iphoto and photoshop..HELP...I don't get it

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

Can someone please in very simple (because that is all I can process right now) terms tell me how you organize/import your photos if you use a Mac and Photoshop?  How do I easily get my photos into PS from iphoto?  Do you put your pics straight from your camera into PS or do you import them into iphoto or do you import them somewhere else?  I have been putting all of my pics into iphot straight from my camera....now I am finding it very difficult (okay, I don't know how) to get them from iphoto to PS if I want to edit one.  I am not sure I am even making sense I am so frustrated.....  I guess what I want to know is:

1. How do I get a pic out of iphoto and into PS

2. When you download your pics straight out of your camera where do you put them and how do you organize them?

THANK YOU....for any help..and for not laughing at me as I am about to have a breakdown and throw my imac out the window.

[Camilla and Darwin]

I have a PC, and I use Windows 7

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I download my photos directly into IPhoto.  A few of them I edit right in IPhoto, but most of them I move into Photoshop for editing.  All I do is right click right on the photo and I get the option of editing in IPhoto or in an External Editor (Photoshop).  If I've taken quite a few pictures that I want to edit in Photoshop, I will usually just export to my desktop and then pull then in one by one do my edit and then save the finished product in a folder or my external drive. I hope this works for you.  For me it has been pretty easy to move them back and forth.  I really like the organization of IPhoto but the editing tools are far better in Photoshop....so I use them both.

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

Jane..I LOVE YOU!!!!!  Easy as pie...Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!    Oh..can I resize a photo in iphoto or do I have to do it in PS?   I seriously have to get this editing thing under control or I am never going to be a photographer...I'm working on it :)

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

Jane..One more question (for tonight)....When I right click and hit edit in external editor....does a copy of my pic open in PS or is it moving my original out of iphoto into PS? In other words...once I have edited in PS do I still have an original in iphoto?  Thank you...sorry, I know I sound like a total idiot.

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

I swear if I didn't love this 27 inch monitor I would have thrown the imac out the window months ago. 

[Donna K & Quincy]

Hi Ronna, PS works with the original photo, when I am finished editing I save the new pic as a copy ( be sure to save as jpeg) and do not save any changes to the original when I close it. There is probably an easier way but this is what works for me. Good luck. The 'save as' is in the drop down file menu, the copy is saved in the file with the original.

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

Thanks Donna!

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

Donna, I think what you are doing is the best option for working with jpegs. Because jpeg is a "lossy" format, you actually lose data when you save it over and over. Bottom line, always "save as" with a new file name for a jpeg.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I save one copy as a JPEG and on in Photoshop.   I like to keep the PS copy as well as the JPEG in case I want to do any further editing.  The PS copy does take up a lot of room though, so I move that one to a separate file (label it for month/year) and then at the end of the month I move it off to a remote hard drive.  Once you get used to it I really think you'll love it.  I love my Mac!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Oh, and the original is still in my IPhoto library.  Last week when I had to get my new computer all my IPhoto files got moved over....it was awesome.  They all came over in the exact same format and nothing was lost. They are all organized by Event and date.  Just use your Time Machine back up every few weeks.  Time Machine is a wonderful thing.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I always resize in Photoshop.

[Jean, Rylee and Cooper]

Hi Ronna I have a Mac with Aperture and I asked at the Apple store how I can resize my photos.  They told me not easily.  I would have to get another program such as photoshop.  I don't have any of the other editing programs but have thought about getting lightroom.  Not sure if it is difficult to use.  

Looks like you have gotten some good advice here.