Quick Tip: Aperture and Your iPod

As the launch of Liphart Studios approaches (my first official shoot is tomorrow), I've faced a serious dilema; hard disk space.  I have a 120 GB internal hard drive (down to 5 GB free), and an external 120 GB drive for Time Machine.  I could have wiped the external and used that for photo storage, but I knew that the second I did that, I'd need that backup.  So I researched getting new hard drives, but the money just wasn't there.  The other night, a huge light bulb went off over my head.  My iPod!  For years now, you've been able to use the iPod as a general storage device, just like an external hard drive, by enabling disc use.  I knew this, and I've used it on and off in the past, but hadn't thought about it since I had my iPod Mini.  Anyway, by putting the Aperture Library on my iPod, I have 50 GB of free space to play with for photos.  And it freed up some space on my lappy too.  Here's how to do it:

1) Enable disc use of your iPod through iTunes (in Other Options, under the Summary tab of your iPod in iTunes).

2) Move your Aperture Library to the iPod location of your choice (I chose Photos).

3) Move your computer's copy of the Aperture Library somewhere as a backup.

4) Load Aperture, and if not prompted to locate your library, go to Preferences/General/Library Location and point it to the library on your iPod.

That's it!  Now you  have a portable Aperture Library.  The downside is that you have to have your iPod plugged in to use Aperture, but if you've got a bunch of free space on your iPod, you might as well use it!  Also, if you lose your iPod, you lose your photographs.  Always keep a backup! This tip will also work with iPhoto, and I'm sure other programs as well.