The iLife set of programs is designed to manage the entire collection of photos, music, movies and multimedia projects on any Mac. In the beginning, this can be quite confusing for people who are used to the simple file-and-folder type organization. But once you get used to having your media categorized and tagged in every manner you need, there’s no going back.

The application that performs this function for photos on the Mac is iPhoto.  This iPhoto Tutorial will help you understand the best ways to utilize iPhoto to help manage your photo collection.   As a photo manager, it will help you:

• Store photos in a library
• Group photos according to “events”, for example “X’s wedding”
• Group photos by date – this is done automatically, by reading the photo’s metadata. When the metadata is not present, it works by import date.
• Create custom albums, books, calendars and slideshows for print and virtual publication. These can be printed out using Apple’s own service, which delivers the hard copies by post.
• Rate photos on a scale of 1 to 5 stars
• Create “smart albums” that group photos according to any parameter – date, ISO, rating, faces, names, location and many more

Elementary photo editing can also be done on iPhoto. You can see your available options on the bottom of your screen, as well as in the menu that appears on clicking the “adjust” button.

These options include:

• remove red-eye
• retouch
• apply preset effects – sepia, matt etc
• enhance color with one click
• adjust brightness, contrast, RGB balance, sharpness, temperature, tint and more

One thing needs to be clear, however. iPhoto is meant for consumers, not passionate or professional photographers. It is no substitute for the big guns like Adobe Photoshop, but it works just fine for people who want to polish up their photos before saving them.

The next area of this iPhoto tutorial will help you understand how to quickly share your photos from iPhoto.  For people who share photos frequently from their computers, iPhoto’s flawless integration with Flickr, FaceBook and Apple’s own Mail and MobileMe can be a lifesaver.
When you click on any events or folders in your iPhoto Library, you will see buttons for these 4 applications on the bottom right of your screen. Simply click on the one you need, enter your login details(for Facebook or Flickr), et voila!

Any events or slideshows that you create on iPhoto can be shared across all your Apple-iances (pardon the wordplay!) by clicking on the “Export” button on the bottom right. This exports the project into a format recognized by iTunes, so that it works on your iPhone or iPod touch as well as the iMacs and MacBooks.

To create a new slideshow, book, calendar or card, all you need to do is to click the photos you would like to use, and click the button on the bottom of your screen. Holding down the Cmd(Apple) key while clicking lets you select multiple photos.
Apple has provided a commendable collection of backgrounds and themes for slideshows, cards, calendars and books, just as it has done with the iDVD themes. The themes can also be customized to a great extent – the background color, page layout, border type and image order can all be changed at will.

Whether you just want to keep your precious memories nicely organized, want a homemade project to gift a loved one, or want practice for your life as a professional photographer, iPhoto is a great program to help you do it.

Have additional helpful knowledge on how to get more from iPhoto?  Be sure to let us know in the comments!

During the Holiday Season and at special moments throughout the year, one of the best gifts that someone can give is one of memories. Apple must have had this in mind when they included the ability to make Photo Books through their photo management software iPhoto. An iPhoto Book is quick and easy to make and is something that any one who receives one will love.

Each and every iPhoto Book comes made with the highest quality material. I’ve seen them shared amongst friends and family members and they have a high professional look and feel to them. And while the materials that make up the book are great, the most important aspect are the quality of pictures that you select to go in the Book.

I’m a true believer that the quality of images have a lot to do with the quality of the camera that you use. These Digital Cameras are some of the best available. Find one that matches your price range and has high quality review scores.

A new camera will help you make amazing iPhoto Books.

Making an iPhoto Book

To make your own iPhoto Book to share with friends and family, open iPhoto and find the small “plus” icon in the bottom left hand corner. Click it and a selection of things that you can add will be displayed. Select the iPhoto Book option.

Next, click through the messages that iPhoto will show you to let you know that you’ll need to add photos to the book. You’ll now need to navigate through your picture library to select the pictures that you’ll want to add to your iPhoto Book.

Drag and drop the pictures you select to the various pages of the Book to make up your iPhoto Book that you’ll share with your friends and family.

Each page will include locations that can store the pictures in your library. Drag the images to each location and easily type in details to add a personal touch to each photo album you create.

At the bottom of iPhoto there will be options to change the layout of pages, add new pages, modify the text fonts used, and more. Use these to make your iPhoto Book album perfect for you and your friends or family.

Once the book is finished, click the Buy Book button to upload the iPhoto Book you created and send it to Apple for production. Within a few days your Photo Book will be shipped to you and you’ll be ready to share.

This is a great Holiday Gift option so be sure to take advantage of this before it is too late.