Datasheet

Part I: Getting Ready to Roll with iPhoto ’09

I’m amazed at how Apple improved iPhoto. Professional photographers are

expected to think of things like saving photos to ensure that they’re safe,

but iPhoto does that for you. And it offers a simple tool for backing them up.

When you import your photos into its Library, the original photo files are

placed on your hard drive. iPhoto then uses nondestructive editing; as you

work on the photos, any edits you make to the photos are kept as lists of

operations that iPhoto applies to the original photo files in the Library. The

lists of edits are applied to the photos when you view them onscreen or print

them, but the original photo files in the Library aren’t changed — wonderful!

Facial recognition capabilities and geotagging (attaching geographical loca-

tions) aren’t the kinds of things you’d expect at this level, yet they’re present

in iPhoto. iPhoto has tools within the editing environment that rival those in

far more expensive photographic software, and it possesses photo effects

that can make the user look like a graphics genius.

iPhoto ’09 also gives you an incredible number of ways to share the photos

you’re so proud of. Of course, making prints is a snap. What knocks your

socks off are the abilities to easily use the major social networking sites on

the Internet to display your masterpieces. And turning your art into books,

calendars, and greeting cards has never been easier. As I write this book,

I find myself stuck making slideshows, not because they’re difficult but

because I’m having so much fun — syncing music to slideshows has never

been easier, and the results are truly outstanding.

Enough with the gushing; time to see how this amazing piece of software

does its stuff.

Looking at What iPhoto Can Do

One of the biggest selling points for iPhoto ’09 isn’t really a feature at all.

It’s the clever, consistent, and comprehensive way it leads you through the

proper steps, in the correct sequence, to ensure that your photos are as

professional-looking as they can be (and safe from harmful actions — even

yours!)

So why spend hours in a classroom trying to understand the best work-

flow for photography? Just use iPhoto and this book, and you’ll get all the

answers.

You do the majority of iPhoto work in these four main areas:

✓ Organizing: This is a part of photography that everyone tends to put

off until “some other day.” That tends to make particular photos, like

the only time Aunt Sarah ever smiled on camera, very difficult — if not

impossible — to find. iPhoto can help you organize the photos that