Multiple photo libraries can be a great solution if you need an easier way to manage them. For example, if you run a home-based business, you might want to keep business-related photos in a different photo library than your personal photos.
Back Up Before You Create New Photo Libraries
Creating a new iPhoto library doesn’t affect the current photo library, but it’s always a good idea to have a current backup before manipulating any photo library you use. After all, there’s a good chance that the photos in your library aren’t easily replaceable.
Create a New iPhoto Library
To create a new photo library, quit iPhoto if it’s currently running.
Choose Which iPhoto Library to Use
Although iPhoto defaults to the last-used library every time you open it, you can change to you other libraries whenever you want. Here’s how: If you leave all of your photo libraries in the Pictures folder, which is the default location, it’s easier to back them up, but you can store some libraries in another location, if you prefer, by selecting it from the Where drop-down menu.
Where Are the iPhoto Libraries Located?
When you have multiple photo libraries, it’s easy to forget where they’re located. That’s why keeping them in the default Pictures folder is recommended. However, there are many good reasons for creating a library in a different location, including saving space on your Mac’s startup drive. Here’s how to get iPhoto to tell you where each library is stored. The library path name can’t be pasted, so you’ll need to either write it down or take a screenshot to view later.
How to Move Photos From One Library to Another
Unless you’re starting from scratch and you’re only going to import new photos from your camera into the new libraries, you’ll probably want to move some images from the old default library to your new ones. The process is a bit involved, but this step-by-step guide, Create and Populate Additional iPhoto Libraries, will walk you through the process. Once you’ve done it once, it will be an easy process to perform again for any other photo libraries you want to create.
