Section 31.1. Importing and Opening


31.1. Importing and Opening

Getting photos into iPhoto is supposed to be one of the most effortless parts of the process. Remember, Steve Jobs promised that iPhoto would forever banish the "chain of pain" from digital photography. And yet

31.1.1.

31.1.1.1. My thumbnails appear as blank, gray rectangles.

Update your copy of iPhoto to 5.0.4 or later. Then rebuild your iPhoto library.

To do that, quit iPhoto. Then, while pressing the and Option keys, reopen it. iPhoto will promptly rebuild your library, cleaning out unneeded cobwebs of data and ensuring that all relationships (between thumbnails and full- size images, for example) are healthy and strong.

31.1.1.2. iPhoto doesn't recognize my camera.

iPhoto generally "sees" any recent camera model, even if it's not listed on Apple's Device Compatibility page (www.apple.com/iphoto/compatibility). If you don't see the Import screen even though the camera most assuredly is connected, try these steps in order:

  • Make sure the camera is turned on. Check the USB cable at both ends.

  • Try plugging the camera into a different USB port.

  • Some models don't see the computer until you switch them into a special "PC" mode, using the control knob.

  • Try turning on the camera after connecting its USB cable to the Mac.

  • Turn the camera off, then on again, while it's plugged in.

  • If iPhoto absolutely won't notice its digital companion, use a memory-card reader as described on Section 6.2.2.

31.1.1.3. iPhoto crashes when I try to import.

This problem is most likely to crop up when you're bringing pictures in from your hard drive or another disk. Here are the possibilities:

  • The culprit is usually a single corrupted file. Try a test: Import only half the photos in the batch. If nothing bad happens, split the remaining photos in half again and import them . Keep going until you've isolated the offending file.

  • Consider the graphics program you're using to save the files. It's conceivable that its version of JPEG or TIFF doesn't jibe perfectly with iPhoto's. (This scenario is most likely to occur right after you've upgraded either your graphics program or iPhoto itself.)

    To test this possibility, open a handful of images in a different editing program, save them, and then try the import again. If they work, then you might have a temporary compatibility problem. Check the editing program's Web site for update and troubleshooting information.

  • Some JPEGs that were originally saved in Mac OS 9 won't import into iPhoto. Try opening and resaving these images in a native Mac OS X editor like Photoshop. Speaking of Photoshop, it has an excellent batch-processing tool that can automatically process mountains of images while you go grab some lunch .

Finally, a reminder, just in case you think iPhoto is acting up: iPhoto now imports RAW filesbut not from all camera models. For details, see Section 6.2.5.

31.1.1.4. iPhoto won't import images from my video camera.

Most modern digital camcorders can store your still images on a memory card instead of DV tape. If you're having a hard time importing these stills into iPhoto with a direct camera connection, try these tips:

  • Take out the tape cassette before connecting the camcorder to your Mac.

  • Try copying the files directly from the memory card to your hard drive with a memory-card reader. Once the images are on your hard drive, you should be able to import them into iPhoto.

31.1.1.5. What if I don't want iPhoto to import all the pictures from my camera?

You can't tell iPhoto not to import them allbut you can use Image Capture. A sort of grandfather to iPhoto, this Mac OS X program comes on every Mac. Although it doesn't perform even a hundredth of the feats that iPhoto can, it does offer one feature iPhoto lacks selective importing.

Figure 31-1. Top: First, make sure that Image Capture, not iPhoto, intercepts and downloads the photos when you connect your digital camera. To do so, open Image Capture, then choose Image Capture Preferences.
From the Camera Preferences pop-up menu, choose Image Capture. (In fact, you could even choose another program to intervene when your camera is plugged in, by choosing Other from this menu).
Middle: This is the main Image Capture window that now appears when you plug in your camera. To download only some of the photos, click Download Some.
Bottom: This "slide sorter window is where you can choose the individual pictures you want to download. Or, use the buttons at the top to rotate or delete selected shots from the camera. In slide sorter view, Shift-click or -click the thumbnails of the pictures you want. In list view, Shift-click or -click as though they're Finder list-view files.


First, however, you must tell iPhoto not to open automatically when you plug in your camera. You want Image Capture to do your importing, instead. To make this change, use the procedure outlined in Figure 31-1. From now on, Image Capture, not iPhoto, will open whenever you plug in your camera.

Once the pictures are on your hard drive, copy them into iPhoto simply by dragging them (or the folder they're in) into the photo-viewing area.




iLife 05. The Missing Manual
iLife 05: The Missing Manual
ISBN: 0596100361
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 314
Authors: David Pogue

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net