Exporting Files by Dragging

If you just want copies of a couple of photos and don't need to reformat or resize them, you can just drag the files to the Finder.

To export multiple files:

• Select one or more photos and drag the selection to a folder in the Finder (Figure 8.14).

  Figure 8.14. For a quick export without any chance to reformat, rename, or resize the exported photos, just drag one or more to the Finder.

  

  iPhoto saves the files where you drop them, using each file's original name.

Tips

• When you drag photos to export them, you aren't given the opportunity to change their scale or image format.

• You can also drag photos to other photo-related programs. So, for instance, you could maintain another photo catalog in a program like iView MediaPro by dragging photos from iPhoto into iView MediaPro's window. This is not actually exporting, since the other programs are working with the same file as iPhoto. Because of this, don't drag files to image-editing programs and make changes, because iPhoto won't be able to track those changes. And definitely don't delete photos from those other programs!

• If you want to export photos in order to burn them to a CD-R disc for a person who doesn't use iPhoto, your best bet is to drag photos from iPhoto to folders in the Finder, and then burn those folders. Watch out for the rotation problem; see the sidebar to the left.

• Unfortunately, you can't drag an album to the Finder to create a new folder containing the album's photos.

Exported Photos May Not Be Rotated

If you export a photo you've edited only by rotating it, the exported file isn't rotated if you use the drag-to-the-Finder method of exporting. This error happens because iPhoto rotates only the photo's thumbnail initially, rotating the actual photo only if necessary.

You can work around this problem in two ways. First, use the Export Photos dialog instead of dragging to the Finder. Second, make another editing change to the photo before dragging the photo to the Finder. Any editing change other than rotation forces iPhoto to modify the photo's file instead of just the thumbnail, which sets the rotation properly as well.