Aperture: Undoing Imports
2006-12-13
Several times I have imported images into the library when I intended to leave them where they were and reference them. The import pane has a Store Files popup:
but it is easy to forget to set this before every import and there is no option to make a default. I suspect that at least in Aperture 1.5.1 this control is unpredictable.
If I imported the images and still have the originals where they were, then this is easy to fix. I just click on the project I imported into and filter by import session:
By filtering down to just the erroneously imported images I can select and delete them. Since my originals are still on the hard drive I just redo the import, this time making the correct selections.
If I imported the images but have already deleted them, then the only copies live in the library and I have to get them out. By finding the images with a filter as above I can relocate the masters out of the library and back to where I want them. Selecting the images and using File > Relocate Masters allows me to select the relocation location by folder format and file name:
The only hitch is that if I imported a hierarchy using Files > Import > Folders Into A Project, I may not be able to use the file folder presets on the relocate dialog to create the same folder hierarchy that they originally came from. The good news is that the Aperture library tracks these file movements and so once the relocation is complete there is nothing else to do: no need to reimport anything.
A way to avoid this problem entirely with referenced masters is to always import into the Aperture library and then always relocate later. I recommend that workflow because it means that all of the referenced masters are in locations created by Aperture and so can be put back there should the need arise.
but it is easy to forget to set this before every import and there is no option to make a default. I suspect that at least in Aperture 1.5.1 this control is unpredictable.
If I imported the images and still have the originals where they were, then this is easy to fix. I just click on the project I imported into and filter by import session:
By filtering down to just the erroneously imported images I can select and delete them. Since my originals are still on the hard drive I just redo the import, this time making the correct selections.
If I imported the images but have already deleted them, then the only copies live in the library and I have to get them out. By finding the images with a filter as above I can relocate the masters out of the library and back to where I want them. Selecting the images and using File > Relocate Masters allows me to select the relocation location by folder format and file name:
The only hitch is that if I imported a hierarchy using Files > Import > Folders Into A Project, I may not be able to use the file folder presets on the relocate dialog to create the same folder hierarchy that they originally came from. The good news is that the Aperture library tracks these file movements and so once the relocation is complete there is nothing else to do: no need to reimport anything.
A way to avoid this problem entirely with referenced masters is to always import into the Aperture library and then always relocate later. I recommend that workflow because it means that all of the referenced masters are in locations created by Aperture and so can be put back there should the need arise.
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