Hi there,
Just hoping for some insight into this issue I have. I work out of a 250G macbook, thus the need for me to back up my pictures on a hard drive as reference files. As this is not exactly considered a 'back up', since there is still just one copy, I have tried copying my files from the Aperture library into two different hard drives as referenced files. However Aperture only recognises my last hard drive that was referenced, although the files obviously duplicated in my second drive. Is there any way I can use two external drives as reference files?
hopeful
Oh just to give some additional info on the issue mentioned, I work on Aperture 3 and the way I copied the files onto my two hard drives was by copying them or rather consolidating them on the first drive and then relocating the master files on the second drive. I had to do this cause I cannot relocate twice from my Aperture library twice for obvious reasons.
Arul,
I’m not quite sure what you’re trying to do. You’ve imported the files to one drive, then relocated them to a second drive, using Aperture. They are duplicated because the Relocate command doesn’t delete files.
You’re now asking Aperture to “see” both of them, but it will only connect to a single file for a single image. You can reconnect to any other copy of that if you want to at any time (for example if the master drive becomes corrupted, you can point to your backup drive).
You can have masters on as many drives as you like; photo A can be on Drive 1, photo B on drive 2, and so-on, but if you have a copy of photo A on both drives 1 and 2, then it’s up to you to decide which Aperture will connect to.
Does that make sense?
-Joseph @ApertureExpert
@PhotoJoseph
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Yes, Joseph, it makes sense. I was trying to have two different hard drives to be used for ‘referenced’ files for the SAME pictures, basically one as the main and the other as a back up. But as I understand from your reply, Aperture only recognises one hard drive as a source for Referenced Images. If my main hard drive crashes, I would not be able to connect a standby second hard drive containing the same refernced pictures to enable the pictures online and accesible by the Aperture Library. Is that right.
Thank you for taking time out to reply. Appreciate it. If the above is true then this seems to be a major setback for those working with refernced files without the masters in the library.
Arul
Arul,
Not at all—of course you can connect to a backup drive if the first drive crashes. Aperture just won’t do it automatically. You have to tell it where the new drive is (how does it know that the first drive is having problems?) using the Locate Referenced Files command.
-Joseph @ApertureExpert
@PhotoJoseph
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Ah yes, I finally get that the back up referenced images can be used as long as they’re in the same file structure. Thanks for clarifying. Thank you! I take my words back- no setback in this system!
Arul,
Glad it’s clear now :)
In fact, the backups don’t have to be in the same structure at all, but it’ll make your life a lot easier to reconnect if they are. However, worst case scenario, you could connect them one by one.
-Joseph @ApertureExpert
@PhotoJoseph
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