iPhoto tutorial: How to master all of iPhoto’s export options

When you’re sharing your iPhoto shots there are plenty of choices available through the app – you can create books to send to friends, make slideshows or upload your shots to sites like Flickr and Facebook. However, the Export menu holds a lot more options when it comes to sharing, especially if you’re looking for a medium that isn’t obvious in iPhoto. Changing the file format of an image, for example, is simple in the Export menu, along with saving shots in a ready-made video slideshow for QuickTime playback, or optimising a slideshow for the device you own. Whatever you want to do, the Export menu holds a lot of options you may never have known about in iPhoto. In this tutorial we’ll take a closer look at these hidden features in Apple’s entry-level photo editor to help you make the most of your snapshots.

Step 1: Select images

To select the images you want to export either hit Cmd+A to select all, drag a box around the ones you want, or select individual photos by Cmd+clicking.

Step 2: File>Export

Next, you want to open up the Export dialog. Choose File, then Export, or if you would rather use a keyboard shortcut hit Cmd+Shift+E, which has the same effect.

Step 3: File types

The first option in the window is File Export, which enables you to choose the file type that you want to use when you save your shots.

Step 4: Quality

If you choose JPEG, the most-used format, you’ll need to choose a quality setting. The higher the quality the bigger the file, so be careful if size could be an issue.

Step 5: Get organised

iPhoto gives you options for renaming your shots in several ways. You can use the photo’s titles, but if you haven’t altered them, the final option may be best.

Step 6: Web Page

The second tab holds the Web Page option, which allows you to export your snaps as a web gallery. Turn the page for more information on how to do this.

Step 7: QuickTime

The next tab contains options for QuickTime. You can quickly export your images as a movie. Alter the fields on display to change the quality if you wish.

Step 8: Colours and sound

You can alter the background colour for your video, so images that don’t fit into your frame will have a backing. You can also add music.

Step 9: Slideshow

To give your video a unique look you can change the options in the Slideshow section, then export the finished article at different sizes.

(Click on the image below to zoom in and view the annotations)