Importing from a Camera

If you use a digital camera, it's easiest to import photos directly from the camera.

To import from a digital camera:

1.	Connect your camera to your Mac using the USB cable included with the camera.
2.	Turn on the camera. Make sure the camera is set to view pictures. iPhoto automatically switches into import mode (Figure 2.1, opposite).
3.	If you wish, enter a name and description for the new film roll that will be created by the import (Figure 2.3). Figure 2.3. Enter a name and description for the roll that will be created; you can do this later, of course, but this is a handy way to label your photos.
4.	To have iPhoto erase the contents of your camera after importing, select Delete Items from Camera After Importing.
5.	Click the Import button. iPhoto starts importing the photos, showing thumbnails and a progress bar. If you've made a mistake, click Stop Import (Figure 2.4). When the import finishes, the photos appear in the display pane. Figure 2.4. While iPhoto imports photos, it displays the image being downloaded along with a progress bar. To stop the process before it completes, click the Stop Import button.

Tips

• To be safe, never select the Delete Items from Camera After Importing checkbox. Instead, erase the card in your camera after verifying the import.

• If you want to import only selected photos into iPhoto, see "Importing Only Selected Photos," in this chapter.

• iPhoto warns you if you're about to import duplicate images and asks if you want duplicates or only new images.

• Some cameras mount on your Desktop like a hard disk. Eject the camera using the eject button next to its name in the Source pane before disconnecting it!

Supporting More Cameras

Although iPhoto supports a large number of cameras, some extremely inexpensive cameras still lack support from Apple. Luckily, a small firm of driver gurus called IOXperts has stepped up to the plate. To add support for many cameras with similar guts, download a copy of the USB Still Camera Driver for Mac OS X Driver from www.ioxperts.com/products/usbstillcamera.html. That page links to the full list of supported cameras.