though).

>> But when I try to do so, Photos WILL let me import the pictures but
>> WON'T let me add them to my (now) new library?? Photos also doesn't
>> seem to be opening the pictures within the iPhoto events.  It seems
>> to be looking at them as one event of 16,000 pictures and importing
>> them as such!

No, if you import the image files into Photos, or any other app, you
will probably need to start again with your folder/album organisation.

> The lack of a merge capability was one of the criticisms at the time and
> it sounds like nothing has been done since.

Merge? that's a different thing altogether. You seem to be mixed up with
different processes and terminologies.

You could always MIGRATE an existing iPhoto library into Photos, and it
would convert the whole library into Photo format, and that would retain
your albums structure, and edits, keywords and titles etc.

You could also IMPORT images, but that would start afresh with a new
library, and you would have to re-organise all your folders and albums
again, and also reapply all your edits and metadata.

However, Photos did/does include an option to retain a folder structure.
It wasn't very reliable though. Might work depending on the size of your
library.

Merging is where you would join two libraries (of the same forma - i.e.
both Photos or both iPhoto) together, to make a single larger library.
This can be achieved using third party software, such as Power Photos by
Fat Cat software.

>> It isnt seriously asking me to import/split up the library manually
>> event by event, is it?  There are hundreds of events!

It was made easier by some scripts written by Old Toad and Leonie on the
Apple forums, but I think the Old Toad web page has disappeared nbow.

This is an old discussion about it:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-8931

> Not done it myself but this forum answer from "kieran485" suggests it is
> (or at least was!) possible.
> <https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6983256>
>
>> Or am I supposed to install Mojave into a VM, open the old iPhoto
>> library and have it saved/updated automatically in some new format
>> which Photos will be able to open in Ventura??  Or update the VM to
>> Ventura to get the library to update the library format?
>
> I don't believe iPhoto was ever upgraded to include a "Save in Photos
> format" type option, if that is what you are wanting.

No it didn't, Photos was able to migrate the old library over though. Of
course this may now be too late, it has been some years since iPhoto was
ceased, and Photos replaced it. That may no longer work of course.

This discussion may be more useful:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254429537

Or, just try holding down the Option key when launching Photos, and
select the iPhoto library to open. Apparently that should migrate it.

--
Andy H

Yes, I was of course aware that I did open most of my iPhoto libraries in photos and they converted but I just found this old one which I didnt open. Photos now gives some arcane instructions on how to open them now using IMPORT but somehow that doesnt work . So I was wondering why. The instructions dont mention my trying to import daguerrotypes, they suggest the problem iswith Ventura, so it is assumed Apple should be working on it IF it really doesn't work, rather than leave users wwith a non-working app after upgrading to Ventura. APple doesnt usually leave users without a workaround for ugrading.

Migrate sounds likely though, doesnt it?

On 25/11/2023 17:49, Andy Hewitt wrote:
> Or, just try holding down the Option key when launching Photos, and
> select the iPhoto library to open. Apparently that should migrate it.

The OP's problem is not that the iPhoto library won't import but that
Photos does it in a brain-dead way.

--
Bruce Horrocks
Surrey, England

On 25/11/2023 20:40, Bruce Horrocks wrote:
> On 25/11/2023 17:49, Andy Hewitt wrote:
>> Or, just try holding down the Option key when launching Photos, and
>> select the iPhoto library to open. Apparently that should migrate it.
>
> The OP's problem is not that the iPhoto library won't import but that
> Photos does it in a brain-dead way.

Yes, and I think that's because he's tried to Import it, rather than
Migrate it.

To be fair, I wasn't aware that it could be imported that way, I only
remember it migrating if you opened the old iPhoto library into Photos.
It then kept all your old structure, keywords and edits.

--
Andy H

On 25/11/2023 23:02, Andy Hewitt wrote:
> On 25/11/2023 20:40, Bruce Horrocks wrote:
>> On 25/11/2023 17:49, Andy Hewitt wrote:
>>> Or, just try holding down the Option key when launching Photos, and
>>> select the iPhoto library to open. Apparently that should migrate it.
>>
>> The OP's problem is not that the iPhoto library won't import but that
>> Photos does it in a brain-dead way.
>
> Yes, and I think that's because he's tried to Import it, rather than
> Migrate it.
>
> To be fair, I wasn't aware that it could be imported that way, I only
> remember it migrating if you opened the old iPhoto library into Photos.
> It then kept all your old structure, keywords and edits.

I thought they were the same thing - just triggered in different ways
i.e. by first run of Photos after upgrading Macos and the import option
later. I'm sure it'll be the same code behind the scenes.

--
Bruce Horrocks
Surrey, England

The old file had the name of the camera I used back then.

I am trying to start a new Photos library at startup amd then import the contents of the old library into it.

Is there a different way? As I said, the old library does open in Photos. The problems start when I try to import thoe opened pictures.