iPhoto is a great tool for managing your photos on an Apple product. When you want to interface with the rest of the world it presents some unique challenges, for sure! 

The CDs iPhoto makes are actually an archive made to be read by iPhoto.  There are three folders: 

  1. data - the thumbnail files iPhoto displays while browsing (not editing);
  2. originals - the original image; and
  3. modified - the image saved with any changes made in iPhoto, such as cropping, color or even rotation.

When you load those disks into a kiosk in order to make prints, the kiosk can easily get confused because there are 3 copies of each photo. The "data" files are low resolution images and when printed look pretty bad. And yet there's no easy way for the kiosks to know the difference. Here's what you should do:

From Apple, step by step, current: To create a CD or DVD to be viewed in Windows or by a photo-processing company (such as Chris' Camera Center):

  1. In iPhoto, select the photos, albums, or video clips you want to burn to a disc.

  2. Choose File > Export.

  3. In the Export Photos window, click File Export, and then select your options.

    For best results, choose JPEG, Maximum, and Full Size.

  4. When you’re ready, click Export, and export the photos to a folder on your computer.

  5. When the export is finished, quit iPhoto.

  6. Click the Finder icon in the Dock, and then insert a CD-RW disc or a blank CD-R or DVD-R disc into your drive.

  7. Drag the folder that contains your exported photos to the disc’s icon.

  8. When the files have been copied, choose File > Burn Disc, and then click Burn.