Help with misusing iPhoto, please?

Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014


When it comes to Mac, I often tell people they "gotta drink the Kool-Aid" and just use the stuff as-is.


 


But with iPhoto, I must contradict myself. I really do not like the weird/random storage scheme my pictures end up in (in my current Lion, I can't even see them at all). I want to download my pictures into folders periodically and KEEP them that way. This also lets me use them on Windows machines. 


 


 


So: can I copy photos off my camera, iPhone, iPad onto my own folder structure on the hard drive, and then make iPhoto import without moving the files?


 


It's kinda two questions:


- How to get pictures out of iPhone/iPad onto an OS X hard drive WITHOUT using iPhoto (from the camera I would copy the DCIM or equivalent folder right onto the hard drive, and rename it "downloaded 08192012" or such. Yes, I know that's a bit odd, but that's how I like to do it.)*


- How to import into iPhoto and leave the pictures where they are (external hard drive, since this machine just has a small SSD). I think the iPhoto Preference should take care of this.


 


I just changed to this SSD machine and will start everything, so help would be really appreciated.


 I'm on Lion but soon to change to Mountain Lion.


 


 


*Yeah, I know iPhoto can organize by events albums etc, but maybe I don't understand those features very well. Anyway, after years of not labeling (because it never worked well and took too long or I didn't know how to properly do it or whatever), those features don't help me.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by Head_Unit View Post


    - How to get pictures out of iPhone/iPad onto an OS X hard drive WITHOUT using iPhoto (from the camera I would copy the DCIM or equivalent folder right onto the hard drive, and rename it "downloaded 08192012" or such. Yes, I know that's a bit odd, but that's how I like to do it.)*



     


    Image Capture.


     



     





    - How to import into iPhoto and leave the pictures where they are (external hard drive, since this machine just has a small SSD). I think the iPhoto Preference should take care of this.




     


    … Good luck (pretty sure there's a way, though…).

  • Reply 2 of 9
    mr. memr. me Posts: 3,221member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Head_Unit View Post


    ...


    - How to get pictures out of iPhone/iPad onto an OS X hard drive WITHOUT using iPhoto (from the camera I would copy the DCIM or equivalent folder right onto the hard drive, and rename it "downloaded 08192012" or such. Yes, I know that's a bit odd, but that's how I like to do it.)*


    ...



     


    If your camera supports USB Automount--and most do, then this is trivial. This is the part of the USB standard that mounts your camera's file system on the Desktop. You may then simply drag your DCIM folder or any of the photos contained therein to wherever you want on your hard drive or anywhere is. With your photos where you want them, you may use iPhoto or any other photo editor/manager with your photos. iPhoto gives you the option of not importing your photos into its Library bundle.

  • Reply 3 of 9


    so, Head_Unit, did you find the solution?


    if you did, could you please pm me and tell what exactly you did?


    I'd really appreciate it. thanks in advance


     


     


    ________________


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  • Reply 4 of 9

    Plug in your iPhone, and start Windows Photo Gallery. Go to the File menu and choose import. Choose your iPhone and it will do the rest. They come up in your Pictures directory by default. Just to be clear, iTunes does not do this on Windows.
  • Reply 5 of 9


    If you have iPhoto on the Install Disc, make a backup and reinstall the system.

    If you bought iLife apart, reinstall it.

  • Reply 6 of 9


    Good advice...

  • Reply 7 of 9

    Make sure you launch iPhoto with the Option key held down and double clicking on the iPhoto application.


    Also make sure the library on the EHD is not an alias of the internal library.  That has caught other users before.
  • Reply 8 of 9


    Honestly the best advice regarding iPhoto might be not to use it. Aperture is more capable with storing photos across various locations especially hard drives.

  • Reply 9 of 9

    Assuming a default "managed" library (the iPhoto preference to "copy imported items to the iPhoto library is in its checked state deleting photos is simply selecting the photo in an iPhoto event, pressing delete and emptying the iPhoto trash and the system trash and the photo will be totally gone as long as your library is not corrupted  -- with a corrupted library the results are unpredictable


    More information form: http://www.iphone-mac.com/

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