iPhoto keywords work in Spotlight, but not in the iLife media browser
Preface of sorts: For those that do not know, I have been struggling with my iPhoto keywords since I began using iPhoto as my primary means for photo cataloging a few years ago. First, I didn’t like the way it handled keywords. Then I documented various other annoyances that I had while using the application. Then I didn’t like how the iPhoto database wasn’t usable from within the iLife media browser that is supposed to make it easy to include the photos in your library in various other projects. Shortly thereafter Chris Clark, friend and fellow iPhoto user, decided to jot down his ill-experiences in something he called the iPhoto chronicles.
So, I was on the hunt to see if I could fix my problem with iPhoto not indexing the keywords I was using to describe photos for use in Spotlight. Essentially, I couldn’t use Spotlight nor the media browser to find my photos, I had to open iPhoto. So I found a way to reindex my photos without using Terminal.app - which was handy but still didn’t solve my issue. After all of these issues, I asked the question Have iPhoto keywords been rendered useless?. And indeed, for awhile I thought they had been.
On July 2nd, that changed. I ended up finding a thread on Apple’s support site that gloated about being able to fix my issues with iPhoto keywords. The thread title read: “iPhoto/Spotlight not indexing SOLUTION. I was floored when I looked at how simple the process was to fixing my problem. I hurriedly read the instructions, and began the procedure to fix them. But, as you can see, I ran into a bit of a hitch.
It wasn’t until almost a full week later that I was replied to, and was told to simply delete my saved slideshows in order to fix my parsing problem, and then to go back through the few steps to fixing my iPhoto keywords.
Success! Well, almost complete success but definitely a step in the right direction. My iPhoto keywords now work perfectly in Spotlight. Here is proof using Chris as an example.
Example Spotlight search
One down, one to go. The iLife media browser is supposed to allow you to quickly find other digital content you have on your machine (ie. photos, music, videos, etc) that you’ve stored in other iLife apps to use inside of your projects. So, if you are creating a slideshow in iPhoto, you can play your favorite music in the background from your own iTunes library. The only thing is, iPhoto keywords still do not function within iLife properly. (example screenshot of the same search from within Garage Band)
Is this because iLife does not use Spotlight technology within the media browser? I’m not sure, but it definitely doesn’t seem to read from the same indexes if it does.
I’m extremely happy now that Spotlight can search my iPhoto library without opening iPhoto to do so. I look forward to the day when my iLife media browser follows suit. Now if the iPhoto Keyword Assistant worked on the new Intel based processor Macintoshes, I’d be in business.
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Sweet, that worked for me as well. Now if only iPhoto Keyword Assistant was updated for the latest version of iPhoto on PPC.
Josue Salazar on August 21st, 2006 5:32 pm
Agreed (for Intel too though).
Colin D. Devroe on August 21st, 2006 5:34 pm
I am trying to help my aunt with some smart folders and the keywords from her iPhoto pics aren’t being found by spotlight. i am trying to follow the apple thread you linked, however she needs to hang on to the slideshows she has, and cannot simply delete them, do you know a way i can store them elsewhere while fixing the iPhoto issue, and then somehow restore them?
Thanks,
Michael
Michael on January 3rd, 2007 3:27 pm